The White Mountain Khoja and the Zhuo Clan The ancestor of the Khoja brothers was
Ahmad Kasani (1461–1542) also known as Makhdūm-i`Azam, "the Great Master" of the Central Asian
Naqshbandi Sufi Sect. Kasani claimed to be a descendant of
Muhammad through his daughter whose offspring were known as the
Khojas (). The family was in turn divided into the and the (formerly known as the Ishaqiyya Khojas and the
Afaqiyya Khojas respectively). Together they were known as the
Altishahr ("Tarim Basin")
Khojas. In the middle of the
Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the Black Mountain Khoja received approval from the ruling
Yarkand Khanate for the
Altishahr or
Tarim Basin area south of the
Tian Shan range in the
Western Regions to convert to
Islam. In the mid-17th century, the White Mountain Khoja leader
Muhammed Yusef Khoja (d. 1653) came from Central Asia to
Kashgar to prosleytze only to be driven out by the Yarkand Khanate and the Black Mountain Khojas. Yusef Khoja's son
Afaq Khoja escaped to Hezhou (; modern day
Linxia City) in China's Gansu Province. From there, he went to Tibet to obtain the support of the
5th Dalai Lama and the
Dzunghar Mongols under
Galdan Boshugtu Khan. . In 1680, during the reign of the
Qing Kangxi Emperor, the Dzungars under Galdan Boshugtu Khan, with the help of Afaq Khoja, invaded
Yarkand and deposed the ruling Khan,
Ismail Khan. Galden then installed
Abd ar-Rashid Khan II as Khan of Yarkand. Afaq Khoja soon afterwards fled from Yarkand following discord with the new ruler. Two years later, in 1682, riots erupted in Yarkand causing Abd ar-Rashid Khan II to flee to
Ili. His younger brother
Muhammad Amin then became Khan. The riots of around 1682 led to the overthrow of Muhammad Amin Khan by the followers of Afaq Khoja, whose son
Yahya Khoja became the ruler of Yarkand and Kashgar. Not long afterwards, the Younger Khoja, , surrendered to Ban Di with Hadan. In May, Qing forces entered
Huocheng County in
Ili. Ban Di planned to send Buranidun to Beijing for presentation to the emperor while Hojijan would be kept in Ili in the care of the nomadic Muslim
Taranchi. The
Us Beg Khojis () received orders from Ban Di to establish sentry posts on the mountain passes into the Tarim Basin. When a further order to prepare for war arrived, Khojis' troops hid in the woods while his younger brother was dispatched to take wine and horses to Davachiwho when he arrived was seized along with his men and his son Lobja. The prisoners were then escorted under guard to the Qing barracks by Khojis and 200 of his men. Dawachi's capture effectively marked the end of the Dzungar Khanate. At the same time,
Kashgar Black Mountain Khoja Yusuf (second son of Daniyal) marched north.
Aksu's Abd-Qwabu (Khojis' elder brother) suggested to Ban Di that the Qing Army send an emissary along with them during the transport of the Khoja brothers to Kashgar. Abodouguabo further announced his appointment as ruler of the area at the behest of Qianlong. As a result, Ban Di dispatched the Imperial Bodyguard, Tuoluntai (), and Khojis as protective escort on the journey south to Kashgar and Yarkand. Hojijan was to remain in Ili to supervise of Khojis' clan. Troops would gather at Uqturpan County to defeat the northern Black Mountain Khoja then head south. Once in Kashgar Hakim Beg would take the surrender of the city. Although Xinjiang's Black Mountain Khoja leader Jihan Khoja (), also known as Yaqub, and Yusuf's eldest brother, put up a fierce defence of Kashgar until he was finally killed.
Amursana's Revolt With Dawachi on his way to Beijing as a captive, Amursana now saw an opportunity to establish himself as the new Dzungar Khan with control of the four Oirat tribes of Dzungaria. Qianlong had other ideas. The emperor knew that Amursana had long had his sights set on Dzungaria but "had not dared to do anything rash." As a result, before the military expedition to Ili had set out and fearing the rise of a new Mongolian empire, Qialong had proclaimed that the four Oirat clans of Dzungaria would be resettled in their own territory each with their own Khan appointed directly by Beijing. Amursana spurned the offer of khanship over the Khoits and told Ban Di to inform the Emperor that he wanted control of all the Oirats. Amursana received orders to return to Beijing but sensing that if he left Ili he might never be able to return, on 24September 1755 he escaped from his escort en route to the Qing imperial resort at
Chengde and returned to Tarbaghatai (now
Tacheng in Xinjiang, China), east of Ürümqi. The Ili
zaisang or chief and his
lamas then seized the city. In the chaos, Hojijan led a band of
Uyghur and escaped from the Ili basin. Other White Mountain Khojas imprisoned in Dzugaria including Ḥusein () (Hojijan's uncle) and Muḥammad () were unwilling to follow Hojijan and instead fled to
Kokand and other places. At the end of the year, Amursana sent an envoy to tell Buranidun of the fall of Ili. Mongolian soldiers Tuoluntai () and Tegusi (; Salar's elder brother) were captured by Buranidun. In March 1756, West Pacifying General Celeng arrived with the Western Route Army to recapture Ili. Amursana fled into the
Kazakh Khanate as the tables were once again turned on him. Hojijan and Buranidun united the local population in May, then the Younger Khoja killed Amursana's envoy. Tuoluntai defected to the rebel side and was sent to ascertain the strength of the Qing Garrison in Ili. == Course of events ==