The King of Ili

He was the “King of Ili,” a feared figure across the northwest, yet before his mother he was a filial son who knelt for hours and accepted her blows. In an age of chaos, benevolence and tyranny merged in him in a strange way, ultimately forging the tragic end of a generation's great warlord.

A legend of the Western Regions buried beneath wind and sand, and a complex soul crushed by the times.

He was the most benevolent ruler among warlords, yet also the most rebellious and ambitious of filial sons.

As a young man, he was a destitute student on the banks of the Yellow River in Lanzhou, driven to leap into the water with nowhere left to turn. He faked his death to escape his creditors, but in doing so buried his former self beneath the churning, muddy waves.

West of Yangguan, he plunged into the torrents of a great age. With extraordinary cunning and courage, he rose to prominence by maneuvering among formidable warlords like Yang Zengxin and Jin Shuren. From a mere company commander in Jimunai, he became a “lord beyond the Great Wall,” ruling Ili with a mighty army at his command.

At home, he was benevolent: he governed Ili, encouraged farming and settlement, and reduced taxes, carving out a peaceful haven for the borderland's people amid the chaos. They loved him deeply.

Abroad, he was ruthless: against the remnants of the White Russians and the powerful northern neighbor encircling his lands, he showed no mercy and yielded not an inch, displaying the hard edge of a warlord.

To his mother, he was utterly devoted: even after becoming the all-powerful “King of Ili,” he would still kneel before her and accept her blows, with Confucian filial piety etched into his very bones.

Yet even his extraordinary talents could not withstand the relentless wheel of history. He fought for control of Xinjiang against Sheng Shicai, an even more cunning and ruthless warlord, until powerful outside forces intervened and utterly crushed the world he had so carefully built.