Kansu Braves

Kansu Braves
Active	1895-1901
Country	Qing dynasty
Allegiance	Qing dynasty
Branch	New Army
Type	Division
Size	10,000
Garrison/HQ	Gansu, then Beijing
Nickname	Kansu Braves
Equipment	Krupp artillery, swords, Mauser rifles, halberds
Engagements	Dungan Revolt (1895) Boxer Rebellion Siege of the International Legations (Boxer Rebellion) Battle of Peking
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	Dong Fuxiang
Notable commanders	Ma Fuxiang, Ma Fulu, Ma Anliang, Ma Fuxing

The Kansu Braves (simplified Chinese: 甘军; traditional Chinese: 甘軍; pinyin: Gān Jūn; Wade–Giles: Kan Chün) were a unit of 10,000 Chinese Muslim troops from Kansu (now Gansu) who were transferred to the Beijing metropolitan area in 1898. They were stationed there and took part in the Boxer Rebellion. They were commanded by the Muslim general Dong Fuxiang.

Contents 1 Organization 2 Combat 3 Battle summary 4 Notable people 5 Assassination of Sugiyama Akira 6 See also 7 References

Organization

They were organized into eight battalions of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, two brigades of artillery, and one company of engineers.^[1] They also had modernized weaponry.^[2]

Combat

Dong was extremely anti-foreign, and gave full support to Cixi and the Boxers. General Dong committed his Muslim troops to join the Boxers to attack the 8 nation alliance. They were put into the rear division, and attacked the legations relentlessly. The Westerners called them the "10,000 Islamic rabble".^[3][4][5] They were also known for their intolerance towards the Opium trade. A Japanese chancellor, Sugiyama Akira, and several Westerners were shot to death by the Muslim braves.^[6][7][8] It was reported that the Muslim troops were going to wipe out the foreigners to return a golden age for China, and the Muslims repeatedly attacked foreign churches, railways, and legations, before hostilities even started.^[9] The Muslim troops were armed with modern repeater rifles and artillery, and reportedly enthusiastic about going on the offensive and killing foreigners.

The German Clemens von Ketteler killed a Chinese civilian unconnected to the Boxers, for no reason.^[10] In response, thousands of Chinese Muslim Kansu Braves under General Dong Fuxiang of the Imperial Army and Boxers went on a violent riot against the westerners.^[11]

Another Muslim general, Ma Anliang, Tongling of Ho-Chou joined the Kansu braves in fighting the foreigners.^[12][13] Ma Anliang would go on to be an important Chinese warlord in the Ma clique during the Warlord Era.

Dong Fuxiang's soldiers were posted in Hunting park in Beijing's south, attacked Lang Fang on June 18. They were made out of 5,000 cavalry with the most modern repeating rifles.^[14]

Battle summary

The Muslim troops led by Dong Fuxiang defeated the hastily assembled Seymour Expedition of the 8 nation alliance at the Battle of Langfang on June 18. The Chinese won a major victory, and forced Seymour to retreat back to Tianjin with heavy casualties by June 26.^[15] Langfang was the only battle the Muslim troops did outside of Beijing, with the rest of their fighting being directed against the foreigners in the Beijing Legations.

After Langfang, Dong Fuxiang's troops only participated in battles inside of Beijing.^[16]

Summary of battles of General Dong Fuxiang:Ts'ai Ts'un battle, July 24, Ho Hsi Wu battle, July 25: An P'ing battle, July 26: Chinese army at Ma T'ou, July 27.^[17]

6,000 of the Muslim troops under Dong Fuxiang and 20,000 Boxers repulsed a relief column, driving them to Huang Ts'un.^[18] The Muslims camped outside the temples of Heaven and Agriculture.^[19]

Notable people

List of people who served in the Kansu Braves

• Dong Fuxiang
• Ma Fuxiang
• Ma Fulu
• Ma Fuxing
• Ma Anliang

Assassination of Sugiyama Akira

Sugiyama Akira, the Japanese chancellor to the legations, left to go to the railway to meet the Allied forces of the Seymour Expedition. The Kansu Muslim troops seized him from his cart, hacked him into multiple pieces, decapitating him, leaving his mutilated body and severed genitals and head.^[20][21] They also carved his heart out and sent it to Dong Fuxiang.^[22] The Kansu Braves used swords to perform the "dissection". It was reported that the Kansu braves were aggravated by Italian troops earlier in the day with whom they almost had a clash with, and were eager to attack foreigners.^[23]

See also

• Hui people

References

•  This article incorporates text from Encyclopædia of religion and ethics, Volume 8, by James Hastings, John Alexander Selbie, Louis Herbert Gray, a publication from 1916 now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from China in convulsion, Volume 2, by Arthur Henderson Smith, a publication from 1901 now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from Diary of the siege of the Peking legations, June to August, 1900, by William Meyrick Hewlett, a publication from 1900 now in the public domain in the United States.