The beginnings of the Hsiung-nu go back to times immemorial. It is reported that the Hsiung-nu had been known under a number of different names in Ancient China since antiquity. They were a people of vaguely Turkic stock, and were nomadic pastoralists living North of China. They often raided China of the Han dynasty, providing a major security threat for centuries. In fact, the Chinese began constructing the Great Wall because of the presence of the Hsiung-nu.
Mao-Tun was a ruthless Hsiung-nu ruler who killed his own father, eliminated all his rivals, and perfected the art of horseback archery. Mao-Tun soon attracted a band of loyal followers whom he trained to obey his every command without question. The Hsiung-nu, under Mao-Tun, achieved their biggest successes at this time. However, during the subsequent wars that lasted for a couple of decades, a highly organized China showed itself to be superior. Slowly, the Hsiung-nu lost their position at the southern edge of the Gobi desert, and China secured control over the commercial routes to the west known as the famous ‘Silk Road’. Later on in history, they became the Huns, who transferred their attentions towards Europe, and unleashed the first migration of nations.