Battle of Zhizhi

At approximately 36 BC, the governor of the Western Regions was Gan Yanshou. His deputy commander, Chen Tang claimed that Zhizhi was planning to build up a great empire and proposed a pre-emptive attack. Gan Yanshou objected; but he soon fell ill, and while he was incapacitated Chen Tang forged an edict in Yanshou's name and mobilized the army. Gan Yanshou was forced to yield. All this was done without the Emperor's permission. An army of 40,000 Han and Hu troops (''Hu" here is a loose term for non-Chinese) assembled. It marched west on both sides of the Tarim Basin, reunited near Kashgar and moved across Kangju territory reaching the western shore of Lake Balkhash. At this point a party of several thousand Kangju cavalrymen, returning from a raid on Wusun, stumbled onto the rear of the Chinese army, attacked it, and made off with a large quantity of food and weapons. Chen Tang sent his Hu troops back and defeated the Kangju, killing 460 of them and freeing 470 Wusun captives.

1,518 Xiongnu died, including Zhizhi and Zhizhi's wives. 145 were captured and well over 1,000 surrendered. The soldiers were allowed to keep their booty and the surrendered Xiongnu were distributed to the fifteen kingdoms that participated in the battle. The following spring Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang arrived at Chang'an and presented Emperor Yuan of Han with Zhizhi's severed head. It was displayed on the city wall for ten days and then buried. Zhizhi was the only Xiongnu Chanyu killed by the Chinese.

Quotes

He is famous for the quotes:

"夫胡兵五而当汉兵一". A single soldier of Han is equivalent to five Northern barbarian soldiers.

"明犯强漢者，雖遠必誅". No matter how far away, whoever dares to violate the mighty Han will be put to death.

Children

• Chen Feng

• Po Huhou (破胡侯)

生平

陳湯少時家貧好學，有大志，但是品行不端，不為鄉里所稱。後赴長安求官，與張勃相識。漢元帝初元二年（前47年），張勃推薦陳湯為官，但是陳湯在待選期間父親過世，按照律法，他應該回家奔喪。陳湯隱瞞了此消息，結果事情敗露而下獄。

出獄後，他被授予郎官閒職，多次請求出使西域，後于建昭三年（前36年）出任西域都護府副校尉。時匈奴郅支單于因為殺害漢使谷吉，為了防備漢朝出兵報複，率領部眾向西遷居於康居，受到康居庇護。康居為借其威名稱霸西域，屢借兵與其攻掠漢朝屬國烏孫及大宛等。

建昭三年秋，陳湯矯詔調發屯田兵士和西域各國軍隊共4萬人遠征郅支單于，脅迫上司西域都護府校尉甘延壽服從其事。大軍既發，遂克郅支城（今哈薩克斯坦塔拉茲），全殲郅支單于及其本部部眾3千人。大捷後，兩人上疏朝廷「臣聞天下之大義，當混為一。匈奴呼韓邪單于已稱北藩，唯郅支單于叛逆，未伏其辜，大夏之西，以為強漢不能臣也。郅支單于慘毒行于民，大惡逼于天。臣延壽、臣湯將義兵，行天誅，賴陛下神靈，陰陽並應，陷陣克敵，斬郅支首及名王以下。宜懸頭槁于蠻夷邸間，以示萬里，明犯強漢者，雖遠必誅！」。

陳湯私自貪污了部分戰利品，當司隸校尉查辦時，他反而指責司隸校尉「是為郅支報仇也」，加上與之交好的宗正劉向為他上疏，元帝不顧丞相石顯和匡衡的反對，賜陳湯爵關內侯，命其為射聲校尉。

漢成帝繼位後，陳湯貪污受賄事發，被罷免了官位。其後，他又誣稱康居所送質子非王子，敗露後下獄被判死罪。太中大夫谷永為其求情，使其得免一死，免爵充軍。外戚王商和王鳳當政時，西域都護段會宗被烏孫軍隊包圍。兩王諮詢陳湯意見，陳湯判斷烏孫軍隊必敗，果如其言，于是王鳳複起陳湯為從事中郎，掌管幕府參謀事宜。

陳湯複出後黨附王莽，仍然經常受賄，時將作大匠解萬年欲求功，謀劃遷移關東良民至關內，建立初陵邑，陳湯上疏贊同，表示自己將帶頭遷移。結果多年營造不成，民不聊生，該計劃唯有放棄。當拆除造好的房屋時，發現陳湯未帶頭遷居。陳湯因此再次下獄，發現其過往多次受賄，再次被發配敦煌，後被赦回，過世于長安。

王莽掌權後，追謚湯為破胡壯侯。

名言

「凡日月之所照，皆為漢土；明犯強漢者，雖遠必誅！」

家族

• 子：陳馮，破胡侯