The reason for this, as stated in Document 5, is that the government started losing control to the nobles. As a result of this, all of the nobles were forced to live at the capital of the empire so that they could be watched by the emperor. Another reason the Han Empire entered a period of decline is because of high taxes. The high taxation cost farmers their farm and some had to sell their children into service. The protests the farmers put up failed, causing the population to decrease and prosperity decreasing as well. The decline of trade also happened in the Han Empire as well as the Roman Empire. Document 6 talks about the Sino-Xiongnu Wars and how it led to the decline of the Han Empire. The Sino-Xiongnu Wars of 133 BCE to 89 CE were fought on the Silk Road which led to the decline of trade. In 89 CE, the Han defeated the Xiongnu state but the victory came at a high price which led to the decline of their