Sino - Burmese War ( 1765 – 69 ) The Sino - Burmese War ( ; ) , also known as the Qing invasions of Burma or the Myanmar campaign of the Qing Dynasty , was a war fought between the Qing Dynasty of China and the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma ( Myanmar ) . China under the Qianlong Emperor launched four invasions of Burma between 1765 and 1769 , which were considered as one of his Ten Great Campaigns . Nonetheless , the war , which claimed the lives of over 70 , 000 Chinese soldiers and four commanders , is sometimes described as " the most disastrous frontier war that the Qing Dynasty had ever waged " , and one that " assured Burmese independence " . Burma ' s successful defense laid the foundation for the present - day boundary between the two countries . At first , the Emperor envisaged an easy war , and sent in only the Green Standard troops stationed in Yunnan . The Qing invasion came as the majority of Burmese forces were deployed in their latest invasion of Siam . Nonetheless , battle - hardened Burmese troops defeated the first two invasions of 1765 – 1766 and 1766 – 1767 at the border . The regional conflict now escalated to a major war that involved military maneuvers nationwide in both countries . The third invasion ( 1767 – 1768 ) led by the elite Manchu Bannermen nearly succeeded , penetrating deep into central Burma within a few days ' march from the capital , Ava ( Inwa ) . But the bannermen of northern China could not cope with unfamiliar tropical terrains and lethal endemic diseases , and were driven back with heavy losses . After the close - call , King Hsinbyushin redeployed his armies from Siam to the Chinese front . The fourth and largest invasion got bogged down at the frontier . With the Qing forces completely encircled , a truce was reached between the field commanders of the two sides in December 1769 . The Qing kept a heavy military lineup in the border areas of Yunnan for about one decade in an attempt to wage another war while imposing a ban on inter - border trade for two decades . The Burmese too were preoccupied with the Chinese threat , and kept a series of garrisons along the border . Twenty years later , when Burma and China resumed a diplomatic relationship in 1790 , the Qing unilaterally viewed the act as Burmese submission , and claimed victory . Ironically , the main beneficiaries of this war were the Siamese . After having lost their capital Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767 , they reclaimed most of their territories in the next three years . Background . The long border between Burma and China had long been vaguely defined . The Ming Dynasty first conquered Yunnan borderlands between 1380 and 1388 , and stamped out local resistance by the mid - 1440s . The Burmese control of the Shan States ( which covered the present - day Kachin State , Shan State and Kayah State ) came in 1557 when King Bayinnaung of Toungoo Dynasty conquered all of the Shan States . The border was never demarcated in the modern sense , with local Shan " sawbwas " ( chiefs ) at the border regions paying tribute to both sides . The situation turned to China ' s favor in the 1730s when the Qing decided to impose a tighter control of Yunnan ' s border regions while the Burmese authority largely dissipated with the rapid decline of the Toungoo Dynasty . Qing consolidation of borderlands ( 1730s ) . The Qing attempts for tighter control of the border were initially met with fierce resistance by the local chiefs . In 1732 , the Yunnan government ' s demand of higher taxes led to several Shan revolts at the border . Shan resistance leaders united people by saying " " The lands and water are our properties . We could plow ourselves and eat our own produces . There is not a need to pay tributes to foreign government " " . In July 1732 , a Shan army , mostly consisted of native mountaineers , laid siege to the Qing garrison at Pu ' er for ninety days . The Yunnan government responded with an overwhelming force numbered around 5 , 000 and lifted the siege . The Qing army pursued further west but could not put down persistent local resistance . Finally , the Qing field commanders changed their tactics by allying with neutral " sawbwas " , granting Qing titles and powers , including Green Standard captainships and regional commanderships . To complete the agreements , the third ranking officer of Yunnan traveled to Simao personally and held a ceremony of allegiance which marked as Qing annexation of border areas . By the mid - 1730s , the " sawbwas " of the border who used to pay dual tributes , were increasingly siding with the more powerful Qing . By 1735 , the year which the Qianlong Emperor ascended the Chinese throne , ten " sawbwas " had sided with the Qing . The annexed border states ranged from Mogaung and Bhamo in present day Kachin State to Hsenwi ( Theinni ) and Kengtung ( Kyaingtong ) in present day Shan State to Sipsongpanna ( Kyaingyun ) in present day Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture , Yunnan . While the Qing were consolidating their hold at the border , the Toungoo Dynasty was faced with multiple external raids and internal rebellions and could not take any reciprocal action . Throughout the 1730s , the dynasty faced Manipuri raids that reached increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma . In 1740 , the Mon of Lower Burma revolted and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom . By the mid - 1740s , the authority of the Burmese king had largely dissipated . In 1752 , the Toungoo Dynasty was toppled by the forces of Restored Hanthawaddy which captured Ava . By then , the Qing control of the former borderlands was unquestioned . In 1752 , the Emperor issued a manuscript , " Qing Imperial illustration of Tributaries " , saying that all " barbarian " tribes under his rule must be studied and reported their natures and cultures back to Beijing . Burmese reassertion ( 1750s – 1760s ) . In 1752 , a new dynasty called Konbaung rose to challenge Restored Hanthawaddy , and went on to reunite much of the kingdom by 1758 . In 1758 - 59 , King Alaungpaya , the founder of the dynasty , sent an expedition to the farther Shan States ( present - day Kachin State and northern and eastern Shan State ) , which had been annexed by the Qing over two decades earlier , to reestablish Burmese authority . ( Nearer Shan States had been reacquired since 1754 ) . Three of the ten farther Shan state " sawbwa s " ( Mogaung , Bhamo , Hsenwi ) and their militias reportedly ran away into Yunnan and tried persuade Qing officials to invade Burma . The nephew of Kengtung " sawbwa " and his followers also fled . The Yunnan government reported the news to the Emperor in 1759 , and the Qing court promptly issued an imperial edict ordering reconquest . At first , the Yunnan officials , who believed that " barbarians must be conquered using barbarians " , tried to resolve the matter by supporting the defected " sawbwas " . But the strategy did not work . In 1764 , a Burmese army , which was on its way to Siam , was increasing its grip of the borderlands , and the " sawbwas " complained to China . In response , the emperor appointed Liu Zao , a respected scholarly minister from the capital to sort out the matters . At Kunming , Liu assessed that the use of Tai - Shan militias alone was not working , and that he needed to commit regular Green Standard Army troops . First invasion ( 1765 – 1766 ) . In early 1765 , a 20 , 000 - strong Burmese army stationed at Kengtung , led by Gen . Ne Myo Thihapate , left Kengtung for yet another Burmese invasion of Siam . With the main Burmese army gone , Liu used a few minor trade disputes between local Chinese and Burmese merchants as the excuse to order an invasion of Kengtung in December 1765 . The invasion force , which consisted of 3 , 500 Green Standard troops along with Tai - Shan militias , laid siege to Kengtung but could not match battle - hardened Burmese troops at the Kengtung garrison , led by Gen . Ne Myo Sithu . The Burmese lifted the siege and pursued the invaders into Pu ' er Prefecture , and defeated them there . Ne Myo Sithu left a reinforced garrison , and returned to Ava in April 1766 . Governor Liu in his embarrassment first tried to conceal what had happened . When the emperor became suspicious , he ordered Liu ' s immediate recall and demotion . Instead of complying , Liu committed suicide by slicing his throat with a stationery knife , writing as blood was pouring from his neck : " " There is no way to pay back the emperor ' s favor . I deserve death with my crime " " . While this kind of suicide in the face of bureaucratic failure apparently was not unusual in Qing China , it reportedly enraged the Emperor nonetheless . Sorting out the " Mien " ( the Chinese word for " Burmese " ) was now a matter of imperial prestige . The Emperor now appointed Yang Yingju , an experienced frontier officer with long service in Xinjiang and Guangzhou . Second invasion ( 1766 – 1767 ) . Yang arrived in the summer of 1766 to take command . Unlike Liu ' s invasion of Kengtung , located far away from the Burmese heartland , Yang was determined to strike Upper Burma directly . He reportedly planned to place a Qing claimant on the Burmese throne . Yang ' s planned path of invasion was via