Kaldan and Kangxi are both a generation of heroes in history, and the epic duel between the two at the end of the seventeenth century can really be described as a chess opponent and a good talent.
Kaldan was radiant from birth and is said to be the reincarnation of the living Buddha of Wensa. As a teenager, Kaldan studied under the Fourth Panchen Lama of Tashilhunpo Monastery and later with the Dalai Lama. Long-term systematic study has enabled him to lay a deep foundation in Buddhism, and has also given him a keen eye and a brilliant mind.
(Portrait of Gardan)
In 1670, there was an internal rebellion within the Dzungar clan, and the tribal leader Sangha was killed. Kaldan seized the opportunity, used his identity and prestige, raised his arms, and led only 20 people to quell the rebellion and become the new leader of the Dzungars. It is said that when the rebels saw Gardan, "the crowd looked at the surprise and worshiped the gods in Maro", and all of them disarmed and surrendered.
Kaldan's ambitions swelled, and he wanted to become the second Genghis Khan. Thus, Kaldan began his journey to unify Mongolia. Successively conquered the Yarkand Khanate, Kashgar, Hami, Turpan, Aksu and other tribes by force, and unified the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Later, they invaded the desert north and defeated the Khalkha and Tushetu tribes. Then he waved his division south, and the soldiers pointed directly at Kangxi, and even openly shouted to Kangxi the demand that "the holy emperor is south, I am long north".
What a wise and divine figure Kangxi was, lying next to the bed, allowing others to sleep soundly. Throughout his life, he was brilliant and ambitious, and he successively captured Aobai, Ping San Francisco, and Taiwan, laying a solid foundation for the "prosperous life of Kangqian", and the only thing that gave him a headache was this indispensable Kaldan.
Thus, in 1690, the two sides inevitably began a life-and-death contest. This duel is extremely arduous and magnificent, and it is by no means an "easy task".
After nearly 10 years of arduous fighting, Kangxi finally laughed to the end after winning the decisive battles of UlanButong, Kobdo and Zhaomodo, forcing Kaldan to commit suicide, and the rest of the people completely collapsed, and the desert "has no royal court here.".
(Portrait of Kangxi)
Then, why did the powerful steppe tyrant Gardan lose to Kangxi?
First, Gardan's comprehensive strength was not enough to compete with Kangxi.
In terms of personal qualities, Gardan was slightly inferior to Kangxi. Although Kaldan is also a well-educated person, most of his education is limited to Buddhism and the like, and he lacks comprehensive and systematic training, which leads to his short-sighted political vision, short-sighted strategic vision, blindly attacking and recklessly.
Kangxi was born in the imperial family, and was cultivated as a prince from an early age, and his Wenzhi martial arts were even more outstanding, far from being comparable to Kaldan. Moreover, Kangxi was diligent and studious throughout his life, reading a wide range of books, and once said to himself in the "Aphorisms of the Court": "The saints only studied in their lives. ”
In terms of military strength, Kaldan had a small number of troops, although he borrowed a powerful musket team from Russia and invented the "camel city tactic". Let the musketeer team hide behind the camel city to shoot, and then charge with the elite Mongol cavalry, which is very lethal.
However, Kangxi poured out the strength of the whole country, and with a single divine will, he could mobilize hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops. Moreover, Kangxi also had a heavy weapon artillery unit, and after a burst of artillery fire, Kaldan was left with only the loss of armor and the flight of the wolf.
As far as comprehensive national strength is concerned, although in the process of pacifying San Francisco, the Qing Dynasty spent a lot of money, but Kangxi had a granary in the Central Plains with thousands of miles of fertile wilderness, and after years of careful management, the comprehensive national strength was no longer poor, and it was stronger than the simple grasslands and vast deserts of Kaldan.
In terms of population, Kaldan is only a nomadic people with a population of one million, and to shake the Qing Dynasty with a population of hundreds of millions is tantamount to an ant shaking an elephant, and the population has become a hard wound that Kaldan cannot repair.
(Gardan Rebellion)
Second, Kaldan was centrifuged inside and the backyard caught fire.
Kaldan had a nephew named Tse-del D'Alabutan, the son of the slain leader of the Dzungar Khan, Sangha. Originally, the position of the Khan King should have belonged to celebrantam, but In the process of countering the rebellion, Kaldan directly seized the khan's throne, causing cessa arabutan to hold a grudge and always want to regain his own khanate.
Just as Kaldan was fully implementing his "policy of going east", 5,000 men of Alabtan's army defected and took Boltala, Kaldan's old lair, and Kaldan led his troops to retake it, but suffered a crushing defeat. This change from within not only directly led to a sharp decrease in Gardan's elite soldiers, but also was cut off from the supply line, which seriously injured Kaldan and fell into a desperate situation.
Third, Tsarist Russia withdrew its stool at a critical time.
Tsarist Russia has always coveted the northeastern territory of the Qing Dynasty and secretly supported Kaldan against the Qing government, hoping to profit from it. However, after its two defeats at the Battle of Yaksa, Russia signed the Treaty of Nebuchu with the Qing government in 1689. The Qing government not only ceded a part of the disputed territory to Tsarist Russia, but also increased border trade with Tsarist Russia, achieving the purpose of appeasing Tsarist Russia. Tsarist Russia also promised to no longer support Kaldan and remain neutral.
For Kaldan, this is tantamount to drawing salaries from the bottom of the pot, without the support of Tsarist Russia, Kaldan is attacked on his back and is trapped in an embattled position.
Although Kaldan finally failed, he was able to use a small nomadic people to resist the Qing Dynasty for nearly ten years, forcing the Kangxi Emperor to march in person, and indeed worthy of the title of steppe eagle, but still a man with an iron backbone.
(Reference: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty)