Entry

The Jing-yuan Earl Wang Ji, supreme commander of Yun-nan military affairs and Minister of War, and the Regional Commander and Vice Commissioner-in-chief Gong Ju memorialized: "Together with the Assistant Commissioners -in-chief Zhang Yue and Tian Li, the deputy regional commanders of the left and right respectively, the Assistant Commissioner-in-chief Fang Ying and the Vice Commander Zhang Rui, assistant regional commanders of the left and right respectively, and the Vice Minister Hou Jin, we marshalled the army and proceeded from Teng-chong. At Gan-yai, we built boats and proceeded to Mount Nan-ya, where we left the boats and proceeded on foot. When we arrived at Sha-ba, we again built boats on which we travelled to the two fords at Da-ling and Ha-han on the Jin-sha River. The bandit son Si Ji-fa was on the West bank, where he had erected palisades in defence. We followed the current down and established camp. There we found that the major and minor chieftains who had been sent by the two pacification superintendencies of Mu-bang and Ava-Burma were leading over 100,000 yi troops and they had established camp on both sides of the river. Tao-meng Zhe-gai and others of Ava-Burma arranged over 200 boats and made a pontoon bridge. The government troops we were leading thus crossed the river and ascended the bank. With combined forces, we attacked and broke through the palisades, killing the enemy troops. The prisoners captured and the heads taken numbered in their hundreds. The Imperial army was running short of food and I allowed them to engage in foraging, and within 3 days, over 400,000 shi of paddy grain had been obtained. Both the troops and the horses had sufficient and their mettle and spirits were thus boosted. The bandit son had also built a large stockade on top of Mount Gui-ku, while on the two ridges there were another two stockades. Supporting the three stockades, were a further seven smaller stockades behind and in all, they extended for 100 li. Each stockade had two rows of palisades and there were great logs and stones fastened to the top of the palisades. We divided the troops and attacked in a pincer move. First we attacked the stockade to the left. The logs and stones sounded like thunder and the cannon projectiles (銃) and arrows fell like rain. Then suddenly, the Southern wind blew strongly and we hurriedly collected fire-wood and set it alight. The flames leapt to Heaven and the commanders and troops attacked with great vigour. The man bandits screamed and fled for their lives. In one moment, all the stockades were breached. The number of heads taken and the number who died plunging over the cliffs could not be counted. Only the bandit sons Si Ji-fa and Si Bu-fa escaped. Although they have not been captured, the bandit gang has been dispersed and they will find it difficult to stay alive." The Emperor conferred orders of instruction and encouragement, and ordered that Ji, Ju, Yue and Li return to the capital, that Ying remain in Yun-nan as assistant regional commander, that Rui return to the Gui-zhou Regional Military Commission, that Jin stay in Yun-nan to assist in military affairs and that the captured bandits be sent to the capital. It was also ordered that the Ava-Burma Pacification Superintendent Bu-la-lang Ma-ha Sheng-yi-su-la take control of the area of Meng-yang and pursue the bandit son Si Ji-fa and so on who had fled for their lives, noting that those who achieved success would be promoted and richly rewarded.