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From the rise of Hong Xiuquan in 1851 to the fall of Tianjing in 1864, the mighty Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement lasted for thirteen years, almost subverting the rule of the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years.
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement was like a flood beast, and the momentum was like a broken bamboo, occupying half of the southern part of the country in just a few years. In 1853, The Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan fixed the capital of Jiangning (present-day Nanjing), renamed Tianjing, and confronted the Qing Dynasty from north to south, seriously threatening Manchu rule.
In the confrontation with the Taiping Army, the corrupt Eight Banner Army and the Green Battalion were gradually defeated and retreated, and it was impossible to recover the lost land, let alone annihilate the rebel army in one fell swoop. In desperation, the Xianfeng Emperor ordered local officials to train township heroes to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, and promised:
Whoever conquers the enemy's nest in Nanjing will be crowned king.
On August 22, 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor died at the chengde summer resort at the age of 31, and he could not see the collapse of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as he wished, and his promise to be crowned king could only become the legacy of the former emperor.
(Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement)
In 1864, the brothers Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan led the Xiang army to attack Tianjing, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was completely destroyed. Zeng Guofan made an immortal meritorious service and continued the life of the Qing Dynasty for 50 years, which can be called the "savior" of the Manchu Qing regime.
It is reasonable to say that the Qing court should have fulfilled the promise of the Xianfeng Emperor and made Zeng Guofan a prince, but the fact is that Empress Dowager Cixi only gave Zeng Guofan a first-class marquis of courage.
Ancient titles were divided into kings, dukes, hou, uncles, sons, and men from high to low, and the marquis of Zeng Guofan was two levels lower than the princes promised by the Xianfeng Emperor. Then, Zeng Guofan was the most powerful, and the Xianfeng Emperor promised to be the first, why did he fail to be crowned king in the end?
For this problem, the author briefly analyzes the following, if there is a deficiency or improper, welcome to leave a message to criticize and correct.
(Zeng Guofan statue)
Reason 1: The ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty, Han chen can not be crowned king
In the final Qing Dynasty, a total of five Han Chinese kings with different surnames were enfeoffed, namely Wu Sangui the King of Pingxi, Shang Kexi the King of Pingnan, Kong Youde the King of Dingnan, Geng Zhongming the King of Jingnan, and Sun Kewang the Prince of Yi. At that time, the Manchu Qing had just entered the Central Plains and needed the support of the Han generals, so they had no choice but to seal the Han people's domain. However, when the rule was stable, the Kangxi Emperor immediately began to cut down the domain and reclaim the military power in the hands of the Han people with different surnames. Since then, the Qing Dynasty has had the ancestral system of Han Chen's non-titled king.
With zeng guofan's merits, it is indeed enough to crown the king, but he is a Han subject after all, and the Manchu Qing regime has natural discrimination and vigilance against the Han people, so Empress Dowager Cixi would rather disobey the xianfeng Emperor's will than resolutely refuse to make Zeng Guofan king.
(Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi)
Reason two: Zeng Guofan had heavy troops in his hands, and the Qing court was jealous
Zeng Guofan was ordered to form the Xiang Army, from funding to training, basically by him personally responsible, so the Xiang Army was Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army, not the Qing court's Xiang Army.
When suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the Qing court naturally hoped that the greater the power of the Xiang Army, the better, but once the uprising was settled and the situation was stable, the powerful Xiang Army suddenly became a major problem for Empress Dowager Cixi. Zeng Guofan was a master with heavy troops, and hundreds of thousands of Xiang troops with strong combat effectiveness were fully capable of competing with the regular army of the Qing court.
While relying on Zeng Guofan, the Manchu nobles were even more afraid that he would raise an army to rebel and subvert the qing dynasty's rule. If Zeng Guofan is crowned king, it is undoubtedly to provide Zeng Guofan with the weight of rebellion, which is the last thing the Qing court wants to see, so this king cannot be sealed.
Reason three: The lessons of the past, Zeng Guofan himself did not want to be crowned king
There is a saying that "when an official should learn from Zeng Guofan", it is true that Zeng Guofan is a very wise person, and the reason why he has done a good job in the Lord and can start and end well is precisely because he is not proud of his achievements and understands the principle that when the water is full, it overflows.
Ordinary people must be dissatisfied with making meritorious achievements, but they failed to be crowned king as desired, but Zeng Guofan's reaction at that time was "secretly happy" and "relieved". This is because, with the lessons of the past, none of the Qing Dynasty Hanchen (or descendants) who were crowned kings had a good end.
Once upon a time, the Han people's kingship caused the Rebellion of San Francisco, but after all, the arm could not twist the thigh, and in the end, not only was it cut three times, the title was abolished, and even the small life was difficult to save. Even if Wu Sangui and Shang Kexi, who were on the dominant side, were still like this, how could Zeng Guofan ensure that he would prosper for a long time?
Zeng Guofan only wanted to be a loyal general of the Qing Dynasty, so he did not put pressure on Empress Dowager Cixi after he pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, because he himself did not want to be crowned king. Since this was the case, the Qing court simply went down the slope of the donkey, did not give him the title of king, and both sides took what they needed and were all right.
In summary,
The reason why Zeng Guofan was not crowned king was not because his merits were not enough, but because there were many historical reasons. However, the Qing court was also grateful to him, after the death of Zeng Guofan, the Qing court gave him the title of "Wenzheng", which was the highest honor of the ancient Wenchen, and throughout the history of China, only more than 20 people were awarded the title of "Wenzheng", less than one-thirtieth of the total number of titles. Zeng Guofan was able to receive this honor, and he was not in vain to his fierce loyalty to the Qing Dynasty.
References: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Record of the Qing Dynasty