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His conduct of foreign affairs

In foreign affairs, Ho Kuang likewise pursued the policies of Emperors
Wen and Ching, that of merely defending the frontiers, instead of sending
expeditions deep into enemy territory. The Huns had been worn out
by Emperor Wu's many military expeditions and were glad to ask for
peace with the Chinese, so that the northern borders had a chance to
recuperate. In dealing with other tribes, Ho Kuang was not so happy.
He manifested the same blindness and carelessness towards weak foreign
tribes as that witnessed in many other excellent administrators.

Unnecessary trouble with the Wu-huan and with Lou-lan resulted. In
78 B.C., Fan Ming-yu was sent out of the northeast border to assist the
Wu-huan against the Huns; when he found the Huns had withdrawn,
he remembered that his orders were not to make the expedition in vain,
so he attacked the friendly Wu-huan, taking more than 6200 heads,
including those of three chieftains. Fan Ming-yu was made a marquis
for this exploit and the Wu-huan thereafter raided the Chinese border.

In the northwest, the subject state of Lou-lan, located around the
present Lop-nor, athwart the road south of the desert, had several times
harassed and killed Chinese envoys. Threatened by both Chinese and

Huns, its King had sent sons to both courts as hostages. This King died;
the son who was at the Chinese court had been sentenced to castration
for a crime, so that the Chinese did not dare to send him back, and
another son was made King. This king likewise sent sons as hostages to
the Chinese and Hun courts. When this king died, the son who had been
at the Hun court returned home first and became King. The new King
continued to harass Chinese envoys, and the King's younger brother at
the Chinese court, who was pro-Chinese, reported these matters. Ho
Kuang sent an envoy, Fu Chieh-tzu, with a small following, to assassinate
this King. Fu Chieh-tzu lured the suspicious King to his camp by
exhibiting rich presents, made him drunk, and took him to his tent by a
ruse, where two soldiers stabbed him. The King's followers fled and his
younger brother was brought from China and made King. The new King
was given a lady of the Chinese imperial harem for his wife, and asked
for a Chinese guard to protect him, so that a major with forty soldiers
was sent to encamp in his capital and his state's name was changed to
Shan-shan. Fu Chieh-tzu was given a small marquisate for this exploit.
Two centuries later, Pan Ch'ao successfully imitated his example. In
this way, although Ho Kuang was careful to treat his own people kindly,
he was careless of the means for success outside the border.