Huo Qubing (140 117 BC),9th month of the 6th year of the Yuanshou era, per Emperor Wu's biography in Book of Han. The month corresponds to 10 Oct to 8 Nov 117 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar. formerly romanized as Ho Ch'ü-ping, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Western Han dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu. He was a nephew of the general Wei Qing and Empress consort Xiaowusi, and a half-brother of the statesman Huo Guang. Along with Wei Qing, he led a campaign into the Gobi Desert of what is now Mongolia to defeat the Xiongnu nomadic confederation, winning decisive victories such as the Battle of Mobei in 119 BC. Huo Qubing was one of the most legendary commanders in Chinese history and his name still lives on in Chinese culture today.
Early life Huo Qubing was an illegitimate son from the love affair between Wei Shao'er (), the daughter of a lowly maid from the household of Princess Pingyang (Emperor Wu's older sister), and Huo Zhongru (), a low-ranking civil servant employed there at the time.霍去病，大將軍青姊少兒子也。其父霍仲孺先与少兒通，生去病 However, Huo Zhongru did not want to marry a lower class serf girl like Wei Shao'er, so he abandoned her and went away to marry a woman from his hometown instead. Wei Shao'er insisted on keeping the child, raising him with help of her siblings.
When Huo Qubing was around two years old, his younger aunt Wei Zifu, who was serving as an in-house singer/dancer for Princess Pingyang, caught the attention of the young Emperor Wu, who took her and her half-brother Wei Qing back to his palace in the capital, Chang'an. More than a year later, the newly favoured concubine Wei Zifu became pregnant with Emperor Wu's first child, earning her the jealousy and hatred of Emperor Wu's then empress consort, Empress Chen. Empress Chen's mother, Grand Princess Guantao (), then attempted to retaliate against Wei Zifu by kidnapping and attempting to murder Wei Qing, who was then serving as a horseman at the Jianzhang Camp (建章營, Emperor Wu's royal guards). After Wei Qing was rescued by fellow palace guards led by his close friend Gongsun Ao (), Emperor Wu took the opportunity to humiliate Empress Chen and Princess Guantao by promoting Wei Zifu to a consort (夫人, a concubine position lower only to the Empress) and Wei Qing to the triple role of Chief of Jianzhang Camp (), Palace Attendant, and Chief Councillor (), effectively making him one of Emperor Wu's closest lieutenants. The rest of the Wei family were also well rewarded, including the decreed marriage of Wei Shao'er's older sister Wei Junru () to Emperor Wu's adviser, Gongsun He (). At the time, Wei Shao'er was romantically engaged with Chen Zhang (), a great-grandson of Emperor Gaozu's adviser Chen Ping. Their relationship was also legitimized by Emperor Wu through the form of decreed marriage.及衛皇后尊，少兒更為詹事陳掌妻。 Through the rise of the Wei family, the young Huo Qubing grew up in prosperity and prestige.
Military career Huo Qubing exhibited outstanding military talent even as a teenager. Emperor Wu saw Huo's potential and made Huo his personal assistant.
In 123 BC, Emperor Wu sent Wei Qing from Dingxiang () to engage the invading Xiongnu, and appointed the 18-year-old Huo Qubing to serve as the Agile Colonel () under his uncle,大將軍姊子霍去病年十八，幸，為天子ヰ中。善騎射，再從大將軍，受詔與壯士，為剽姚校尉。 seeing real combat for the first time. Although Wei Qing was able to kill or capture more than 10,000 Xiongnu soldiers, part of his vanguard forces, a 3,000-strong regiment commanded by generals Su Jian (蘇建, father of the Han diplomat and statesman, Su Wu) and Zhao Xin (趙信, a surrendered Xiongnu prince) was outnumbered and annihilated after encountering the Xiongnu force led by Yizhixie Chanyu (). Zhao Xin defected on the field with his 800 ethnic Xiongnu subordinates, while Su Jian escaped after losing all his men in the desperate fighting. Due to the loss of this detachment, Wei Qing's troops did not earn any promotion, but Huo Qubing distinguished himself by leading a long-distance search-and-destroy mission with 800 light cavalrymen,與輕勇騎八百直棄大軍數百里赴利，斬捕首虜過當。 killing the Chanyu's grandfather and over 2,000 enemy troops, as well as capturing numerous Xiongnu nobles. A very impressed Emperor Wu then made Huo Qubing the Marquess of Guanjun () with a march of 2,500 households.剽姚校尉去病斬首虜二千二十八級，及相國、當戶，斬單于大父行籍若侯產，生捕季父羅姑比，再冠軍，以千六百戶封去病為冠軍侯。
In 121 BC, Emperor Wu deployed Huo Qubing twice in that year against the Xiongnu in the Hexi Corridor. During spring, Huo Qubing led 10,000 cavalry, fought through five Western Regions kingdoms within 6 days, advanced over 1,000 li over Mount Yanzhi (), killed two Xiongnu princes along with nearly 9,000 enemy troops, and captured several Xiongnu nobles as well as the Golden Man idol used by Xiongnu as an artifact for holy rituals.票騎將軍率戎士逾烏韡，討脩濮，涉狐奴，歷五王國，輜重人眾攝讋者弗取，几獲單于子。轉戰六日，過焉支山千有余里，合短兵，鏖皋蘭下，殺折蘭王，斬盧侯王，銳悍者誅，全甲獲丑，執渾邪王子及相國、都尉，捷首虜八千九百六十級，收休屠祭天金人，師率減什七 For this achievement, his march was increased by 2,200 households.益封去病二千二百戶 During the summer of the same year, Xiongnu attacked the Dai Commandery and Yanmen. Huo Qubing set off from Longxi (modern-day Gansu) with over 10,000 cavalry, supported by Gongsun Ao, who set off from the Beidi Commandery (北地郡). Despite Gongsun Ao failing to keep up, Huo Qubing travelled over 2,000 li without backup, all the way past Juyan Lake to Qilian Mountains, killing over 30,000 Xiongnu soldiers and capturing a dozen Xiongnu princes. His march was then increased further by an additional 5,400 households for the victory.
Huo Qubing's victories dealt heavy blows to the tribes of the Xiongnu princes of Hunxie () and Xiutu () that occupied the Hexi Corridor. Out of frustration, Yizhixie Chanyu wanted to mercilessly execute those two princes as punishment. The Prince of Hunxie contacted the Han government in autumn of 121 BC to negotiate a surrender. Failing to persuade his fellow prince to do the same, he killed the Prince of Xiutu and ordered Xiutu's forces to also surrender. When the two tribes went to meet the Han forces, Xiutu's forces rioted. Seeing the situation changed, Huo Qubing alone headed to the Xiongnu camp. There, the general ordered the Prince of Hunxie to calm his men and stand down before putting down 8,000 Xiongnu men who refused to disarm, effectively quelling the riot. The Hunxie tribe was then resettled into the Central Plain. The surrender of the Xiutu and Hunxie tribes stripped Xiongnu of any control over the Western Regions, depriving them of a large grazing area. As a result, the Han dynasty successfully opened up the Northern Silk Road, allowing direct trade access to Central Asia. This also provided a new supply of high-quality horse breeds from Central Asia, including the famed Ferghana horse (ancestors of the modern Akhal-Teke), further strengthening the Han army. Emperor Wu then reinforced this strategic asset by establishing five commanderies and constructing a length of fortified wall along the border of the Hexi Corridor. He colonised the area with 700,000 Chinese soldier-settlers.
After the series of defeats by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, Yizhixie Chanyu took Zhao Xin's advice and retreated with his tribes to the north of the Gobi Desert, hoping that the barren land would serve as a natural barrier against Han offensives. Emperor Wu however, was far from giving up, and planned a massive expeditionary campaign in 119 BC. Han forces were deployed in two separate columns, each consisting of 50,000 cavalry and over 100,000 infantry, with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing serving as the supreme commander for each.
Emperor Wu, who had been distancing Wei Qing and giving the younger Huo Qubing more attention and favour, hoped that Huo would engage the stronger Chanyu's tribe and preferentially assigned him the most elite troopers. The initial plan called for Huo Qubing to attack from Dingxiang (定襄, modern-day Qingshuihe County, Inner Mongolia) and engage the Chanyu, with Wei Qing supporting him in the east from Dai Commandery (代郡, modern-day, Yu County, Hebei) to engage the Left Worthy Prince (). However, a Xiongnu prisoner of war confessed that the Chanyu's main force was at the east side. Unaware that this was actually false information provided by the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu ordered the two columns to switch routes, with Wei Qing now setting off on the western side from Dingxiang, and Huo Qubing marching on the eastern side from the Dai Commandery.
Battles at the eastern Dai Commandery theatre were quite straightforward, as Huo Qubing's forces were far superior to their enemies. Huo Qubing advanced over 2,000 li and directly engaged the Left Worthy Prince in a swift and decisive battle. He quickly encircled and overran the Xiongnu, killing over 70,000 men, and capturing three lords and 83 nobles, while suffering a 20% casualty rate that was quickly resupplied from local captives. He then went on to conduct a series of rituals upon his arrival at the Khentii Mountains (狼居胥山, and the more northern 姑衍山) to symbolize the historic Han victory, then continued his pursuit as far as Lake Baikal (), effectively annihilating the Xiongnu clan and allowing conquering tribes such as the Donghu people to retake their land and establish their own confederacy following their subjugation by Xiongnu overlords for over a few decades.票騎將軍去病率師躬將所獲葷允之士，約輕繼，絕大幕，涉獲單于章渠，以誅北車耆，轉擊左大將雙，獲旗鼓，歷度難侯，濟弓盧，獲屯頭王、韓王等三人，將軍、相國、當戶、都尉八十三人，封狼居胥山，禪于姑衍，登臨翰海，執訊獲丑七万有四百四十三級，師率減什二，取食于敵，卓行殊遠而糧不絕 A separate division led by Lu Bode () set off on a strategically flanking route from Right Beiping (右北平, modern-day Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia) and joined forces with Huo Qubing after arriving in time with 2,800 enemy kills. The combined forces then returned in triumph. This victory earned Huo Qubing 5,800 households of fiefdom as a reward,以五千八百戶益封票騎將軍 making him more distinguished than his uncle Wei Qing.自是后，青日衰而去病日益貴。 At the height of his career, many low-ranking commanders previously served under Wei Qing voluntarily transferred to Huo Qubing's service in the hope of achieving military glory with him.青故人門下多去，事去病，輒得官爵
Death and legacy
Emperor Wu offered to help Huo Qubing build up a household for marriage. Huo Qubing, however, answered that "the Xiongnu are not yet eliminated, why should I start a family?" (匈奴未滅，何以家為？),天子為治第，令驃騎視之，對曰：「匈奴未滅，無以家為也。」 a statement that became an inspirational Chinese patriotic motto. Though Huo Qubing was recorded as a quietly spoken man of few words, he was far from humble.驃騎將軍為人少言不泄，有氣敢任。 Sima Qian noted in Shiji that Huo Qubing paid little regard to his men,然少而侍中，貴，不省士。 refusing to share his food with his soldiers,其從軍，上為遣太官繼數十乘，既還，重車余棄粱肉，而士有饑者。 and regularly ordering his troops to conduct cuju games despite them being short on rations.其在塞外，卒乏糧，或不能自振，而去病尚穿域蹋鞠也。事多此類 When Emperor Wu suggested him to study The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Wuzi by Wu Qi, Huo Qubing claimed that he naturally understood war strategies and had no need to study.上嘗欲教之吳、孫兵法，對曰：「顧方略何如耳，不至學古兵法。」 When his subordinate Li Gan (李敢, son of Li Guang) assaulted Wei Qing, the latter forgave the incident. Huo Qubing, on the other hand, refused to tolerate such disrespect towards his uncle and personally shot Li Gan during a hunting trip. Emperor Wu covered for Qubing, stating that Li Gan was "killed by a deer".李敢以校尉從驃騎將軍擊胡左賢王，力戰，奪左賢王鼓旗，斬首多，賜爵關內侯，食邑二百戶，代廣為郎中令。頃之，怨大將軍青之恨其父，乃擊傷大將軍，大將軍匿諱之。居無何，敢從上雍，至甘泉宮獵。驃騎將軍去病與青有親，射殺敢。去病時方貴幸，上諱云鹿觸殺之。
When it came to military glory, Huo Qubing was said to be more generous. One story about him told of when Emperor Wu awarded Huo a jar of precious wine for his achievement, he poured it into a creek so all his men drinking the water could share a taste of it, giving the name to the city of Jiuquan (酒泉, literally "spring of alcohol).