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During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the name Ban Chao was closely associated with the Western Regions and became an immortal legend in history.
He was not only a statesman, but also a military general, and his life's achievements had a profound impact on ethnic relations and foreign exchanges.
So, what drove the Eastern Han government to send Ban Chao to the Western Regions?
01
Ban Chao's father and elder brother were both famous historians and completed the "Book of Han" together, but Ban Chao himself did not leave a deep academic imprint.
Ban Chao's family, including his sister Ban Zhao, was known for their knowledge during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and he grew up in an environment steeped in culture.
And Ban Chao himself, although he has accumulated rich reading experience since he was a child, is not satisfied with just becoming a scholar.
Ban Chao's family is not wealthy, his father Ban Biao has a low official position and few incomes, and his brother Ban Gu is busy compiling history books, so the young Ban Chao takes on the responsibility of supporting the family.
While in Luoyang, he copied books for the government to make ends meet, while taking care of his elderly mother with filial piety.
Despite this, the ambition within him was never extinguished.
When he was nearly thirty years old, Ban Chao felt that he had not yet made a difference, and he longed to make meritorious contributions in foreign lands like Zhang Qian and Fu Jiezi, rather than just indulging in books.
Ban Chao's qualities have been undoubtedly revealed at a young age, he is naturally diligent and practical, able to bear hardships and stand hard work, and what is even more rare is that he has extraordinary courage and determination.
These qualities are on full display when the family is in crisis.
During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, Ban Gu continued to compile the Book of Han because of his father's will, but unfortunately he was imprisoned for "privately changing the history of the country".
It was an era of frequent unjust, false and wrongful cases, and Bangu's life was in danger.
Ban Chao made a decisive decision to go to Beijing to defend his brother, and his wit and bravery finally persuaded Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty to not only release Ban Gu, but also to appoint him as the official official of Lantai Lingshi.
Ban Chao also won the appreciation of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty for this matter, but when Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty learned that Ban Chao was just a petty official who copied books, he immediately appointed Ban Chao as the Lantai Lingshi, believing that Ban Chao would definitely be able to make a difference in this position.
However, Ban Chao's ambition does not lie in this, his talent cannot be fully developed in research and compiling history books, and this position is obviously a constraint for him.
Sure enough, Ban Chao didn't stay in this position for long, and he lost his job because of something.
The class is over forty years old, and he still hasn't found a stage that really suits him.
At that time, the society was stable, the country was peaceful, and the opportunity for Ban Chao to aspire to contribute to the country was hard to find.
Despite his famous background, it is difficult to get the attention of officialdom, however, fate always seems to give people choices at the most unexpected moments.
Ban Chao finally ushered in a turnaround.
02
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty's control of the Western Regions was full of twists and turns, until Ban Chao demonstrated his extraordinary diplomatic and military talents.
In 45 AD, just nine years after Emperor Guangwu unified Chinese mainland, 18 countries in the Western Regions sought the Han Dynasty to re-establish the capital to administer the region.
However, Emperor Guangwu rejected this request because the Han Dynasty had not yet fully recovered its national strength, wisely avoiding overexpansion.
Although the Han Dynasty's rule over the Western Regions had been interrupted for 22 years, Emperor Guangwu was well aware of the importance of national power and was unwilling to act hastily before his power was restored.
Over time, the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually accumulated a strong national power, until the later years of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, the national power of the Eastern Han Dynasty was significantly enhanced, and the imperial court began to consider regaining control of the Western Regions.
In 73 AD, the Han army ushered in a four-way attack on the Xiongnu.
The 12,000 cavalry led by Dou Gu and Geng Zhong swept through the Xiongnu forces around the Western Regions, removing the biggest obstacle to the Han Dynasty's restoration of rule in the Western Regions.
Ban Chao also accompanied the army to the west in this year and began his immortal chapter.
Dou Gu continued to march to Puzihai (present-day Balikun Lake) and set up a garrison at Yiwulu City (present-day Sibao in the northwest of Hami, Xinjiang).
At the same time, he sent Ban Chao to the Western Regions as a fake Sima and began the recruitment and surrender of the countries in the Western Regions.
Ban Chao's wisdom and courage enabled him to successfully persuade many countries to submit to the Han Dynasty.
Then, in 74 AD, the Han Dynasty army was once again unstoppable, and Dou Gu and 14,000 cavalry led by Geng Bing and Liu Zhang went out of Yumen Pass to further attack the Xiongnu and their vassals.
Their military campaign succeeded in forcing the Xiongnu away from the Western Regions, and the Han Dynasty succeeded in reopening the Western Regions Protectorate, with Chen Mu appointed as the Protector and Geng Gong and Guan Chong as Wuji Lieutenants, marking the restoration of the Eastern Han Dynasty's de facto control over the Western Regions.
However, with the retreat of the Han army, the Xiongnu made a comeback, bringing with them a series of challenges.
Under the strong counterattack of the Huns, Chen Mu and Guan Chong unfortunately died in battle, and Geng Gong survived with the help of thousands of reinforcements, which is the story of "Thirteen Heroes Return to Yumen" praised by later generations.
03
Ban Chao was originally a subordinate of the general Dou Gu, who performed well in the battle against the Northern Xiongnu, so he was valued by Dou Gu and ordered to go to the Western Regions.
