not appreciate the benefits they had received from China, and the
Chinese, enraged at the slaughter of their countrymen, and, perhaps,
also at the ingratitude evinced towards them, retaliated in kind. They
did not appreciate that moderation, which Europeans have not always
shown under similar circumstances, and wrought out their revenge in
their own ancient fashion. It is absolutely necessary that the reader
should remember that the two rapidly succeeding invasions of Jehangir
and Yusuf form a turning-point in the history of the Chinese rule in
Kashgar. Up to that epoch it is difficult to find words sufficient to do
justice to China's beneficent government there; after that year it would
be absurd to employ the same language. For the change the chief blame
must fall upon the fickle and ungrateful Kashgari themselves, and then
on the intriguing Andijanis. The Chinese are justified, at least, in
saying that, having for more than half a century ruled this people with
justice, they only relaxed in their efforts to promote its well-being
when their unarmed countrymen and soldiers had been surprised and
butchered by thousands.
Strange, and almost contradictory, as it may appear, there was a brief
respite during which things seemed to have got into their old groove of
happy prosperity; and the chief credit for this must be given to a
Mahomedan sub-governor of the Chinese viceroy. Zuhuruddin, such was his
name, had raised himself to the high post of Amban in Kashgar, a post
never before held by any other than a Khitay. By birth he was of
Kashgar, but he always represented himself as having been born and
brought up in Khokand, where he had been imprisoned for a political
offence. For seven or eight years he governed Kashgar to the perfect
satisfaction both of the people and of the Chinese, and among some of
his public acts may be mentioned the reconstruction of new forts outside
the cities, in the place of those destroyed in the recent revolts. These
were known now as Yangyshahr instead of Gulbagh. But in 1846
Zuhuruddin's rule was disturbed by hostilities on the part of Khokand
and the Khojas.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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