26. The Daring Nomad Who Took on an Empire
Modu Chanyu (234 – 174 BC) was a daring Steppe warrior and chieftain who took on the Chinese Empire of his day. A formidable and fearsome figure, he had a habit of turning his defeated enemies’ skulls into cups from which he drank blood.
He unified the nomadic tribes of the eastern Steppe, and founded the Xiongnu Empire, spanning the Eastern Steppe from Central Asia to Manchuria. Under Chanyu’s leadership, the Xiongnu menaced the Chinese to their south, and continued to do so for centuries. They forged a complex relationship with China, that alternated between trade and raid, marriage treaties and tribute and war.