Dawachi and the Khoit-Oirat prince Amursana had competed in 1752 for the title of Khan of the Dzungars, a confederation of several Tibetan Buddhist Oirat tribes that had emerged suddenly in the early seventeenth century.

The Qing dynasty has gone to war against the Dzungars, who live in the area stretching from the west end of the Great Wall of China to present-day eastern Kazakhstan and from present-day northern Kyrgyzstan to southern Siberia (most of which is located in present-day Xinjiang).

They are the last nomadic empire to threaten China, which they have done from the early seventeenth century.

Amursana had suffered several defeats at the hands of Dawachi and was thus forced to flee with his small army to the protection of the Qing imperial court.

The Yongzheng Emperor's successor, the Qianlong Emperor, has pledged his to support Amursana, who recognizes Qing authority; among those who support Amursana and the Chinese are the Khoja brothers Burhān al-Dīn and Khwāja-i Jahān.

Khan Khoja is kept as hostage whereas Burhan-ud-din is sent with Oirat, Chinese and Turks to re-conquer the Altishah, the six oasis towns along the rim of the Tarim Basin.

Qianlong in 1755 sends the Manchu general Zhaohui, who is aided by Amursana, Burhān al-Dīn and Khwāja-i Jahān, to lead a campaign against the Dzungars.

After several skirmishes and small scale battles along the Ili River, the Qing army led by Zhaohui approaches Ili (Gulja; modern Yining City) and forces Dawachi to surrender.

Qianlong appoints Amursana as the Khan of Khoid and one of four equal khans—much to the displeasure of Amursana, who had wanted to be the Khan of the Dzungars.

Amursana, still demanding to be khan of all Oirats, has allied the majority of the remaining Oirats and launched his rebellion against the Qing.

The Chinese armies had by now withdrawn leaving behind only a skeleton force under Ban Di.

Helpless and unable to do anything, Ban Di had committed suicide on October 4, 1755.

For the past eight months, Amursana has been the sole leader of the Oirats and the de facto Dzungar Khan.

Qianlong, as he had promised, has meanwhile appointed Khans for each of the four Oirat clans in a move designed to prevent them joining the rebellion.

Qing troops are once more dispatched in late March, 1756, and retake Ili.

Amursana escapes and flees to the Kazakh Khanate where his father-in-law, Ablai Khan, refuses to hand him over, despite the threat of a Qing invasion of his territory.

Qianlong rails at his generals for their failure to capture the fugitive, saying they are a waste of time and money.

He dismisses them and orders the withdrawal of all troops, then appoints Zhao Hui  commander of a small expeditionary force that is sent to garrison Ili.

Amursana returns to Ili to rally the insurgents and almost annihilates Zhao Hui's forces.

The hopelessly outnumbered Chinese general, despite putting up a spirited defense, is forced to retreat with five hundred soldiers.

The rebels cut the post routes to the capital but...

Qianlong, after the victory at Lake Khövsgöl, dispatches additional forces to Ili where they quickly rout the rebels.

Qing China recovers the Kuldja region through lengthy diplomatic negotiations in 1881 that end in the Treaty of Saint Petersburg..