arhanuddin and his brother were defeated in several
pitched battles, city after city opened its gates to the dreaded
invader, and the last representatives of the Khojas were compelled to
seek refuge in the isolated region of Badakshan. But even here they were
not safe. The terror of the Chinese name had gone before them, and the
sovereign of Badakshan, eager to propitiate the conqueror, sent the
heads of the two brothers to the Chinese general, who was advancing from
Yarkand. Only one of the numerous sons of Barhanuddin escaped the
destruction wrought in the family of the Khojas by the victorious
Chinese: his name was Khoja Sarimsak. The Chinese had now completely
annexed all the territory north of the Karakoram and east of the Pamir
and Khokand, and it does not appear that in doing so they had suffered
any great loss. By availing themselves of Amursana's claims in Jungaria
they had obtained a firm foothold in that state, and then by an equally
skilful manipulation of the rival parties of Aktaghluc and Karataghluc,
they had extended their authority over Kashgar as well. When their
puppets, Amursana and Barhanuddin, became restive as Chinese vassals,
and strove for independence, the Chinese forces were called into action
and swept all opposition from their path. All this may seem the most
unjustifiable ambition, nor do we wish to palliate in any way the
terribly harsh repressive measures adopted by the Chinese. There is no
doubt that, so long as there remained the shadow of any opposition to
their rule, they did not temper their power with any exhibition of
mercy. It is computed that almost half a million of people were slain
during the wars of these two or three years, and that the great majority
of these were the innocent inhabitants, who had been massacred. Nor,
although we should be disposed to think that this is a greatly
exaggerated number, have we any reason to doubt that the sword of the
Chinese was called into use whenever any resistance was offered to their
advance, and that the feelings of the soldiers were embittered to a
great extent by religious fervour, in their encounters with the
Mussulmans. The Chinese, having conquered Kashgar, turned their arms
against Khokand, and entered Tashkent and the city of Khokand in
triumph. As the year 1760 was drawing to a close, quite a panic was
spreading through Western Asia at the advance of the Chinese.
Afghanistan, then as now the only formidable Mahomedan territory lef