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A Fragile Peace, A Fateful Mission After their crushing defeats by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the Xiongnu retreated beyond the Gobi Desert. For years, they pretended to seek peace – sending envoys to Chang’an while secretly rebuilding their armies. Both sides routinely detained each other’s diplomats: over a dozen Han envoys had been…
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Chapter 8 of Journey to the West marks the beginning of the quest for Buddhist scriptures. The chapter opens with a poem expressing the arduous path to enlightenment: countless trials must be overcome to attain the highest state of Buddhism.