Bhamo and down the Irrawaddy River to Ava . The Burmese knew the route of invasion in advance , and were prepared . Hsinbyushin ' s plan was to lure the Chinese into Burmese territory , and then surround them . The Burmese commander in the field Balamindin was ordered to give up Bhamo , and instead stay at the Burmese stockade at Kaungton , a few miles south of Bhamo on the Irrawaddy . The Kaungton fort had been especially equipped with the cannon corps led by the French gunners ( captured at the battle of Thanlyin in 1756 . ) To reinforce them , another army led by Maha Thiha Thura and posted at the easternmost Burmese garrison at Kenghung ( present - day Jinghong , Yunnan ) , was ordered to march to the Bhamo theater across the northern Shan states . Trap at Bhamo – Kaungton . As planned , the Qing troops easily captured Bhamo in December 1766 , and established a supply base . The Chinese then proceeded to lay siege to the Burmese garrison at Kaungton . But Balamindin ' s defenses held off repeated Chinese assaults . Meanwhile , two Burmese armies , one led by Maha Sithu , and another led by Ne Myo Sithu , surrounded the Chinese . Maha Thiha Thura ' s army also arrived and took position near Bhamo to block the escape route back to Yunnan . The impasse did not favor the Chinese troops who were utterly unprepared to fight in the tropical weather of Upper Burma . Thousands of Chinese soldiers reportedly were struck down by cholera , dysentery and malaria . One Qing report stated that " 800 out of 1000 soldiers in one garrison had died of disease , and that another hundred were ill " . With the Chinese army greatly weakened , the Burmese then launched their offensive . First , Ne Myo Sithu easily retook the lightly held Bhamo . The main Chinese army was now totally holed up in the Kaungton - Bhamo corridor , cut off from all supplies . The Burmese then proceeded to attack the main Chinese army from two sides Balamindin ' s army out of Kaungton fortress , and Ne Myo Sithu ' s army from the north . The Chinese retreated eastwards and then northwards where another Burmese army led by Maha Thiha Thura was waiting . The two other Burmese armies also followed up , and the Chinese army was destroyed entirely . Maha Sithu ' s army which had been guarding the western flank of the Irrawaddy , then marched north of Myitkyina and defeated lightly held other Chinese garrisons at the border . The Burmese armies proceeded to occupy eight Chinese Shan States within Yunnan . Aftermath . Victorious Burmese armies returned to Ava with the captured guns , muskets and prisoners in early May . At Kunming , Governor Yang began resorting to lies . He reported that Bhamo had been occupied ; that its inhabitants had begun wearing Manchu - style pigtail s ; and that the Burmese commander , Ne Myo Sithu , after losing 10 , 000 men had sued for peace . He recommended that the emperor graciously accept the peace offer to restore the normal trade relations between the two countries . The Qianlong Emperor however realized the falsity of the report , and ordered Yang back to Beijing . On his arrival , Yang committed suicide at the order of the Emperor . Third invasion ( 1767 – 1768 ) . Chinese mobilization . After the two defeats , the emperor and his court could not comprehend how a relatively small " barbaric " country like Burma could resist to the might of the Qing . For the Emperor , it was time for the Manchus themselves to come into the picture . He had always doubted the battle - worthiness of his Chinese Green Standard armies . The Manchus saw themselves as a warlike and conquering race and the Chinese as an occupied people . He commissioned a study of the first two invasions , and the report reinforced his biases — that the low battle - worthiness of the Green Standard armies was the reason for the failures . In 1767 , the Emperor appointed the veteran Manchu commander Mingrui , a son - in - law of his , as governor - general of Yunnan and Guizhou , and head of the Burma campaign . Mingrui had seen battle against the Turks in the northwest and was in command of the strategically key post of Ili ( in present - day Kazakhstan ) . His appointment meant that this was no longer a border dispute but a full - fledged war . Mingrui arrived in Yunnan in April . An invasion force consisted of elite Manchu and Mongol troops were rushed down from northern China and Manchuria . Provinces throughout China were mobilized to provide supplies . This force was to be accompanied by thousands of Green Standards from Yunnan and Tai - Shan militias . The strength of the total invasion force was 50 , 000 men , the vast majority being infantry . The mountains and thick jungles of Burma kept the use of cavalry forces to a minimum . As a precaution against illness , which the Qing court now took seriously , the campaign was planned for the winter months when diseases were believed to be less prevalent . Burmese mobilization . The Burmese now had the largest Chinese army yet mobilized against them . Yet King Hsinbyushin did not seem to realize the gravity of the situation . Throughout the first two invasions , he had steadfastly refused to recall the main Burmese armies , which had been battling in Laos and Siam since January 1765 , and laying siege to the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya since January 1766 . Throughout 1767 , when the Chinese were mobilizing for their most serious invasion yet , the Burmese were still focused on defeating the Siamese . Even after the Siamese capital was finally captured in April 1767 , Hsinbyushin kept part of the troops in Siam during the rainy season months in order to mop up the remaining Siamese resistance during the winter months later that year . He actually allowed many Shan and Laotian battalions to " demobilize " at the start of the rainy season . As a result , when the invasion did come in November 1767 , the Burmese defenses had not been upgraded to meet a much larger and a more determined foe . The Burmese command looked much like that of the second invasion . Hsinbyushin again assigned the same commanders of the second invasion to face off the Chinese . Maha Sithu led the main Burmese army , and was the overall commander of the Chinese theater , with Maha Thiha Thura and Ne Myo Sithu commanding two other Burmese armies . Balamindin again commanded the Kaungton fort . ( Given that the main Burmese army was only about 7000 strong , the entire Burmese defense at the start of the third invasion was most likely no more than 20 , 000 . ) Chinese offensive . Mingrui planned a two - pronged invasion as soon as the rainy season ended . The main Chinese army , led by Mingrui himself , was to approach Ava through Hsenwi , Lashio and Hsipaw , and down the Namtu river . ( The main invasion route was the same route followed by the Manchu forces a century earlier , chasing the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty . ) The second army , led by Gen . E ' erdeng ' e , was to try the Bhamo route again . The ultimate objective was for both armies to clamp themselves in a pincer action on the Burmese capital of Ava . The Burmese plan was to hold the second Chinese army in the north at Kaungton with the army led by Ne Myo Sithu , and meet the main Chinese army in the northeast with two armies led by Maha Sithu and Maha Thiha Thura . At first , everything went according to plan for the Qing . The third invasion began in November 1767 as the smaller Chinese army attacked and occupied Bhamo . Within eight days , Mingrui ' s main army occupied the Shan states of Hsenwi and Hsipaw . Mingrui made Hsenwi a supply base , and assigned 5000 troops to remain at Hsenwi and guard the rear . He then led a 15 , 000 - strong army in the direction of Ava . In late December , at the Goteik Gorge ( south of Hsipaw ) , the two main armies faced off and the first major battle of the third invasion ensued . Outnumbered two - to - one , Maha Sithu ' s main Burmese army was thoroughly routed by Mingrui ' s Bannermen . Maha Thiha Thura too was repulsed at Hsenwi . The news of the disaster at Goteik reached Ava . Hsinbyushin finally realized the gravity of the situation , and urgently recalled Burmese armies from Siam . Having smashed through the main Burmese army , Mingrui pressed on full steam ahead , overrunning one town after another , and reached Singu on the Irrawaddy , 30 miles north of Ava at the beginning of 1768 . The only bright spot for the Burmese was that the northern invasion force , which was to come down the Irrawaddy to join up with Mingrui ' s main army , had been held off at Kaungton . Burmese counter - attack . At Ava , Hsinbyushin famously did not panic at the prospect of a large Chinese army ( about 30 , 000 ) at the doorstep . The court urged the king to flee but he scornfully refused , saying he and his brother princes , sons of Alaungpaya , would fight the Chinese single - handed if they had to . Instead of defending the capital , Hsinbyushin calmly sent an army to take up position outside Singu , personally leading his men toward the front line . It turned out that Mingrui had overstretched himself , and was in no position to proceed any farther . He was now too far away from his main supply base at Hsenwi , hundreds of miles away in the northern Shan Hills . The Burmese guerrilla