The weather in Zhanqi Town

Among the vigorous Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wars, the biggest one that surprised the Qing Dynasty into a cold sweat and even nearly killed the Qing Dynasty for 200 years was the Northern Expedition of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After Hong Xiuquan made Nanjing his capital, in March of 1853, experts such as Pai, Li and Ji led 20,000 troops to the Northern Expedition. This tiger division from Yangzhou is indeed small in number, but its quality is amazing: it is all composed of veterans of Taiping Army from Guangxi, which is what Taiping Army often calls "old Guangxi". These veterans have been through many battles and have a firm belief in heaven. Among them, two generals of Taiping Army and Li are recognized as the bravest. Although their popularity among modern history lovers today is far less than that of the later princes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, they also had a love triangle with Hong Xiuquan's sister in some gossip TV series because of their exquisite names. One hundred and fifty years ago, on the battlefield of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, they were the most talked about terror killing stars in the Qing army. Even when I heard my own name, many generals of the Eight Banners who were usually arrogant couldn't stop shaking. Both of them are from Wuming, Guangxi. Born in this place of martial arts, they practiced hard kung fu since childhood. From boxing and leg kung fu to sword, sword, halberd, bow, horse, riding and shooting. When they did not participate in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, they rose to fame in the rivers and lakes of Guangxi. They were nicknamed "Wu Ming Shuang Xiong" and later followed Hong Xiuquan's banner. They take the lead and have repeatedly made outstanding achievements since jintian uprising, claiming to be

According to the famous monk Green Chin, who was the pillar of the Qing army at that time and later fought against it, Li was the sword of the Taiping generals. According to many Taiping generals who defected after the failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the reason why Hong Xiuquan sent these two "swords" to fight the battle of "Take the Charge" is also because these two swords are too strong in tempering ability, and they are all masters who are arrogant and lose, so it is not safe to keep them around. It is better to send them to the north to worry. When these two "swords" came out, the green front lit up: going out in March was like a violent whirlwind sweeping the six northern provinces. The legendary Eight Banners of the Qing army were either beaten or beaten one after another. How to fight and win all the way from Anhui to Henan! To the shame of many "capable ministers" of the Qing Dynasty who claimed to be "knowing soldiers", they were even more anxious about fighting IQ: during this period, the Qing army didn't win, even Yan Bingtao, the magistrate of Lian Huaiqing, made great contributions, stopped the Taiping Army with bloody blood, not only held off Lin Fengxiang, but also called the main force of the Taiping Army, and quickly fell into the anti-encirclement campaign of the superior forces of the Qing army. However, compared with the bloody magistrate Yan, Jing Er, the head coach of the Qing army, a scholar of Wenhua Hall trusted by Emperor Xianfeng and a rare cultural celebrity among the ministers of the Qing Dynasty, became conspicuous only when he went to the battlefield. At first, he was fooled by one or two tricks of Lin Fengxiang. He set up a fake military fortification and easily broke through under the eyes of the Qing army. It took Yan Zhifu a long time to block out this good situation. The more serious consequence is that the Taiping rebels, frightened by this, fought back even more violently. They first bypassed Taihang Mountain and staged a classic strategic detour in modern history. Then it broke through more than 20 cities and entered Zhili territory in one fell swoop.

Jing, who was cheated, came home even more confused. As the governor of Zhili, he fled with his hands and even threw his official seal all over the floor, which became the trophy of Taiping Army. For the stormy Qing dynasty, this kind of trouble was so serious that it was disgusting: look at the map and you will know that by 1853 10, the Taiping Army had occupied Dingxian County, Hebei Province, only more than 300 miles away from Beijing. The blade has been supported on the neck of Qing. Compared with this life-and-death situation, the emperors and subjects in the Qing Dynasty collapsed, and the fighting capacity of the Qing army was hit by the tourist trap at this time. In order to save the capital from the crisis, Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty spared no expense to transfer a large number of elite troops from Northeast China and Mongolia, all of which were the most powerful veteran troops in the Qing Dynasty. However, it is the legendary trump card of this group. In the face of the vigorous Taiping Army spirit, they are also scared and powerless. Some cavalry actually killed their own horses, just hoping not to be dragged into the battlefield. Pull to the battlefield, but also all kinds of cowards, such as the Zhili War, Heilongjiang cavalry, who was ordered to reinforce, was charged by the Taiping Army and was immediately beaten to pieces. Some people are too active to throw away all horses and weapons, even clothes and armor, and finally return to Beijing with food. In those days, beggars in Beijing gathered together, all of whom were the Eight Banners elite who ran back in droves. The army was in chaos, and the panic situation in Beijing was beyond the imagination of future generations: after the news that the Taiping Army captured Dingxian, the whole of Beijing was bombed, and in just a few days, more than 30,000 households and hundreds of thousands of people escaped. At the bleakest time, Qianmen Street, the most prosperous street in Beijing, was desolate everywhere, and no one could be seen.

