[3] However, Pamela Kyle Crossley stated that they were actually Han Chinese and falsely claimed to be related to the Manchu Tunggiya (佟佳) clan of Jilin, using this false claim to get themselves transferred to a Manchu banner in the reign of the Kangxi Emperor.
Hearing of the plan, Tong Guowei quickly arrested the ringleaders with the aid of thirty guards.
He fought against Dzungars in the Battle of Ulan Butung, in which his brother Tong Guogang was killed in action.
Tong Guowei was held responsible for not taking advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy during the battle, and was dismissed from his post as Deliberative Ministers.
They maintained close relationships with two Jesuit missionaries, Lodovico Buglio and Gabriel de Magalhães.