Sino-Burmese War: Qing Empire Strikes Back: Battle of Goteik Gorge (1767) MYANMAR DOCUMENTARY Part 2

It is impossible to imagine that the world would end so suddenly. It was not that long ago when King Simbushan had honored the victorious commanders of the Burmese army at the royal capital of Ava. Chinese muskets, armor, and Ayotian treasury had laid before the golden throne. The haze of spent gunpowder carried over the field, washing over the corpses like a tide of darkness. Six hundred years ago, the armies of Kublai Khan had marched through these very lands and ended the first united Burmese kingdom. Now, beneath the dragon banners of the Manchu Qing dynasty, the hooves and boots of the Chinese empire stepped over the elephants and lions of Burma. The border war was now one of survival. In the distance, they could hear the victorious chants of the Mongol and Manchu horsemen who had ravaged the Burmese lines. In 1767, after the imperial expedition under Yang Yinzhu had been annihilated at the Kaungtung Bermol corridor, the Burmese commander-in-chief, Maha Situ, led a mopping up operation to retake the remaining pockets of Qing garrisons and invade Yunnan itself. By the end of 1767, the Burmese had occupied the eight Chinese Shan states. The imperial court could not comprehend how the relatively small and backward kingdom could resist the might of the Qing. While it is easy to dismiss this as the Chinese being arrogant, a quick glance at the two nations' military indicates why the Qing felt that way. The peacetime Burmese royal army only consists of a small standing force that guards the capital, the royal household guards, and a few dozen regional regiments. These regulars serve primarily as musketeers and heavy cavalry. In times of war, the army was boosted through conscription. The nobility, gentry, and village leaders provide a certain quota of men. The vast majority of these levy troops are infantry. However, some settlements and regions provide specialized troops such as cavalry, artillery, and elephantry. The Qing military, on the other hand, is a formal bureaucratic institution. The Qing dynasty had been founded through the Manchu conquest of the Han Ming empire in 1644. The highly organized Manchu eight-banner armies were instrumental in the conquest. Despite the name, there were actually 24 banner armies, eight banners each for the Manchu, Mongols, and Han Chinese. The remaining Han Chinese troops from the Ming military were reorganized into the Green Standard Army which formed the bulk of the Qing forces, with the banners serving as the empire's elite. That a largely peasant army had defeated one of the most organized forces on the continent at the time would have been humiliating. Furthermore, the Green Standard Army was not only defeated twice, but had been defeated while the bulk of Burmese army was still fighting in Ayutthaya. The Qing long emperor could not comprehend how they could be defeated like this. He decided it was time for the Manchus themselves to enter the stage. They had always seen themselves as conquerors and the Han Chinese as a conquered people. Even though it was really the disease and underpreparation that defeated the Han Green Standard Army, the emperor was convinced it was the low battle worthiness of the Han Chinese that In mid-1767, the emperor appointed one of his son-in-laws, a veteran Manchu officer, Mingri, as governor of Yunnan, Huizhou, and commander of the Burmese campaign. Mingri had seen battle against the Turks of Central Asia and commanded the strategically key post of Yi in modern-day Xinjiang. Elite Mongol and Manchu troops from Manchuria and northern China were brought down. Thousands of troops from the Green Standard Army and Taishan militia were called upon. Entire provinces were mobilized to provide supplies and equipment for the invasion. Mingri took the threat of terrain and disease very seriously. He planned the invasion to take place in the winter months where the presence of disease was thought to be less prevalent. Although highly favored by his Mongol and Manchu troops, cavalry forces were to be kept at a minimum with the infantry forming the bulk of the army as Burma was mostly a jungle and hilly country. In November 1767, the Eight Dragon Banners were unfurled and 50,000 imperial soldiers marched down towards Burma. Despite the fact that the largest invasion of Burma since Kublai Khan was heading towards them, King Simbushan and the Burmese court were only looking eastward. As the Manchu and Mongols marched down, the Burmese were focused on fighting Ayutthaya. Once the old Thai kingdom had been taken in April 1767, King Simbushan, as according to the levy system of Southeast Asia, demobilized most of his Shan, Thai and Lao troops with the victory. However, the fall of Ayutthaya created a power vacuum as Thai contenders began to fight the Burmese and each other for dominance. When the Chinese arrived in Burma, the defenses had mostly remained the same. The strategically key Gantun Fort was reinforced with fresh Burmese and European troops, with Balamindin remained in command of it. Mahasethu