In 127 AD, a highly controversial case appeared in the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The two generals, Ban Yong and Zhang Lang, respectively led their troops to attack Yanqi in the Western Regions. Zhang Lang arrived early and succeeded in forcing Yanqi to surrender, while Ban Yong could not arrive in time due to the slow pace of the march and may be held responsible.
In the legal system of the Han Dynasty, such cases were not uncommon, and there were precedents to follow, and it was sufficient to deal with them according to the normal legal process. However, when the protagonist of this case becomes Ban Yong, things get a little out of the ordinary.
Ban Yong's father, Ban Chao, once made great achievements for the Eastern Han Dynasty to control the Western Regions, and was known as"Then through the Western Regions"。However, after Ban Chao's death, the Eastern Han Dynasty was forced to abandon the Western Regions for many years, and it was not until Ban Yong's efforts that they regained control.
Ban Yong's final battle was to conquer Yanqi, and after his victory, he was able to reach his father's heights and once again control the entire Western Regions. However, this battle caused Ban Yong to delay his arrival and make a mistake in military law.
There were two very different views on how to punish Ban Yong at the top of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
One side argued that although Ban Yong failed to lead the army to arrive on time, he had made a great contribution to the country and should not be held accountable, but should be rewarded and commended. The other side insisted that military law must be strictly enforced, and even if Ban Yong was meritorious, his mistakes could not be forgiven, and he must be punished according to law.
Faced with the different views of the two factions, the two sides engaged in heated arguments. However, in the end, the decision of the Eastern Han Dynasty leaders made everyone regret. Ban Yong was outright dismissed, returned to the capital, and then imprisoned for accountability.
Although he was released early soon after, due to the intercession of many people on his behalf. But in the end, after being released from prison, Ban Yong was forced to return to his hometown. For many years to come, Ban Yong did not get an official position again, and ended up spending the rest of his life at home.
This result is undoubtedly regrettable for many people.
Ban Yong, a real historical figure, his story is curious. Why did Ban Yong need to go on another expedition after Ban Chao had successfully conquered the Western Regions? Why didn't Ban Yong arrive in time for the final battle?
Finally, why did the Eastern Han Dynasty high-level punish Ban Yong so harshly? The answer to all these mysteries may be found from Ban Yong's childhood. Ban Yong's family was very powerful in the previous generation, and Ban Gu, Ban Chao and Ban Zhao were all important figures in the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The Ban family has many talents, Ban Gu has Han books, and he also went out with Dou Xian to Le Shi Yanran; Ban Chao regained access to the Western Regions and worked here for half his life; Although Ban Zhao was a woman, she was the teacher of the female monarch Deng Sui, and was the female prime minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ban Yong is the second son of Ban Chao, and when he was born, Ban Chao had already been on an envoy in the Western Regions, planning various matters.
Ban Chao married a princess of a certain country in the Western Regions for convenience, whether it was Khotan or Shule is unknown, but it should be a princess of a small country in the Western Regions.
Ban Chao and the princess of the Western Regions had Ban Yong, so Ban Yong spent time in the Western Regions when he was a teenager. He witnessed firsthand how his father led the Western Regions Protectorate across the Western Regions, allowing the Han Dynasty to regain control of the Western Regions.
This experience has a profound impact on Ban Yong's future.
Under the baptism of the years, Ban Yong gradually grew up. Time flies, and the year 100 A.D. has come. At this time, the elderly Ban Chao adhered to the idea of "returning to the roots" of the Han Dynasty people, and took the initiative to request a return to the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
However, a tricky question ensued: what should Ban Yong do?
Stay in the **Chao class in the Western Regions, or follow the class Chao back to the Central Plains. History buffs generally believe that if Ban Yong had chosen to stay in the Western Regions at that time, many later events might have developed differently.
However, both options were very difficult for Ban Yong. Staying in the Western Regions, Ban Yong was unable to directly take over the position of Protector of the Western Regions due to his youth and lack of qualifications.
In the eyes of the high-level leaders of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the position of the protector of the Western Regions cannot be succeeded by the father and son, and must be replaced by someone else. And Ban Yong followed Ban Chao back to the capital There are also many problems.
The thinking of the people of the Han Dynasty is relatively special, and there is often some discrimination against people like Ban Yong, whose mother is a princess of the Western Regions. Even if he returns to the capital, Ban Yong's career may not be too good.
In addition, Ban Yong is not Ban Chao's eldest son. Ban Chao's eldest son is named Ban Xiong, and his mother's history books are not recorded, but he should not be the princess of the Western Regions. According to the traditional patriarchal inheritance system, Ban Xiong can inherit the title of Ban Chao, but Ban Yong cannot.
Ban Yong's future seems uncertain whether he stays or returns, but in the end, Ban Chao decides to take his son home. Fortunately, Ban Chao's sister Ban Zhao was teaching the queen, so they got special approval from the capital.
After the Ban family father and son left, the story was divided into two lines, one was the plot of the Western Regions, and the other was the story after they returned to the capital.
After Ban Chao resigned as the protector of the Western Regions, the person who replaced him was called Ren Shang. This Ren Shang was a former general and acted in a strong style. Therefore, after he took over, he actively intervened in the management details of the Western Regions, but it caused dissatisfaction among the small countries in the Western Regions.
Subsequently, the rise of the Northern Xiongnu again gave many small countries in the northern provinces of the Western Regions new hopes of unrest. As a result, a few years after Ban Chao's departure, a large-scale rebellion broke out in the Western Regions, resulting in the loss of many territories in the Western Regions.
At the same time, the Central Plains region has also entered a period of natural disasters that lasted for more than ten years. This natural disaster, which lasted for more than a decade, made it difficult for the Eastern Han Dynasty to provide troops and strategic materials to the Western Regions.
Two years after the outbreak of the rebellion, the Eastern Han Dynasty leaders were forced to withdraw the Tuntian soldiers from the Western Regions and give up control of the Western Regions, resulting in the complete collapse of Ban Chao's excellent situation for many years after Ban Chao's departure.
At the same time, the father and son of the Ban family also experienced a different path.
The father and son of the Ban family returned to Beijing, and Ban Chao died in just over a month due to his old age. His sister Ban Zhao became the new leader of the Ban family, especially after the death of Emperor Han He, when Deng Sui was in power, Ban Zhao, as Deng Sui's teacher, directly participated in government affairs and became the female prime minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the prestige of the Ban family increased greatly.
However, at this time, a rebellion broke out in the Western Regions, and the Eastern Han Dynasty urgently organized rescue. Ban Yong was born in the Western Regions and was familiar with the local situation, and his aunt was more powerful and could speak for him. Therefore, Ban Yong and his eldest brother Ban Xiong led troops from Dunhuang to meet the withdrawn army.