| Battle of Loulan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Han–Xiongnu War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Loulan | Han dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Zhao Ponu | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 700 light cavalries | ||||||
The Battle of Loulan (Chinese: 樓蘭之戰) in 108 BC marks the earliest military venture by the Western Han dynasty into the Tarim Basin, after a conflict with the Xiongnu-aligned Loulan Kingdom and Jushi Kingdom. The Western 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 and Dayuan, and an increased role, reputation, and status for the Han dynasty in Inner Asia.