Tang campaign against Kucha

Tang campaign against Kucha
Part of the Tang campaign against the oasis states
A map of the campaigns against the oasis states of the Tarim Basin, including the defeat of Kucha
Date 648 – 19 January 649 Location Tarim Basin Result Decisive Tang victory Tang military garrison installed in Kucha Tang establishes control over the northern Tarim Basin
Belligerents
Tang dynasty	Kucha Western Turkic Khaganate
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Taizong of Tang Ashina She'er Qibi Heli Guo Xiaoke †	Haripushpa (POW) Nali †
Strength
100,000 Tiele horsemen Unknown number of Tang infantry	50,000 Kucha soldiers ~10,000 Turkic reinforcements
Casualties and losses
2,000	12,000 killed, tens of thousands captured

The Tang campaign against Kucha was a military campaign led by the Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er against the Tarim Basin oasis state of Kucha in Xinjiang, which was aligned with the Western Turkic Khaganate. The campaign began in 648 and ended on 19 January 649, after the surrender of the Kuchan forces following a forty-day siege in Aksu. Kuchean soldiers tried to recapture the kingdom with the assistance of the Western Turkic Khaganate, but were defeated by the Tang army.