Qin and Han · Han general known as the General of Ershi

Li Guangli 李廣利

First attested BC 104; died BC 90

Passages: 22
Chapters: 3
Histories: 3

Overview

Li Guangli was a Han general known as the General of Ershi.

Life and dates

Death

BC 90 征和三年
Execution · Authority Chanyu (單于)
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210

Attested activity

BC 90 征和三年
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209
BC 104 to BC 90 BC 104-90
Uncertain · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 152
BC 104 to BC 101 伐宛再反，凡四歲
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passages 134, 208
BC 99 天漢二年秋
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passage 163
BC 104 太初元年
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 134

Family

Sibling of Lady Li (李夫人)
younger sister 女弟 · Full siblings
younger sister 女弟
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 133

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Ershi General 貳師
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209
Ershi General 貳師將軍
BC 104 太初元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 134
Ershi 貳師
BC 90 征和三年 · Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209
Marquis of Haixi 海西侯
Enfeoffed · Fief Households 8000
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 200
Entered
BC 90 征和三年 · Surrender · At Xiongnu 匈奴
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210

Places and affiliations

BC 90 征和三年
Polity Xiongnu 匈奴 · Relation Surrendered to
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210
Western Han 漢
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 128
Polity Western Han 漢 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 71, passage 209
BC 90 征和三年
At Wuyuan 五原 · Relation Departed from
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209
BC 90 征和三年
At Zhiju River 郅居水 · Relation Crossed
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209

Works and attributed material

army defeated; surrendered to the Xiongnu; killed by the chanyu
Action · Agent
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210
Memorial · Author
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passages 143-145

Events and relationships

Attacked dayuan
BC 104 to BC 101 伐宛再反，凡四歲 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passages 128, 134, 208
Attacked right worthy king
Military · Commander · With Right Worthy King (右賢王)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passage 163
Defeated
BC 90 征和三年 · Military · Commander
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210
Killed
BC 90 征和三年 · Legal · Victim · With Chanyu (單于)
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 71, passages 209-210
Led cavalry out of Wuyuan against the Xiongnu and crossed the Zhiju River
BC 90 後十一歲，征和三年 · Military · Commander · At Wuyuan 五原
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 209
Relation Killed by · Person Chanyu (單于)
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 210

Source notes

A fuller account of these events is given in the Xiongnu treatise (匈奴傳).
Directly stated · Book of Han 71, passage 211

References in the histories

Search passages

History

22 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 71Volume 61: Zhang Qian and Li Guangli · 20 passages

卷六十一張騫李廣利傳第三十一 Volume 61: Biography 31—Zhang Qian and Li Guangli.

天子以嘗使浞野侯攻樓蘭，以七百騎先至，虜其王，以定漢等言為然，而欲侯寵姬李氏，乃以李廣利為將軍，伐宛。 The emperor remembered how Zhuoye marquis had taken Loulan with seven hundred horsemen, believed the optimists, and wanting a fief for his favorite Lady Li's kin, named Li Guangli general and sent him against Ferghana.

李廣利 Li Guangli.

李廣利，女弟李夫人有寵於上，產昌邑哀王。 Li Guangli's sister, the favored Lady Li, had borne Prince Ai of Changyi.

太初元年，以廣利為貳師將軍，發屬國六千騎及郡國惡少年數萬人以往，期至貳師城取善馬，故號「貳師將軍」。 In the first year of Taichu (104 BCE) he was named Ershi general and given six thousand tribal horse and tens of thousands of adventurers from the commanderies—his brief was to seize the bloodstock at Ershi, whence the title "General of Ershi."

貳師將軍與左右計：「至郁成尚不能舉，況至其王都乎？」 General Ershi told his officers, "If we cannot crack Yucheng, what hope have we of the capital?"

貳師恐，因留屯敦煌。 Ershi dared not advance and camped at Dunhuang.

而發天下七科適，及載糒給貳師，轉車人徒相連屬至敦煌。 The seven classes liable for corvée were called up, dried rations were loaded for Ershi, and wagon trains of laborers stretched all the way to Dunhuang.

於是貳師後復行，兵多，所至小國莫不迎，出食給軍。 When Ershi marched again, his host was so large that every petty state along the way opened its granaries.

貳師欲攻郁成城，恐留行而令宛益生詐，乃先至宛，決其水原，移之，則宛固已憂困。 Ershi thought of striking Yucheng first but feared delay would let Ferghana grow bolder; he drove straight to the capital, cut the aqueduct, and left the city parched and desperate.

持其頭，遣人使貳師，約曰：「漢無攻我，我盡出善馬，恣所取，而給漢軍食。 They sent his head to Ershi with terms: "Spare us, we will parade every good horse for your choice and feed your army.

貳師聞宛城中新得漢人知穿井，而其內食尚多。 Ershi learned that Han prisoners inside were sinking wells and that the citadel still held ample grain.

初，貳師起敦煌西，為人多，道上國不能食，分為數軍，從南北道。 When Ershi first marched west from Dunhuang, his host was too large for the oases along the route to feed, so he split into several columns on northern and southern tracks.

郁成窺知申生軍少，晨用三千人攻殺申生等，數人脫亡，走貳師。 Yucheng saw how small his force was and at dawn sent three thousand men to wipe it out; only a handful escaped to Ershi.

貳師令搜粟都尉上官桀往攻破郁成，郁成降。 Ershi sent Search-Grain commandant Shangguan Jie, who stormed Yucheng into submission.

初，貳師後行，天子使使告烏孫大發兵擊宛。 During Ershi's second march the emperor sent word to Wusun to mobilize heavily against Ferghana.

貳師將軍之東，諸所過小國聞宛破，皆使其子弟從入貢獻，見天子，因為質焉。 On Ershi's return march every petty state along the road, hearing Ferghana had fallen, sent princes in his train to court with tribute and stayed as hostages.

貳師將軍廣利征討厥罪，伐勝大宛。 General Ershi Li Guangli marched to punish those crimes and conquered Ferghana.

其封廣利為海西侯，食邑八千戶。」 Let Li Guangli be enfeoffed as Marquis of Haixi with eight thousand households."

後十一歲，征和三年，貳師復將七萬騎出五原，擊匈奴，度郅居水。 Eleven years later, in Zhenghe 3 (90 BCE), Ershi led seventy thousand cavalry out of Wuyuan against the Xiongnu and crossed the Zhiju River.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 29: Yuan Tuan, Kong Zhigui, Liu Hui · 1 passage

故衞霍出關，千隊不反，貳師入漠，百旅頓降，李廣敗於前鋒，李陵沒於後陣，其餘奔北，不可勝數。 Thus, when Wei Qing and Huo Qubing campaigned beyond the passes, a thousand companies failed to return; when the General of Ershi entered the desert, a hundred formations surrendered at once. Li Guang was defeated in the vanguard and Li Ling was lost in the rear; the others who fled in defeat were beyond counting.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 109Biography of General Li · 1 passage

數歲，天漢二年秋，貳師將軍李廣利將三萬騎擊匈奴右賢王於祁連天山，而使陵將其射士步兵五千人出居延北可千餘里，欲以分匈奴兵，毋令專走貳師也。 Several years later, in the autumn of the second year of the Tianhan era, General Li Guangli of Ershi led thirty thousand cavalry to attack the Right Worthy King of the Xiongnu in the Qilian and Tianshan mountains. Li Ling was ordered to lead his five thousand archers and infantry north from Juyan, about a thousand li deep, to draw off part of the Xiongnu forces and prevent them from concentrating against Li Guangli.