Emperor Wudi was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty of China. He ruled from 141 to 87 BC. During his reign, between about 130 and 110 BC, the Han ruling court and the army started winning major battles, and they conquered Xiongnu territory and greatly expanded the empire's territory in the north and west. At the same time, Han armies also defeated armies and navies to the south, and the empire expanded into what are now northern Vietnam, Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong. In this way, by about 100 BC, the size of the Han Empire was more than double what it was at the beginning. During the same time between 130 BC and 100 BC, trade with Western countries brought wealth to the rulers and merchants. Emperor Wudi’s court sent envoys to the west, and a large scale trade developed on the Silk Road routes involving large caravans that travelled between Changan that was the capital of the empire and the western countries. In this way, the Han's knowledge of the outside world, philosophy and religion, and technology increased. Technicians made advances in refining iron and making steel weapons and tools during and after his reign. So by the creation of wealth and territorial expansion and strength, the Han Empire initially prospered a lot, but at the end of his life he became despotic.
