Jinchuan campaigns

Jinchuan campaigns
Part of Ten Great Campaigns
Court painting of the Campaign Against Jinchuan
Date First Campaign: 1747–1749 (3 years) Second Campaign: 1771–1776 (6 years) Location Chuchen (Greater Jinchuan) and Tsanlha (Lesser Jinchuan) (now Jinchuan and Xiaojin counties, Sichuan, China) 31°28′34″N 102°04′01″E / 31.476°N 102.067°E / 31.476; 102.067 Result Qing Victory. Tusi system was abolished
Belligerents
Qing Empire Gyalrong chiefdoms: Tsanlha (1st campaign) Chakla Geshitsa Ogshi Tsenpa Bawam Trokyap Somang Dzonggag Jotse Lungu Muchi	Chuchen Tsanlha (2nd campaign)
Commanders and leaders
Qianlong Emperor First Campaign: Zhang Guangsi  Necin  Fuheng Yue Zhongqi Second Campaign: Guilin Artai Wenfu † Šucang Agui Fuk'anggan Ha Guoxing Hailanca	First Campaign: Slob Dpon  Second Campaign: Sonom  Skal bzang
Strength
600,000 infantry	30,000 militia
Casualties and losses
50,000 casualties	Unknown
class=notpageimage| Jinchuan's location on the map of China

The Jinchuan campaigns (Chinese: 大小金川之役), also known as the Suppression of the Jinchuan Hill Peoples (Chinese: 平定兩金川), were two wars between Qing Empire and the rebel forces of Gyalrong chieftains ("Tusi") from the Jinchuan region. The first campaign against Chiefdom of Chuchen (Da Jinchuan or Greater Jinchuan in Chinese) happened in 1747 when the Tusi of Greater Jinchuan Slob Dpon attacked the Chiefdom of Chakla (Mingzheng). 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 (Xiao Jinchuan or Lesser Jinchuan) took place in 1771, when the Jinchuan Tusi Sonom killed Geshitsa Tusi of Ngawa County in Sichuan Province. After Sonom killed Geshitsa Tusi, he helped Tusi of Lesser Jinchuan, Skal bzang, 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. The Qianlong Emperor was furious and gathered 80,000 troops and entered Jinchuan. In 1776, Qing troops sieged the castle of Sonom to force his surrender.^[1]

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. Jinchuan, a small county of Sichuan, cost the Qing Empire 50,000 people and 70 million silver taels to conquer, a cost that was more devastating than any other Great Campaigns accomplished by Qianlong.^[2][3]