In the late Ming Dynasty, the military system of the Weishou completely collapsed. The officers were corrupt and risked their salaries, and the combat effectiveness of the Ming army plummeted, and they were simply unable to deal with rebellions everywhere. Therefore, the imperial court called on a large number of Toast troops, of which Qin Liangyu's white pole soldiers were the most famous.
Tusi was the leader of the ethnic minority and could be hereditary, but also subject to the transfer of the imperial court and fight for the imperial court. Qin Liangyu was the wife of Sima Qiancheng of Shitu, Sichuan, and was both literate and martial. After Ma Qiancheng was killed by the eunuch, Qin Liangyu acted as a toastmaster.
She has a white pole soldier, all of which are made up of Tujia disciples, and the weapons are long guns, the head of the gun is fishing, can be stabbed and cut, and equipped with iron rings for hammering. The body of the gun is made of white wax trees, so it is called "white pole soldier".
Qin Liangyu's first participation in the war was in 1600 to quell yang Yinglong's rebellion. Yang Yinglong was the toastmaster of Bozhou, and after launching a rebellion, it spread to several provinces. In order to quell the chaos, the Ming army had to transfer 200,000 troops from all over the country, and Qin Liangyu's 3,000 white pole soldiers were also among them.
Although the number of white pole soldiers is small, they have received strict training in mountain combat, and their formation is strict and orderly, and they are united with each other and act in unison. The frontal battle has never been lost, and the repeated defeats of the Bozhou Army have created the prestige of the White Pole Soldiers.
If it is said that the suppression of rebellion in Bozhou is just a small test of cattle knives, then the battle with the Eight Banners of Manchuria has really made the white pole soldiers famous in the world.
At that time, the Liaodong Ming army had been defeated in the Battle of Salhu and lost its field elite. In order to make up for the losses, the white pole soldiers who were far away in Sichuan were also transferred to Liaodong. At that time, the Ming army was generally afraid of fighting the Eight Banners, believing that the Jurchens were invincible.
In 1621, Shenyang was surrounded by the Eight Banner Army, and three thousand white pole soldiers, led by Qin Liangyu's brothers Qin Bangping and Qin Minping, crossed the Hun River and fought a bloody battle with the Eight Banner Army. The Eight Banners Army has always been known for its bravery and good fighting, but I did not expect that there was an army more courageous than them in the Ming army.
The White Pole Soldiers were facing the enemy, no less, and the Eight Banners Army suffered heavy casualties. Due to the superiority of the Eight Banners, after the friendly forces were defeated, the White Pole Soldiers fell into an encirclement. If it had been replaced by other Ming troops, in this case, it would have collapsed a long time ago.
But the white pole soldiers did not, none of them surrendered, not even the formation was chaotic. The Eight Banners Army wanted to eliminate them, and the only way to do so was to exchange human lives. The casualties of the white pole soldiers are getting bigger and bigger, and the situation is very dangerous. After Qin Bangping's death, Qin Minping led his army to fight to the death to open a bloody road and highlight the siege.
In this battle, the white pole soldiers killed more than 2,000 people and suffered great losses. However, they killed thousands of Eight Banners army, and still fought to the death in the encirclement circle, which made the Eight Banner Army feel frightened, and they were no longer willing to confront the white pole soldiers in the future. The White Pole Soldiers have since become the first strong soldiers of Daming. Qin Liangyu was given the title of Lady of the Commandment, and all of them were rewarded with the title of Erpin official, and Qin Bangping and others were all rewarded.
Immediately after, Sichuan Toastmaster Su Chongming rebelled, and Qin Liangyu not only refused to be wooed by Su Chongming's heavy gold, but also rushed to the front line. The White Pole Soldiers repelled the rebels and lifted the siege of Chengdu. Subsequently, he directly attacked the rebels' lair, and Su Chongming finally committed suicide in defeat.
The White Pole Soldiers were treated like a fire brigade, and wherever there was a crisis, they were sent to wherever they were. In 1630, Qin Liangyu personally led the army of Qin Wang, repelled the Eight Banner Army outside the city of Beijing, rescued the city of Beijing, and recaptured the four cities of Yongping. The Chongzhen Emperor personally received Qin Liangyu and wrote four poems in recognition of her and the merits of the White Pole Soldiers.
However, the Ming Dynasty was not something that Qin Liangyu could save as a female general. Li Zicheng broke through Beijing, Chongzhen hanged himself, and the Qing army entered the customs, and Jiangshan was about to change hands. In order to defend Sichuan, Qin Liangyu, who was a rare man, gathered 30,000 soldiers in his hometown.
Because Inspector Shao Jiechun did not understand the art of war and miscommunicated, the Ming army in Sichuan was attacked by Zhang Xianzhong. Although the 30,000 white pole soldiers fought hard, they could not resist the offensive of Zhang Xianzhong's men and horses, and the entire army was destroyed. This was the biggest defeat of the White Pole Soldiers, and it was also the last defeat.
Under the desperate protection of the white pole soldiers, Qin Liangyu escaped from the siege alone. The blood of the 30,000 disciples and soldiers spilled on the battlefield, causing Qin Liangyu to completely lose confidence and no longer lead the troops to participate in the battle. In 1648, Qin Liangyu died in 75 years.
Qin Liangyu fought for the country all his life, worthy of the country and worthy of the Ming Dynasty. Her white pole soldiers were the strongest Ming army at that time, and helplessly, the Ming Dynasty qi number had been exhausted, and it was not her personal strength that could reverse it. As the only female general in the history to be included in the biography of famous generals, Qin Liangyu is the well-deserved first hero.
Reference: Biography of Ming Shi Qin Liangyu