Emperor Wu of Han
Biography
Reigning for over fifty years, Emperor Wu made Confucianism the official ideology of the state and founded an imperial academy. His generals waged long wars against the Xiongnu and expanded Han control into Central Asia, Korea, and the south. He sent Zhang Qian west, opening contacts that led to the Silk Road. State monopolies on salt and iron financed his campaigns. Later years were marked by court purges.
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