Kent Mountains

The Langjuxu Mountain, an ancient mountain name. In the fourth year of the Yuanshou era of the Han Dynasty (119 BC), the great general of the Western Han, Huo Qubing, led troops deep into the northern desert to attack the Xiongnu and achieved a great victory, whereupon he was granted the honor of sealing Langjuxu Mountain.

"Why ask about Langjuxu? Holding a halberd, I march urgently through the night." "Before Langxu Mountain, the autumn wind grows fierce, as yellow sands stir with the sounds of frontier defenses"... "Sealing Langjuxu" (fēng láng jū xū) is a Chinese idiom originating from "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing." It means to establish outstanding military achievements and is also considered the highest honor for ancient Chinese military commanders. In the history of ancient China, only five people achieved this feat: Huo Qubing, Dou Xian, Li Jing, Lan Yu, and Zhu Di. Huo Qubing was the first to seal Langjuxu.

However, as history has progressed to today, the exact location of Langjuxu Mountain remains unclear to many. Two popular but incorrect theories exist: one suggests that Langjuxu Mountain is located northwest of present-day Hexigten Banner in Inner Mongolia; the other claims it is the present-day Langshan Mountain northwest of the Hetao region. The truth is: Langjuxu Mountain could not have been within China’s borders—it is actually the Kent Mountains east of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

1. From "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing": "(General of Chariots and Cavalry Huo Qubing) turned to strike the Left Grand General, beheaded enemies and captured their flags and drums, traversed the Lihou Pass. He crossed the Gonglü River, capturing three men including the King of Tun Tou and the King of Han, as well as eighty-three generals, ministers, commanders, and officers. He sealed Langjuxu Mountain, performed the Fengshan sacrifice at Guyan, and ascended to the shores of the Hanhai (desert sea)."

This account describes the Battle of the Northern Desert in 119 BC, launched by the Han Dynasty against the Xiongnu. That spring, Emperor Wu of Han dispatched Grand General Wei Qing and General of Chariots and Cavalry Huo Qubing, each leading 50,000 cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry, to penetrate the northern desert along two routes. They decisively defeated the main Xiongnu forces. This battle marked the pinnacle of Emperor Wu's strategic offensive against the Xiongnu and was also a strategic decisive battle between Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie and the Western Han, aimed at resolving the conflict once and for all.

During this campaign, after leading his forces out of the border, Huo Qubing joined up with the troops of Governor Lu Bode of the Right Beiping Commandery (based in present-day southwest Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia). While searching deep in the northern desert for the main Xiongnu forces, Huo Qubing carried minimal supplies and provisions. He crossed the vast desert, forded rivers, captured the Xiongnu minister Zhang Qu alive, executed the King of Bei Che Qi, then turned to strike the Left Grand General Shuang, seizing enemy flags and war drums. He also crossed the Nanhou Mountain and the Gonglu River, capturing three men including the King of Tun Tou and the King of Han, as well as eighty-three generals, ministers, and officers.

Huo Qubing set out from Dai Commandery but marched northeast to join forces with Lu Bode. Both Dai Commandery during the Qin and Western Han dynasties were located around Yu County in Hebei Province. The commandery seat of Dai during the Qin Dynasty was present-day Daiwangcheng in Yu County, Hebei; during the Western Han, the seat was Sanggan County, now northeast of Yu County, Hebei. Yu County is under the jurisdiction of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. Zhangjiakou features high terrain in the northwest and low in the southeast, with the Yin Mountains running through the center, dividing the city into the Bashang and Baxia regions. Clearly, Huo Qubing set out from this area when he left the border.

Ningcheng, where Lu Bode was stationed, had been under the jurisdiction of the Right Beiping Commandery since the Warring States period. The Western Han established the commandery seat at Pinggang City (present-day Heicheng in the county). This location lies on the northern edge of the eastern section of the Yanshan Mountain Range and serves as a strategic passageway from the Inner Mongolian Plateau into the North China Plain. For Lu Bode to march north and join Huo Qubing, they could only have met at the southern edge of the Hunshandake Sandy Land.

The Hunshandake Sandy Land is one of China’s ten major deserts and sandy lands, situated at the southern edge of the Xilingol Grassland in central Inner Mongolia. It lies approximately 180 kilometers in a straight line from Beijing and is the closest sand source to the capital. The sandy land stretches about 450 kilometers from east to west, covers an area of roughly 52,000 square kilometers, and has an average elevation of over 1,100 meters. It is one of the four major sandy lands in central and eastern Inner Mongolia. Clearly, the vast desert that Huo Qubing crossed with minimal supplies would have been the Hunshandake Sandy Land.

Therefore, the claim that Langjuxu Mountain is located northwest of present-day Hexigten Banner in Inner Mongolia is incorrect. Hexigten Banner is situated in eastern Inner Mongolia, northwest of Chifeng City, with its seat in Jingpeng Town. It lies at the convergence of the Inner Mongolian Plateau, the southern foothills of the Greater Khingan Range, and the remaining ranges of the Qilaotu Mountains. While the “northwest” direction is not wrong, it clearly does not encompass the more than 2,000-li journey that Huo Qubing and Lu Bode undertook after joining forces. In other words, it is somewhat acceptable to say that the meeting point of Huo Qubing and Lu Bode was “northwest of Hexigten Banner,” but claiming that Langjuxu Mountain is located “northwest of Hexigten Banner” is a concept that is simply too far-fetched and implausible.

