Before Ban Chao, before the Silk Road's golden age, a lesser-known Han commander named Zheng Ji marched west into the Tarim Basin and changed the course of Central Asian history. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Zheng Ji's 60 BCE campaign against the Xiongnu, the unlikely alliance with the Wusun, and the establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions — the first Chinese administrative foothold in what is now Xinjiang. They untangle the web of steppe politics, the brutal logistics of desert warfare, and the diplomatic gambles that made Han China a true imperial power. Along the way, they reflect on how Zheng Ji's legacy was overshadowed by later figures like Ban Chao, and why his story matters today. A story of a general who never sought glory, but whose actions shaped the map of Asia for two millennia.
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