Su Wu
Various events occurred including a lull in actual combat, and the two sides again turned to diplomacy, in order to reconcile their differences: the Han emperor sending another ambassadorial mission toward the territory in which Su Wu was being held. Presumably in order avoid diplomatic complications, the Xiongnu continued their attempt to conceal the presence of Su Wu. However, according to the historical account, the new Chinese diplomatic mission tricked the chanyu by claiming that the emperor shot down a wild goose with a message from Su Wu tied to its foot (Murck, 75-76). And so, the story goes, the chanyu fell for the bluff, and rather than risk diplomatic embarrassment, Su Wu was released, returning to China in 81 BCE (Murck, 76).