The Qing army led by Zuo Zongtang defeated the Agubai forces entrenched in Xinjiang in more than a year, which had profound internal and external reasons, and it was only under the combined effect of the two that it achieved rapid victory. The internal cause is that the Qing army occupies the name of righteousness, is a war against the separatist forces, and therefore has the support of the imperial court and the people, and has done a very good job in the strategic and logistical support of the army, effectively supporting the counterinsurgency war on the front line. The external cause is that Agubai's behavior in Xinjiang is perverse, angry and resentful, cruelly oppressing and exploiting the local people, resulting in the local people's lack of livelihood, economic ruin, production can not develop, and the implementation of ethnic and religious ruling policies, so unpopular. Coupled with the contradictions between the Western powers in Central Asia at that time, the Qing court received the support of some powers and gave certain help in terms of economy and weapons and equipment, which contributed to the military victory of the Qing army. I'll talk about a few things:
The case of Agubai
Agubai, a Central Asian who invaded Xinjiang during the Qing Dynasty, was born in 1820 by the Chinese name Agubai and was akhmetjibeth (a title for a high-ranking member of the religious nobility) of the Kokand Khanate of Central Asia before entering Xinjiang. Later, with the support of Russia and Britain, he led an army to invade the Xinjiang region of the Qing Dynasty from 1865 to 1877, which is a major historical event in Xinjiang seen in the history books: "The Agubai Rebellion".
This Agubai was originally a Uzbek, a general of the Kokand Khanate, a powerful country in Central Asia at that time, and was promoted to Akmegit Burk because of his bravery and good fighting, and his many military achievements. In 1864, the Hui and Uyghurs throughout Xinjiang during the Qing Dynasty launched a series of uprisings. The following year, the Hui forces of Kashgar requested reinforcements from the Khanate of Kokand, and upon receiving the request, the Khan of Kokand sent Agubai to lead an army into Xinjiang, and soon occupied the entire Territory of Hui, and in 1867 A.D., Agubai abolished the Zhedsar Khanate and renamed it the Khanate of Bidulut and proclaimed himself emir.
In 1876, the Kokand Khanate collapsed, and its people defected to Agubai in Xinjiang, resulting in its growing power and the support and recognition of Russia and Britain. Later, the Qing court sent Zuo Zongtang to lead the Qing army to Xinjiang, first clearing the forces of Agubai in northern Xinjiang, and then going south, in 1877, Agubai died, and soon his power was completely destroyed by the Qing army.
Factors for the Victory of the Qing Army
One of the important reasons for the victory of the Qing army is that the logistical support is very in place, and the Qing army assembled from the northwest to go to Xinjiang can be described as a long way, such a long journey, the army's eating, wearing, and use must be solved. Therefore, before the Qing army took action, Zuo Zongtang began to arrange relevant matters, on the one hand, to obtain financial support from the imperial court, on the other hand, to borrow a loan from foreign banks to collect a part of the upfront costs, and began to lead the troops forward. After that, it was overwhelming and went very smoothly.
Secondly, another important reason for the victory of the Qing army was to gain the support of the local people, because the religious rule policy implemented by Agubai in Xinjiang increased the exploitation of the people and imposed heavy taxes, so that the people lived in water and fire, so the local people hoped that the Qing army could expel the forces of Agubai and gave help and support to the Qing army, which enabled the Qing army to better carry out local operations.
Finally, the equipment and combat effectiveness of the Qing army is higher than that of the Agubai army, through several large-scale battles, it was found that the combat effectiveness of the Agubai army is not strong, many officers have a weak sense of combat, and some even collapse at a touch, while the Qing army has a strong will to fight, and there is no worries, so the battle is brave, and it is only a matter of time before the Agubai is defeated.
To sum up, the reason why Zuo Zongtang was able to defeat Agubai in more than a year at the end of the Qing Dynasty was determined by many reasons, and the Qing army was a righteous division with the support of the local people, so it was natural to win the victory.