The cause of infighting in Tianjing was mainly due to the contradiction between the Eastern King and the Heavenly King. Judging from the overall situation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it has been getting better. Especially after the Taiping Army established the capital of Tianjing, the revolutionary enthusiasm of the soldiers of the whole army was even higher, and the military strength became stronger and stronger. The Taiping Army continued to win successive victories in other provinces, but the Qing army was more and more frustrated, and it was difficult to organize an effective counterattack, and it was even more difficult to form a lethal attack on the Taiping Army. With the deepening of the war, the Taiping Army became more and more comfortable with the Qing Army's operations. After three years of bitter fighting, the Taiping Army basically stabilized the situation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. However, all this positive situation does not obscure its potential crisis. The contradictions of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were not external, but at the core of leadership. Like all the peasant rebels of all dynasties.
When the country was laid, it immediately faced the problem of sharing the spoils among the leaders. Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had only become half of its great deeds, the contradictions between Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, and Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, in its core leadership were getting deeper and deeper.
The unhappiness between the two has long existed. It was in the spring of 1848, when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement was in full swing, and Feng Yunshan, a partner with Hong Xiuquan, was arrested by the local tuanlian and sent to Zhixian Gate in Guangxi for captivity. At that time, Hong Xiuquan was in Guangzhou and could not directly command Guangxi. The congregation was leaderless and in chaos. Seeing that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was about to fall apart.
At this time, Yang Xiuqing, who was born as a charcoal burner, suddenly rose up and assumed the leadership responsibility of the Taiping Army
。 In an incredible way, he finally turned the tide and stabilized the hearts of the army. At that time, the people of Guangxi believed very much in the idea of "possessing oneself." Yang Xiuqing used this concept to declare to the congregation that he was possessed by the Father Jehovah, and That God would use his body to convey his will. Many congregations believed his claims and quickly rallied around him, worshipping God in desperate circumstances.
02
Yang Xiuqing does have the characteristics of a leader. He was born in a poor peasant family in Pingai New Village, Zijing Mountain, Guiping City, Guangxi Province, his father Yang Yaqi and his mother Gu Shi. When she was a child, Yang Xiuqing had a lot of fate and experienced the joys and sorrows of life early. He lost his father at the age of 5 and his mother at the age of 9, and was raised by his uncle Yang Qingshan. These experiences made Yang Xiuqing mature earlier than his peers, and he naturally had a deep understanding of the sorrows and joys of the world.
When Yang Xiuqing became an adult, not only did he not have any books to read, nor even did he cultivate the fields; he could only cultivate the mountains and burn charcoal as his business, often having to cross the mountains and mountains to sell charcoal, bear the exploitation of merchants, exchange it for a liter and a half bucket of rice, and live a life of hunger and cold.
However, the experience of living in a poor environment has made Yang Xiuqing able to bear the burden of humiliation, and he is well versed in the world and good at socializing.
In 1846, under the influence of Feng Yunshan, Yang Xiuqing added people to worship God. At first, Yang Xiuqing was only an ordinary member and had not yet stood in the forefront of the anti-Qing struggle. But
Yang Xiuqing is a person who is good at seizing opportunities.
Since the crisis of worship in 1848, Yang Xiuqing claimed to be possessed by Jehovah and successfully united the congregation, his prestige within the cult has soared. Its political power also took the opportunity to rise, officially achieving the special status of passing on behalf of the Father, and becoming one of the leaders of the cult of God.
According to the theory invented by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom itself, Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, was the son of God and the highest representative sent by God to save the world. However, if Yang Xiuqing claims to be "possessed" by the "Heavenly Father", he is representing Jehovah, and his status is suddenly even higher than that of the "Heavenly King" Hong Xiuquan. Although there was no public dispute between the leadership over the matter at that time, this actually buried the hidden danger between the two men. In December 1851, when Yong'an was crowned king, Yang Xiuqing was promoted to the title of King of dong, known as the 9,000-year-old, who had the power to restrain the kings and held the supreme command of the military. Although nominally, Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, was still under the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan,
But from time to time, in the name of heavenly fathers, he directly crossed Hong Xiuquan,
Give orders to the Taiping Army. Hong Xiuquan, who originally had a strong desire for power, although he did not say anything in his mouth, he was extremely dissatisfied in his heart.
