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emperor wu of han settled 100k colonists in shuofang around 127 bc, near present day ordos in the inner mongolia region. from there, han conducted missions deep into present day mongolia or xiongnu territory at that time. naturally, it also became a target for attack from the xiongnu. it was a good strategy to establish strongholds in mongolian territory for buffering and early warning as the xiongnu were raiding han towns and cities on the periphery of the empire even there was a truce in 200 bc, in which the han army lost to the xiongnu, and han had to offer tributes. it was a case of heads you lose, and tails they win. mongols or xiongnu at the time of han, 3 kingdoms and t'ang, were china's number one mortal enemy. wudi saw that, and so did other visionary and great emperors of china, including taizhong. most other emperors were lacking in strategic vision and foresight. when emperors and dynasties lacked strategic vision, they faltered and risked millions of lives to invasion, terror, plunder, destruction and rape.
wudi was able to grasp the strategic vision of securing china's northern borders by projecting power thru' offensive means and building colonies further away from the heartland. the qin emperor was fully wary of xiongnu attacks in the north, but he walled china in by investing in defensive warfare, the great wall. wudi established commanderies, troops and colonists from shuofang to the dayuan area (ancient bactria). this strategy alone secured passages for safe transport connecting central asian and mediterranean demands for silk and other goods from china to production and supplies within the heartland of china. to achieve this vision of securing the northern regions, wudi had to have massive cavalry units in the tens of thousands to go head to head with rapid moving hordes of the xiongnu. pretty much, the border was too vast and wide for infantry to conduct successful missions, as preceding disastrous campaigns had proven.
this same strategy of securing china's north western frontier by colonization, repopulation and concentrating strength in strongholds has not left the chinese or pla psyche, at least when their military and leadership still possess strategic vision and a good grasp of history.
