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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
Wang Cong'er, a heroine whose name shines in the long river of Chinese history.
How did she lead an army of 100,000 rebels against the mighty Manchu rule in those turbulent times? What kind of courage and wisdom made Emperor Qianlong shocked and even restless?
What secrets are hidden behind her legendary story? What means did this woman rely on to win a place on the battlefield dominated by men?
Heroes of Troubled Times: The Rise of Wang Cong'er
In 1645, the Ming Dynasty fell, and Li Zicheng was defeated and died. In these turbulent times, the legend of a woman is quietly beginning.
Empress Gao, the heroine who once fought with Li Zicheng, led the remaining forces south. In order to avoid the pursuit of the Qing court, she changed the surnames of all Li Zicheng's descendants to the surname Wang, so as to continue the legacy of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.
It is in such an environment that Wang Cong'er has grown into a generation of heroes. She grew up listening to stories about the restoration of the Qing Dynasty. Under the discrimination and bullying of the feudal landlord class, the young Wang Cong'er did not give in, but inspired her inner spirit of resistance.
She studied hard and practiced hard, not only proficient in writing and ink, but also delved into the art of war, laying a solid foundation for leading the rebel army in the future. Wang Cong'er's upbringing was accompanied by the increasing corruption of Qing rule. The life of the peasants became more and more difficult, and the oppression of the landlords became more and more cruel.
The accumulation of such contradictions laid the groundwork for large-scale uprisings in the future. Wang Cong'er was keenly aware of this change, and she began to secretly organize forces in the civil society to prepare for future rebellions.
Spark on Fire: The Outbreak of the Xiangyang Uprising
By 1796, Wang Cong'er had become a full-fledged revolutionary. She saw the opportunity and launched a huge uprising in Xiangyang. The rebel army was like a spark, and soon burned the prairie in Hubei, Henan and other places.
Wang Cong'er is good at summing up combat experience and promptly changing the combat mode from focusing on tackling tough battles to focusing on mobile warfare. The tactics of the rebel army were flexible and changeable, often "not forming a group, not walking the plains, only a few hundred in groups", and "splitting and merging, and moving from south to north".
This tactic made the Qing army exhausted and difficult to deal with. At the same time, Wang Cong'er attaches great importance to winning the hearts and minds of the people. She severely punished corrupt officials, landlords and gentry, opened warehouses, and distributed the grain and clothing she had obtained to the poor masses, so she was deeply supported and loved by the people.
In September 1796, in order to expand his influence and unite with the Sichuan peasant rebel army to fight the enemy, Wang Cong'er resolutely led the rebel army to embark on a long-distance expedition.
The rebel army advanced in two directions at Shuanggou, each with about 20,000 men. One route was led by Wang Cong'er and Yao Zhifu, from Zaoyang to Tang County; The other route was led by Zhang Hanchao and crossed the Baihe River west to Luyanyi to Dengzhou.
Wisdom and bravery: Wang Cong'er's military talent
Wang Cong'er is not only a visionary leader, but also an excellent military commander. In the Battle of Zhongxiang, the Qing army attempted to carry out a "flank attack" on the rebel army, Wang Cong'er had insight into the enemy's situation and commanded the rebel army to skillfully break through.
Not only did he smash the enemy's conspiracy, but he also successfully went north, forcibly crossed the Liujia River, forced Gucheng and Guanghua, and even besieged Jing'an, the governor of Henan, in the area of Weijiaji, and beat the enemy in disarray.
In February 1797, in order to further disperse the Qing army, Wang Cong'er once again divided the rebel army into three routes in Hutuo Town. Under the leadership of Wang Tingzhao and Gao Junde, the North Road started from Tongbai, passed through Yexian and Yuzhou in Henan, and advanced to the southern part of Shangnan, Shaanxi.
The west road was led by Li Quan and Fan Renjie, marching from Tongbai to Xinyang. The Central Route Army, led by Wang Cong'er and Yao Zhifu, passed through Nanyang, Songxian, and Shanyang, and went south in late April to conquer Yunxi County, Hubei. In the Battle of Yunxi, the rebel army showed amazing combat effectiveness.
