Soon they emerged as the greatest threat to the Qin Dynasty, forcing the latter to construct the Great Wall of China, itself being guarded by up to almost 300,000 soldiers during marshal Meng Tian's tenure, as a means of defense against the destructive Xiongnu raids.
Prva od teh je nastala, ko so se zbrali Xiongnu z nejasnimi narodi, da bi leta 209 pred našim štetjem ustvarili konfederacijo Modu Shanyu.