Kansu Braves
The Gansu Braves or Gansu Army was a unit of 10,000 Chinese Muslim troops from the northwestern province of Kansu (Gansu) in the last decades of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Loyal to the Qing, the Braves were recruited in 1895 to suppress a Muslim revolt in Gansu. Under the command of General Dong Fuxiang (1839–1908), they were transferred to the Beijing metropolitan area in 1898, where they officially became the Rear Division of the Wuwei Corps, a modern army that protected the imperial capital. The Gansu Army included Hui Muslims, Salar Muslims, Dongxiang Muslims, and Bonan Muslims.
| Gansu Braves | |
|---|---|
Three Muslim soldiers from the Gansu Army | |
| Active | 1895–1901 |
| Country | Qing Empire |
| Allegiance | Emperor of China |
| Branch | Wuwei Corps |
| Type | Division |
| Size | 10,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Gansu, then Beijing |
| Nickname(s) | Kansu Braves |
| Equipment | Krupp artillery, Mauser rifles, swords, halberds |
| Engagements | Dungan revolt (1895–96) Battle of Langfang Siege of the International Legations (Boxer Rebellion) Battle of Peking |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Dong Fuxiang (general in chief) Ma Fuxiang, Ma Fulu, Ma Fuxing |
| Kansu Braves | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 甘軍 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 甘军 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Gansu Army | ||||||||||||||
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The Braves, who wore traditional uniforms but were armed with modern rifles and artillery, played an important role in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. After helping to repel the Seymour Expedition, a multinational foreign force sent from Tianjin to relieve the Beijing Legation Quarter in early June, the Muslim troops were the fiercest attackers during the siege of the legations from 20 June to 14 August. They suffered heavy casualties at the Battle of Peking, in which the Eight-Nation Alliance relieved the siege. The Kansu Braves then guarded the Imperial Court on their journey to Xi'an.