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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a historical movement that was once turbulent, has produced countless influential figures.
However, among those seemingly high-ranking leaders, there are some mediocre people who not only fail to bring light to the cause, but seriously jeopardize the course of the entire movement because of their own incompetence and selfish desires.
Who are these mediocrities? What are the specific aspects of their incompetence? How did they step by step to the pinnacle of power, only to become the laughing stock of history? How did they end up in this magnificent history?
Qin Rigang: From King Yan to the general of the defeated army
Among the many leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Qin Rigang was undoubtedly a controversial figure. As a high-ranking general who was named King of Yan, his status was second only to the Five Kings of Shouyi, and he was supposed to play an important role in the cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. However, the development of history has given us a very different answer.
Qin Rigang's military career can be said to be full of setbacks and failures. In 1853, under the leadership of Shi Dakai, the Taiping army captured large areas of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Anhui, and won brilliant victories one after another.
At that time, it seemed that only the Hunan army, which had just been established in the whole south, could pose a threat to the Taiping army. At this critical moment, Yang Xiuqing made a decision to change the tide of the war: he transferred Shi Dakai back to Tianjing and appointed Qin Rigang to preside over the western expedition.
The consequences of this decision were catastrophic. Under the command of Qin Rigang, the Taiping army suffered crushing defeats in Xiangtan, Yuezhou, Wuchang, and Tianjiazhen one after another. These defeats not only enabled the enemy to advance the battle line to Jiujiang again, but more seriously, the Taiping army's boat division was basically wiped out.
This led to the complete loss of the right of water control by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which became the key reason why the Taiping army was passive in the struggle against the Hunan army for a long time. Qin Rigang's defeat was not limited to the Western Expedition. In the organization of the reinforcements of the Northern Expedition, he again showed his incompetence.
Although he did not have many troops in his hands, with Qin Rigang's qualifications in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the name of King Yan, he could have made great achievements when the twisted army in Henan, northern Anhui and other places had already surged.
However, Qin Rigang retreated before he left the army, and only walked to Shucheng and turned back, on the grounds that "there are many officers and soldiers on the North Road". This decision directly led to the end of the last support for the Northern Expedition, depriving the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of the opportunity to create a favorable strategic situation in the north.
The Tianjing Incident: Qin Rigang's fatal choice
The Tianjing Incident of 1856 was an important turning point in the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and Qin Rigang played an extremely complex role in it.
As Wei Changhui's main assistant to kill Yang Xiuqing, Qin Rigang performed well in the operation. However, the ensuing mass murder made him a sinner in history.
At that time, Wei Changhui had only 3,000 men in Tianjing, and the closest to Tianjing was Qin Rigang's Eastern Expeditionary Army. As Hong Xiuquan's confidant, Qin Rigang had the ability and responsibility to prevent Wei Changhui's massacre from expanding.
However, instead of taking any action, he became the main accomplice of Wei Changhui's massacre. This choice not only reflected Qin Rigang's lack of political wisdom, but also exposed his short-sightedness and cowardice as a high-ranking general.
When Shi Dakai returned to Tianjing alone and dared to try to dissuade Wei Changhui from slaughtering excessively, Qin Rigang, who had a heavy army, chose to stand by and watch, and even added fuel to the fire.
This decision not only exacerbated the internal contradictions of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also directly led to the loss of a large number of talents, bringing irreparable damage to the cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Lin Shaozhang: From a general of the defeated army to an important minister of the government
If there are some extenuating reasons for Qin Rigang's failure, then Lin Shaozhang's experience is even more puzzling. His career can be said to be a typical case of "blessing in disguise".
Lin Shaozhang is best known for his crushing defeat in the Battle of Xiangtan. At that time, the Taiping Army was at the climax of the Western Expedition, and the Hunan Army was still weak when it was newly established. In the Battle of Jinggang, Zeng Guofan was even defeated and committed suicide by throwing himself into the water.
However, with the advantage of troops and the first occupation of favorable terrain, Lin Shaozhang encountered a battle of annihilation. The main reason for this defeat was Lin Shaozhang's incompetence in command.
Not only was he unable to control the contradictions between the old and new fighters, resulting in cannibalism, but he also behaved extremely dull tactically and was passively beaten.
To make matters worse, he still stubbornly relied on waterway diversion when the waterways were already clearly at a disadvantage, which eventually led to a annihilating blow to the Taiping army.