He arrived first in Shanshanguo, where the local king initially expressed enthusiasm for the Han envoy, but soon turned cold.
Ban Chao was keenly aware of the reason behind it: the envoys of the Xiongnu also visited and put great psychological pressure on King Shanshan.
Ban Chao then took a bold move and expressed his determination with the sentence "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you can get the tiger".
He led his men to raid the Xiongnu mission at night, annihilating it in one fell swoop, and then quickly persuaded the Shanshan king to submit to the Han Dynasty, a genius strategy and a courageous action.
After successfully stabilizing Shan, Ban Chao led his team along the southern Silk Road to Khotan.
At that time, Khotanese King Guangde had just defeated Shache and was famous.
In the face of Ban Chao, who only had 36 people, Guangde showed extreme indifference, and wanted to sacrifice Ban Chao's war horse because of the instigation of the wizard.
Ban Chao had insight into the situation and saw through the wizard's deception, he was anti-guest, killed the wizard with lightning speed, and gave the head of this "can predict the future but can't predict his own death" to Guangde.
This action not only shocked Guangde, but also destroyed the influence of witchcraft in the region, freeing the people of Khotan from the shackles of this pseudoscience.
Under the influence of Ban Chao, Guangde attacked and killed the Xiongnu envoys living in the city, and led the ministers to surrender to Ban Chao.
Ban Chao generously rewarded Guangde and his men with large sums of money, further cementing the Han dynasty's influence in Khotan.
This series of actions not only reopened the Protectorate of the Western Regions and achieved domination over the Western Regions, but also revitalized the Silk Road.
However, the challenge of Ban Chao is not over.
In the eighteenth year of Yongping, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhuang, died, and Yanqi took the opportunity to send troops to attack and kill Chen Mu, the capital of the Western Regions.
Subsequently, the isolated Ban Chao was also besieged by the Qiuzi and Gumo armies for a year.
Fortunately, Emperor Liu Wei of the Han Dynasty was worried about Ban Chao's safety and allowed him to return east.
Time flies, and Ban Chao's years in the Western Regions finally ushered in the peak of personal glory.
At the age of sixty, he was named the Marquis of Dingyuan, which was not only an affirmation of his hard work, but also a demonstration of his achievements.
With the passage of time, Ban Chao, who was far away on the frontier, began to feel the weight of the years and the call of nostalgia.
At the age of 71, this longing for home led him to ask Emperor Han He to step down and return to Beijing.
Ban Chao's petition was sincere, he expressed his deep longing for his hometown, even if he could not reach Jiuquan County, as long as he could step into the Yumen Pass of the Han Dynasty again, he would be satisfied.
The power of emotions is powerful, Ban Chao's sister Ban Zhao, who is also a talented woman who is deeply respected by the royal family, after learning of her brother's desire in the palace, she also wrote to help Ban Chao on his way home.
Emperor Han and Emperor were moved by the deep affection between the family and issued an edict to allow Ban Chao to return to Beijing.
In 102 AD, the fourteenth year of Yongyuan, Ban Chao finally ended his thirty-year career in the Western Regions and returned to Luoyang.
Only a month after Ban Chao returned to his hometown, he died of illness.
04
Ban Chao's brother Ban Gu once wrote the "Book of Han", and he wrote an epic of blood and fire with practical actions.
Ban Chao's decision to envoy to the Western Regions was a strategic choice of the Eastern Han government, with the aim of striking at the power of the Xiongnu and restoring and expanding the influence of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions.
Ban Chao's strategy was multi-faceted, he not only pacified more than 50 countries in the Western Regions by military means and established the prestige of the Han Dynasty, but also strengthened the local Sinicization process through the method of garrisoning troops in Tuntian.
During his 31 years in the Western Regions, he continued to deepen the integration of Han and various ethnic groups, so that Chinese civilization took root in this vast land.
Ban Chao's approach to business was ingenious, as he insisted on peaceful exchanges and cooperation with the local peoples, while strengthening the central government's management of the region through the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate.
These measures not only consolidated the Han dynasty's rule in the Western Regions, but also reopened and protected the Silk Road, providing a safe passage for trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
Ban Chao's influence was manifold, economically, his actions promoted the prosperity of trade between the East and the West, politically, he consolidated the border security of the Han Dynasty, and culturally, he promoted cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
In the ancient Eastern Han Dynasty, the competition for the right to rule the Western Regions was full of twists and turns.
In 45 AD, the twentieth year after Emperor Guangwu unified China, the 18 states of the Western Regions petitioned the Han Dynasty to restore the Imperial Palace, hoping that the Han Dynasty would once again administer the region.
However, Emperor Guangwu cautiously rejected this request, considering that the national strength had not yet been fully restored.
It can be seen that Ban Chao's achievements are not only the stability of a region, but also affect the historical process of the entire East Asia and even the Eurasian continent.
05
Looking back on Ban Chao's life, he was not only a politician and military general, but also a pioneer in expanding the territory, and his business activities in the Western Regions had a profound impact on later generations, and he was respected by later generations as a hero in the history of ethnic relations and foreign relations.
Through his story, we can get a glimpse of the glory of that era, and we can also feel the huge impact that a person can have on the course of history.