Han dynasty
To the north of China proper, the nomadic Xiongnu chieftain Modu Chanyu (r. 209–174 BC) conquered various tribes inhabiting the eastern portion of the Eurasian Steppe. By the end of his reign, he controlled Manchuria, Mongolia, and the Tarim Basin, subjugating over twenty states east of Samarkand. Emperor Gaozu was troubled about the abundant Han-manufactured iron weapons traded to the Xiongnu along the northern borders, and he established a trade embargo against the group. In retaliation, the Xiongnu invaded what is now Shanxi province, where they defeated the Han forces at Baideng in 200 BC. After negotiations, the "heqin" agreement in 198 BC nominally held the leaders of the Xiongnu and the Han as equal partners in a royal marriage alliance, but the Han were forced to send large amounts of tribute items such as silk clothes, food, and wine to the Xiongnu.
Jiangqu
Jiangqu (; r. 179–188 CE) was a Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, a successor to Huzheng (Ch. 呼徵, r. 178-179 CE) of the Southern Xiongnu. Jiangqu was a head of the maternal dynastic tribe Qiang (Kiyan) with a title Western Tuqi-Prince (Wise Prince, Ch. "Xian Wang") not eligible for the throne, he was appointed by the Chinese Bailiff for Southern Xiongnu affairs Zhang Xiu, who on his own whim executed Huzheng Chanyu. Although Zhang Xiu was himself executed for his transgression, Jiangqu was confirmed in the Great Chanyu post by the reigning Han Emperor Ling (r. 168–189 CE).