However, what is puzzling is that after the Tianjing Incident, Hong Xiuquan not only did not hold Lin Shaozhang responsible, but instead promoted him to be the co-prime minister of state with Meng Deen and Li Chunfa. This decision catapulted Lin Shaozhang to become one of the central figures of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's central power until the fall of Tianjing.
Lin Shaozhang's case fully illustrates the chaos of the employment system in the late Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It is undoubtedly a huge hidden danger for a general who has repeatedly failed militarily to be entrusted with the important task of managing national affairs.
Although Lin Shaozhang showed valuable loyalty at the time of his sacrifice, his abilities were clearly not commensurate with the position he held, which became an important factor in the decline of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Meng Deen: From the prime minister of the women's battalion to the dignitaries of the DPRK
Among the many high-ranking officials of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Meng Deen was probably one of the most criticized "mediocre talents". His career was full of controversy, and from the prime minister of the women's battalion to the dignitaries of the imperial government, Meng Deen's experience reflected the many problems of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's employment system.
Mund's initial use was reluctantly used for his exploits in the Battle of the Lord. However, what really caused controversy was his performance during his tenure as premier of the women's battalion. As the head of the women's battalion, one of the important tasks of Montene was to find beautiful women for the kings and to give them regularly.
This behavior made him regarded as a "minister of the courtesy", which not only lost the trust of the soldiers, but also corrupted the atmosphere of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to a certain extent. What is even more puzzling is that after the Tianjing Incident, Hong Xiuquan actually appointed Meng Deen as the chief general of the Chinese army and the head of the government.
This is actually to let Meng Deen take Yang Xiuqing's place. However, Mond's grace had neither the corresponding talent nor the corresponding prestige, and was soon obliged to relinquish these positions. But even so, he still held important leadership positions in the center.
The case of Meng Deen reflects the confusion and misuse of personnel by the leadership in the later period of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The fact that an official who relied mainly on currying favor with the leadership was entrusted with the important task of managing state affairs not only damaged the image of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also seriously affected the operational efficiency of its regime.
The Hong Family Brothers: From "Brother Guo" to "Hong Family Pig Dog"
Among the many mediocre talents in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the one who caused the greatest damage to the cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom may be Hong Xiuquan's two brothers: Hong Renda and Hong Renfa.
Their actions not only ruined the reputation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also directly led to the internal division and eventual collapse of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
In the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, due to the relatively clear rewards and punishments, and the relatively rigorous selection of talents, although these two were called "national brothers" in the etiquette system, they did not have knighthoods and did not have actual positions.
However, with the fall of Yang Xiuqing, they began to gradually emerge and began their road of "demonization".
First of all, after the Tianjing Incident, they took advantage of Hong Xiuquan's suspicion of Shi Dakai and obtained the status of king. However, they did not fulfill their due duties, but blindly opposed Shi Dakai, which eventually led to Shi Dakai being forced to leave.
This incident not only deprived the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of an important military leader, but also exacerbated the contradictions within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Second, their greed and short-sightedness led directly to the food crisis in Tianjing.
When the ministers decided to buy more rice and grain to return to Beijing to cope with the long-term defense, the two Hong brothers ordered: to buy grain, you must have a flood ticket issued by them to leave Beijing, and to get a flood ticket, you must use silver money to buy it. What's worse is that even if you take the ticket and buy food, you still have to collect heavy taxes.
This policy directly led to the reluctance of the people to buy grain and return to Beijing, which eventually led to a shortage of food in Tianjing, which seriously affected the defense capability of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In the end, even at the critical moment when Tianjing was besieged, the two Hong brothers still did not forget to loot the people's wealth.
According to Li Xiucheng's own account, when he was not in the city, the Hong brothers "checked every house in the city, and there were rice and silver for their use, and they let them take it, and they did not dare to fight, and they searched every day according to the household, and men and women were not safe." This tyrannical behavior eventually caused the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to lose the hearts of the people and hastened its demise.
epilogue
The history of the rise and fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is not only a legend of heroes, but also a warning record about mistakes in employing people. The experiences of Qin Rigang, Lin Shaozhang, Meng Deen, and the Hong brothers profoundly reveal how a regime can decline because of the heavy use of mediocrity.
These high-ranking figures, who had no talent or virtue, not only did not contribute to the cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but instead became a stumbling block to its development.
Their actions eventually led to divisions within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, military defeats, and loss of popular support, bringing the regime that once shook China to a tragic end.