Accomplishments of Emperor Han Wudi Essay Example

Han WuDi, the sixth emperor of the Han dynasty. Han WuDi, was born in the year 156 BCE under the name Liuche. Other than this, there isn’t much information about his youth. Although he had numerous brothers, his childhood was spent being conditioned to be his father’s Successor. He would begin his unforgettable reign in the year 141 BCE, which would last a record-breaking 54 years, ending in 87 BCE. All of this said, he had many predominant accomplishments over his lasting reign, but the most significant is his empowerment of the military which influenced enforced safety, expansion, along with the development of the economy. 

First, the enforced protection he could deliver. He attained this in countless ways, which would incorporate, defeating enemies, enforcing boarders, and scouting out danger. Beginning with defeating enemies. Their major rivals were the Xiongnu, who were nomads and astonishingly amazing fighters. They would pose the largest threat to the Han Dynasty. Han WuDi would an astonishing work to force them out of China.  Several of his leading generals, who were actually all relatives of his wives and consorts, would be the key components. They would in the Ordos region, this region was situated around the northern bend of the Yellow River. Xiongnu raids had threatened this region, which was an unwelcome problem. He would order them to fan out to the east and west to drive them into Chinese Turkestan (Upshur). This all conveys his military strength. The fact that he was capable to push an almost indestructible group out of China proved that he had the military strength. The Xiongnu’s were the most indestructible nomads they had ever encountered. Preventing a reoccurrence of Han WuDi, would re-enforcing and build parts of the Great Wall. The Great Wall would and still acts as a boarder protection. They believed a part of the reason Nomads, which included not only the Xiongnu, successfully invaded was because the boarder had been too weak. His military would proceed to renovate parts of the old wall, as well as, make the wall longer. The military didn’t just do this, they would station bunkers, also known as stations, around the Great Wall in which they would rotate within to observe danger that would approach (Commire). Another the military was successful is because, not only were each and every soldier strong, but he had large quantities of men under his control. He would train his men to be able to watch over their empire to keep the inhabitants safe. He pushed his military to do better and do more, which allowed them to grow.  Lastly, that he was able to station his men far and wide without a shortage. Wudi was able to have strong control and understand what he as a leader needed to do, evenly distribute forces. He could have men solving military problems and defending their country, while others would stay back and protect the main parts, with the last of his men protecting the boarders (Commire). All of this shows just how strong his hold on his military was. It showed with all the training and power he gave them, they were able to be their best and reflect it in battle. They used their power to divide and conquer all the requirements they had to keep their empire peaceful and safe. Overall, the defeation of enemies, extra border control, and even distributions of men were all Han Wudi’s ways to empower his military and help advise them how to ensure the safety of their empire.

Secondly, the military helped with expansion. It all connects back to the Xiongnu. As Han Wudi defeated the Xiongnu, he had the brilliant idea if he overtook their allies, it would make defeating them easier. He would go on to conquer northern Korea along with expanding to the west of Asia (Upshur). The military would did these type of missions. The military knew they had the upper hand which led to agree or conquer. Many towns didn’t want to betray the Xiongnu, which lead to many expansions and conquests. Secondly, they would use this expansion to their benefit. As they expanded outward, they would be sent out on missions to survey the new land (Commire). The military was very resourceful, and they would never go back empty-handed whether they had accomplished the goal or not. If unable to finish the main goal they would find something else that would benefit the empire. This was all successfully directed by WuDi. Lastly, he would send his men out on conquests to explore the unknown. It would help survey the land and the improvements needed. One of the men’s name was Zhang. He would be sent out by Wudi to communicate with a small community, but he discovered much of the outside world (Commire). This shows Wudi directing them but having control. He would order them to go explore a specified location, but they had the freedom around the location. This would help WuDi get a direction of where his people wanted to go. All three of these which are, the influence of enemies, bringing back goods, and surveying the outside land were objectives of the military with expansion.

Last but not least, the military helped the growth of the economy. Starting again, with reasons related to the Xiongnu. As the Xiongnu had become more of a threat to China, Wudi would send Zhang out to make alliances with other towns the Xiongnu had already forced out. Zhang went back unsuccessful of new allies, but discovered the west which would become part of the Silk Road. The Silk Road was one of the largest and most important trade routes. He would be captured by the Xiongnu and during his escape he found amazing items in the West that would open up a trade route, this forementioned Silk Road (Upshur). This showed how significant the role of military was in the most central trade route. The military was the one who discovered the west which would grow their economy and help them thrive in the coming years. Wudi was part of the reason the Han dynasty thrived for so long. He had the incredible military to help grow the economy. The second reason that the military was one of the major players in the economy growth was because of the military’s enemies. Some of these places included northern Korea (Upshur). This was when they would take down allies of enemies and in doing so they would take over the land that they owned, therefore also taking over the trade routes and materials. This would help the economy as it would provide more variety of materials and expand the economy. Lastly, many of the conquests they would go on if not for fighting enemies would be for trade. For example, the route of the Silk Road, much of it was paved after it was found out that it would be able to benefit the economy (Blackwell). Again, all of this was directed by Wudi. He knew what he wanted his military to do. He knew what would benefit the empire as a whole and evenly divided his men to be able to provide in all angles. In this case, it was the fact they were able to have the motivation to improve the economy as well as to expand, which was all controlled by Wudi and his military. Overall, the growth of the economy was always driven by conquests, enemies, and curiosity of improvement.

All in all, Han Wudi’s greatest accomplishment in his life was his empowerment of the military. This was why after his death he was given the nickname Wudi as a “martial emperor” (Blackwell). He successfully directed the military in a way that would improve the economy, safety, and expansion. All the forementioned reasons are all the reasons an empire is successful during it’s reign, and he was able to accomplish all of them with his military as his power force.