It is particularly worth mentioning that at this time, the Taiping Army's hearty victory in the Northern Expedition also produced explosive international influence. Western countries, represented by Britain, are particularly worried. According to the British consul in Shanghai, the demise of the Qing Dynasty seems to be a matter of minutes. Thousands of miles away in London, the rumor is even more striking: Emperor Xianfeng transported a large number of palace treasures to Mobei, with gold and silver all the way, which was quite dazzling. The legendary Emperor Xianfeng, who is transferring treasures, is actually on the verge of despair. I even lamented to the ministers: See you on the trip to the Ming Dynasty. In other words, I will follow the footsteps of Emperor Chongzhen and climb the rhythm of crooked neck trees in Jingshan Park. Compared with the tragic situation before the demise of the Ming Dynasty, the tragic scene at the meeting of the Qing Dynasty was more like yesterday: every time Xianfeng called a meeting of ministers, he just said a few words about the serious situation, and then the ministers cried in court for several days, making the senior officials of the Qing Dynasty angry. With such a good situation, Lin Fengxiang, as the main commander, is also full of ambition. As early as when he arrived in Zhuxian Town, Henan Province, he sent someone back to Tianjing to report his work. The whole article is a magnificent scene: "since I came to Huaihai, I have seen all the wheat, but I have never seen a field." Food is very difficult and the number of soldiers is increasing day by day. There are many people riding mules. I think everything is rich at this moment, but I owe Gu Mi something. At this time in the Huaihe River, the writer returned to the DPRK with articles several times. Unknown? It's difficult to communicate at such a distance. Today we will discuss the departure of Zhuxian Town. Only when the Yellow River wins, can we repay your highness Jin 'an without any worries. Long live the king! " At this point, the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition, which won successively, suddenly reached its peak. As for seizing the capital and even overthrowing the Qing dynasty, it seems that it is behind closed doors.

Second, the Northern Expeditionary Army really didn't play well. The most important reason for not fighting well is that the Taiping Army won one victory after another, and the next performance can be called suicide: although it was invincible all the way, it was just plunder rather than occupation, so the farther north it went, the deeper it got. When the soldiers arrived in Beijing, they were basically alone, and soon the rear roads were cut off and trapped. And god is not beautiful at this moment. The first snow in northern China this year came earlier than usual. The Southern Taiping Army, which was already short of food and clothing, was immediately frostbitten in this bad weather, resulting in serious attrition. There is also the hard life of the Qing dynasty, and luck is not exhausted. When Emperor Xianfeng was in danger, the dead horse acted as a living horse doctor and mobilized military forces to organize the most tragic expedition. However, compared with the unfortunate bridge where Chongzhen kept picking straw bags, Xianfeng entrusted the most effective prince among Manchu and Mongolian nobles at that time: Sang Linqinqin. Compared with all kinds of timid coaches before the Qing army, Sang Gelinqin is the conscience of the industry. He took his time when he was ordered in a crisis. He changed the style of dealing with Taiping rebels blindly in the past, pursued siege all the way, and waged a protracted war with Taiping rebels, which was already a spent force. Tactics one-on-one, the situation suddenly reversed. First, the Taiping Army was stopped in the Jinghai alone, and was dragged to the edge of running out of ammunition and food. In desperation, Lin Fengxiang had to go south, south, even the town with a tree city with a ditch, and insisted on rescue. This time, the Qing army, which was more concerned with Sang Linqin, immediately concentrated its superior forces and swooped down on it, but it was still very patient: even though Emperor Xianfeng kept urging him to make a general attack, he still only thought that flies were buzzing and insisted on fighting according to his own tactics, just like a few huge stones, slowly but firmly pressing against the Taiping Army.