2. Next, let’s clarify that Langjuxu Mountain is not the present-day Langshan Mountain northwest of the Hetao region. Langshan is a mountain range along the China-Mongolia border, specifically the Gobi Altai Mountains on the Mongolian side of the border. It is about 370 kilometers long, with an average elevation of 1,500–2,200 meters. Its main peak, Hoh Bogd, is located southwest of Urad Rear Banner and stands at 2,364 meters above sea level. The southern side features steep cliffs overlooking the Hetao Plain, while the northern slope is gentler, gradually transitioning into the Bayannur Plateau. The western end disappears into deserts such as the Bumbaitei and Yamaleike Deserts.

This mountain, Langshan, is often regarded in many sources as part of the Yin Mountains, which are a major east-west mountain range and important geographical divide in northern China. They stretch across central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the northernmost part of Hebei Province. The western end gradually lowers into the Alxa Plateau; the eastern end ends at the upper valley of the Luan River west of Duolun, spanning approximately 1,000 kilometers. From west to east, they include: Langshan, Wula Mountains, Serteng Mountains, and Daqing Mountains. In other words, the westernmost section in Bayannur, which is the westernmost part of the Yin Mountains, is called Langshan. Historically, in contrast to the Yin Mountains, it was also referred to as the "Yang Mountains." Thus, aside from the orientation of the mountain ridges, the shift from Yin to Yang reflects the ancient belief that where there is Yin, there must be Yang—solitary Yin does not give birth, nor does solitary Yang thrive; harmony between Yin and Yang is essential for life.

From maps, we can see that the Yellow River flows northward along the Helan Mountains, then enters the Ulan Buh Desert at the eastern terminus of the Helan Mountain Range, bringing the nourishment of the Yellow River to the easternmost part of the Alxa Plateau. At this point, the overall flow of the Yellow River is still northward, but fortunately, after traveling a certain distance, it is blocked by the Langshan Mountains (Yin Mountains), forming the northernmost point of the Yellow River and the “几”-shaped bend of the Hetao region. This is the contribution of Langshan to our mother river, the Yellow River—it prevented the river from flowing even further north into the Mongolian Plateau. The Battle of the Northern Desert was the final offensive launched by the Western Han against the Xiongnu. Prior to this, numerous battles had taken place within the “几”-shaped bend of the Hetao region, so the geography of the area would have been very familiar. How could they have sought out the main Xiongnu forces here and then sealed Langjuxu? Therefore, this theory is almost laughable.

3. So, after crossing the Hunshandake Sandy Land, how did Huo Qubing proceed? Naturally, he advanced northwestward to seek a decisive battle with the main Xiongnu forces. After capturing the Xiongnu’s flags and drums and achieving certain victories, he felt he had not yet found the true main force of the Xiongnu. So he crossed the Nanhou Mountain and forded the Gonglu River, achieving a complete victory in battle before sealing Langjuxu. The Nanhou Mountain is located in the Greater Khingan Range area, and fording the Gonglu River refers to the present-day Kerulen River in eastern Mongolia. Clearly, on his way to seek a decisive battle with the main Xiongnu forces, Huo Qubing redirected his route eastward—and at that moment, Langjuxu was already in sight.

The Kent Mountains are located east of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. During the Yuan Dynasty, they were transliterated as Burkhan Mountain, meaning "Three Holy Mountains" in Mongolian. They lie within the Central and Khentii Provinces of Mongolia and are one of the sacred mountains of the Mongolian people. However, at that time, the local area was not yet inhabited by the Mongolian people—the Mongols originated around the 7th century as a tribe from the Ergune River during the Tang Dynasty. According to the "Old Book of Tang," "Mongol" was merely the name of one tribe among many, closely related to the Donghu, Xianbei, Khitan, and others. Between the 3rd and 5th centuries, various branches such as the Khitan and Shiwei emerged, centered around the Greater Khingan Range. It was not until 1206, when Temujin (Borjigin) was enthroned at the source of the Onon River and established the Great Mongol Empire, that a new ethnic community was formed. At that time, the area around the Kent Mountains was the heartland of the Xiongnu, who revered the mountains there, which the Han people called Langjuxu Mountain.

Huo Qubing held a heaven-worshipping sealing ceremony on Langjuxu Mountain and a earth-worshipping Fengshan ceremony on Guyan Mountain (presently north of the Kent Mountains in Mongolia). His forces pushed all the way to the Hanhai (present-day Lake Baikal). After this battle, "the Xiongnu fled far away, and no royal court remained south of the desert." Thereafter, sealing Langjuxu, performing the Fengshan on Guyan, and ascending to the Hanhai were collectively celebrated as the three great accomplishments following Huo Qubing’s victory in the Battle of the Northern Desert, widely praised throughout history.

This is the true Sealing of Langjuxu. Comparing it to maps, we seem to make such a discovery: Huo Qubing’s march route may have resembled the later historical Zhang-Ku Avenue (an ancient trade route)—from Zhangjiakou through Taibus Banner, crossing the Hunshandake Desert to Ulaanbaatar. Lu Bode’s marching route is closer to the second variation of Zhang-Ku Avenue: from Beijing through Dushikou and Guyuan, passing through the Duolun Nor (present-day Duolun), crossing the Hunshandake Desert, going through Abga Banner to Ulaanbaatar. Huo Qubing did not necessarily have to pass through Erenhot or enter present-day Mongolia via Zamyn-Uud, but Erenhot has become an unavoidable point along today’s Zhang-Ku Avenue. Such is history—the footsteps of the past pave the roads of the future, and military routes often give rise to trade paths. And thus, a great road was “forged” by a young general.