When the three emperors of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong reviewed the history of the Qing Dynasty, they would inevitably mention a thorny enemy for them - the Dzungar Khanate. In order to completely wipe out this nomadic empire, the Qing Dynasty paid a heavy price, which lasted more than 70 years, spent countless money and financial resources, and suffered heavy casualties. However, how did the Dzungars manage to make the leap from a humble Mongol tribe to a powerful nomadic empire? How did it go from a local force to a nightmare in the hearts of the Qing emperors? What kind of rise did this powerful empire, which once swept through the northwest and terrified the Qing Dynasty, go through?
Local division, concentrated growth
The Ming Dynasty fell, and the days of the Ming Dynasty came to an end. This once powerful dynasty, in the struggle of its deathbed, had to face a chilling fact for the ruler - the once mighty army has long since collapsed. Among them, the most arrogant was a Mongolian cavalry unit under the command of Zhu Qizhen of Ming Yingzong. At that time, this cavalry plundered Ming Yingzong, which almost plunged the entire government and the opposition into despair, until it was later wiped out by the Manchurians.
The main force of this Mongol cavalry force was the four major tribes of the Oirat Mongols - Turgot, Heshut, Dulbert, and Dzungaria. Although the four major tribes come from the same ancestral origin, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, they each harbored ghosts, and the contradictions between them have been hidden for a long time.
It was at this juncture that the infighting between them broke out. The reason was that the Oirat grassland suffered a great drought that had not been seen in a century, and the grassland was barren and there was nothing for people and animals to eat. In order to survive, the four major tribes had to fight to the death for the limited living space.
In this bloody infighting, the first to be wiped out was the Dulbert Division, which was on the periphery. Although they were thwarted by the Russians in their plans to go north, they recklessly invaded the territory of the Turks westward. The two sides engaged in a life-and-death contest in the Oasis, and the Dzungar tribe took the opportunity to join the war group and become allies with the Dulbert tribe.
The alliance of the two small tribes put great pressure on the Turks. In the balance of power, the Turkut tribe, which was inferior to the upper hand, could only make one decision - to withdraw from the original territory and start a long road of exile. They traveled westward, eventually establishing roots on the Baltic coast and bowing to the Tsar. This was the sign of the first internal division of the Oirat Mongols.
With the departure of the Turghut Ministry, the Dulbert and Dzungar Ministries divided their territory. However, the good times were short-lived, and soon after, the Dulbert tribe was divided due to the struggle for succession, and half of the clan was loyal to the Dzungar tribe. In this way, the Dzungar tribe became the largest tribe of the Oirat Mongols.
At the same time, the original "patriarch" of Oirat, the Heshute tribe, also moved to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where he established the Heshute Khanate, and gradually distanced himself from his own people. For a time, only the Dzungar Department was alone, holding the banner of the entire Oirat Mongolia alone. Was it the unintentional intervention of fate that made this once insignificant Mongolian tribe transform overnight into the largest force in the entire northwest? Or did the Dzungars seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and lay the groundwork for later expansion?
First-come, first-served, the cornerstone is laid
For the Dzungar tribe, it is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leap from a small tribe to the leader of Oirat Mongolia. However, opportunity always favors those who are prepared. It was at this critical juncture that a visionary leader emerged – Batur Huntaiji.
Batur Huntaiji, whose original name was Halos Heduo Heqin, showed remarkable courage and resourcefulness from an early age. In 1616, the young man led 200 cavalry to defeat the Russians who tried to plunder the salt pond again and again in the Irtysh River valley, not only defending his homeland, but also reaching an agreement with the Russians to share the salt pond. This brought a large amount of supplies to the Dzungar Ministry and laid the foundation for future take-off.
It is by virtue of this extraordinary act that Batur Huntaiji won the praiseworthy title of "Warrior Prince". When he succeeded him as tribal leader in 1634, he vigorously pursued reforms.
First of all, Batur Huntaiji set about reorganizing the interior. He made up his mind to resolutely abolish the old separatist strife and unite all forces to concentrate the forces of the Dzungar tribe to a high degree. After years of crackdown and rectification, the various clans that originally hated each other were finally united under the unified interest appeal.
Second, Batur Huntaiji aimed at the key to developing productive forces. He lost no time in learning from the Russians, vigorously developing handicrafts and nomadic herding, producing a large number of high-quality livestock, furs, and weapons. With the backing of these products, the strength of the Dzungar Department has been rapidly improved, and it has gradually got rid of the dilemma of extreme poverty.