They killed Hui Lun, the commander of the Qing army's protectors, burned down the county yamen, smashed the "holy statue" in the Confucian temple in the south of the city, opened the granary of the government, and distributed grain to the poor people. This series of actions not only undermined the morale of the Qing army, but also further won the hearts and minds of the people.
On the Long March: The feat of the Xiangyang Rebel Army
In May 1797, the Xiangyang rebel army won a great victory in the Zhen'an Strap Shop in Shaanxi, and many leaders such as the commander of the Qing army's escort army, the forward general, and the school captain became the soul of the rebel army. This victory greatly boosted the morale of the rebel army, and many poor people joined the ranks of the rebel army.
Immediately afterwards, the rebel army continued to take advantage of the victory along the north bank of the Han River, passing through Xunyang, Ankang, Hanyin, and Shiquan, and with the strong support of the local people, successfully crossed the Han River in Ankang and threw off the enemy who was tracking.
When the Qing army general Hui Ling's brigade arrived at the ferry, they only picked up some rotten socks discarded by the rebel soldiers, and they didn't even see the shadow of the rebels.
This successful breakthrough not only demonstrated Wang Cong'er's outstanding military command ability, but also reflected the deep feelings between the rebel army and the people. It was precisely because of the support and cover of the local people that the rebel army was able to successfully break through the encirclement despite being outnumbered.
After crossing the Han River, Wang Cong'er once again showed her superb strategic vision. In order to support the Sichuan White Lotus Rebellion Army, which was in the midst of a difficult anti-encirclement and suppression battle, she decided to lead the Xiangyang Rebel Army to march through the old forest of Bashan to Sichuan.
This decision not only reflects Wang Cong'er's foresight, but also shows her grand ambition to keep the world in mind and unite all anti-Qing forces.
Earth-shattering: the panic of Qianlong and Jiaqing
When Hui Ling sent the Xiangyang rebel army across the Han River to Beijing, the reaction of Qianlong and Jiaqing, father and son, fully demonstrated the great threat of the rebel army to the rule of the Qing court. These two high-ranking emperors are like ants on a hot pot at this moment, restless and frightened.
Qianlong was furious and scolded Hui Ling: "You let the thieves cross the river, this performance is shameless." This sentence not only reflected Qianlong's anger, but also exposed the Qing court's powerlessness against the rebel army.
An empire that had once been invincible was now overwhelmed by an army of peasant rebels. This panic quickly spread throughout the Qing court. The ministers began to pass the buck to each other, and the morale of the army was low.
In stark contrast, the morale of the rebel army was high and its ranks grew. In mid-April alone, when the Xiangyang rebel army met in Nanshan Laolin, more than 6,000 local people joined, and the cavalry unit developed particularly rapidly.
After Wang Cong'er led the Xiangyang rebel army to cross the Han River, she once again showed her superb military talent. She divided the army into three routes and advanced towards Sichuan. Along the way, they marched at the same time, fighting and advancing, and whenever they encountered the enemy's encirclement, they would "scatter the mountains and forests" and "change several times a day", making the enemy army dizzy.
After more than four months of arduous trekking, the rebel army finally arrived in Dongxiang (present-day Xuanhan) on June 23, 1797, and joined forces with the Sichuan White Lotus rebel army.
The camps of the two armies are connected together, stretching for more than 30 miles, with flags fluttering and drums and horns hearing each other. This meeting not only greatly boosted the morale of the rebel army, but also further shook the ruling foundation of the Qing court.
epilogue
The Xiangyang Uprising led by Wang Cong'er was an important chapter in the history of Chinese peasant uprisings.
With extraordinary wisdom and courage, she led the rebel army to survive in the cracks of the Qing court, sought a breakthrough in the encirclement and interception of strong enemies, and finally successfully joined forces with the Sichuan rebel army, forming a powerful anti-Qing force.
This period of history not only shows the indomitable spirit of resistance of the Chinese people, but also provides valuable experience and inspiration for the revolutionary struggle in later generations.