attacks on the long supply lines across the jungles of the Shan Hills were seriously hampering the Qing army ' s ability to proceed . ( Burmese guerrilla operations were directed by Gen . Teingya Minkhaung , a deputy of Maha Thiha Thura ) . Mingrui now resorted to defensive tactics , playing for time to enable the northern army to come to his relief . But it was not to be . The northern army had suffered heavy casualties in their repeated attacks against the Kaungton fort . Its commander , against the express orders of Mingrui , retreated back to Yunnan . ( The commander was later publicly shamed and executed on the orders of the Emperor . ) The situation turned worse for Mingrui . By early 1768 , battle - hardened Burmese reinforcements from Siam had begun to arrive back . Bolstered by the reinforcements , two Burmese armies led by Maha Thiha Thura and Ne Myo Sithu succeeded in retaking Hsenwi . The Qing commander at Hsenwi committed suicide . The main Qing army was now cut off from all supplies . It was now March 1768 . Thousands of Bannermen , nomadic tribesmen from the freezing grasslands along the Russian border , began dying of malaria as well as Burmese attacks in the furnace - like hot weather of central Burma . Mingrui gave up all hope of proceeding toward Ava , and instead tried to make it back to Yunnan with as many of his soldiers as possible . Battle of Maymyo . In March 1768 , Mingrui began his retreat , pursued by a Burmese army of 10 , 000 men and 2000 cavalry . The Burmese then tried to encircle the Chinese by splitting the army into two . Maha Thiha Thura had now assumed the overall command , replacing Maha Sithu . The smaller army , led by Maha Sithu , continued to pursue Mingrui while the larger army led by Maha Thiha Thura advanced through the mountainous route to emerge directly behind the Chinese . Through careful maneuvering , the Burmese managed to achieve complete encirclement of the Chinese at modern - day Pyinoolwin ( Maymyo ) , about 50 miles northeast of Ava . Over the course of three days of bloody fighting , the Bannerman army was completely annihilated . The slaughter was such that the Burmese could hardly grip their swords as the hilts were slippery with enemy blood . Of the original 30 , 000 men of the main army , only 2500 remained alive and were captured . The rest had been killed either on the battlefield , through disease or through execution after their surrender . Mingrui himself was severely wounded in battle . Only a small group managed to break through and escaped the carnage . Mingrui himself could have escaped with that group . Instead , he cut off his pigtail and sent it to the emperor as a token of his loyalty by those who were escaping . He then hanged himself on a tree . In the end , only a few dozen of the main army returned . Fourth invasion ( 1769 ) . Intermission ( 1768 – 1769 ) . The Qianlong Emperor had sent Mingrui and his Bannermen assuming an easy victory . He had begun making plans about how he would administer his newest territory . For weeks , the Qing court had heard nothing , and then the news finally came . The Emperor was shocked and ordered an immediate halt to all military actions until he could decide what next to do . Generals returning from the front line cautioned that there was no way Burma could be conquered . But there was no real choice but to press on . Imperial prestige was at stake . The Emperor turned to one of his most trusted advisers , the chief grand councilor Fuheng , Mingrui ' s uncle . Back in the 1750s , Fuheng had been one of the few senior officials who had fully backed the Emperor ' s decision to eliminate the Dzungar s at a time when most believed that war was too risky . On 14 April 1768 , the imperial court announced the death of Mingrui and the appointment of Fuheng as the new chief commander of the Burma campaign . Manchu generals , Agui , Aligun and Suhede were appointed as his deputies . Now , the top rung of the Qing military establishment prepared for a final showdown with the Burmese . Before any fighting resumed , some on the Chinese side sent out peace feelers to the court of Ava . The Burmese also sent signals that they would like to give diplomacy a chance , given their preoccupations in Siam . But the emperor , with Fuheng ' s encouragement , made it clear that no compromise with the Burmese could be made . The dignity of the state demanded a full surrender . His aim was to establish direct Qing rule over all Burmese possessions . Emissaries were sent to Siam and Laotian states informing them of the Chinese ambition and seeking an alliance . Ava now fully expected another major invasion . Hsinbyushin had now brought most of the troops back from Siam to face the Chinese . With the Burmese fully preoccupied with the Chinese threat , the Siamese resistance retook Ayutthaya in 1768 and went on to reconquer all of their territories throughout 1768 and 1769 . For the Burmese , their hard - fought gains of the prior three years ( 1765 – 1767 ) in Siam had gone to waste but there was little they could do . The survival of their kingdom was now at stake . Chinese battle plan . Fuheng arrived in Yunnan in April , 1769 to take command of a 60 , 000 - strong force . He studied past Ming and Mongol expeditions to form his battle plan , which called for a three - pronged invasion via Bhamo and the Irrawaddy river . The first army would attack Bhamo and Kaungton head - on , which he knew would be difficult . But two other larger armies would bypass Kaungton and march down the Irrawaddy , one on each bank of the river , to Ava . The twin invading armies on each side of the river would be accompanied by war boats manned by thousands of sailors from the Fujian Navy . Not to repeat the mistake of Mingrui , he was determined to guard his supply and communication lines , and advance at a sustainable pace . He avoided an invasion route through the jungles of Shan Hills so as to minimize the Burmese guerrilla attacks on his supply lines . He also brought in a full regiment of carpenters who would build fortresses and boats along the invasion route . Burmese battle plan . For the Burmese , the overall objective was to stop the enemy at the border , and prevent another Chinese penetration into their heartland . Maha Thiha Thura was the overall commander , the role which he had assumed since the second half of the third invasion . As usual , Balamindin commanded the Kaungton fort . In the last week of September , three Burmese armies were dispatched to meet the three Chinese armies head - on . A fourth army was organized with the sole purpose of cutting the enemy supply lines . Hsinbyushin had also organized a flotilla of war boats to meet the Chinese war boats . The Burmese defenses now included French musketeers and gunners under the command of Pierre de Milard , governor of Tabe , who had arrived back from the Siamese theater . Based on their troop movements , the Burmese knew at least the general direction of where the massive invasion force would come . Maha Thiha Thura moved upriver by boat toward Bhamo . Invasion . As the Burmese armies marched north , Fuheng , against the advice of his officers , decided not to wait until the end of the monsoon season . It clearly was a calculated gamble ; he had wanted to strike before the Burmese arrived but he had also hoped that " miasma would not be everywhere . " So in October 1768 , towards the end of ( but still during ) the monsoon season , Fuheng launched the largest invasion yet . The three Chinese armies jointly attacked and captured Bhamo . They proceeded south and built a massive fortress near Shwenyaungbin village , 12 miles east of the Burmese fortress at Kaungton . As planned , the carpenters duly built hundreds of war boats to sail down the Irrawaddy . But almost nothing went according to plan . One army did cross over to the western bank of the Irrawaddy , as planned . But the commander of that army did not want to march far away from the base . When the Burmese army assigned to guard the west bank approached , the Chinese retreated back to the east bank . Likewise , the army assigned to march down the eastern bank also did not proceed . This left the Chinese flotilla exposed . The Burmese flotilla came up the river and attacked and sank all the Chinese boats . The Chinese armies now converged on attacking Kaungton . But for four consecutive weeks , the Burmese put up a remarkable defense , withstanding gallant charges by the Bannermen to scale the walls . A little over a month into the invasion , the entire Qing invasion force was bogged down at the border . Predictably , many Chinese soldiers and sailors fell ill , and began to die in large numbers . Fuheng himself was struck down by fever . More ominously for the Chinese , the Burmese army sent to cut the enemy line of communication also achieved its purpose , and closed in on the Chinese armies from the rear . By early December , the Chinese forces were completely encircled . The Burmese armies then attacked the Chinese fort at Shwenyaungbin , which fell after a fierce battle . The fleeing Chinese troops fell back into the pocket near Kaungton where other Chinese forces were stationed . The Chinese armies were now trapped inside the corridor between the Shwenyaungbin and Kaungton forts , completely