Under this tactic, the fierce northern expedition troops of Taiping Army finally lost the chance to win. Despite the critical situation, the resistance of Taiping Army is still heroic. Lin Fengxiang fought bloody battles in Lian Town, and repeatedly repelled Sang Linqin's attack. All the most elite 2,000 old Guangxi warriors around him were killed. Lin Fengxiang suffered many injuries and was finally found in an underground cave. He was sent to Beijing and executed in the same year. Then Sanggelinqin did the same thing, besieged Li in Fengguantun, and adopted the rolling tactics of fire and water attack or step by step advance. After paying a huge casualty price, he still worshipped Li's frail and speculative flaws, but instead captured the expert alive and escorted him back to Beijing to be executed. At this point, this life-and-death war that shook the land in the north of Qing Dynasty ended with the victory of Qing Dynasty. The most amazing thing about the Qing army before and after the Taiping Army was its fierce fighting capacity. Even at the end of the Feng Guantun War, an old Guangxi soldier of the Taiping Army who was captured was able to kill the guards of the Qing army suddenly while the Qing army was not paying attention, and also robbed the horses to escape. As a result, Monk Qin personally pursued him and mobilized soldiers to intercept him before and after, only to kill him. And the Manchu elite who died under him, at this moment, there are more than a dozen people. The fighting power of "Lao Changmao" also spread throughout the Qing army, and in the following years, it really frightened the Qing army. Compared with this incident, another phenomenon that surprised the Qing army was homosexuality. The most typical one is Lin Fengxiang, who was executed that year. Conquering Lin Fengxiang, in the words of Chen Sibo, a Wuchang native wrapped in Taiping Army, was such a heroic scene: Lin Fengxiang was seriously injured in his right arm and left leg.

Then the camp was breached, but Lin Fengxiang was gone. In desperation, Sanglin Qin dug three feet and searched for four days in a row. Finally, he found the tunnel where Lin Fengxiang was hiding. When he entered it, he was even more amazed: the tunnel was brightly lit and fully furnished, and there was enough food for a month. Even more than 30 Taiping generals, including Lin Fengxiang, are hiding in it. When the generals of Taiping Army were discovered, they all took up arms in frustration and prepared to fight to the death, but Lin Fengxiang stood up with strong support and lamented that God had done so and was captured. However, according to Xue Fucheng's recollection, in the process of this tragic arrest, another thunderous event happened: Lin Fengxiang, who was arrested, held two "beautiful women" and held a banquet in the tunnel for fun. Besides, my hair has been shaved, and I'm going to look for an opportunity to elope and escape. It doesn't seem unusual, but what really makes the Qing army shine at the moment is the "beauty" Lin Fengxiang is sitting in, but they are all men. Why is there such an atmosphere? It turned out that after the establishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the most famous thing was the suppression of men and women: 185 1 when the uprising was officially launched in, Hong Xiuquan solemnly promulgated five military disciplines, the second of which was "no masculinity" and established an all-female women's camp. Later, in order to prevent emotional disputes between male soldiers and female soldiers from affecting their combat effectiveness, Hong Xiuquan introduced a system of segregation between men and women, saying, "Men have male lines and women have female lines, and they should not be mixed." When the five kings were enfeoffed in Yong 'an City, Hong Xiuquan also promulgated the Ten Commandments, saying, "Anyone who commits adultery with men and women is called a freak and has the greatest sin." After the Taiping Army occupied Wuchang, an important town in the Yangtze River, Hong Xiuquan became more and more fierce, and the system of segregation between men and women was implemented more strictly. Even if the husband visits his wife and the son visits his mother, it is "only appropriate to ask questions at the door, and the voice must be loud and clear."

