Ban Gu and Ban Zhao made great contributions to writing the Book of Han, and Ban Chao also achieved remarkable feats.
After his elder brother Ban Gu was appointed as a Collator by Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, Ban Chao settled down with his mother in Luoyang. Although Ban Gu held the position of a court historian at the Orchid Terrace, his salary was actually quite modest. To supplement the family income, Ban Chao found work copying manuscripts for the government—a tedious job that demanded absolute precision, leaving him exhausted every day. Sometimes, while copying, he would suddenly throw down his brush and exclaim loudly, "A true man aspires to travel far and wide; how can he be confined to a room writing books?" Unfortunately, Ban Chao held no official post at the time, and many who heard his lament mocked him. Undeterred, Ban Chao retorted, "In the future, I will lead troops into battle and gallop across the battlefield."
Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, exchanges between the Central Plains and the Western Regions were very frequent, and Emperor Xuan of the Han even established the Protectorate of the Western Regions to protect the safety of those states. However, after Wang Mang took power, he revoked the royal titles of the Western Regions' rulers, causing relations between the Western Regions and the Central Plains to deteriorate. Subsequently, Wang Mang sent a new Protector of the Western Regions, but he was killed by the people there, and from then on, the Western Regions had no further contact with the Central Plains. This gave the Xiongnu an opportunity, and they began launching large-scale attacks on the states of the Western Regions.
In 38 AD, envoys from Shache and Shanshan came to Luoyang to pay tribute to Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and requested that he send troops to the Western Regions. At that time, Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu) was busy eliminating local separatist forces and had neither the time nor the military resources to manage the Western Regions, so the envoys from Shache and Shanshan had to return disappointed. In 45 AD, the kings of sixteen states in the Western Regions each sent their sons to Luoyang to serve at Emperor Guangwu's side, hoping he would agree to dispatch troops to protect the Western Regions, but Liu Xiu refused again. With no other options, the Western Regions states began fighting among themselves to protect their own territories, and the Xiongnu also became involved, gradually taking control of these states and greatly increasing their own power. After growing stronger, the Xiongnu started invading the Central Plains, repeatedly raiding various commanderies and counties along the Hexi Corridor, causing endless distress for border officials.
In 73 AD, Emperor Guangwu finally sent Cavalry Commandant Dou Gu to attack the Xiongnu, and Ban Chao served as an acting Sima in the army at that time. This was Ban Chao's first step after abandoning his writing brush for military service. In the army, Ban Chao did not bury himself in paperwork but instead displayed his talent for leading troops, winning many battles.
He first led his troops through Yiwu (present-day Hami in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) to Lake Barkol (present-day Barkol Lake in Xinjiang), where he engaged in a major battle with the enemy, killing many and capturing numerous prisoners. Dou Gu, recognizing his innate military talent, then sent him along with the official Guo Xun and several dozen soldiers on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions.
Ban Chao first arrived at Shanshan (present-day southwest of Lop Nur in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), where he expressed condolences to the King of Shanshan and presented him with many gifts. Initially, the king warmly received Ban Chao and his entourage, but later his attitude gradually turned cold. Ban Chao pondered this and concluded that something significant must have occurred. He reasoned that only the Xiongnu could cause the King of Shanshan to change his stance toward Han envoys. So Ban Chao seized the Shanshan attendants serving them, pretending to already know about the arrival of the Xiongnu, and pressed them to reveal where the Xiongnu envoys were staying. The attendants were startled and stammered in fear, but Ban Chao pressed them relentlessly until they finally disclosed the location. That night, Ban Chao gathered all his soldiers for a feast. Emboldened by wine, he passionately said to them, "We have come to the Western Regions to achieve merit and bring honor to our families. Now the Xiongnu envoys have been here for several days, and the King of Shanshan intends to hand us over to them as a gesture of goodwill. Falling into their hands will surely lead to disaster. What do you all say?" The soldiers shouted in unison that they would follow Ban Chao's orders. Ban Chao had been waiting for this response. He declared, "How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair? Now we must strike first. Take advantage of the night to launch a fire attack and wipe out the Xiongnu completely. Once the King of Shanshan sees our prowess, he will surely not dare to refuse friendship with the Han."
The subordinates unanimously agreed with Ban Chao's plan. After nightfall, everyone grabbed their weapons and headed straight for the Xiongnu camp. Ban Chao divided the soldiers into three groups: one group hid behind the Xiongnu camp with large drums, another group lay in ambush at both sides of the camp gate with bows, arrows, knives, and spears, while the last group followed Ban Chao to set fires around the camp. Once everything was arranged, Ban Chao and his soldiers lit torches and threw them into the Xiongnu dwellings, followed by thunderous drumbeats. The Xiongnu, terrified by the thick smoke and drumming, fled in panic. Those who tried to escape through the gate were killed by arrows and blades, and Ban Chao personally slew three Xiongnu warriors. The rest were all burned to death in the fire.
When the King of Shanshan learned that Ban Chao had killed the Xiongnu envoys, he was so terrified that he did not know what to say. Ban Chao gently comforted him and urged him to pledge allegiance to the Han Dynasty. The King of Shanshan readily agreed and even sent his own son to the Han court as a hostage.
The news of Ban Chao's courageous killing of the Xiongnu people reached Luoyang, and Emperor Ming of Han greatly admired his bravery and resourcefulness, ordering him to continue his diplomatic missions to other Western Regions states. This time, Ban Chao arrived in Yutian (present-day Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region). The king of Yutian had recently conquered Shache (present-day Shache County, Xinjiang), making him quite arrogant. After Ban Chao's arrival, he heard rumors that Xiongnu envoys were also present there, and combined with the king's cold attitude, Ban Chao became deeply irritated. The kingdom of Yutian practiced witchcraft, and the court had a shaman who served the king. This shaman whispered slanderous words about Ban Chao and the Han Dynasty into the king's ear, urging him to demand Ban Chao's horse, which he had ridden from the Central Plains. The king, heeding the shaman's advice, asked Ban Chao for the horse, and Ban Chao agreed without hesitation, but insisted that the shaman come to collect it personally. When the shaman arrived, Ban Chao ordered his attendants to seize him, then drew his sword and cut off the shaman's head. Ban Chao then presented the shaman's head to the king of Yutian and spoke to him at length about the advantages and disadvantages of his actions. The king panicked, recalling how Ban Chao had killed the Xiongnu envoys in Shanshan, and felt a sense of awe and fear toward him. Thus, the king of Yutian ordered the execution of the Xiongnu remaining in his kingdom and declared that he would forever submit to the Han Dynasty.
After this, Ban Chao's name became thunderous across the Western Regions. After persuading the Kingdom of Yutian, Ban Chao then arrived at the Kingdom of Shule. By this time, Shule had already been occupied by the Kingdom of Kucha. Relying on the support of the Xiongnu, Kucha killed the old king of Shule and installed a man named Douti, a native of Kucha, as the new king of Shule. Ban Chao secretly entered Shule and first sent someone to summon Douti to surrender, but Douti was completely uncooperative and even attempted to kill Ban Chao's envoy, only to be captured and brought before Ban Chao. Ban Chao then summoned the ministers of Shule, who were all true Shule natives and deeply resented Kucha. Seizing on this sentiment, Ban Chao managed to form an alliance with them. Subsequently, the ministers declared Douti's throne abolished and installed the nephew of the former Shule king as the new ruler. The new king's first act was to declare friendship with the Han Dynasty, and following Ban Chao's request, he spared Douti's life, proclaiming the majesty and virtue of the Han Dynasty to the outside world.
In 75 AD, Emperor Ming of Han passed away, plunging the entire nation into mourning. Taking advantage of the situation, the Kingdom of Yanqi (present-day Yanqi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) rebelled and killed Chen Mu, the Protector General of the Western Regions. The Kingdom of Shule, where Ban Chao was stationed, also came under attack from the kingdoms of Kucha and Gumo (present-day Wensu and Aksu areas in Xinjiang). Fortunately, Ban Chao and the people of Shule put up a fierce resistance, preventing the enemy from succeeding. After Emperor Zhang of Han ascended the throne, the imperial court, fearing that Ban Chao might meet with misfortune alone in the Western Regions, issued an edict recalling him. Upon hearing this news, the subjects of Shule and Yutian (Khotan) were terrified, worried that the Xiongnu would invade again once Ban Chao left. Ban Chao himself was reluctant to return to the court, as he still had greater ambitions to fulfill. Thus, he remained in Shule and continued to lead troops in resisting Gumo's attacks. Moved by his unwavering spirit, Emperor Zhang of Han sent ten thousand troops to assist Ban Chao. After a hard-fought battle, the Gumo army was defeated.
In the following years, Ban Chao also participated in the campaign to suppress Shache, achieving a complete victory and forcing Shache to submit to the Han Dynasty. From then on, Ban Chao's reputation in the Western Regions grew increasingly greater. During the process of pacifying the various states of the Western Regions, Ban Chao submitted a memorial to Emperor Zhang of Han, proposing the strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians," which won the emperor's approval.
Ban Chao remained in the Western Regions for thirty-one years, quelling repeated uprisings, thwarting the Xiongnu's schemes, ensuring the prosperity and stability of the Han Dynasty, while also fostering exchanges between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, advancing economic and cultural development between the Han Dynasty and the various states of the Western Regions, and making significant contributions to friendly interactions among peoples worldwide.