The most critical thing is the modernization of the army by Batur Huntaiji. He spared no expense in the introduction of firearms and recruited skilled munitions craftsmen, so that the Dzungar army surpassed the other Mongol tribes in a short period of time. What's even more elite is that he personally commanded an elite cavalry team, which was well-trained and exhaustive, becoming the most reliable trump card army in Dzungaria.
It was with the support of this ace army that Batur Huntaiji began the road of Top Gun to expand outward. He first annexed the remnants of the Dulbert tribe and then destroyed other small tribes. Through these means, the territory of Dzungaria has expanded more and more, and its strength has increased day by day.
Fierce generals come out one after another, and the iron hooves are crusading eastward
Although the Dzungar Khanate laid its foundations under the rule of Batur Huntaiji and Sangge, it ultimately needed stronger and more powerful leaders if it was to truly dominate the northwest. At this critical moment, an iron-fisted monarch came into being - Galdan.
Galdan can be said to have been born into trouble, and his succession to the throne has no vain. He was born in the late reign of the monks, when the Dzungar Khanate was growing in strength, but it was also facing unprecedented internal and external difficulties.
Outside, there is a strong neighbor Russia, and there are constant rebellions inside, and the foundation is still not stable. As the new successor to the throne, Galdan had to temporarily slow down the pace of external expansion and set his sights first on domestic stability.
Changing the practice of his father and ancestors, Galdan personally commanded the personal guard army, galloped across the territory, severely punished the rebellion in various places by violent means, and quickly quelled the turmoil in the country. What's even more iron-fisted is that he directly ordered the concoction of a new holy decree, dividing all clansmen into eight banners, strictly controlling the establishment, and strengthening the centralization of power.
With a solid foundation like an iron bucket in the country, Galdan was able to free up his hands to embark on military reform. He first learned the manufacturing techniques of firearms in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and ordered the soldiers to abandon the traditional sabre and spear and switch to muskets as the main equipment. In order to forge an elite cavalry team, he took great pains to buy a large number of good horses and war horses from the Central Plains.
Most importantly, Galdan set out to reform the army system, reorganizing the army according to the "10,000 households" system, combining infantry and cavalry into one, forming the most elite modern army in the northwest at that time. With this trump card army, Galdan had the courage to expand outward.
In 1678, Galdan personally led a large army to the west and captured the two green states of Turpan and Hami in the western region of Xinjiang. Hami, especially an important town in the Western Regions, is located at the heart of the Silk Road, and has been a place of great power since ancient times. Once Hami is occupied, it is equivalent to obtaining the gateway key to Central Asia and India.
With this major victory, Galdan gained great prestige and changed his name to "Warrior Khan", which shocked all sides. Immediately afterwards, the Dzungar army ambitiously moved south and seized Ili and Aksu in Xinjiang, thus incorporating the whole of Xinjiang into the territory.
In addition to expanding into the northwest territory, Galdan also set its sights on the southern region. After more than ten years of continuous war, the desert green state of Kashgar was captured, and tens of thousands of Xinjiang residents were taken captive as trophies.
Mongolia and Tibet join forces, and the teachings are blessed
After decades of rapid expansion, the Dzungar Khanate finally reached its peak since Hongji. It can be said that it has reached its full peak, and it is invincible. However, Galdan did not stop there. He was clearly aware that in order for this powerful nomadic empire to truly stand, it was not enough to have an iron hoof field, but also to gain ideological recognition and blessing.
Thus, Galdan began the process of introducing Tibetan Buddhism. As a devout Buddhist, he understood that only by seeking religious identity could the country be spiritually orthodox. Moreover, until then, most of the Mongolian tribes had practiced Tibetan Buddhism for more than 100 years. As a result, Galdan soon set his sights on Tibet.
In the presence of the Dalai Lama in Tibet, Galdan showed great sincerity and piety. He traveled thousands of miles to bring a large amount of tribute to Lhasa, and also personally went to Lhasa many times to pay homage to the Dalai Lama. At the same time, he built a majestic and magnificent Buddhist temple in the territory of Dzungaria, Hulu Temple, and enshrined a large number of Buddha statues and scriptures in the temple.
