empress dowager dou agreed, and dou xian led an army and crushed the north xiongnu in 89. after this great military victory, he became even more arrogant, however—and empress dowager dou permitted him to be. he had another major victory over the north xiongnu in 91, essentially wiping north xiongnu out as a political entity. as a result, dou xian so dominated the government that all dissenting officials faced the threat of demotion or even death.