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Zhengxi jilüe 征西紀略

May 31, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Zhengxi jilüe 征西紀略 "Military history of the campaigns in the West" is a privately written history of the war against the Three Feudatories. It was written by the Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Lu Mei 陸楣, who was secretary of governor-general Cai Shurong 蔡毓榮 (d. 1699) who was commander during the war against the Three Feudatories.

The short book begins in 1660 and ends in 1681 with the conquest of Yunnan. Cai Shurong already had suggested increasing the strength of the troops in Sichuan before Wu Sangui 吳三桂 (1608-1678) rebelled against the Manchu Qing dynasty. In the book he is praised for the benevolence he displayed towards his soldiers. As an ideal general, he shared with them the hardships of the life in the field and cared for an excellent provision for his troops. He successfully took the city of Changsha 長沙, Hunan, and conducted the long siege of Yuezhou 岳州, Hunan. With only a relatively small contingent of troops, generals Laita 賴塔 (d. 1684) and governor-general Zhao Liangdong 趙良棟 (1621-1697) forced Wu Sangui's last adherents into submission and liberated Yunnan.

In spite of ist shortness, Lu Mei's book is a very detailed account of the suppression oft he rebelling Three Feudatories. It was printed in 1876 by the Shikai Studio 世楷堂 and is included in the series Zhaodai congshu 昭代叢書.

Source:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 911.