Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Countries (Vol. 30)

This region, spanning over five hundred li About 250 kilometers, is also known as the Northern Sea original: 北海 (Beihai). It is situated more than a thousand li north of the Khalkha original: 喀喀 (Kake); a major Mongol tribal group border. Within it lies a vast expanse of water term: 巨澤 (juze); literally "great marsh," used here for a massive lake, measuring approximately two hundred li from north to south and over a thousand li from east to west. It is surrounded on all four sides by mountains.

The Selenga River original: 色楞格河 (Selengge he) flows into it from the southwest, while the Angara River original: 昻噶喇河 (Anggara he) flows out toward the northwest. Another river, also named the Angara, flows into the lake from the east. In the northeastern part of the lake lies an island called Olkhon original: 鄂遼漢 (Eliaohan). It measures sixty to seventy li from north to south and two hundred li from east to west. It features mountain ridges and is abundant with wild animals, while the surrounding waters teem with fish. Over fifty Mongol households live here as nomads.

In the tenth month, in the lands of the Kurikan original: 骨利榦 (Guligan); an ancient Turkic people tribe, the water begins to freeze solid, allowing for travel by foot. By the end of the third month, the ice begins to thaw. According to the Geography Section of the Book of Tang original: 唐書地里志 (Tangshu dilizhi), north of the Kurikan and Dubo original: 都播 (Dubo) tribes, there is a "Little Sea." When the ice is thick, horses can cross it. North of this sea are great mountains. The people there are of great stature and their customs are similar to the Kurikans. The days are long and the evenings short. This "Little Sea" is indeed this body of water.

Furthermore, according to the "Account of the Xiongnu" in the Records of the Grand Historian original: 史記匈奴傳 (Shiji Xiongnu zhuan), the Xiongnu detained Guo Ji A Han dynasty envoy and exiled him to the shores of the Northern Sea. The Book of Han in the "Biography of Su Wu" original: 漢書蘇武傳 (Hanshu Su Wu zhuan) records that the Xiongnu moved Su Wu to an uninhabited area by the Northern Sea, forcing him to herd rams. When Su Wu arrived at the sea, his food rations were cut off. He survived by digging up field mice and eating wild grass seeds. Even while herding his sheep, he clutched his Han imperial staff A symbol of his loyalty to the Emperor.

The Xiongnu Prince Yujian original: 於靬王 (Yujian wang) used to hunt by the sea; after the Prince died, his followers departed, and later, thieves were sent to steal Su Wu’s cattle and sheep, leaving him in extreme distress. The Xiongnu sent Li Ling A Han general who had surrendered to the Xiongnu to the seashore to host a banquet with wine and music for Su Wu, but Su Wu ultimately refused to surrender. Later, when another Han envoy arrived, Chang Hui original: 常惠 (Chang Hui); Su Wu’s subordinate met the envoy at night and instructed him to tell the Chanyu The Xiongnu ruler that the Emperor, while hunting in the Shanglin Garden, had shot down a wild goose with a silk letter tied to its leg, stating that Su Wu and his men were at a certain marsh.

While the earlier account mentions the "Northern Sea" and the later mentions a "marsh," this is because all large bodies of water beyond the frontier are commonly referred to as "seas." Baikal original: 白哈爾 (Baiha'er); a phonetic transcription of Baikal.

The island territory is north of the Xiongnu and close to the Dingling original: 丁令 (Dingling); an ancient people of Siberia people. The "Account of the Xiongnu" in the Records of the Grand Historian notes that Modu Chanyu The founder of the Xiongnu Empire conquered these northern regions.