This series of actions won great praise from the Dalai Lama. Thanks to Galdan's unremitting efforts, Tibetan Buddhism has finally taken root and spread in the Dzungar region. More importantly, the Dalai Lama personally conferred the Zungar Khanate with the Decree of Law, recognizing the legitimacy of Kaldan and his descendants.
With the recognition and endorsement of this top authority, the Dzungar Khanate completely gained political and ideological legitimacy. Moreover, with the blessing of religion, Galdan also had a lot of confidence in the army. He commanded the army to march south and north, intending to further expand the existing territory.
Surprisingly, at this time, another powerful Buddhist force emerged in the northwestern frontier. It turned out that in the northeastern corner of the Mongolian Plateau, a powerful and powerful new nomadic tribe, the Zhuoli Huli tribe, also began its journey to embrace Lamaism at the same time.
This tribe admired the Red Religion and gradually distanced itself from the Yellow Religion of Dzungaria. However, their leader has a blood relationship with Galdan. The two are actually siblings, but they are far apart, and they have long parted ways and turned against each other.
When the Zoli Huli forces rose up on the Mongolian plateau and further annexed the surrounding tribes, this force posed a great threat to the Dzungar Khanate. For a time, two powerful nomadic forces confronted the entire northwest region, which also contained the split confrontation between the red and yellow religions of Buddhism. A military conflict that will engulf the whole of Asia seems inevitable.
East and West confronted each other, and the empire finally came to an end
When the Qing Empire reunified the Central Plains, they soon set their sights on the northwestern frontier. As an ambitious and emerging dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was clearly unwilling to cede this fertile frontier region to nomadic forces. Thus, a protracted war of conquest began, between the old and new forces.
At first, the forces of the two sides were equal, and the outcome was unpredictable. Although the Qing army was well-equipped and disciplined, it was often difficult to deploy in the vast grasslands; On the other hand, although the Dzungars were brave and good at fighting, they were not able to grasp the offensive and defensive battles of the city.
Therefore, both sides are fighting for each other, fighting and attacking, and they are both seeking an opportunity for a complete decisive battle. It was not until 1690 that the time finally came, when the Qing army gathered more than 200,000 troops in the Rehe area, preparing to launch a massive pro-conquest.
Galdan realized that this was the ultimate battle for the survival of the country. He ordered a nationwide mobilization and rallied other neighboring Mongol tribes to join forces in the Bajiazi area. Both sides are brave and strong. At a critical moment, the unexpected happened - Galdan died young, and the Dzungar Khanate fell into a great power vacuum.
Even so, the two sides still fought a major battle. But in the end, because of the instability of the military spirit after Galdan's death, the Dzungar army was defeated and retreated, and was almost completely annihilated by the Qing army. Since then, the fate of the Dzungar Khanate has been completely reversed.
In the face of strong military pressure from the Qing Dynasty, the Dzungar Khanate, which had already had internal rifts, began to disintegrate at an accelerated pace. The Mongol tribes, led by the future of Shulechuan, rebelled and defected to the Qing Dynasty one after another, and turned into a "banner land" vassal domain. It was not until decades later that the original territory of Dzungaria was completely under the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
And another force, the Zhuoli Tiger Force will not escape the fate of this annihilation. Originally, they and the Dzungar Khanate once formed a stalemate and confrontation, and even had some upper hand at one time. However, when the Qing army exerted pressure, the fighting spirit of the Zhuoli Tiger Force quickly collapsed. They soon surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and were inscribed as "Dzungar Left-Wing Mongols". Suddenly, these two nomadic forces, which had once dominated northern Asia, disappeared.
In fact, it also marked the end of the Mongol nomads' independent dominance in the North China Plain. From the Rouran Khanate to the Yuan Dynasty, and then to the Junggar Empire at the end of the Ming Dynasty, these once powerful nomadic lords can now only merge into the territory of the Qing Dynasty and submit to the Manchu rulers. For more than 200 years, the entire northwest of China has been known as "Shatuo", the important military station of the Qing Empire on the frontier.
end
Of course, for the once glorious Dzungar Khanate, this ending may not be without regrets. After all, in the process of decline, their leaders managed to spread the Buddhist faith to a vast territory, leaving behind a large number of precious cultural relics, such as the gourd temple built by Galdan himself. To this day, Hulu Monastery still stands in the Ili region of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is an important pilgrimage site for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Perhaps, this is the best testimony of this glorious history for future generations.