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卷329 列傳一百十六 宋元俊 薛琮 张芝元 董天弼 柴大纪

Volume 329 Biographies 116: Song Yuanjun, Xue Cong, Zhang Zhiyuan, Dong Tianbi, Chai Daji

Chapter 329 of 清史稿 · Draft History of Qing
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Biographies 116
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Song Yuanjun, Xue Cong, Zhang Zhiyuan, Dong Tianbi, and Chai Daji
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使
Song Yuanjun, styled Dianfang, came from Huaiyuan in Jiangnan. Having passed the military jinshi examination, he was appointed garrison commander of the Chengdu Garrison in Sichuan and later promoted to company commander of the Huaiyuan Garrison. In Qianlong 20 (1755), the Kongsa and Mashu chieftains feuded; the Jinchuan and Zhuosijia chieftains seized the chance to revolt. Yuanjun was dispatched to settle affairs, convening the chieftains of Kongsa, Mashu, Jinchuan, Zhuosijia, Gepusizhai, Zhuowo, Baili, Zhanggu, and Zhandui to adjudicate their disputes and bind them with oaths sworn over Buddhist scriptures. He rose through successive promotions to brigade commander of the Fuhe Garrison.
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In Qianlong 29 (1764), the Jinchuan chieftain Langka attacked the Danba and Zhuosijia chieftains. When the chieftains appealed for troops, Acting Governor-General Agui and Regional Commander Yue Zhongqi memorialized the throne directing Yuanjun, together with Acting Vice General Chang Qing, to rally the chieftains for a joint punitive campaign. He was transferred to regimental commander of the Zhangla Garrison, then demoted after being implicated in a disciplinary matter. In Qianlong 35 (1770), Senggesang, son of the Lesser Jinchuan chieftain Zewang, plundered Ekezhi. Agui ordered Yuanjun to proclaim to Senggesang that he must restore the seized lands and return the tribal people he had taken. He was reinstated as brigade commander of the Fuhe Garrison. In Qianlong 36 (1771), the Gepusizhai headman Jielangkazi Suonuomu seized the chieftain's stockade at Gepusizhai and murdered Chieftain Celeng Duobudan. Governor-General Altai once again sent Yuanjun to deliver an imperial proclamation. Lesser Jinchuan forces besieged Ekezhi and Damubazong, encroached on Mingzheng territory, and seized Nadingsai. Yuanjun joined Regimental Commander Xue Cong and Company Commander Li Tianyou in a punitive expedition, retook Nadingsai, and pressed the attack on Suobudazhai. Cong led his men in a stealthy crossing over the ridge while Yuanjun and Tianyou forded the river to strike from both flanks. They took eighteen stone blockhouses in a string of victories and fully restored more than seven hundred watchtowers and stockades belonging to the Mingzheng chieftain.
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西西沿
The army crossed into Lesser Jinchuan, seized Gachongla, Moruna, Zhagongla, and other positions, and went on to capture Nazha. Altai and Vice Minister Guilin reported the victories to the throne, and Yuanjun was promoted to regional commander of Songpan. When the army assaulted Jiamu, the rebels dug in at the Lama Temple. Yuanjun and Garrison Commander Chen Dingguo stormed the position, recaptured all affiliated towns, blockhouses, watchtowers, and stockades, and secured the Moriduo ridge. The army pressed forward again on multiple axes: Tianyou and Dingguo struck the western ridge; Yuanjun, Bodyguard Liushiyi, Regimental Commander Baketanbu, and others swung around from the Lama Temple to hit Guosong; Battalion Commander Puning moved up the river from the western foothills against Jiamu; and Bodyguard Ha Qing'a and Cong attacked Kayai from the eastern foothills. The troops moved out at midnight and fought from dawn until mid-morning; Kayai, Guosong, and Jiamu all fell. The emperor awarded Yuanjun a peacock feather.
