Between 119 and 115 BC, Wu-ti send Chang Ch'ien to Central Asia again, this time to seek the alliance with another nomadic tribe, Wu-sun, a people lived in the Ili river (Xinjiang) region.

Wu-ti also intended to make friendly ties with the western kingdoms by offering gifts. Thus Chang Ch'ien left with more than three hundred men. Each man had two horses. They took cattle and sheep with them and made arrangements to offer gold, silk and other gifts in great quantities.

It is not clear which route he took on the second trip.
The records seem to indicate that he passed Dunhuang, Loulan, then entered the Tarim basin and Kucha, and finally arrived to the capital of Wu-sun kingdom in the Ili river.

He was successful in arranging a marriage alliance with Wu-sun but couldn't get Wu-sun to agree to revenge on Xiongnu openly.

Chang Ch'ien then successively sent envoys to other kingdoms including Parthia and India.

They were welcomed by the distant countries. When an Han envoy reached Parthia, its king sent 20,000 cavalrymen to welcome him on the eastern frontier.
At the same time, the kingdoms sent their own envoys to Han.

From then on, the diplomatic missions were dispatched regularly along with commercial trading. The traffic on the Silk Road began to flourish as never before.

After a lifetime of travel and danger, Chang Ch'ien's health was deteriorated as he returned from the second trip.

He died the following year.

The later travellers on the Silk Road honored him as the founder of the Silk Road. His adventures inspired writers and artists for centuries.

...More to come..

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