Kaldan was an outstanding figure among the Mongols after Genghis Khan, who spent his life competing with the Qing court for the world, dreaming of recreating the glory of the Temujin period and becoming the biggest trouble for the Qing government. The Kangxi Emperor had marched three times before he finally defeated him. So, what kind of person was Kaldan?
in Kaldan
1. Kaldan is the "god" in the hearts of the Dzungar tribesmen.
Kaldan was the sixth son of the Dzungar chief Batur Huntaiji. A year before he was born, the third Wensa living Buddha, Zangdyazin Zhamucuo, promised his mother, Yum, that he would be reincarnated through Yum's body after his death.
In 1644, the year after the death of the living Buddha Lobzang Tenzin Zamtso, Yum happened to give birth to Kaldan. As a result, Kaldan was recognized as a living Buddha of Wensa from birth.
When Kaldan was still very young, the Gelug monks welcomed Kaldan to Tibet and began a systematic study of Buddhist culture.
In 1656, at the age of 12, Kaldan was received by the Dalai Lama in Tibet under the guidance of the Fourth Panchen Lama of Tashilhunpo Monastery. Six years later, the Fourth Panchen Lama died, and Kaldan returned to Tibet and threw himself into the Dalai Lama's disciples to continue his studies. Carefully cultivated by the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama, Kaldan's Buddhist attainments are well known and profoundly knowledgeable.
In tibet in the 17th century, when the theocratic system was still in the era of theocracy, the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama were both religious leaders and supreme rulers of Tibetan government affairs. Studied under the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama, Kaldan combined Buddhism into one, and is undoubtedly the "god" in the minds of Tibetan monks. This status laid a solid mass foundation for his later great cause of reunification.
(Quell civil unrest, take its meaning)
Second, Gardan has strong political and military capabilities.
In 1666, after 10 years of study, Kaldan returned to the Dzungars to assist his brother Sangha in managing tribal affairs. Four years later, there was a military coup within the clan, the Sangha was killed by his half-brother Chechen Khan, and the entire Dzungar clan was plunged into civil war and chaos.
At this time, Kaldan keenly seized the opportunity to seize the power of the clan, and he used his identity to raise his arms and arms, gathered the old sangha's clan, quickly quelled the rebellion, and became the leader of the Dzungar clan.
It is said that during the counter-rebellion, he led a mere 20 people to submit to tens of thousands of rebels of the Chechen Khan, because the other side knew that he was the living Buddha of Wensa, so that when he saw him, "everyone looked at the surprise, and went down to Maro to worship as a god" and surrendered without a fight.
After becoming the head of the Dzungar tribe, the 26-year-old Kaldan's ambitions soared, and he always had a dream in his heart to one day become a hero like Genghis Khan. Therefore, he subsequently gave up his status as the Living Buddha of Wensa and threw himself into the journey to unify Mongolia.
In the following years, Kaldan successively surrendered to the Yarkand Khanate, Kashgar, Hami, Turpan, Aksu and other tribes, unifying the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, becoming the strongest tribe of the Mongols. However, Kaldan did not stop there, he continued his crusade, leading his troops to attack the north of the desert, forcing the Khalkha Mongol tribes to move south.
At this point, the expansion of the Dzungars reached its peak, and the vast territory not only covered the entire territory of Xinjiang, but also included the entire Outer Mongolia, and even incorporated the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the territory of the Dzungars, so that Kaldan put forward to Kangxi the request that "the holy emperor is south, I am long north".
(Kangxi Qinzheng)
Third, Gardan was a strong opponent in the life of the Kangxi Emperor.
The rapid rise of Kaldan undoubtedly posed a great threat to the Qing court, and after successfully suppressing the rebellion in San Fan and resolving the Taiwan issue, the Kangxi Emperor finally freed his hands and decided to personally conquer Kaldan and solve the serious crisis in the northwest of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1690, the two sides fought a major battle at Ulan Butong. Kangxi sent troops in two directions, with fuyuan general Fu Quan leading his army out of Gubeikou on the left; Chang Ning, the general of Anbei, leading his army out of Xifengkou on the right, and Kangxi in the center. This battle eliminated nearly 10,000 elite cavalry of Gardan and forced Kaldan to flee to the north of the desert with the remnants.
In 1696, Kangxi repeatedly asked Kaldan to make a covenant, but was rejected, and Kaldan threatened to borrow 60,000 shotguns from Tsarist Russia to attack the border. Kangxi couldn't bear it anymore and once again sent troops to recruit and suppress it.
The Kangxi Emperor attacked in three ways, with Sabsu advancing into the East Road; Fei Yanggu sending troops from the West Road to block Gardan's retreat; and the Kangxi Emperor personally led the Chinese army and set out from Dushikou. Kaldan fled in the wind, and without a fight, he collapsed, and met at the narrow road of Zhao modo and FeiYanggu, and the two sides fought a fierce battle, and Kaldan was defeated, and only led dozens of horses to flee.
In 1697, Kangxi led his army through the Yellow River for the third time, at this time Gardan was at the end of the road, his long-occupied base area of Ili was occupied by his nephew Ceyu Anabutan, and his cronies also surrendered, and Kaldan returned to heaven without skill and committed suicide.
Overall, although Kaldan eventually lost to the brilliant Kangxi, he was still a lofty steppe tyrant.
(Reference: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty)