As for Ban Chao's mission to the Western Regions, it was also related to the Sino-Hungarian War. In the late Western Han Dynasty, the consorts monopolized the power and the national strength was weak. Xiongnu took the opportunity to control the western regions and practiced slavery. "The tax collection is very heavy and the country is miserable." During the Eastern Han Dynasty, domestic production gradually recovered and developed. In order to reopen the trade routes in the western regions, he was determined to repel the northern Xiongnu.
In the 16th year of Yongping (AD 73), Ming Di sent Dou Gu and Geng Zhong to March from Jiuquan to the eastern foot of Tianshan Mountain and attack the Huns. Ban Chao went to war with Dou Gu and began his long military career. As a fake Sima, he is very brave. He led his troops not to attack Yiwu (now Hami), but to fight in the Prehai (now Barkun Lake in Hami) and was cut back. Seeing that Ban Chao was very talented, Dou Gu sent him to the Western Regions to engage in diplomatic and political activities, so as to contact countries in the Western Regions and cooperate with military operations.
Ban Chao came to Shanshan with 36 people. When he noticed that the king's attitude changed from enthusiasm to indifference, he judged that there must be Huns. After cheating the waiter, it was confirmed that more than 100 messengers and soldiers sent by Xiongnu had arrived in Shanshan for several days. That night, Ban Chao led his entourage of 36 people to attack the residence of the Huns' emissary, killing the Huns' emissary, thus relieving the concerns of King Shanshan and finally freeing Shanshan from the Huns' rule.
Ban Chao left Shanshan and went west to Khotan. This great country at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain was manipulated by Xiongnu. The superstitious Yu Kunguo was instructed by a pro-Xiongnu wizard to spread rumors and slander the Han Dynasty. Ban Chao handled the situation skillfully, beheaded the wizard wisely, and exposed the plot of the Xiongnu emissary, thus enabling Khotan to return to the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The following spring, with extraordinary courage and foresight, Ban Chao rode thirty-six times, bypassing the rebellious state of shache, crossing the cold Qizil River and reaching Shule Palace. Seize the Qiuci people who obeyed the Huns and support the restoration of Wang Rongzi's loyalty in Shule, thus restoring the Silk Road that was closed for 65 years after the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The geographical location of Shule is extremely important. Because the Hexi Corridor is westbound, the Silk Road is divided into two roads, north and south, and then meets in Shule. It is a transportation hub from India in the south to Central Asia and Europe in the west, and also a distribution center for goods. Located on the side of the snow-capped mountains, with rivers and fertile land, it is a natural oasis and naturally becomes the political, economic and military center of southern Xinjiang. Ban Chao, based on frugality and long-term life and defense, is a choice with military strategic vision.
Due to the success of Ban Chao's diplomacy in the Western Regions and the military victory of the Eastern Han army in attacking the Xiongnu, by 74 AD, most of the western regions had been separated from the rule of the Xiongnu. As a result, the government of the Eastern Han Dynasty set up the Western Regions Duhu House and Wuji Dudu House in the Western Regions.
Because of the famine in the Central Plains, Ban Chao also received instructions to withdraw from Luoyang. This means that the Huns will make a comeback and the people in the western regions will be caught in the burden of extorting money. So when Ban Chao left Shule, Shule tried his best to keep him, and even a surnamed Li prevented him from leaving in the form of suicide. Ban Chao retreated to Khotan, where "all the princes and princes wept and said,' I'm like my parents, I really can't go!'" "Holding each other's feet, you can't do it. Hearing this, Ban Chao was moved and thought twice, so he had to rein in his horse and go back to Shule. "。 But by this time, two cities in Shule had surrendered to Qiuci. Ban Chao relied on local forces to suppress the rebels, defeated the rebels in Weitou country (now Wushi County), and settled down.
By the time they settled in Shule, Ban Chao, the Huns had occupied a vast area north of Tianshan Mountain and Shannan Province, cutting off Shule's access to the mainland, thus making Ban Chao lose contact with the Eastern Han government. So, Ban Chao first defeated the Xiongnu near Shule and consolidated the stronghold. And win shache over. Finally, with the support of southern countries, Xiongnu was attacked. In 78 AD, Ban Chao led 10000 soldiers from Shule, Jimi and Khotan, and attacked the Huns' ancient Moshi Town (now Aksu County), thus removing the threat in this area.
