Ban Chao: Sword in Hand, Beyond the Frontier, Unifying the Western Regions, Volume One

Ban Chao's mission to the Western Regions took place during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han. By then, the Xiongnu had split into the Southern and Northern Xiongnu. The Southern Xiongnu submitted to the Eastern Han, while the Northern Xiongnu frequently led cavalry raids south to plunder. They once controlled the kingdoms of the Western Regions, extorting heavy taxes from them and severing their ties with the Eastern Han. Ban Chao once declared, “How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?” In the end, with a small force, he defeated the numerically superior Xiongnu and restored Han rule over the Western Regions. Ban Chao spent thirty years administering the Western Regions, ensuring that economic and cultural exchanges between the Eastern Han and the region could continue and flourish. He defended the Silk Road, secured China's western frontier, and further promoted economic and cultural exchanges between China and the countries of Western Asia. During his mission, Ban Chao also sent his subordinate Gan Ying to the Roman Empire. Although the mission did not succeed, it made a major contribution toward opening up communications between Europe and Asia in the future. Through episodes including abandoning the brush for the sword, earning distinction in Shanshan, conquering Yutian, campaigning in various kingdoms, and employing ingenious military stratagems, the author tells the story of this man who was sent on a mission to the Western Regions and ultimately became a great military strategist and diplomat.