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In Qianlong 37 (1772), during the campaign against Gepusizhai, Yuanjun proposed to Guilin a five-pronged plan: one column from Guozongjiyezong against Mubalabozu; one to cross the river at Zhanggu and pinch the enemy from both sides, then unite, seize Mozigou to sever Jinchuan's supply line, and advance on the Jidi chieftain's stockade; one from the Gaoshi and Jiaju heights in Bawang, splitting to strike Samaduojianzangbujue and capture Jidi; one from Maoniu against Shachong; one from Kaleta'er against Dangli, then converging to take Dandong. The plan adopted, Yuanjun and Brigade Commander Wu Jinjiang forded the river at Zhanggu and seized Gezang Bridge while Ha Qing'a and Tianyou advanced from Guozongjiyezong. The two columns caught the rebels in a pincer; the enemy broke and fled, and Mubalabozu, Samaduojianzangbujue, and neighboring positions were taken. They went on to capture the Jidi chieftain's stockade and Mozigou. Regimental Commander Chang Tai took Dangli, Company Commander Li Tiangui seized Shachong, and Yuanjun captured Dandong as well. More than three hundred li of Gepusizhai territory and over two thousand households were restored.
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調調 調西
Guilin sent Chen Dingguo to muster Zhuosijia troops and hold them on the frontier, ready for deployment. The emperor censured Guilin for failing to let Yuanjun press the victory and seize Jinchuan. Yuanjun then joined Minister Without Portfolio Altai in impeaching Guilin for deceit and other offenses. The emperor removed Guilin from office, appointed Altai acting Governor-General of Sichuan, and sent Imperial Son-in-Law, Minister, and Duke Fu Long'an to conduct an inquiry. Before the investigators arrived, an edict ordered Yuanjun to take command at Zhuosijia and lead native troops in an assault on Jinchuan. Yuanjun memorialized: "Since our recent defeat, morale has collapsed. Our present strength is insufficient to subdue both Jinchuans simultaneously. I request orders to mobilize twenty thousand troops from Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, and Gansu for a three-column advance; the campaign should be finished within two months." The emperor regarded Yuanjun's request for reinforcements as unduly alarmist and ordered Fu Long'an to confer with Altai, Agui, and Yuanjun on a full reassessment. The emperor told the Grand Council: "Yuanjun is capable and knows the frontier tribes well; but he seems crafty and prone to stirring trouble—keep a firm hand on him."
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使 使使
Soon afterward Fu Long'an reported that the charges against Guilin did not hold up. With the campaign underway and Yuanjun's expertise on the frontier indispensable, the emperor said not every accusation need be pursued to the end; but noted: "Guilin's gravest offense was paying Jinchuan silver to ransom captured officers and men. Wang Chengpei has now admitted the scheme was his. As a provincial official attached to the campaign, Chengpei should never have been involved. Wang Tenglong must be questioned so the truth can be established." Fu Long'an reported further: "Tenglong had entrusted Wang Wanbang with silver to reward officers and men from Bawang and Buladike who had lost their way and returned. Yuanjun coerced Wanbang into writing a letter claiming Guilin had paid silver to ransom captured troops. The whole affair was a frame-up engineered by Yuanjun." The emperor flew into a rage, denounced Yuanjun for treachery and ingratitude, stripped him of rank, ordered his arrest, and confiscated his property. Campaign Adviser Agui memorialized: "Yuanjun has served in Sichuan for years, knows the tribes intimately, and enjoys the trust of the frontier chieftains. No other general matches him in handling tribal affairs. I consult him on nearly every decision, hoping to make our efforts work as one coordinated force. I beg that he be kept with the army. If he fights hard, his skill in deception—or even his appetite for gain—need not count against him; but if he turns obstinate or self-serving, I shall impeach him without mercy." The emperor ordered Yuanjun kept on as regional commander and his confiscated property returned. Yuanjun joined Vice Commander-in-Chief Yongping, Boling'a, and others in a stealthy advance to Molonggou and on to Junzheng. Under cover of moonlight he led the troops up the mountain against the rebel blockhouses. A thick fog hung over the field; our men vaulted into the positions, took three ridges and twenty-four watchtower blockhouses, and pressed on to capture Gelukeshi. When the Jinchuan chieftain tried to seize the Danba chieftain's stockade, the Zhuosijia chieftain sent troops to help. Agui memorialized ordering Yuanjun to reinforce and move against them, but before he could march, he died in camp.
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Yuanjun had spent years on the frontier and knew how to manage the chieftains. Imperial gifts of silk to the chieftains had often been shoddy; Yuanjun always saw that they received good cloth, and the chieftains were grateful. When Yuanjun toured the frontier, chieftains would bring their wives and children to greet him. He shared tea, tobacco, hairpins, and earrings with them and treated them like kin. Step out of line even slightly and he would rebuke you—everyone trembled and obeyed. Bandits prowled beyond the Dartsedo frontier, yet when Yuanjun passed through, no one dared lay a hand on his baggage. The tribes reported even the smallest stir, which is why Yuanjun's every move hit the mark. When he fell from favor, the emperor knew the punishment was unjust. After his death, his son remained on frontier garrison duty. In Qianlong 41 (1776), Jinchuan was pacified. Yuanjun's subordinate Zhang Zhiyuan pleaded with Agui that Yuanjun had served with distinction and committed no crime, having been framed only for crossing the supreme commander. His appeal was passionate. Agui memorialized on his behalf, and the emperor pardoned his son and allowed him to come home.
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西 退
Xue Cong came from Xianning in Shaanxi. His father Yifeng served as regional commander of Nanyang in Henan. Cong entered service in the Patrol Battalion through hereditary privilege. He rose through successive promotions to regimental commander of the Zhangla Garrison in Sichuan. When Altai campaigned against Jinchuan, Cong served under him. He captured the watchtowers and stockades at Nading, Biangu, and elsewhere. When Wenfu replaced Altai as commander and assaulted Balangla, Cong fought harder than anyone. He took Kayai as well and opened the route to Jiamu. During the assault on A'yangdong Hill, Governor-General Guilin, Commander-in-Chief Tiebao, and Regional Commander Wang Tenglong led the main force against Molonggou while ordering Cong to take three thousand men around the mountains behind Jiamu and Ga'erjin to coordinate a pincer. Guilin turned back halfway to Kayai and ordered Tiebao and Tenglong to withdraw as well. Cong had pushed deep into enemy territory, his supplies were gone, and Guilin never came. Guilin finally ordered Company Commander Guang Zhu to march to his relief. The rebels held the formidable peak of Bolugutong; Guang Zhu's column could not get through. Cong pressed straight ahead, tearing down more than ten palisades and seizing over seventy watchtowers. The rebels fought back hard. Cong led an uphill assault, took a musket ball, and fell in battle. His entire force was wiped out. Company Commanders Zhang Qingshi and Chen Dingguo were among the twenty-five who died with him. After Agui broke Wenguerlong, he built a battlefield shrine to honor Cong and his fallen comrades.
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Cong was counted among the army's best fighters, and Yuanjun was his closest comrade. They once agreed to rendezvous at dawn the next day, with whoever arrived late to be executed. Cong arrived half an hour late. Yuanjun sent a rider with a drawn blade shouting for Regimental Commander Xue's head. Cong saw him coming and laughed: "My head belongs to the enemy, not to you!" He charged forward, took several watchtowers, and returned in triumph. Yuanjun still interceded for Cong; only when his battlefield merit outweighed the offense was the matter dropped. When Guilin's blunder cost Cong his life, Yuanjun impeached him in a fury—and in the end was himself ruined for it.
