The Battle of Loulan (樓蘭之戰) in 108 BC marks the earliest Chinese
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
venture into
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
, after a conflict of the
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
with
Loulan
Loulan, also called Krorän or Kroraina ( zh, s=, t=, p=Lóulán <
''lo-lɑn'' < and Jushi and a switch of allegiance to the
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
. The Han launched an attack by first arresting the king of Loulan, and turned on the offense against Jushi. The battle resulted in the submission of both
Wusun
The Wusun (; Eastern Han Chinese *''ʔɑ-suən'' <
''lo-lɑn'' < kingdom ceased to exist in 77 BC, as the last king of Loulan, Angui, was assassinated by two of Fu Jiezi's men during a banquet. The
Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
deposited one of his kin, Weituyan. They also changed the name Loulan to
Shanshan
Shanshan (; ug, پىچان, Pichan, Piqan) was a kingdom located at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert near the great, but now mostly dry, salt lake known as Lop Nur.
The kingdom was originally an independent city-state, known in ...
in the same year, as the capital was moved south west to the city of
Wuni
WUNI (channel 66) is a television station licensed to Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Univision network to the Boston area. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Derry, New Hampshire–licensed ...