surrounded by rings of Burmese forces . Truce . The Chinese command , which had already lost 20 , 000 men , and a quantity of arms and ammunition , now asked for terms . The Burmese staff were averse to granting terms , saying that the Chinese were surrounded like cattle in a pen , they were starving , and in a few days , they could be wiped out to a man . But Maha Thiha Thura , who oversaw the annihilation of Mingrui ' s army at the battle of Maymyo in 1768 , realized that another wipe - out would merely stiffen the resolve of the Chinese government . Maha Thiha Thura was said to have said : He pointed out to his commanders that war with the Chinese was quickly becoming a cancer that would finally destroy the nation . Compared to Chinese losses , Burmese losses were light but considered in proportion to the population , they were heavy . The commanders were not convinced but Maha Thiha Thura , on his own responsibility , and without informing the king , demanded that the Chinese agree to the following terms : The Chinese commanders decided to agree to the terms . At Kaungton , on 13 December 1769 ( or 22 December 1769 ) , under a 7 - roofed pyathat hall , 14 Burmese and 13 Chinese officers signed a peace treaty . The Chinese burned their boats and melted down their cannon . Two days later , as the Burmese stood to arms and looked down , starved Chinese soldiers marched sullenly away up the Taiping valley ; they began to perish of hunger by thousands in the passes . Epilogue . At Beijing , the Qianlong Emperor was not pleased with the treaty . He did not accept the Chinese commanders ' explanation that the fourth stipulation — exchange of embassies bearing presents amounted to Burmese submission and tribute . He did not permit the surrender of the " sawbwas " or other fugitives nor the resumption of trade between the two countries . At Ava , Hsinbyushin was furious that his generals had acted without his knowledge , and tore up his copy of the treaty . Knowing that the king was angry , the Burmese armies were afraid to return to the capital . In January 1770 , they marched to Manipur where a rebellion had begun , taking advantage of Burmese troubles with the Chinese . After a three days ' battle near Langthabal , the Manipuris were defeated , and their raja fled to Assam . The Burmese raised their nominee to the throne , and returned . The king ' s anger had subsided ; after all , they had won victories and preserved his throne . Still , the king sent Maha Thiha Thura , the decorated general , whose daughter was married to Hsinbyushin ' s son and heir - apparent Singu , a woman ' s dress to wear , and exiled him and other generals to the Shan states . He would not allow them to see him . He also exiled ministers who dared to speak on their behalf . Although hostilities ceased , an uneasy truce ensued . None of the points in the treaty was honored by both sides . Because the Chinese did not return the " sawbwas " , the Burmese did not return the 2500 Chinese prisoners of war , who were resettled . The Qing had lost some of the generation ' s most important frontier experts , including Yang Yingju , Mingrui , Aligun , and Fuheng ( who eventually died of malaria in 1770 ) . The war cost the Qing treasury 9 . 8 million silver " taels " . Nonetheless , the Emperor kept a heavy military lineup in the border areas of Yunnan for about one decade in an attempt to wage another war while imposing a ban on inter - border trade for two decades . The Burmese for years were preoccupied with another impending invasion by the Chinese , and kept a series of garrisons along the border . The high casualties of the war ( in terms of the population size ) and the ongoing need to guard the northern border seriously hampered the Burmese military ' s capability to renew warfare in Siam . It would be another five years when the Burmese sent another invasion force to Siam . It would be another twenty years when Burma and China resumed a diplomatic relationship in 1790 . The resumption was brokered by the Tai - Shan nobles and Yunnan officials who wanted to see trade resume . To the Burmese , then under King Bodawpaya , the resumption was on equal terms , and they considered the exchange of presents as part of diplomatic etiquette , not as tribute . To the Chinese however , all of these diplomatic missions were considered as tributary missions . The Emperor viewed the resumption of relations as Burmese submission , and unilaterally claimed victory and included the Burma campaign in his list of Ten Great Campaigns . Significance . Territorial changes . Burma ' s successful defense laid the foundation for the present - day