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宿 調 西 滿
Zhang Zhiyuan came from Qingxi in Sichuan. Serving as a battalion commander under Vice General Mingliang in the Jinchuan campaign, he distinguished himself and rose through successive promotions to regimental commander of the Yuexi Garrison. The Jinchuan chieftain used tribal monks to spy on the army. Zhiyuan told Mingliang: "The enemy always knows our moves. Unless we cut off their intelligence, we will never defeat them." During a blizzard, Mingliang ordered Zhiyuan to take several dozen men, pretending to be out on other business, and lodge at the tribal monks' temple. Zhiyuan already spoke the tribal tongue. He drank freely with the monks; when they passed out, he slipped outside, piled firewood against the temple, and set it ablaze. Every monk inside died. With the enemy's spy network broken, he was able to induce many rebels to surrender. He then served under Chengdu General Te Cheng'e at Jiangka, hunting bandits, besieging the rebel stockade at Benken, burning its watchtowers, and killing many enemies. He was promoted to deputy vice general for distinguished service. When Lin Shuangwen rebelled in Taiwan, Zhiyuan led garrison militia and surrendered tribesmen in support of the campaign. Campaign Adviser Hailancha and others split forces against the three villages of Dapulin, Zhonglin, and Dapuwei while Zhiyuan provided supporting action. The rebels held Xiaobantian Hill. General Fukang'an advanced from the front while Zhiyuan and Lead Commissioner Pu'erpu led a separate column that set out at midnight, swung around the mountain, and struck the enemy from the rear. At dawn the columns converged at the foot of the hill and climbed under fire. Zhiyuan was first over the top, tore down the palisade, killed and captured without number, and sealed off the enemy's escape route. Before long, Shuangwen was taken prisoner. After Taiwan was pacified, he was promoted to regional commander of Jianchang, his portrait was enshrined in the Hall of Purple Splendor, and he was numbered among the first twenty meritorious officials. He was soon transferred to regional commander of Songpan. When Gurkhas raided Jilong and Nyalam in Tibet, the emperor ordered Zhiyuan to lead garrison militia and surrendered tribesmen against them. Zhiyuan arrived in the midst of a blizzard that had buried the valleys in snow. Zhiyuan led from the front with a broadsword in hand; his men, stirred to gratitude, fought with all they had, and the enemy broke and fled. When the Gurkhas rebelled again, Zhiyuan and Regional Commander Chengde assaulted Nyalam, held the pass at Paijialing to sever enemy reinforcements, and Nyalam fell; then pressed the attack to Jilong and retook it as well. The enemy, terrified, sued for peace. He died soon afterward. In Qianlong 58 (1793), when honors were awarded for pacifying the Gurkhas, his portrait was again enshrined in the Hall of Purple Splendor and he was numbered among the later fifteen meritorious officials.
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Zhiyuan had served Yuanjun as a young subordinate and later vindicated him after his wrongful disgrace. People admired Zhiyuan all the more for this, and came to esteem Yuanjun's eye for talent.
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西 退
Dong Tianbi, styled Lincang, came from Daxing in Shuntian. Having passed the military jinshi examination, he was appointed garrison commander of the Forward Battalion of the Sichuan Provincial Standard. In the early Qianlong reign, when the army campaigned against Jinchuan, Tianbi distinguished himself in the field. He rose through successive promotions to deputy vice general of the Weizhou Brigade. When the Jinchuan chieftain Langka attacked the Danba chieftain, Tianbi and Brigade Commander Song Yuanjun ordered Langka to restore what he had seized and demolish the watchtowers he had built. After the campaign, Tianbi was transferred to regional commander of Songpan. He was soon promoted to Regional Commander of Sichuan. When Golok tribesmen robbed Tibetan tribute-bearing lamas, the emperor ordered Tianbi to investigate and punish them. He failed to capture the ringleaders, and an edict censured his half-hearted effort. In Qianlong 35 (1770), Senggesang, son of the Lesser Jinchuan chieftain Zewang, rebelled, attacked the Ekezhi chieftain Sedakela, and besieged his stockade. Tianbi stationed troops at Damubazong and ordered Senggesang to withdraw from Sedakela. With the stockade's provisions exhausted, Sedakela pleaded to relocate to Damubazong. Tianbi and Governor-General Altai agreed to leave a garrison there.
