Li Dingguo vs Santaji Ghorpade

Li Dingguo joined the peasant rebellion led by Zhang Xianzhong in Shaanxi. He became one of Zhang's adopted sons and a key general in the Xiying army that fought against the Ming dynasty.

After Zhang Xianzhong's death, Li Dingguo allied with the Yongli Emperor. He switched allegiance from rebel to Ming loyalist, fighting the Qing in the name of the Southern Ming.

Li Dingguo led a Southern Ming army that captured Guilin from the Qing. The victory temporarily revived the Southern Ming cause and forced Qing forces to retreat in Guangxi.

Li Dingguo defeated a Qing army at Hengzhou, killing Qing Prince Kong Youde. This victory was one of the greatest Southern Ming successes, but it failed to reverse the overall Qing advance.

Li Dingguo's army was decisively defeated by Qing forces at Suning in Yunnan. The loss shattered Southern Ming military power and forced the Yongli Emperor to flee to Burma.

After the Yongli Emperor's execution, Li Dingguo continued guerrilla resistance in the borderlands. He died of illness in the wilderness of Laos, his forces scattered and his cause lost.

Santaji Ghorpade led a Maratha cavalry force in the Battle of Dodderi against the Mughal army. He used guerrilla tactics to defeat a larger Mughal force, capturing supplies and horses.

Santaji Ghorpade raided the Mughal camp at Jinji, capturing the Mughal commander Zulfiqar Khan's baggage train. This disrupted Mughal operations in the Carnatic region.

Santaji Ghorpade was killed by his own men after a dispute with Rajaram's court. He was betrayed and assassinated, ending his career as a Maratha cavalry general.