Shi Le

Shi Le was a Xiongnu general who established the Later Zhao dynasty in northern China in 319 CE. The Xiongnu were a nomadic people who formed a confederation and posed a significant threat to China's northern frontier for centuries. During the 4th century CE, a period known as the Sixteen Kingdoms, various non-Chinese groups, including the Xiongnu, ruled parts of northern China. Shi Le overthrew Liu Yuan, the first ruler of the Northern Han dynasty (also known as Former Zhao), to establish his own dynasty. However, the Later Zhao dynasty was short-lived. The Xiongnu, who had been allowed to live within China's Great Wall since the Han dynasty, often served as military aristocracies in these semi-Sinicized states.123