Wudi

Wudi, also Wu Ti (156-87 bc), Chinese emperor (140-87 bc) of the Han dynasty, who by his aggressive foreign policy greatly expanded the empire. In 133 bc, recognizing that the best defence was offence, he initiated a campaign against the nomadic Xiongnu, whose depredations had long threatened the Han Empire. Although the threat was not eliminated, the imperial troops pursued the enemy far west into Xinjiang (Sinkiang), thus winning control over the region. Wudi also extended Chinese authority into Annam (the Chinese name for Vietnam), and reconquered Korea. His expeditions exhausted the treasury, and led to new taxes and state monopolies on wine, iron, and salt. The northern expansion, however, opened up the Silk Route through Central Asia. A despotic ruler, who wielded power directly through a palace secretariat, he was merciless to his soldiers and to subordinates such as the great historian Sima Qian, whom he had castrated for defending a disgraced general. He is also remembered for making Confucianism a state ideology, an act that had a profound and enduring influence on later Chinese history. Obsessed with immortality, he sought to prolong his life through magical rituals. Late in his reign, his armies began to suffer defeats, and the overburdened populace frequently revolted. His heir, falsely accused of treason, led a desperate rebellion in 91 bc, which ended in the prince's death. Wudi's reign marked the zenith of Han power, and his policies helped weaken the dynasty and hasten its decline.