retained his overall command of the theatre and the main field army of 30 war elephants, 800 cavalry and 6,000 infantry. Mahathirathira and Nemusethu led two smaller armies, each roughly around 2,000 infantry with a few hundred cavalry. Considering that Mahasethu's main army was only around 7,000 strong and the bulk of the Burmese forces being in Ayutthaya, the entire Burmese defense could not have been more than 20,000 men, despite the large figures given by the Royal Chronicles. Knowing the importance of the Gantun Fort, Mingri divided his army into two. 15,000 men would try the Bomo route again from the second invasion and take Gantun Fort, while Mingri would lead the main army through the route the Manchus had once used to follow Ming loyalists in Burma by punching through the Shan states. Both imperial armies would then move to the Burmese capital of The Burmese plan was no different from the earlier invasion. Ho the northern army at Gantun Fort with the support of Nemusethu's men, while Mahasethu and Mahathirathira would engage the main Chinese army. The war officially began with the northern Chinese army capturing Bomo easily and trapping the garrison at Gantun Fort. In eight days, Mingri broke through the Shan militia and occupied In December, Mahasethu and Mahathirathira's armies approached Mingri's forces. After two decisive victories, the Burmese confidently approached them. While Mahasethu faced Mingri's main army, Mahathirathira took his men to take Daini and knock out the supply depot and leave the Chinese to wither away in the deadly Burmese weather. The Burmese vanguard, upon seeing the Chinese lines in Goteg Gorge, Thibault, attacked. They were met with fire and lead. Chinese muskets and cannon fire tore the vanguard apart and shattered the attack. Checked by this disastrous attack, Mahasethu waited for his entire army to arrive, then attacked the nearby outpost to draw the Chinese into the field. War elephants and hardened infantry led the attack. Unlike at Gantun, the Chinese did not panic and instead focused their firepower on the elephants. Despite their short values, the elephants panicked easily and heavy fire soon broke the elephant ranks. The Burmese infantry however continued their charge, led by bare-chested and tattooed berserkers. Despite the fears in sight before them, the Chinese infantry locked their shields and lowered their pikes. As all the Burmese forces became engaged, their cavalry rode around to flank the Chinese spearmen. Mingri watched the scene unfold and smiled. As Burma and Minipuri riders galloped, horns blared around them and red caps and dragon banners suddenly filled their vision. Armoured cavalry suddenly burst out and smashed the Burmese horse, breaking their formation immediately. The Burmese were excellent horsemen and the Minipuris were even better, but all accounts agree the superiority of the Chinese cavalry. Their elite Mongol and Manchu horsemen made short work of them and routed the Burmese horse from the field. Realizing the Chinese not only outnumbered him but were surrounding him from all sides, Situ ordered an immediate retreat. But it was too late. Chinese musketeers fired into the flanks of the Burmese infantry while Manchu and Mongol horsemen rained down arrows from all sides before charging in with sword and lance. It quickly became a one-sided slaughter and the Burmese army broke ranks and fled. Mongol and Manchu cavalry tightened the loose. A Burmese account said that three entire regiments had been captured. Pursued and hunted by Manchu and Mongol horsemen, Situ's army was forced on the defensive, hoping that Maha Tihatira had been somehow able to cut the Chinese supplies. He did not. Upon entering the Burmese Shan states, Mingri had moved slowly. Knowing the importance of supply in this campaign, he turned Theni into a supply base guarded by 5,000 of his best troops. Around half his army was left to guard the supply lines between the vanguard and the main supply depot. His predecessors had underestimated the Burmese but Mingri would not. Seeing that main Burmese army arrived, Mingri took 15,000 of his men and laid a trap for Maha Situ. As he predicted, his elite bannermen held the line against the determined Burmese attacks. Once they were worn down, he used his superior numbers to overwhelm them in a single sweeping attack. At Theni, Tihatira's men broke themselves against the Chinese defenses. Seeing that he had destroyed the main field army, Mingri took all his forces and pushed down towards central Burma and ultimately to Ava. Situ and Tihatira attempted to halt the Chinese juggernaut using hit and run tactics and building stockades and ditches in their path but Mingri's army was simply too disciplined to slow down. Situ finally sent word to Ava of their defeat. Realizing how dangerous the situation had become, King Simbhushan sent riders into Siam and urgently recalled all Burmese armies. It meant to give up their hard-fought conquest of Siam but there was no choice. The existence of the Burmese kingdom was at stake. Until the 19th century, this was the darkest hour for the Khmer dynasty.