Zhao Erfeng (1845–1911), courtesy name Jihe, was a late Qing Dynasty official and Han Chinese bannerman who belonged to the Plain Blue Banner.

The ruler, who was again given civil power at the head of their hierarchy, pardoned all the Tibetans who had given an oath of loyalty to Colonel Francis Younghusband, the leader of the British expedition.

In 1910, China's 'foreign' Manchu Ch'ing dynasty, in a decaying spasm of aggression, had sent two thousand troops under General Chao Er-feng across the border into Tibet.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama, with three of his ministers and sixty retainers, fled through a gate at the rear of the palace enclosure, and were fired upon as they escaped through the city.

The Dalai Lama was now summoned to Peking, where he obtained the imperial authority to resume his administration in place of the provisional governors appointed as a result of the British mission.

[11]: 286  Protestors created "water telegrams" by carving a message on to oiled boards, which were smuggled out and floated downriver:[11]: 286 Butcher Zhao arrested Pu and Luo, Then massacred the Sichuan people.

In all places, friends, arise, save and protect your land!Opposition fighters, primarily composed of Gelaohui militants, besieged Chengdu.

[11]: 286–287  On 18 and 19 September, Zhao's modernized New Army soldiers, armed with repeating weapons and artillery, pushed back the siege.

[12] This was the background to the Wuchang Uprising, the official start of the Chinese Revolution of 1911, and the diversion of troops to Sichuan was major factor in its success.

[11]: 287 After battling the rebels on 22 December 1911 Zhao was captured and beheaded by Chinese Republican Revolutionary forces who were intent on overthrowing the Qing dynasty.

When the Qing reinforcement from Ya'an approached Chengdu, the head of the republican forces Yin Changheng ordered Zhao's execution.

He planned to unify Sichuan, Kham and Ü-Tsang into a single administrative district in order to counter British influence in the region as well as on the Dalai Lama.