After the capital tianjing, the contradictions between the two became more and more numerous. Yang Xiuqing had begun to blatantly oppose Hong Xiuquan, the supreme leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and did not exercise any restraint. For example, Hong Xiuquan wanted to print the New and Old Testament holy books, but Yang Xiuqing ordered the matter to be terminated, and Hong Xiuquan had no choice. Yang Xiuqing obviously intended to fight against his immediate superior, and if Hong Xiuquan wanted to repudiate the Doctrine of Kong Meng, yang Xiuqing affirmed and supported it, deliberately preventing the Heavenly King from coming to power.
03
Yang Xiuqing had been suppressing Hong Xiuquan as a heavenly father, and Hong Xiuquan's actual status was already lower than that of the Eastern King. Yang Xiuqing once used to seize Hong Xiuquan's handle and perform the drama of "Heavenly Father Under Mortals", not only using vicious words to force Hong Xiuquan to call him Long Live, but also punishing Hong Xiuquan with sticks, and even adopting insulting words against his party. Such a blatant rebellion made Hong Xiuquan dare to be angry and dare not speak.
Another case was even more exaggerated, when Yang Xiuqing pretended to be ill and asked Hong Xiuquan to visit him
。 Hong Xiuquan originally did not want to go, as a son of heaven, always have to take care of a little identity, grievances to visit the courtiers is always not good, and if it reaches the ears of the ministers, where is the dignity of the leader? However, Hong Xiuquan was forced by Yang Xiuqing's power to be too big, so he had to swallow his anger and had to go to the Eastern Palace to see Yang. This was the first time that Hong Xiuquan had walked out of his Heavenly King's Mansion and run to Yang Xiuqing's bedroom to greet him. However, it was such a low three or four, Yang Xiuqing saw that Hong Xiuquan came, and deliberately ignored him,
He also whispered that people say that there are no two days in the sky, that there are no two masters, and that Qin Shi fights for two days.
Hong Xiuquan was stunned, Yang Xiuqing was nakedly forcing him to abdicate, and Hong Xiuquan originally wanted to be angry with the conspiracy, but was constrained by Yang Xiuqing's territory, worried that the other party had already set up an ambush, which was extremely unfavorable to himself. He suddenly moved one by one, ordering his subordinates to quickly kowtow to Yang Xiuqing and shout long live the Eastern King.
04
Hong Xiuquan's move actually frightened Yang Xiuqing. His original idea was not to directly harm Hong Xiuquan, but to further make him unable to come to the stage and give the Heavenly King a little humiliation, but Hong Xiuquan's retreat to advance actually left him speechless. Yang Xiuqing was faced with a dilemma.
If he accepted Hong Xiuquan's subordinate title at this time and was safe to be 'Long Live', it would be a blatant deception, and even if he won the throne, it would be unjustified, and it was likely to be resisted by everyone.
If he had admitted that his previous words had been inappropriate, he would not have been reconciled, and perhaps the king of heaven would have taken the opportunity to punish him for his sins. Seeing that the situation was not good, he had to snore and pretend to sleep.
After Hong Xiuquan returned to the Heavenly King's Mansion, he was frightened for a long time. Visiting Yang Xiuqing this experience can be described as a desperate situation, and it is almost impossible to return. He also began to think that in the long run, this was not the way to go, and he had to solve this big problem, otherwise his throne would be taken by Yang Xiuqing sooner or later. Therefore, he quickly secretly ordered Wei Changhui, the Northern King, who was fighting on the outside, and Qin Rigang, the Marquis of Dingtian, to return to Beijing and discuss with them the plan to get rid of Yang Xiuqing.
On September 1, 1856, Wei Changhui led three thousand of his cronies back to Tianjing. According to Hong Xiuquan's deployment, he immediately met with Qin Rigang, who had already returned to Beijing, and the two carefully planned the action plan. In order to prevent the night from being long and dreamy, they feared that Yang Xiuqing's secret agents would grasp Hong Xiuquan's movements, so they immediately secretly blocked the street leading to the Eastern King's Mansion and let heavy troops surround Yang Xiuqing's residence, just waiting for the official order of the Heavenly King. At this time, Yang Xiuqing was still unconscious.
When all the arrangements stopped, in the early morning of the next day, the time had come, and Wei Changhui led his soldiers to rush into the Eastern Palace. Yang Xiupu's guards did not have time to defend, so they were easily taken down by Wei Changhui. They rushed directly to Yang Xiuqing's bedroom, at this time, Yang Xiuqing was still asleep. The East Gate broke through and shouted at the soldiers who came to block him: "The Heavenly King has an order, and Yang Xiuqing plotted against him, and told me to kill him immediately." Subsequently, Wei Changhui entered the door and stabbed Yang Xiuqing in the chest with a knife, and suddenly blood splashed everywhere, and Yang Xiuqing fell to the ground and died.