Editing Xiongnu (section)

===== Han (304–319) =====
[[File:Sixteen Kingdoms 317 AD (2).jpg|thumb|The [[Han-Zhao|Han-Zhao dynasty]] in 317 AD, shortly after the fall of the [[Western Jin dynasty]].]]
Eventually, the Five Divisions grew weary of subservience and attempted to assert their own power. The Commander of the Left Division, [[Liu Bao]] briefly unified them during the mid-3rd century before the [[Cao Wei]] and the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Western Jin]] courts intervened and forced them back into five. To further ensure their loyalty, nobles of the Five Divisions had to send their children to the Chinese capital as hostages, where they became accustomed to Chinese [[Confucianism|Confucian]] teachings and culture. They were even allowed to hold government offices under the Jin, but their status remained low compared to their Chinese peers. Amidst the [[War of the Eight Princes]] in 304, as Jin authority was collapsing in northern China, the Five Divisions took the opportunity to rebel.

[[Liu Yuan (Han-Zhao)|Liu Yuan]], the son of Liu Bao and a general serving under one of the Jin princes, was offered by the Five Divisions to lead their rebellion. After deceiving his prince, Liu Yuan returned to Bingzhou and was acclaimed as the Grand ''Chanyu''. Later that year, he declared himself the King of Han. Liu Yuan and his family members were Chuge people, but he also claimed to be a direct descendant of the Southern Xiongnu ''chanyus'' and depicted his state as a continuation of the [[Han dynasty]], citing that his alleged ancestors were married to Han princesses through ''[[heqin]].<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Tang|2010|loc=ch.〈魏晋杂胡考 一 屠各〉}} ''He adopted the Chinese ruling system and allowed the Han Chinese and non-Chinese tribes to serve under him. In 308, he elevated his title to Emperor of Han, and in 309, he settled his capital at [[Linfen|Pingyang]].

The Western Jin, devastated by war and natural disasters, was unable to stop the growing threat of the Han. A few months after [[Liu Cong (Han-Zhao)|Liu Cong]] took the Han throne, the Jin imperial army was annihilated by his forces in 311. Soon, the Han descended upon the Jin capital [[Luoyang]], sacking the city and capturing [[Emperor Huai of Jin]] in an event known as the [[Disaster of Yongjia]]. In 316, the Jin restoration in [[Chang'an]], headed by [[Emperor Min of Jin|Emperor Min]], was also crushed by the Han. After the fall of Chang'an, the remnants of the Jin south of the [[Yangtze|Yangtze river]] at [[Jiankang]] re-established themselves as the [[Eastern Jin dynasty]] in 318.{{sfn|Grousset|1970|pp=[https://archive.org/details/empireofsteppesh00prof/page/56 56–57]}}

Despite military success, the Han's imperial authority was limited. They suffered from internal strife under Liu Cong, who was described as a cruel and dissolute ruler. Faced with stern opposition from his own ministers, he greatly empowered his [[Consort kin|consort kins]] and [[Eunuchs in China|eunuchs]] to counter them, throwing the Han court into a power struggle which ended in a brutal purge. Liu Cong also failed to constrain [[Shi Le]], a general of [[Jie people|Jie]] ethnicity who effectively held the eastern parts of the empire. After Liu Cong's death in 318, the consort kin, [[Jin Zhun]] massacred the imperial family in Pingyang before he was defeated by a combined force led by Liu Cong's cousin, [[Liu Yao]], and Shi Le.