Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/278

Rh was Kharakula Bogatir Kontaisha but whose name is commonly recorded as Batur Kontaisha 巴圖爾琿台吉. He subjected the Derbets to his rule and occupied the Tarbagatai region, which had been evacuated by the Turguts, as well as the Urumchi region evacuated by the Khoshotes. He urged his people to adopt more settled habits and built for himself a permanent residence at Kubak Sari south of Tarbagatai on the Emil River. He exchanged frequent messages with Russia, obtaining from that country firearms, armorers and livestock. Like Gushi Khan. Batur also embraced Lamaism and took part in the "Holy War" in Tibet. He ranked with Gushi Khan and as an empire builder.

As a youth, probably in his teens, Galdan was sent to Lhasa to be educated as a lama under the Fifth Dalai Lama. After Batur died (1653 or 1665), he was succeeded by his sixth son, Senga 僧格 (d. 1671), who was the elder brother of Galdan by the same mother. Tsetsen, the eldest of the eleven or twelve sons of Batur, was jealous of Senga and finally murdered him (January 1671). When Galdan learned of this tragedy he renounced his status as a lama and returned (1673?) to the Irtish Valley to avenge the death of his brother. After defeating and killing Tsetsen Galdan assumed the title of a taisha. Talented by nature and with the prestige of a lama, he rapidly gained authority over the other chiefs of the Sungars. In 1677 (1676?) he defeated and killed his father-in-law, Ochirtu Khan 鄂齊爾圖汗, a powerful Khoshote leader and a nephew of Gushi Khan. By this feat Galdan annexed a considerable body of Khoshotes and assumed the title of Kontaisha. In 1678 he invaded Eastern Turkestan, taking Kashgar, Yarkand, and other cities, and subjugated the Mohammedans. He appointed a governor at Yarkand to levy taxes and carried captive to Ili the family of the previous ruler. In 1679 he took Hami and Turfan, and thus subdued all the Mohammedans of Eastern Turkestan.

The spectacular rise to power of Galdan was first brought to the attention of Emperor Shêng-tsu in 1677 by, the general who was then guarding the borders of Kansu. As the Khoshotes, pressed by Galdan, moved eastward to Kansu, Chang Yung had difficulty in keeping them from crossing the border and in preventing them from stealing and pillaging. As the San-fan Rebellion (see under ) was then raging in China, Chang Yung was instructed to strengthen the guards on the border, but not to interfere in Galdan's affairs. After Galdan completed his conquest of Eastern Turkestan he requested (1679) Emperor Shêng-tsu to confirm his title of Bushktu Khan which had been conferred upon him by the Dalai Lama. After the suppression of the San-fan Rebellion the Emperor sent embassies to the Mongol chiefs to announce his victory—and the mission to Galdan's court was first in importance. About this time, there was confusion among the Khalkas, caused chiefly by disputes between the Jasaktu Khan and the Tushetu Khan. Emperor Shêng-tsu, fearing that a weakened Mongolia would encourage intervention by Galdan, tried to bring the Khalkas together. He called a conference to compose their differences, and invited the Dalai Lama and Galdan to send representatives. The conference took place in October 1686, and an agreement was reached among the Khalkas. It happened that at the conference the Mongolian Lama, Cheptsun Damba Khutukhta 哲卜尊丹巴呼圖克圖, who was the brother of the Tushetu Khan, was seated on the same level with the Tibetan representative of the Dalai Lama. Galdan interpreted this as an affront to the Dalai Lama and put the blame on Cheptsun Damba Khutukhta and the Tushetu Khan. Probably Galdan was displeased with the truce which the Khalkas had arranged and used this question of precedence as a pretext to disregard the terms. At any rate, having persuaded the Jasaktu Khan to join him, Galdan sent in 1687 his own brother to harass a portion of the Khalka tribes, and himself gradually moved eastward with some 30,000 men. In 1688 the Tushetu Khan killed the Jasaktu Khan for joining the Eleuths, and killed Galdan's brother for pillaging. Galdan answered these provocations by a swift move of his troops and, after several battles, completely routed the Khalkas under the Tushetu Khan and his brother, both of whom sought refuge in Inner Mongolia and were granted protection by Emperor Shêng-tsu. As tens of thousands of panic-stricken Khalkas fled southward, leaving most of their cattle and property to the Eleuths, the emperor had to give them grain and money to relieve their distress. When Galdan pressed eastward to the Kerulun River more Khalkas came to the south.

At this time Emperor Shêng-tsu was eager to make peace with Russia and succeeded in doing so in the following year (see under ). His desire was perhaps prompted by the hope that the Russians would not aid the Eleuths, with whom the former had carried on trade and diplomatic relations for decades. Meanwhile the emperor tried to settle the differences be- 266