The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

After the Dalai Khan died, Liu Weiqing had him cremated and collected his ashes, placing them in a leather bag to preserve them intact.

This was done because the Dalai Khan was not only a Mongol, but also the leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and a stupa had to be erected for his burial to be worthy of his status.

Of course, this was Galdan's Anda; if it were any other force, they would basically just be left to rot in the wilderness.

……

1675 AD.

August 18, 1876 (the Great Han Dynasty)

As usual, the sun rises over Lhasa, a sacred religious site, and the white Potala Palace and the gilded roof of the Jokhang Temple shine brightly in the morning light.

Pilgrims, dressed in heavy Tibetan robes, set off in twos and threes on the prayer wheel path, turning their prayer wheels with a buzzing sound, and finally chanting the six-syllable mantra.

Meanwhile, the monks dressed in red and yellow were busy chanting sutras, applying sesame oil to Buddha statues, replacing incense, and there were even martial monks practicing hard kung fu.

When more than 5,000 Han soldiers rode into Lhasa on horseback, carrying the Black Dragon Banner, causing such a great commotion, the surrounding monks remained unmoved.

Only serfs, who suffered greatly from the oppression of the army and religion, would kneel down on both sides of the road the moment they saw the army, and could even feel the trembling in their bones.

They were afraid that the army in different uniforms would be even more brutal than the previous army.

Liu Weiqing had visited Lhasa when he was a child, and at that time he viewed it from the perspective of a believer, thinking it was so sacred.

Now, after being indoctrinated by Liu Mu, Liu Weiqing felt that this was so strange. The farmers and herdsmen were as weak as bamboo poles, while the monks were fat and big-eared, and the temples were built in a magnificent and splendid style.

The Tibetans, who once dominated Central Asia, were now kneeling on both sides like walking corpses. Liu Weiqing, increasingly enraged by the sight, gave the order, almost shouting it out.

"Ji Nanshou, take your men and charge in to capture them! Drive them all to the foot of the Potala Palace! Kill any monks who resist!"

Ji Nanshou has been promoted from commander of a thousand men to lieutenant general in the army, and can now lead three thousand men. However, there are not enough troops available now, only two thousand men are given to him.

Ji Nanshou led the two thousand men, all armed with flintlock muskets, and divided them into four groups, rushing towards the Jokhang Temple, the Potala Palace, and several other smaller temples.

When Ji Nanshou arrived at the gate of Jokhang Temple, a monk wearing a shawl and robe, along with hundreds of warrior monks wielding wooden clubs, blocked the gate.

"You madmen! Temples are places where statues of Buddha Shakyamuni and others are enshrined. How dare you enter with weapons? Aren't you afraid of the Buddha's wrath?"

This monk must be of high rank, as he can even speak Chinese and dares to reprimand the army. However, Ji Nanshou is not a Buddhist, so he simply picked up his flintlock pistol, pressed it against the monk's forehead, and then coldly said...

"By order of the Prince of Pingxi, all monks are to assemble at the foot of the Potala Palace; those who disobey will be executed on the spot!"

"You can try and see if you can get your head through!"

The monk didn't take Ji Nanshou's threat seriously at all. After all, the Khoshut Mongols had come here to show off their power, but in the end, in order to rule Tibet, they had to convert to Buddhism and even become believers themselves.

"Stop talking! Leave immediately, lest you disturb the Buddhist practice and incur the Buddha's wrath!"

After the monk finished speaking, he closed his eyes and began chanting sutras, completely ignoring the gun pointed at his forehead.

"Bang!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Nanshou smiled and pulled the trigger.

Most of the Han Chinese soldiers who entered Tibet were from Hebei, Shanxi, and Guanzhong. They had just experienced the dark and oppressive rule of the Eight Banners. Now that they were soldiers, they had no respect for religion whatsoever. When they heard Ji Nanshou fire his gun, they all followed suit and fired their own guns.

The monk who was speaking was riddled with bullets, and his incredulous expression before he died was perfectly preserved.

As for the more than one hundred monks, eighty percent of them were killed, and the rest fled.

With the sound of gunfire, Lhasa descended into chaos. Monks ceased their resistance and were driven out of the temples by the Han army, arriving at the foot of the Potala Palace.

The surrounding farmers and herders wore expressions of disbelief. Those monks were supposed to represent omnipotent gods, but now they were being driven away like pigs and dogs. Their faith was beginning to crumble.

At this moment, Liu Weiqing sat cross-legged on a rock, with the Potala Palace behind him. At this time, there was only the White Palace; the future Red Palace had not yet been built.

The monks who had been driven there were all glaring angrily at Liu Weiqing, now knowing that he was the leader of their army.

There are many monks in Lhasa, totaling more than 4,000, but only one or two hundred of them are real monks who hold real power. They are all stout and dressed in gorgeous clothes.

The remaining monks were actually similar to farmers and herdsmen; they did all the dirty and tiring work, serving the Buddha and the monks, and also taking care of the temple's fields and livestock.

Just as Liu Weiqing was about to cause trouble, an old, decrepit monk, dressed in a magnificent robe, walked over step by step while chanting the six-syllable mantra.

"I pay homage to the Dalai Lama!"

Upon seeing the old monk approach, all the monks in the open space spontaneously knelt down to pay homage to him. This was both a belief and a habit, ingrained in their very being.

This person is the Fifth Dalai Lama, representing the supreme leader title of Buddha. The previous Dalai Khan was also in charge of the common people on behalf of Buddha.

Theocracy has brought utter devastation to the people!

The Fifth Dalai Lama opened his eyes and looked at Liu Weiqing.

"Galdan is my disciple. He should know that this snowy land is a place of Buddhist teachings, not a place for war and conquest. Why then did you send troops here?!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Weiqing narrowed his eyes, drew the imperial short flintlock pistol from behind him, and began skillfully loading it. He then walked step by step to the Fifth Dalai Lama's side, dripping a sound that only the two of them could hear.

"First, let me correct you on one point: from now on, you should address him as 'Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty,' not by his given name. Also, His Majesty the Emperor asked me to pass on a message to you!"

"Those who submit to the Han will prosper, those who oppose the Han will perish!"

As soon as Liu Weiqing finished speaking, the Fifth Dalai Lama's expression changed drastically, but he quickly concealed it and took three steps forward, asking in a low voice:

"What does His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty desire?"

"What do you need me to do now!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Weiqing nodded. The Fifth Dalai Lama was indeed as His Majesty had described, a good lama who knew when to advance and when to retreat, and who also knew how to actively cooperate with imperial power.

"His Majesty says he dislikes some of the Yellow Sect's decrees because they would turn Mongols, Tibetans, and even Han Chinese into sheep that only know how to graze. His Majesty needs cunning and fierce wolves. Do you know how to do that?"

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Lama's expression changed drastically. He was truly shocked this time. Other rulers sought stability, and the previous ruler, the Qing Dynasty, had ordered them to tame the Tibetans with all their might. Why was this Han Chinese different? So he asked tentatively.

"Your Highness, what should I do?"

"I really have no experience in this area!"