In today's economic globalization, more and more people are going abroad to study abroad, and of course, more and more international students are studying in China. International exchanges are gradually increasing, and the global village is also developing harmoniously. In China's development, in fact, not only the contributions of Chinese, but also the help of many foreigners. Like the great anti-fascist fighter Bethune, who is well known to everyone, he came to China specifically to help the Chinese people resist Japan's aggression, which is worth remembering.
And the person I want to talk about today, he was born in the United States, came to Shanghai, China at the age of 27, and formed a foreign army- the foreign gun team. He helped the Qing court suppress the Taiping Army, and later she resolutely became a Chinese citizen and became a vice general of the Yankees. Later, the Yankees changed their name to Chang Shengjun, and he also took the pen name when attacking Cixi. He is the American Wahl.
Wall was born in Lem, Massachusetts, usa, attended the American Liberal Arts Military Academy, and chose to drop out before graduating. He wandered overseas and fought in Mexico and France. With military training, he had this outstanding performance, and he had been engaged in adventure activities at sea for a long time, and these experiences made Huaer's heart strong and very courageous.
Because the Wahl family has been engaged in seafaring for generations, Wahl spends most of his time at sea. This also filled him with a pirate-like adventurous gene, which laid the foundation for his later legendary life. He has been to China twice, and these two experiences have also made him deeply attracted to the ancient country of China.
He returned to the United States to start a shipping brokerage company owned by his family, but he didn't like the job at all. So he sold his beloved mount in exchange for a ticket to China. He was 27 years old at the time, and his greatest impression of China was the war between the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Army, and his original intention was to join the Taiping Army, and public opinion in the United States at that time was also inclined to the Taiping Army.
But when Wahl actually arrived in China, the foreign diaspora in Shanghai accused the Taiping Army of being a murderous maniac, and Wahl changed his mind. He decided to join the Qing army. At that time, the taiping army's power gradually increased, slowly approaching Shanghai, and the Qing court began to panic. They found that the Qing Dynasty alone was powerless to stop the Taiping Army, so they wanted to ask foreigners for help.
But britain and France at that time were also reluctant to start a direct conflict with the Taiping Army, so their best choice was to find a Westerner with no official background, and Wahl became the best choice. Wahl first served as a first officer on a ship called the Confucius, and later he was assigned by Wu Xu of the Qing Su Song Tai Dao to start forming the "Foreign Gun Brigade".
At the beginning, the composition of the Yankees was mixed, but they were all white Europeans and Americans. The quality of these people is also uneven, once the military salary is not paid on time, they will throw guns and leave, so it was difficult to manage at that time. After years of running-in, the number of foreign gun teams has increased, and its strength has gradually increased.
Soon after, the Yankees began to win the battle against the Taiping Army. They began to cooperate with the Qing army and won successive victories. Wahl also began to take root in China, marrying a Chinese woman. His wife at the time was a showgirl, and Wahl was very satisfied with his wife. Moreover, in order to retain Huaer, the Qing Dynasty gave him a high official position and approved him to join the Chinese nationality.
But in 1862, in a battle with the Taiping Army, Wahl was killed. When the news came, the whole city mourned, and the member of the team who had changed his name to "Changsheng Army" had been Wearing Ma Dai Xiao for three months. After Wahl's death, both the British and the French wanted to take over Wahl's post, but after Li Hongzhang's fierce negotiations, chang shengjun was still under the control of Chinese.