During his reign, Emperor Wu of Han decided that the nation was finally strong enough to solve the Xiongnu problem. The "peaceful" atmosphere was broken in 133 BC after a large ambush operation was staged at Mayi but aborted after the Xiongnu discovered the trap and retreated. In 129 BC, the Han forces had their first proper victory against the Xiongnu under the command of the young Wei Qing with a long-distance raid on the Xiongnu holy site at Longcheng (蘢城). Over the next ten years, Emperor Wu repeatedly deployed Wei and his vigorous nephew Huo Qubing against Xiongnu forces thus recapturing large areas of land and dealing devastating blows.