In January 1851, the Jintian Rebellion broke out, which was a great test for the Eight Banners. At this time, the Eight Banners soldiers and horses had long been in decline, but the Xianfeng Emperor wanted to take this opportunity to once again stimulate the fighting spirit of the Eight Banners disciples, let them restore the majesty of the customs, and continue the life of the Qing Dynasty. By suppressing the Taiping Army and restoring the fighting spirit of the Eight Banners, this was Xianfeng's idea and was also put into practice. As for the Han landlord armed forces, such as the Xiang Army, they could only play substitutes and serve as cannon fodder.
The eight banner generals, such as Sai Shang'a, Hechun, SangLinqin, Dolong'a, Dexing'a, Duxing'a, Tomin'a, Xiling'a, Gilhang'a, and Shengbao, were all objects of Xianfeng's heavy use. Here, the author will talk about the first Eight Banners General WuLantai reused by Xianfeng: This person, known as a firearms expert, was killed by the Taiping Army under the city of Guilin, which was the first Eight Banners General to die in the battlefield of "Suppression of Tai". Of course, Ulantai was not the last, and the Eight Banners General who died at the hands of the Taiping Army was innumerable.
Ulantai, a Manchurian Hongqi man, was born noble and was very good at using firearms, known as "firearms experts". The "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" records: "Good at training, pay attention to firearms", saying that he is not only good at using firearms, but also trained soldiers to use firearms, and is regarded as an instructor of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty. During the Daoguang years, Ulantai carried a firearms battalion to follow the general Yang Yuchun in his conquest of the Western Regions, made great military achievements, and promoted his official position all the way, and later served as the deputy governor of Guangzhou.
In January 1851, the Jintian Rebellion broke out, and the guangxi front generals feared the Taiping Army. In February, Xianfeng issued an edict to let Ulantai deputy handle military affairs and enter Guangxi to suppress the Taiping Army. On this trip to Guangxi, Ulantai brought all the firearms battalions under his command, and the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" said: "Select and bring the applicable equipment and the powerful Zhang Jing soldiers to the army, and the guangdong green battalion elite soldiers will be subordinate to 500 people." ”
With the blessing of firearms, Ulantai was full of confidence and believed that he could easily "violently attack" the Taiping Army. The result? In the Battle of Zhongping in Xiangzhou, Ulantai used the advantage of firearms to destroy the Taiping Army positions, and the start was very good. Who knows, the Guizhou Green Battalion soldiers fled in the face of the battle, and there was a farce of 7 Taiping troops chasing 1,000 Qing troops to beat up, and Ulantai wanted to cry without tears.
In the Battle of Zhongping, the Guizhou Green Battalion soldiers were really powerless, and although Ulantai was angry, he was helpless. In July 1851, the Taiping Army returned to Jintian Village again, and Ulantai followed in pursuit, winning consecutive battles. In September, the Taiping Army broke through from Jintian Village, adopted the tactic of attacking the west from the east, and directly attacked Yong'an, capturing the first city since the military revival. Ulantai also pursued and killed the city from the south, confronting the Qin Rigang army.
When they were pursued and killed in Yong'an, Ulantai had more than 6,000 soldiers and horses under his command, including about 1,000 people equipped with firearms imported from Guangzhou, and the firepower advantage was very obvious. However, Qin Rigang relied on his geographical advantages to counterattack from a commanding height, and at night he sent troops to sneak into the Qing army camp, and Ulantai fought continuously for several months without progress. In addition, Xiang Rong claimed that he was not ill and did not attack from the north, and the Yong'an Taiping Army was safe and sound.
XianFeng issued a severe reprimand, and Xiang Rong had no choice but to march into the north of Yong'an City, but did not want to "work" for Ulantai, and the battle was very passive. In April 1852, Luo Gang led 2,000 soldiers and horses to attack the Qing army at night, tearing through the northeast defensive line, and the main force of the Taiping Army immediately followed and all withdrew from Yong'an. Ulantai was very annoyed by this, and could only complain to the Chincha minister Sai Shang'a, who was supervising the division at the front, but to no avail.
The Taiping Army withdrew from Yong'an, and Ulantai led 6,000 soldiers and horses to pursue them overnight, tightly grasping the Qin Rigang Army, which was responsible for the break. In the Battle of Longliaoling, Ulantai adopted the tactic of pinching back and forth, defeating Qin Rigang three times in a row and killing more than 3,000 taiping troops, which was the biggest victory since the Qing army began the war. However, most of these 3,000 people are family members of the army, and there are not many fighting forces, and Ulantai is considered to be a good killer.
In the Battle of Longliao Ridge, 3,000 men and horses were killed, which was unbearable for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It should be known that Hong Xiuquan preached that "there are many men in the world, all brothers; many women in the world, all of them are sisters", and the people of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom are all "children" of God, all brothers and sisters. In this way, the Taiping Army was bound to fight back, using the blood of the Qing army to honor the families who were killed, and a big war followed.
After defeating Qin Rigang, Ulantai took advantage of the victory to pursue, but Xiang Rong did not cooperate. As a result, Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, successfully set up an ambush at Dayuan, and thousands of Qing troops were caught between front and rear in the encirclement, killing more than 4,000 people. In this battle, Ulantai was wounded and fell off his horse, hid in the mountain stream and grass, and escaped a disaster. At this time, there was also qin Dingsan, the chief soldier, in the grass, and the two looked at each other speechlessly, very embarrassed.
In the Battle of Dayuan, four commanders of the Qing Dynasty's Zheng'erpin commanders, Chang Rui, Changshou, Dong Guangjia, and Shao Heling, were killed on the battlefield, and Ulantai, who had been promoted to the capital of Guangzhou, luckily escaped the disaster. After the disastrous defeat of this battle, Ulantai was not convinced, and after the Taiping Army moved north, he continued to lead his troops in pursuit. In May, the Taiping Army attacked Guilin, Xiang Rong entered the city in advance to guard, and Luo Gang attacked continuously, unable to get half a step closer to the city. In mid-May, Ulantai arrived in Guilin and launched an attack on the Taiping Army.
Armed with the advantage of firearms, Ulantai broke through the outer defense line of the Taiping Army, directly killed the city of Guilin, and launched a charge against the Taiping Army that was besieging the city. Luo Gang led his troops to counterattack, lined up at the General Bridge, Ulantai was the first soldier, the Eight Banners soldiers and horses charged with firearms, and the two sides shot at each other, and there were many casualties. Who knows, during close combat, the Eight Banners were afraid of fighting and were killed and defeated by the Taiping Army.
The Eight Banners retreated one after another, and Ulantai could not stop them, and also ran back. At this time, a shell of the Taiping Army hit just in the right leg, and Ulantai fell off his horse, was carried back by his subordinates, and died. The "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" says: "After Ulantai heeled the Taiping Army, he fought outside the South Gate, fought for the General Bridge, shot the right leg in the middle of the cannon, created a Chuang, retreated to Tun Yangshuo, and died in the army on the twentieth day." ”
Ulantai, a Manchurian Zhenghong bannerman, was a well-known firearms expert, and was killed by the Taiping Army with guns, which was the first Eight Banners General to die in the battlefield of "Suppressing Tai". Of course, Ulantai was not the last, and the eight key members of the eight banners, such as Senggelinqin, Dolong'a, Gilhang'a, Xianghou, Huolongwu, and Hechun, all died at the hands of the rebel army. In this way, Xianfeng tried to restore the goal of the Eight Banners' sons and daughters to the bankrupt, and the Xiang Army was destined to become the protagonist, and no one could stop it.
Bibliography: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty