Wuhuan
The
Wuhuan () were a nomadic people who inhabited northern
China, in what is now the provinces of
Hebei,
Liaoning,
Shanxi, the municipality of
Beijing and the autonomous region of
Inner Mongolia.
They were descendant of
Donghu, whom was defeated by
Xiongnu.
They were active throughout the latter half of the
Han Dynasty, often incorporated into the regular military forces of the Han armies. Unlike most major non-Chinese peoples on the frontiers of the Chinese empire, the Wuhuan were relatively cooperative with the imperial court. Around the fall of the dynasty in the 190s, however, the Wuhuan joined in many of the rebellions and internal wars of the Chinese. In the 200s, the "Wuhuan of the three commanderies", the tribes closest to the Chinese, supported
Yuan Shao, the major warlord north of the
Yellow River. In 207,
Cao Cao led a forced march deep into Wuhuan territory and decisively defeated them at Mount Bolang. Many Wuhuan horsemen joined him and became known as the "greatest cavalry under heaven". Although various Wuhuan leaders led sporadic revolts throughout the third century, by the fourth century they had largely been displaced by the
Xianbei.