Ban Chao proclaimed himself emperor and suggested sending more troops to protect the western regions. In the fifth year of Zhang Jian in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 80), Xu Gan was appointed as a pseudo-Sima and led thousands of troops to reinforce Ban Chao. From the first year of Zhanghe (AD 87) to the sixth year of Yongyuan (AD 94), the aristocratic rebellion in shache, Qiuci, Yanqi and other places was gradually put down and the Vietnamese invasion was repelled. Most of the north-south roads in Tianshan turned to the Eastern Han Dynasty, which protected the safety of all ethnic groups in the western regions and ensured the smooth flow of the Silk Road.
In the third year of Yongyuan (AD 9 1 year), the Eastern Han government set up the Western Regions Duhu and Wuji Duhu, appointed Ban Chao as Duhu, and later appointed him as Duhu. He lived in the Western Regions for thirty-one years, sent Gan Ying to Daqin (Roman Empire) and returned to the West Sea (now Persian Gulf). In the 14th year of Yongyuan (AD 102), Ban Chao, 7 1 year old, returned to Luoyang with a seriously ill body and died in September.
After Ban Chao's death, the burial place is not recorded. It is said to be beside Banzhuang Village Official Road, 25 kilometers from huayin city, Shaanxi Province, and it is said to be in Xingping County, Shaanxi Province. Today, there are two places in Henan, one in Zhang Yang Village, Chaoyang Town, Mengjin County, and the other in Xiangcheng County, all of which reflect the reverence and love for this historical figure. Although the real tomb is not in Xinjiang, Xinjiang has built the "Ban Chao Park" and the museum on the site of Panbian City in Kashgar today, which shows his great achievements of staying in Shule for 17 years, pacifying 36 countries in the western regions, uniting people of all ethnic groups and stabilizing society. Ban Chao's magnificent granite statue is magnificent, which shows his strong and brave heroic posture. The architectural layout and various facilities in the park bring people to distant times and feel love and national feelings.
Although Ban Chao has made great contributions as a military commander all his life, he is actually a veritable "Confucian general". He was born in a scholarly family and has a good cultural accomplishment. His father Ban Biao is a historian. Since Historical Records only covered the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he continued to write 60 biographies. His brother Ban Gu wrote China's first dynastic history, Hanshu, which made great achievements in literature. Sister Ban Zhao supplemented the heritage of Hanshu, as well as literary masterpieces, such as Zheng Dongfu. Ban Chao himself was once a "history of Lantai" and "dabbled in book biography". He is a model for China intellectuals to deal with ethnic relations, interpersonal relations and moral cultivation. Ban Chao's third son, Ban Yong, followed his father since he was a child, and he was very fatherly. Although he later went to Luoyang to be an official, more than ten years later, when the northern Xiongnu invaded and wiped out the Han army, he was appointed as the "Long History of the Western Regions" in A.D. 123 and recovered his lost land. Later, he wrote a book "The Story of the Western Regions", which became the main reference material for the later Han Dynasty to write about the geographical environment, products, customs and political systems of various countries.
Before the end of this article, we can have some understanding:
The opening of the Silk Road was preceded by Zhang Qian and followed by Ban Chao and his son, which enabled Chinese and foreign cultures to be transmitted through this channel. Zhang Qian and Ban Chao are the first two outstanding diplomats in China!
Some people say that Zhang Qian and Ban Chao are "great explorers". Of course, "exploration" must dare to "take risks" If a person, a nation or a country loses the spirit of "one is not afraid of suffering, and the other is not afraid of death", it is still immersed in self-consumption of corruption and bribery, and it is only "waiting to be slaughtered" if it wants to gain a foothold in today's world!
The opening of the Silk Road has played an extremely great and far-reaching role in accelerating social progress in history. Today, taking the road of reform and opening up has brought about the rapid development of China society, which has a significant and far-reaching impact on further strengthening national strength and improving international status.