Dance of the War Soul

The title is grand and imposing, it's a pity it's not a fantasy novel.

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There are too few truly intelligent people, and too many wealthy ones, yet they all focus on established works. A talented horse rarely finds its discerning eye. But that's okay; even a swan's egg can become a swan, no matter where it is. The key is whether you have the confidence to persevere. This work has considerable potential; given time, its future is limitless. As newcomers, we should learn from each other and exchange ideas so that we can write outstanding works in the future! Remember to follow me!

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I thank reader Huang Huihong for his suggestion that some rare historical facts should be introduced, and that such plots should be included in the novel. I think this is an excellent suggestion. Therefore, this article will introduce the real Donghu people. In my novel, the Donghu are a powerful nomadic people living outside the Great Wall, roughly equivalent to present-day Northeast China, who were constantly at war with the Eastern Han Empire. This setting is mostly based on reality, though a small part is fictional. The Donghu people were a real historical entity. The Donghu people were once a large tribal alliance active in the middle and upper reaches of the Luan River and its northeast. It included many tribes of different sizes with the same ethnicity but different names, and like the Xiongnu, they belonged to the northern nomadic peoples. The name "Donghu" did not originate from the Donghu people themselves. Because the Xiongnu people called themselves "Hu people," the people of the Central Plains referred to all the tribes that lived east of the Xiongnu as "Donghu." This name was passed down through generations, and Donghu became the name of the tribes that lived in that region. Throughout history, the Donghu people underwent a complex process of gradual growth from weakness to strength, and also experienced a glorious period of fighting and invading from the south and north for their own interests. They once occupied large swathes of territory in Northeast and Northern my country. The origins of the Donghu people have been a subject of debate among historians. Some believe that the Donghu's ancestral origins are related to Wu Geng's establishment of the "Northern Yin"; others say that the Donghu people were the remnants left behind by Jizi when he went east to Korea at the end of the Shang and the beginning of the Zhou dynasties; some propose that the Donghu people are descendants of the Shang dynasty; still others believe that the Donghu people came from indigenous clans and tribes in Northeast China, but there is no reliable historical evidence. The early society and culture of the Donghu people were not recorded in historical documents. Starting in the 1950s, archaeologists successively discovered several batches of artifacts with coexisting relationships in western Liaoning and eastern Inner Mongolia. Through careful research, a preliminary understanding of the society and culture of the Donghu people was gained. Like the Xiongnu, the Donghu were a nomadic people who lived a nomadic life, migrating with the water and grass, without ever settling in a city to cultivate the land. Their economy was mainly based on animal husbandry, but they also engaged in hunting, and in areas close to the Han Chinese, they also had some agriculture and handicrafts. From the time the Donghu people first appeared in Chinese historical records until their defeat by the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu, they were relatively powerful for a considerable period. They frequently fought against the Yan and Zhao regimes in the Central Plains and used their power to invade and plunder neighboring tribes. In the 26th year of King Huiwen of Zhao (273 BC), Zhao conquered the territory of the Donghu in Dai. The commentary in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, "The Hereditary House of Zhao," states: "The Donghu rebelled against Zhao, driving the people of various Dai territories into rebellion, hence the conquest." The Donghu had previously been defeated by Zhao and submitted to it, but after becoming powerful, they rebelled again, plundering the people and wealth of Zhao's Dai territory. In the first year of King Xiaocheng of Zhao, while Zhao general Li Mu defeated over 100,000 Xiongnu cavalry at Dai and Yanmen, he also subjugated the Linhu in the east, defeating the Donghu once more. The Donghu also raided the northern border of the Yan state on several occasions. During the reign of King Zhao of Yan, the Donghu defeated the Yan state, forcing Yan to send a general named Qin Kai (Qin Wuyang, who accompanied Jing Ke in his assassination attempt on the King of Qin, was Qin Kai's grandson) to the Donghu as a hostage. The northeastern part of the Yan state, from Shanggu (southeast of present-day Huailai County, Hebei Province) to Liaodong (present-day Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province), which bordered the Donghu, was frequently raided by the Donghu. After Qin Kai returned from his campaign against the Donghu, the Yan state, taking advantage of his familiarity with the Donghu's internal affairs, appointed him as general to lead an army to attack them. This time, the Donghu were defeated and forced to retreat over a thousand li. Yan also built a Great Wall, stretching from Zaoyang (near present-day Dushikou, Hebei Province) to Xiangping (present-day Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province). Five commanderies were established: Shanggu (southeast of present-day Huailai County, Hebei Province), Yuyang (southwest of present-day Miyun County, Beijing), Youbeiping (present-day Pingquan County, Hebei Province), Liaoxi (present-day Lulong County, Hebei Province), and Liaodong (present-day Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province), to defend against the Donghu. During the Qin Dynasty, the Donghu were already an extremely powerful tribe. The *Records of the Grand Historian*, in its chapter on the Xiongnu, uses a contrastive approach to describe the Donghu's strength: "The Donghu were strong, but the Yuezhi were prosperous," and "After Maodun ascended the throne, the Donghu were at their strongest." This means that from the Warring States period to the Qin Dynasty, the Xiongnu's economic and military strength was inferior to the Yuezhi in the north and inferior to the Donghu in the east. When Modu Chanyu killed his father and declared himself Chanyu, the Donghu were at their most powerful. However, their strength made them arrogant and self-important, especially towards their neighbor, the Xiongnu. Because of Modu's actions, they looked down on the Xiongnu and saw an opportunity to bully them. They sent envoys to the Xiongnu, demanding the return of his father's prized horse and the Chanyu's concubine, which the Chanyu had to comply with. But when the Donghu demanded a piece of land, about a thousand li long, located between the Xiongnu and Donghu, a "abandoned land" where neither side usually grazed their livestock, Modu flew into a rage, saying, "Land is the foundation of the state! How can I give it away!" He then ordered the execution of everyone who supported giving up the land and commanded his entire army to immediately attack the Donghu, with anyone lagging behind to be beheaded. In this battle, Modu captured a large number of Donghu people and their property. As a result, the Donghu tribal alliance completely disintegrated, with only two remaining branches escaping to Wuhuan Mountain (northwest of Arukorqin Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia) and Xianbei Mountain (west of Horqin Left Middle Banner, Zhelimu League, Inner Mongolia), respectively, and thereafter they were known as the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes. It can be said that the history of the Donghu was actually extremely glorious, and its subsequent influence was far-reaching. The construction of the Great Wall during the Warring States period had its reasons, the strength of the Xiongnu stemmed from their wars, and their two branches, the Wuhuan and Xianbei, influenced Chinese history for centuries. In northern China, it was essentially a struggle for supremacy among the Han, Donghu, and Xiongnu. It's just that, for some reason, current official histories are remarkably silent on this period of Donghu history.

I just started reading and have read two chapters. This book will definitely involve a considerable number of people and places, and I wonder if these names and places are verifiable. I know the author is quite interested in history, and if they could incorporate some little-known, real place names and personal names into the novel with some introductions, I believe it would have a more historical drama feel. Jin Yong, the author of the classic novel, did the same thing, and I hope the author will take a slight look at his approach.

I spent all morning registering, it kept saying there weren't enough parameters, and after working on it for over an hour this afternoon, it's finally done!

~\(≧▽≦)/~ Lalala... I'm here to give you a thumbs up