boundary between the two countries . The border still was not demarcated , and the borderlands were still overlapping spheres of influence . After the war , Burma remained in possession of Koshanpye , the nine states above Bhamo . At least down to the eve of the First Anglo - Burmese War in 1824 , the Burmese exerted authority over the southern Yunnan borderlands , as far as Kenghung ( present - day Jinghong , Yunnan ) . Likewise , the Chinese exercised a degree of control over the borderlands , including present - day northeastern Kachin State . Overall , the Burmese were able to push back the line of control up to one that existed before the Qing consolidation drive of 1730s . However , the war also forced the Burmese to withdraw from Siam . Their victory over the Qing is described as a moral victory . Historian G . E . Harvey writes : " " Their other victories were over states on their own level such as Siam ; this was won over an empire . Alaungpaya ' s crusade against the Mons was stained with treachery ; the great siege of Ayuthaya was a magnificent dacoity " " , though he described the Sino - Burmese war " a righteous war of defense against the invader " . Geopolitical . The main beneficiaries of the war were the Siamese , who took full advantage of the Burmese absence to reclaim their lost territories and independence . By 1770 , they had reconquered most of the pre - 1765 territories . Only Tenesserim remained in Burmese hands . Preoccupied by the Chinese threat , and recovering from the depletion of manpower from the war , Hsinbyushin left Siam alone even as Siam continued to consolidate its gains . ( He was finally forced to send Burmese armies to Siam in 1775 in response to a Siamese - backed rebellion in Lan Na a year earlier ) . In the following decades , Siam would become a power in its own right , swallowing up Lan Na , Laotian states , and parts of Cambodia . From a wider geopolitical standpoint , the Qing , and the Qianlong Emperor , who hitherto had never faced defeat , now had to accept — albeit grudgingly — that there were limits to Qing power . A historian of Chinese Military History , Marvin Whiting , writes that the Burmese success " probably " saved the independence of other states in Southeast Asia . Military . For the Qing , the war highlighted limits to their military power . The Emperor blamed the low battle - worthiness of his Green Standard armies for the first two failed invasions . But he was to concede later that his Manchu Bannermen too were less suited to fighting in Burma than in Xinjiang . Despite sending in 50 , 000 and 60 , 000 troops in the last two invasions , the Qing command lacked up - to - date invasion routes , and had to consult centuries - old maps to form their battle plan . This unfamiliarity exposed their supply and communication lines to repeated Burmese attacks , and allowed their main armies to be encircled in the last three invasions . The Burmese scorched earth policy meant that the Chinese were vulnerable to supply line cuts . Perhaps most importantly , the Qing soldiers proved ill - suited to fight in the tropical weather of Burma . In the last three invasions , thousands of Chinese troops died of ( or were ill from ) malaria and other tropical diseases . This must have neutralized to a considerable degree the main Chinese advantage of superior numbers , and allowed the Burmese to engage the Chinese armies head - to - head towards the end of the invasions . The war is considered the peak of Konbaung military power . Historian Victor Lieberman writes : " " These near simultaneous victories over Siam ( 1767 ) and China ( 1765 - 1769 ) testified to a truly astonishing elan unmatched since Bayinnaung . " " The Burmese military proved that they were able and willing to take on a far superior enemy , using their familiarity with the terrain and the weather to their maximum advantage . ( The Battle of Maymyo is now a military case study of infantry fighting against a larger army . ) Yet it proved that there were limits to the Burmese military power . The Burmese learned that they could not fight two simultaneous wars , especially if one of them was the world ' s largest military . Hsinbyushin ' s reckless decision to fight a two - front war nearly cost the kingdom its independence . Moreover , their losses while smaller than Qing losses were heavy in proportion to her much smaller size of population , hampering their military capability elsewhere . Konbaung ' s military power would plateau in the following decades . It made no progress against Siam . Its later conquests came only against smaller kingdoms to the west — Arakan , Manipur and Assam .