could throw in some Bactrian Camels and maybe an elephant or two?

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski}

decent from an analytical perspective, but as a narrative of evetns it is distinctly lacking, although that is not what Lewis was trying to do. Yes, I have the three volume new edition of Watson's Shi Ji. Rather excellent, especially the chapters on Bactria, the Xiongnu and the Western Regions. The book on the Qin is a little difficult at first, and for the beginning I would recommend reading Lewis first and then attacking Burton's first volume of the Shi Ji.

I don't have access to Twitchett and Loewe right now, but anticpiate getting my hands on the Cambridge soon.

As I side note, I have almost completed buying the full Cambrige Hisotry of Iran. All from Abebooks, and bought all volumes for under $60 too! Sweet prices.

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski}

That's great -- and the Cambridge should be very useful. Here are a couple of other things that might help with Han military history:

Michael Loewe, "Chapter Six: Military Titles and the command of the armed forces" in The Men Who Governed Han China: Companion to A Bibliographical Dictionary of the Qin Former Hand ands Xin Periods (Leiden, Brill, 2004): 176-207.

Hulsewé, A. F. P. and Loewe, M. A. N. China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty. Leiden: Brill, 1979.

Also, Yuri Pines' review of Di Cosmo is a good one:

http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Migration/reviews/pines.html

Sounds like quite a project you've embarked on! If you need any help with the Chinese histories, feel free to ask (I use them a lot in my own work -- which is more on religion).

Ho Han Shu or the Tseen Han Shu? I'm assuming it's the Ho Han Shu, but perhaps I am mistaken. If it is the Ho Han Shu I would note that there is a guy on the internet who has an amazing annotated version of the Ho Han Shu, and a translation. I'll try and find the link. Plus, I may hit you on on a chat. I've got some questions about religious transmissions and some questions on the great T'ang Buddhist traveler. How's your T'ang history?

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski}

What wulingren said. It is the Hanshu (aka, Qian Han shu). And the relation between Shiji and Hanshu is a contested one. If I remember the Hulsewe translation is centrally interested in the very question, although I don't recall that I found its answer convincing!

read about half of it and it is an excellent study, but not quite what I am looking for right now, although I have cited it twice in the book thus far.

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski}

^{“Is not our first thought to go on the road? The road is our source, our vault of treasures, our wealth. Only on the road does the ‘traveller’ feel like himself, at home.”
Ryszard Kapuscinski}