Xu Ke's "Qing Barnyard Notes and Satires" has a record: "Polygamy, an old custom of thousands of years, which is found in the "Book of Rites and Evenings", if Zhou Zhi tianzi has the latter one, the third wife, the ninth concubine, the twenty-seventh wife, and the eighty-one imperial wife, it can be described as a gang." And princes, doctors, and scholars also have concubines. In the late rich and noble houses, there are always Ji waiters, as many as dozens of people, especially in Guangdong. ”
In 1912, the first year of the Republic of China, the Provisional Covenant Law of the Republic of China explicitly stipulated the implementation of monogamy, but "polygamy" still existed.
It can be said that in the history of China's feudal society for more than three thousand years, the "wife and concubine system" of polygamy has always occupied the mainstream position. A closer look reveals that after the founding of the Republic of China, most of the literati and intellectuals led by example and conformed to the "monogamous" system called for by the government. However, in the warlord circle that advocates the philosophy of the warrior, many officers still cling to the decadent "polygamy" system.
Among them, Yang Sen, a warlord who ranks in the "Five Elements of the Sichuan Army", is the most typical one.
Born in Sichuan, Yang Sen has longed for military training since childhood. In 1908, he entered the Sichuan Army Academy, and at the same time, the students also included Tang Shizun, Liu Xiang and others, who later became the core figures of the Sichuan warlords. Although Yang Sen advocated civilization, it was difficult for him to abandon the old feudal customs and have a large number of wives and concubines throughout his life.
So, to what extent are there many Janssen wives?
According to the records, at that time, the whole Yang Mansion needed to be managed according to the army model to operate normally, which shows the scale of its scale. During his reign in Sichuan, Yang Sen held high the banner of "building Sichuan", repaired roads, built many public facilities, and indeed did some good things. However, in his detailed work, he disregarded the people's will, implemented severe punishments, and was punished for his improper clothes, so that the people did not have any freedom of life.
Not only are there many ways to punish, but there are also a wide variety of taxes that the people need to pay. It is normal for ordinary market sales to pay taxes, but even the hard work of picking dung has to pay taxes, which is a bit far-fetched. Heavy taxes will inevitably increase the burden on the poor, and in the end, the act of "building Sichuan" has become a measure to "oppress the people".
In addition, Yang Sen shouted the slogan of "liberating women" while recruiting wives and concubines in a dignified manner.
According to records, because of his large number of wives and concubines, Janssen had to manage the family according to the military model. Among them, the eldest wife is in charge of general affairs, the second wife is in charge of accounting, and the third wife is responsible for education... It's a little kingdom with all its internal organs. What is even more puzzling is that Janssen actually formulated the so-called rotation system for the wives, which wife is the turn, he will sleep with which wife, and everyone needs to strictly follow the order of exercise.
As the Republic of China's version of "Wei Xiaobao", Yang Sen not only took twelve wives successively and gave birth to forty-three children, he also shamelessly called him the "Twelve Nobles" of Yang Province. Although Yang Sen has a strong background, most of the wives and concubines he married were snatched by force.
The eldest wife, Zhang Shi, was the original wife of Yang Sen, and the two married when Yang Sen did not make a fortune. Zhang Shi is diligent and thrifty, and the two have a very good relationship, but he died young, and Yang Sen was sad for a long time.
The second wife, Tan Zhengde, was a house filler for Yang Sen and gave birth to a pair of children. Although the relationship between the two did not return to the past after marriage, Tan still lived a peaceful life.
The third wife, Liu Gufang, was the daughter of the contractor, and when Yang Sen was in the Dian Army in his early years, he happened to be photographed by a contractor who repaired a house, and he directly booked this family affair. However, shortly after Liu Gufang married Yang Sen, he died of lung disease.
