Lake Baikal

According to the Records of the Grand Historian, in the first year of Tianhan (200 BC) during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Commander-in-Middle Su Wu was dispatched to the Xiongnu and detained for a long time, confined in the frigid region of Beihai (present-day Lake Baikal) for many years. Later, the Han dynasty sent envoys demanding that the Xiongnu release Su Wu, but the Chanyu of the Xiongnu lied, claiming that Su Wu had died. Chang Hui, who accompanied Su Wu on his mission to the Xiongnu, secretly met with the Han envoy, informing him that Su Wu was not dead, and told him to say to the Chanyu: The Han Emperor, while hunting in the Shanglin Park, shot a swan goose, which had a piece of silk cloth tied to its foot, stating that Su Wu was in a large marshland. As a result, the Chanyu of the Xiongnu could no longer falsely claim that Su Wu was dead and had to allow him to return to the Han dynasty. There is also a folk tale from the Tang Dynasty about Xue Pinggui, who was away on a distant campaign, while Wang Baochuan remained faithful, enduring hardship…