Ma Yukun

Ma Yukun, courtesy name Jingshan was a Chinese army general who primarily served the Huai Army and the Resolute Army; he served during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Boxer Rebellion.

Biography Early years Ma was born in 1838, at Maji, Anhui, Mengcheng County. His family was poor and were primarily an agricultural one; however, Ma was a martial artist and became a well-known local trainer.

Due to his martial arts skills, Song Qing found an appreciation for him and personally enlisted him to attack the Nian Army during the Nian Rebellion, and accumulated meritorious work to the capital, giving him the title of Zhenyong Baturu.

In 1874, Ma Yukun and Zuo Zongtang's department jointly fought against the aggression of Agubo and the Russian Empire in the Qing reconquest of Xinjiang, and then led the army to garrison the northwest for more than 10 years. During the Guangxu period, he was transferred to Zhili. In 1894, he was awarded the commander-in-chief of Taiyuan Town, Shanxi, to assist Song Qing in garrisoning the Beiyang Naval Base in Lushunkou before the First Sino-Japanese War broke out.