The fourth wife, Tian Hengqiu, was the most favored and had the highest status among the many wives and concubines in Yang Province. At that time, Yang Sen fell in love with the Tian family at first sight, regardless of his marriage contract, and directly forcibly married into the palace. However, Tian's evening scene was very bleak, and after cerebral hemorrhage and hemiplegia, Yang Sen abandoned her and relied on his daughter to help.
The fifth wife, Xiao Bangqiong, was originally the daughter of Yang Sen's subordinates, and was favored by Yang Sen when accompanying her father to a banquet. However, after Xiao Bangqiong married into Yang Mansion, not only did he not get the so-called stable life, but he also drowned shortly after.
The sixth wife, Chen Shunrong, was a Guangdong woman, who was originally the handmaiden of Yang Sen's superior, but she was forcibly insulted by him after drinking and married into Yang Mansion. Because of his unpleasant personality, the Chen family was often abused by his family. Later, she had a mental problem, and Janssen chained her to the countryside.
The seventh wife, Zeng Guizhi, was a native of Guizhou, and Yang Sen adopted her in his early years. However, as Zeng grew up, Janssen had other thoughts about it. Driven by lust, he forcibly insulted his adopted daughter, who was only a teenager, and incorporated her into the palace. Zeng Guizhi was young, and after she was sent to Shanghai by Yang Sen to study, she fell in love with her classmates. After the incident, shuangshuang was secretly shot.
After killing the two, Janssen still did not understand the hatred. He also sent troops to tie the two men to boulders and sink them into the canal river. In this regard, Yang Sen believes: "If you don't keep the way of women, there is no way, then I will be willing to do it." ”
The eighth wife, Wang Defang, was the daughter of Yang Sen's secretary, and she was fifteen years old when she entered Yang Mansion. Later, Wang was sent to Shanghai by Yang Sen to study, and after returning, he became the principal of the middle school. Wang Defang had a full personality, and was later elected as a representative of the "National Congress", like a high-society celebrity. However, during the Cultural Revolution, Wang Defang was forced to hang himself in Leshan because of his close relationship with Yang Sen.
The ninth wife, Cai Wenna, is a middle school flower, and Yang Sen fell in love at first sight after seeing her, forcibly found someone to talk to the matchmaker, and vowed to marry Cai Wenna as a wife. Later, because Cai Wenna fell in love with her classmates, she was assassinated by Yang Sen.
The tenth wife, Zheng Wenru, was a victim of her family's pat on the back, she was originally a factory worker, and was later presented to Yang Sen by her uncle as a medical officer. At that time, Zheng Wenru was only seventeen years old, and she was inseparable after her marriage to Yang Sen. However, Zheng was snubbed after suffering from lung disease, and after liberation she remarried to a worker.
The eleventh wife, Hu Jieyu, was the daughter of Janssen's domestic servant, and she boarded in Janssen's house when she was studying. Yang Sen saw his youthful beauty and forcibly incorporated it into yang mansion. After that, Hu Jieyu fled to Taiwan with Yang Sen, and then took her daughter to settle in the United States.
The twelfth wife, Zhang Lingfeng, was a Taiwanese concubine who was included by Yang Sen in the name of a secretary when he was more than ninety years old, and was also Yang Sen's last marriage. Although Yang Sen was more than eighty years old at that time, Zhang Lingfeng successfully conceived and gave birth to a daughter, which became a strange story at that time.
In 1977, Yang Sen died at the age of ninety-three, the last general among the Sichuan warlords to die during the Republic of China.
Yang Sen's life's achievements were offset, in his early years to please Yuan to protect the country, shell british ships, in the national defense movement, he protected a number of important communist figures, and later joined the War of Resistance Against Japan. However, blinded, he later joined Chiang Kai-shek's camp. Janssen's many wives and concubines added many legends to his life, but in the final analysis, these are nothing more than unsightly affairs.
Resources:
["Explanation of Words", "Polygamy", "The Great Warlord Janssen and His Twelve Wives and Concubines"]