Xu, a Hui Muslim from Xindu, Chengdu, took part in the Imperial martial art exams and later served in the wars in Tibet and Taiwan.[1] Originally served as a mounted cavalry soldier, he was awarded to the position of Bazong (7th rank General) of the Green Standard Army, before getting promoted to the position of Shoubei (5th rank General) a few years later.[1][unreliable source?] In 1771, the second Jinchuan campaigns took place as the Qing sought to suppress the ethnic rebellion in the territory; Xu Shiheng was dispatched to the frontline, where he gained fame with his military achievements, thus promoted him to the Peacock rank (3rd General) of Lieutenant-General.[2][1] After Jinchuan was pacified in 1776, Xu won promotion to the rank of 2nd General in Tengyue in Yunnan before becoming the General of Weining in Guizhou.[1][unreliable source?]
The capture of Zhuang Datian in 1787. Xu Shiheng personally took part on the capture.
In 1787, a major rebellion broke out in Taiwan.[3] Xu Shiheng was sent to the island to capture the rebels' leader, Lin Shuangwen. His military merit was further enhanced by his ferocious conquest and ability to convince the local population to join his rank against the rebels. During the conquest, he managed to capture another rebels' leader, Zhuang Datian, in a combined effort using the navy and the land force.[1][unreliable source?] After the rebellion was ended in 1788, Emperor Qianlong wrote his essay, praising Xu Shiheng for his contribution and awarded him the title "Jianyong Baturu".[1][unreliable source?] He was later appointed Governor of Guangxi before being appointed for the job as the Governor of Zhejiang.[1][unreliable source?]
Death
Before he could take up the rank as Zhejiang Governor, however, news broke out that the Tây Sơn rebellion reached northern Vietnam and toppled the Later Lê dynasty.[4] Maximising from the ongoing chaos in Đại Việt and pleas from the last King of the dynasty, Lê Chiêu Thống, Qianlong authorised an expedition to Vietnam, in which Xu obliged to follow under the lead of Sun Shiyi.[1][5] This decision proved to be costly for his life, as in the Chinese New Year of 1789 (25 January), Nguyễn Huệ suddenly launched a major assault.[1] There, the Qing army suffered a massive military loss and frantically escaped from the Vietnamese capital to the north, during which Xu Shiheng decided to make his last stand at the Red River to allow his superior to escape, ultimately died in the battlefield.[1][6] Xu Shiheng himself had warned Sun Shiyi about the deception trap by the Tây Sơn army earlier but was not heard.[1][unreliable source?]
Shocked by the death of Xu, Emperor Qianlong posthumously awarded Xu the third-class heroic earl and gave the title of "Zhaoyi" to him and had his portrait carried to the Zhaozhong Temple's altar to worship.[1]
