The Battle of Dartsedo was fought on January 28, 1701, between the Qing and Tibetan armies over the control of the strategic border town of Dartsedo. The town of Dartsedo was an important trade center between

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and

China proper China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...

, and for centuries its importance lay on the tea-horse trade.Yingcong 2009, p. 57 Sino-Tibetan trade in Dartsedo continued to expand as the demand for Chinese products in Tibet grew. The Tibetan interest in Dartsedo led to a growing official presence in the town and taking advantage of the anarchy that created after the fall of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, the Tibetans took control of the town and stationed a garrison and officials in it.Yingcong 2009, p. 57 After the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

had consolidated its hold on China the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

maned official displays of his sovereignty over Dartsedo but he allowed the Tibetans to maintain ''de facto'' control of the town.Yingcong 2009, p. 58 Tensions began to grow in 1698, when the Chinese General Yue Shenglong began a military buildup in the town of Muya, west of Dartsedo. General Yue had warned to the court the importance of Dartsedo giving the fact that it occupied an important position in the road between

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

and

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

he recommended its capture.Yingcong 2009, p. 58 The next year Changcejilie, the Tibetan official responsible for the area, countered Yue's move by sending thousand of soldiers to cover the route between Yazhou and Dartsedo. Yue's aggressive stance had been opposed by the governor of Sichuan, Yu Yangzhi, and both officials were suspended by the Emperor after an inquiry that found them guilty of illicit enrichment.Yingcong 2009, p. 59 Yue successor, Tang Xishun, put Xierda in charge of military operations in Sichuan.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Xierda petitioned the Emperor to put Changcejilie under arrest for the murder of a local chief, and he recommended the transfer of the garrison of Hualin to Dartsedo.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Emperor agreed to Xierda's recommendations and in an edict addressed to the Tibetan regent, Desi Sangye Gyatso, he clearly claimed sovereignty over Dartsedo and demanded its surrender to the Qing forces as well as Changcejilie's delivery.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Tibetans resisted the Qing garrison of Hualin and killed the soldiers who were paving a road and pulled down bridges to try to slow down their advance.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Emperor resolved to solve the problem with war and sent 2000

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

Bannermen from Jingzhou, in

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Manchus attacked Dartsedo on January 28, striking at the town from 3 different directions.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Tibetan resistance was overpowered and the Qing force soon had control of the town. The defeat of the Tibetan garrison was followed by a slaughter of almost all of the Tibetan men in Dartsedo.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Later in 1720 Tibet became ruled by the Qing after the Chinese expedition to Tibet of that year.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dartsedo 1701 1701 in China Battles involving the Qing dynasty Battles involving Tibet Conflicts in 1701 Military history of Sichuan 18th century in Tibet Kangding 18th-century military history of China