Book of Han — 虽远必诛

The phrase “犯强汉者，虽远必诛” expresses a resolute declaration of imperial resolve: any who attack the Han dynasty will be punished, no matter how distant their location. It appears not in the opening biographies of emperors or foundational myths, but in the *Chen Tang Zhuan* (Biography of Chen Tang) within the *Book of Han*, recounting a real military campaign on the far western frontier. Chen Tang, a Han official and general, led a surprise expedition against a renegade Xiongnu chanyu who had set up court beyond the Pamirs—deep in Central Asia, far beyond regular Han administrative reach. After the victory, Chen Tang and his commander submitted a memorial justifying their unauthorized action; it included these now-famous words as a statement of principle, not bravado. The *Book of Han* preserves this line not as abstract policy, but embedded in a specific historical moment—tied to logistics, command disputes, and post-campaign accountability. The passage reflects how Han authority conceived its reach: not merely territorial, but moral and retaliatory. Its power lies in context—the distance was real, the threat perceived, the response decisive. Readers encounter it not as a timeless slogan, but as part of a documented bureaucratic exchange, recorded with characteristic Han restraint in the *Book of Han*.