Couples who commit dogma privately will be beheaded by men and women. Husband and wife are not allowed to share the same bed, but they will be beheaded if they violate it. On the eve of the conquest of Nanjing, Hong Xiuquan issued another imperial decree that strictly divided the boundaries between men and women: "Women should be in charge of internal affairs, but foreign affairs should not be heard." It is forbidden for surrounding women to contact with the outside world. Therefore, Lin Fengxiang must not blatantly carry beautiful women with him. It is precisely because of Hong Xiuquan's strict requirements that the sexual needs of Taiping soldiers are not met and they are in a state of repression for a long time. Therefore, this strange phenomenon of distortion has been formed in the army. There is no conclusive material to test whether there is homosexuality among soldiers, but it is popular for the Taiping Army to adopt "boys", that is, handsome children who fish and hunt with the troops as their concubines. There are many records about this in Zhang Dejian's "Thieves' Sentiments". For example, where the Taiping Army lived, although women were not raped, every family searched for beautiful teenagers. The so-called "meeting Guangdong bandits (Taiping rebels) unexpectedly, abducting good citizens, treating the boy as a treasure, and every time you are trapped in a city and a country, you can't escape and fall into the net." "This is a true portrayal of Taiping Army discipline at that time. This practice has also brought people the same deep suffering: when many boys were robbed, their parents cried bitterly, and some parents were killed by Taiping rebels for begging for mercy. The boy who was arrested in the Taiping Army barracks had a miserable life. They are often called "sons" and "little adults" in public, but in fact they have been ravaged by generals. If they show a little concern for their parents, they will be tortured, and some people will be tortured to death.

So in the Taiping Army barracks, this common scene appeared: some beautiful teenagers were dragged to the general and placed various instruments of torture on the spot. As long as you are obedient and abused, you will be fed and clothed, and you will be tortured immediately if you dare to resist. This combination of kindness and kindness has scared many children to submit to humiliation and lead a life that is worse than death for many years. It is particularly noteworthy that male soldiers spoil boys and female soldiers spoil girls, with the same purpose: to talk about emptiness and loneliness. For example, Zeng Guofan's staff had a concubine named Mo. This Mo was originally from Hengtang, Xuanhua, Guangxi (now Nanning), nicknamed Ayou, and was captured by the female army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. As a result, she became the plaything of the female general of Taiping Army. Later, her father went to the Taiping Army barracks and begged for her children, but she also refused. It wasn't until she was taken care of by a woman in the Taiping Army and was later found guilty and killed that the girl saw the light of day again. Then she met Wang Kaiyun. There is a silver lining behind the dark clouds. For this marriage, Wang Kaiyun regarded it as a great pleasure in life, and gave warm love to this woman who had suffered. According to his "Poetry on the Seventh Floor of Hunan", "I am listening to music, and there are Nanning women who talk too much about old apartments, which makes me sad. Everyone laughed and I was rewarded with a poem. I bought it together and became a concubine. " However, compared with many Taiping troops who were addicted to this method and even lost their fighting spirit, Lin Fengxiang was still good. At least, he didn't lose heart. After being captured, he "saw the arrogance of the king (Sanglin Qinqin) and stood without kneeling". He was loyal and indomitable, and he felt as if he were dead. When he touched an inch, he "looked at the knife and said nothing."

Li and his subordinates Huang Ziduan and other seven people held their heads high and held their heads high when they died in Beijing. The Qing army bound Huang Shi, and Huang kicked two enemies to death and wounded two. During the execution, the audience was packed with thousands of people. Huang Qingliang's voice said to the audience: "Since I left Tianjing, I have been invincible and vulnerable, and my demise is just around the corner!" Sad! The Taiping Army is like a cloud, but it's a pity that the leader Hong Xiuquan is absurd and calculating. This group of soldiers who fought to the end did not receive assistance from the headquarters from beginning to end. It was not so much destroyed by the Qing army as delayed by Hong Xiuquan. Then even more tragic was the Tianjing incident, in which a large number of Taiping rebels killed each other. As a result, there is a saying among the people: the heavenly father can't get through if he kills Brother Tian. Long hair is not the Lord, but also Xianfeng.