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退
In Qianlong 36 (1771), Senggesang again besieged Damubazong and overran Mu'erzong, Balangla, and other positions. Tianbi marched out from Dartsedo, mobilizing provincial standard troops and forces from Songpan and Weizhou. At Mianlonggang he found the rebels already holding Balangla, fortifying watchtowers and blockhouses for a long defense, and severing his line of advance. Tianbi proposed a raid through Shanshengou to break the siege of Damubazong. He soon led four hundred men through Shanshengou to De'ermi, took seven watchtowers, and the rebels fled; then advanced on Biwangla. The rebels struck through the fog; the native troops panicked and broke, and both De'ermi and Biwangla were lost. Tianbi memorialized asking to be punished. The emperor noted that Tianbi's force had been small to begin with and that Governor-General Altai had failed to plan supporting relief, and pardoned him with the admonition: "You must strive to redeem yourself. Fail again, and your guilt will only deepen." Tianbi again led five hundred men from Muping up Yaoji and along the ridge opposite Jajianda, taking two watchtowers. Seeing that the Ekezhi cattle station lay on a vital route, Tianbi detached troops to wipe out the rebels holding it and stationed his force there; then pressed the advantage with strikes from above and below. With the Muping and Ekezhi chieftains' territories interlocking, every strategic pass fell to our forces. Before long the rebels raided and retook the cattle station. The emperor stripped Altai of rank for his army's prolonged failure. He also decreed: "Tianbi has bungled from start to finish and shares Altai's guilt. Strip him of rank and keep him in the ranks as a common soldier. Retreat again, and military law will be applied." He was soon ordered imprisoned in Chengdu. Before the edict arrived, Tianbi found Jajianda Hill too steep to climb and searched for a hidden route, discovering a ravine between two cliffs. During a blizzard, Tianbi led his men in a stealthy crossing through the ravine, reached Damubazong, and struck Senggesang and Sedakela; broke out of the encirclement, also captured Mu'erzong, and linked up with Wenfu's army. When word reached the emperor, he commuted the death sentence and kept Tianbi with the army. Agui put Tianbi in charge of gunpowder and ordnance. In Qianlong 37 (1772), after the army captured Zili, Agui ordered Tianbi to garrison the place with five hundred men. He was soon granted vice general's rank and appointed regional commander of Chongqing. He was ordered to lead troops to Zengtougou and on to Suomo, where the Suomo chieftainess offered a thousand warriors to follow him. When this was reported, the emperor awarded him a peacock feather. Tianbi assaulted Kanzhuogou, emerging by a hidden route at Nayunda and penetrating more than fifty li into enemy territory. He took three ridges and destroyed over thirty watchtower blockhouses and three wooden forts. He linked up with Wenfu at Bulangguozong, captured Dabanzhai and Muyazhai, and took thirty-six watchtowers and sixteen blockhouses. The emperor noted that Wenfu had already taken Bulangguozong and advanced to capture Dimuda, while Tianbi had seized only empty stockades; his memorial overstated the achievement, and the emperor personally admonished him. He was soon appointed Lead Commissioner.
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使
In Qianlong 38 (1773), he was again appointed Regional Commander of Sichuan. Lesser Jinchuan had by then been pacified. Wenfu led the advance against Greater Jinchuan and ordered Tianbi to hold Dimuda with five hundred men. Wenfu advanced to Muguomu, designated the Great Camp; Dimuda lay on the enemy's line of approach and was a vital pass. Wenfu requisitioned three hundred of Tianbi's men for the Great Camp, stripping him of his rear support. Wenfu, flush with repeated victories, paid the enemy little heed. The Jinchuan headmen Qitu Gela'ersijia and others feigned surrender with over a thousand men. Wenfu quartered them among the servants, then incited the surrendered men to revolt. Learning that Dimuda was thinly held and unsupported, on the first day of the sixth month they secretly massed behind the hills and struck Dimuda. Tianbi led his two hundred men in a desperate blade fight. By midnight the rebels ringed them with hundreds of muskets and killed him. Nine days later they overran the Great Camp, and Wenfu was killed as well. The emperor had first ordered Tianbi to garrison Danba, then to move to Bulangguozong. Rumors spread through camp that the enemy was coming. Tianbi was then encamped at Meinuo. The emperor ordered him stripped of rank and arrested. Governor-General Liu Bingtian reported: "Tianbi galloped from Meinuo toward Dimuda, met the enemy on the road, took a musket ball in the right side, and died." Nevertheless, for military negligence his property was confiscated and his son, the juren Lian, was exiled to Yili.
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After Jinchuan was pacified, Qitu Gela'ersijia was captured and brought to the emperor at Rehe. At court interrogation he testified fully to Tianbi's fierce fighting at the moment of death. Lian was pardoned and allowed to return, and was appointed Secretary of the Grand Secretariat.
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Chai Daji came from Jiangshan in Zhejiang. Having passed the military jinshi examination, he was appointed garrison commander in Fujian. He rose through successive promotions to regional commander of Haitan and was then transferred to Taiwan. In the eleventh month of Qianlong 51 (1786), the Lin Shuangwen rebellion broke out. Shuangwen was from Zhangzhou and had moved to Zhanghua; he lived in the village of Daliyi. Wicked men had gathered in a secret society called the Heaven and Earth Society, led by Zhuang Yan of Zhangzhou. Shuangwen joined them and plotted rebellion. Taiwan Prefect Sun Jingsui rushed to Zhanghua and directed District Magistrate Yu Jun, Vice General He Sheng'e, and Brigade Commander Geng Shiwen to arrest the rebels, burning several villages to intimidate them. Exploiting popular resentment, Shuangwen rallied his followers by night and struck; He Sheng'e and the others all fell in battle. The next day they overran Zhanghua, and Jingsui died defending it. They also struck Zhuluo and Fengshan on the flanks, and both cities fell. Daji was then regional commander defending the prefectural city. When the rebels attacked from several directions, he took position at Yancheng Bridge, sank dozens of rebel boats, and killed more than a thousand.
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退鹿
In the spring of Qianlong 52 (1787), Naval Regional Commander Huang Shijian and Army Regional Commander Ren Chengen arrived in succession to reinforce. Daji marched out against Zhuluo, captured it, and immediately shifted his army to hold the city. For his defense of the prefectural city, he was soon awarded a peacock feather. With Shijian's and Chengen's forces stalled, the emperor appointed Governor-General Chang Qing as commanding general and sent him to Taiwan to take charge. Shuangwen assaulted Zhuluo ten times between the second and fourth months. Daji led Brigade Commander Yang Qilin, Garrison Commander Qiu Nengcheng, and others in sorties that killed several thousand rebels. Shuangwen's follower Zhang Shenhui feigned surrender; Daji saw through the ruse and had him executed. Taiwan's prefectures and districts all had bamboo-woven walls that could not withstand assault. Daji rallied soldiers and civilians with appeals to loyalty and righteousness, swearing to hold firm. The emperor praised Daji's exertions, sent him a purse and milk cakes, and referred his merits to the ministries for commendation. In the sixth month he was appointed Army Regional Commander of Fujian while retaining his post as regional commander of Taiwan. Yanshui Harbor was the grain route linking Zhuluo to the prefectural city. When the rebels attacked it, Daji fought them off with all his strength. The emperor pressed Chang Qing to march to the relief, granted Daji the title of Brave and Strong Batur, and appointed him campaign adviser. In the eighth month, finding Chang Qing too aged to suppress the rebels, the emperor appointed Fukang'an as general while keeping Daji as campaign adviser; meanwhile Chang Qing ordered Regional Commander Wei Dabin to reinforce Zhuluo; the rebels blocked him at every turn, and he fell back to Luzicao; Chang Qing then ordered Regional Commander Cai Panlong to reinforce Zhuluo. Daji fought his way out and escorted him into the city to defend it together. The emperor promoted Daji to Naval Regional Commander and gave the Army Regional Commander post to Panlong. In the eleventh month Daji was promoted to Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Because Zhuluo had endured a long siege and its people had fought with loyal resolve, the emperor renamed the county Jiayi, "Praise of Righteousness." As the siege intensified, the emperor secretly told Daji: "You need not die with the city. If matters grow desperate, lead your troops in a fighting breakout and plan your next move from outside." Daji replied: "Zhuluo lies at the heart of Taiwan between north and south. The county seat is ringed with earthen ramparts and bamboo palisades, a deep moat, and a low wall mounted with cannon—the defenses are formidable. Abandon it now and the rebels will take it, their power will swell, and we will lose the supply route through Yanshui Harbor as well. Moreover, more than forty thousand residents and refugees from surrounding villages have helped supply the garrison and fought alongside us until now. I cannot abandon these tens of thousands of lives to the rebels! I can only hold on with all my strength and await relief." The emperor wrote back in his own hand: "Your memorial of loyal heart and righteous courage moved me to tears! Besieged for so long, Daji's resolve has only hardened. He rallies soldiers and civilians, endures hunger, and holds firm—thinking only of the state and the people's welfare. What general of old could surpass this?" He ennobled Daji as Baron of First Rank Yiyong with perpetual hereditary succession, ordered Zhejiang Governor Langgan to grant his family ten thousand taels of silver, and pressed Fukang'an to march to the relief.
