page_title: Jinchuan campaigns
section_title: First Campaign Against Jinchuan
hierarchical_section_title: Jinchuan campaigns / The Two Campaigns / First Campaign Against Jinchuan
caption_attribution_description: English: "Conquest of the mountain Ripang and others", a scene of the Jinchuan Campaign 1771-1776 中文（简体）‎: 平定两金川战役之一——攻克日旁一带
context_page_description: The Jinchuan campaigns, also known as the suppression of the Jinchuan Hill Peoples, were two wars between Qing Empire and the rebel forces of Gyalrong cheftains from the Jinchuan region. The first campaign against Chiefdom of Chuchen happened in 1747 when the Tusi of Greater Jinchuan Slob Dpon attacked Mingzheng Tusi. The Qianlong Emperor decided to mobilize forces and suppress Slob Dpon, who surrendered to the central government in 1749. The second campaign against Chiefdom of Tsanlha took place in 1771, when the Jinchuan Tusi Sonom killed Gebushiza Tusi of Ngawa County in Sichuan Province. After Sonom killed Gebushiza Tusi, he helped Tusi of Lesser Jinchuan, Senge Sang, to occupy the lands belonging to the other Tusi in the region. The provincial government ordered Sonom to return lands and accept the trial at the Ministry of Justice immediately. Sonom refused to retreat his rebels. Qianlong was furious and gathered 80,000 troops and entered Jinchuan. In 1776, Qing troops sieged the castle of Sonom to force his surrender.
  The Jinchuan campaigns were two of the Ten Great Campaigns of Qianlong. Compare to his other eight campaigns, the cost of fighting Jinchuan was extraordinary.
context_section_description: Slob Dpon was the Tusi of Greater Jinchuan. He was trying to unite tribes in Sichuan to fight the bureaucratization of Tusi. He kidnapped the Tusi of Lesser Jinchuan Zewang in 1746 to force an alliance between Greater Jinchuan and minor Jinchuan. People in Lesser Jichuan were not satisfied with Slob Dpon. They sent a messenger to Chengdu to notify the Sichuan governor Ji Shan. Slob Dpon heard about this, one might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. In 1747, Slob Dpon ordered an assault against Mingzheng Tusi's tribe. Ji Shan sent a few garrisons to attack Slob Dpon. The garrisons were defeated quickly and unexpectedly. Ji Shan realized the emergence of this sudden event and Slob Dpon's ambitions. He reported the rebellion and asked for help from the imperial court.
  The Grand Council was angered by Slob Dpon's action. Qianlong mobilized 30,000 troops to suppress Slob Dpon's tribe. He appointed Zhang Guangsi as the overall commander to capture Greater Jinchuan. The corrupt Qing army failed to defeat Slob Dpon's untrained tribe warriors under highland climate. One year later, Qianlong ordered one of his Grand Secretariats Necin to reinforce Zhang's army with more than 40,000 soldiers. Slob Dpon fortified the mountains and waterways, and the rGyalrongs were more familiar with the landscape. Necin didn't cooperate well with Zhang due to court politics. Besides, Necin never had experience in commanding armed forces before. Slob Dpon placed a spy near in Qing's high command. Zhang did not find out about it. Greater Jinchuan was prepared for all its opponents military actions. Qing army was defeated again in April 1748. Qianlong executed Zhang in December under the charge of disadvantageous commanding Heaven's army. Necin committed suicide for shaming the emperor's name.
  Fuheng became the commander in 1749. He was an experienced general. He slowed the attack and killed all the spies in the army. Fuheng separated the army to attack Slop Dpon from different directions. Qing army finally broke the walls of Slob Dpon's stronghold in 1749. Slob Dpon surrendered, and he agreed to pay as tribute thousands of silver taels and many golden Buddha statues to save his life. Qianlong emperor trusted him and kept him as the Tusi, and paused the bureaucratization in Sichuan province.
  The First Campaign Against Jinchuan was considered one of Qianlong's Great Achievements. Ironically, it was extremely unsuccessful for the following reasons: 
  The Qing government mobilized more than 80,000 men in total from seven provinces to fight against a tribe that was not equipped with cannons nor firearms.
  Qianlong did not execute Slob Dpon, which made other Tusi more fearful of Greater Jinchuan's force.
  The central government did not take any step to limit Tusi's army size, which gave them opportunities to rebel again.
caption: Attack on mountain Raipang. Most battles in Jinchuan took place in the mountains.
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