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K5 K5 使 退
In the twelfth month Fukang'an's army arrived and the siege of Jiayi was lifted. Daji went out to welcome him, but—thinking himself high in merit after receiving a peerage and still recovering from the siege—he was too harried to perform the full ceremony of presenting arms and armor. Fukang'an took offense and impeached Daji for deceit, deep Green Standard Army corruption, and unreliability. The emperor replied: "Daji held Jiayi while the rebels assaulted it by every means; he led soldiers and civilians and fought to defend the city. I told him that if he could not hold, he might withdraw with his whole force intact. Daji held firm, fought on with all his strength, and refused to abandon tens of thousands of lives to the rebels. Reading his memorial moved me to tears. Can Fukang'an not share my view of the matter? Daji had reported that the rebels used gun-and-cannon carts against the walls. Fukang'an now reports capturing those siege carts plus abandoned muskets and cannon—proof that Daji's earlier account was true. Daji also reported that the city's provisions were gone, sweet potatoes and peanuts exhausted, and the garrison subsisted on oil dregs. Loyal civilians were still supplying the garrison; things may not have been quite so desperate. But Daji, desperate for relief, pleaded hardship by citing oil dregs for food. Pujibao's and Hengrui's columns were still holding back. Had he said provisions remained, those two relief forces would have moved even more slowly. The city's survival was still in doubt—how can Daji be blamed for overstating his plight? Daji had been repeatedly honored; his manners before Fukang'an may have been insufficiently deferential, provoking resentment, and Fukang'an seized on his faults. Fukang'an should share my view, overlook faults and value strengths—that is the way to serve the state with integrity." Vice Minister Decheng returned from a mission in Zhejiang, acted at Fukang'an's direction, and denounced Daji. The emperor ordered Fukang'an, Li Shiyao, Xu Sizeng, and Langgan to investigate. Fukang'an privately wrote the Grand Council: "Daji indulged his troops and provoked the people to revolt; loyal civilians, not he, held Jiayi. When Daji heard the order, he tried to withdraw his troops, but the loyal civilians would not let him leave the city, and he gave up the attempt." When this was reported, the emperor said: "I will not count the defense of Zhuluo against Daji. But his other misconduct—bad reputation, indulging troops, provoking rebellion—must be investigated." He ordered Daji stripped of rank and arrested. Fukang'an soon recommended execution for lax discipline, corruption, and military negligence, and sent Daji to the capital. The emperor ordered the Grand Council to review the case. Daji pleaded his innocence, alleging Decheng had shown favoritism and coerced Jiayi civilians into testifying against him. At court interrogation Daji still argued forcefully. On the xinsi day of the seventh month of Qianlong 53 (1788), he was ordered executed in the marketplace as Fukang'an had recommended, and his son was sent to Yili as a slave.
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The commentator writes: Yuanjun and Tianbi had spent years on the frontier, knew the tribes' ways, mastered the terrain, and commanded their respect through authority and kindness. Yuanjun was wronged by Guilin, provoked into defending himself, yet could not obtain justice; without Agui's support, his fate would have been beyond reckoning. Tianbi was envied by Wenfu, sent with too few men against a resurgent enemy, and even after death was still condemned. Daji, who had merit and no crime, found no tolerance from Fukang'an. Emperor Gaozong's personal edict was painstaking and thorough, yet in the end could not save his life. In war men give their lives and brave the blade for the smallest gain—yet trapped by jealousy, they die at enemy hands without glory; or if glory is won, they still die by the law. Alas—how lamentable!
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