In 1851, Hong Xiuquan issued an edict in Yong'an, naming Yang Xiuqing the Eastern King, Xiao Chaogui the Western King, Feng Yunshan the Southern King, Wei Changhui the Northern King, and Shi Dakai the Wing King. Coupled with Hong Xiuquan's self-proclaimed title of Heavenly King, it constituted the "Six Kings of Yong'an" in the early Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
(The Six Kings of Yong'an)
In the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the "Six Kings of Yong'an" performed their duties, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also developed and grew step by step, and soon conquered Nanjing. Over time, gaps began to arise between kings. In particular, Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, combined military and political power into one, arrogant and unscrupulous, which caused dissatisfaction among the kings.
Under the orders of Hong Xiuquan, Wei Changhui, the King of the North, led an army to wash the Eastern Palace in blood, and Yang Xiuqing was tragically destroyed. The belated Wing King Shi Dakai, because the soldiers of his own army were slaughtered by Wei Changhui, also had conflicts with Wei Changhui. Subsequently, the wing king Shi Dakai escaped from Tianjing and raised an army against Wei Changhui, who attacked the Heavenly King's Mansion in a hurry. In the end, Wei Changhui was also killed in the chaos. Then, the Heavenly King was jealous of the Wing King, and the Wing King left Tianjing in anger.
This is the famous "Tianjing Incident".
In this incident, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom lost the Eastern King and the Northern King, and fled the Wing King, and the various armies were suspicious of each other and the blades were facing each other. This incident also became an important turning point in the transformation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom from prosperity to decline.
It is worth mentioning that as early as a few years before the Tianjing Incident, Xiao Chaogui, the Western King, and Feng Yunshan, the Southern King, had already died on the battlefield. The loss of the Western King and the Southern King's restraint also contributed to Yang Xiuqing's arrogant despotism, which eventually led to a tragedy.
(Tianjing Incident)
So, if Xiao Chaogui and Feng Yunshan did not die, wouldn't the Tianjing Incident have happened?
First of all, Xiao Chaogui, Xiao Chaogui was the third person in the taiping heavenly kingdom, and his status was only below Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing, and he was called eight thousand years old. When he was a child, Xiao Chaogui's family was in difficulty, and before he was twenty years old, he had already suffered from upheaval and displacement.
After learning of Feng Yunshan's cult of worship, Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing joined the association in 1846 and became the first members. Later, Feng Yunshan was arrested and imprisoned, and the church began to waver. It was Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui who pretended to be "Heavenly Father" and "Heavenly Brother" to appease the congregation and encourage them to persist in the struggle.
After this incident, Xiao Chaogui had the special status of "Heavenly Brother Transmission", becoming a transcendent figure second only to Yang Xiuqing's "Heavenly Father's Transmission".
Before the Jintian Uprising, Xiao Chaogui took the lead in self-destruction of the house, and took the lead in showing the determination to let go to the crowd. In the various battles that followed, Xiao Chaogui became a key figure who assisted Yang Xiuqing, grasped the situation, and dispatched the army.
Xiao Chaogui was brave and good at war, which was mentioned in historical materials such as the "Awakening World Text" and "The Self-Description of Li Xiucheng, the King of Zhong". Li Xiucheng commented on him as: "Brave and strong, charge first." It was precisely because Xiao Chaogui was bound to be a pioneer in every fight, and in the battle with the Qing army in December 1852, Xiao Chaogui commanded the artillery attack on the front line, but unfortunately was hit by enemy shells. He died shortly after returning to camp because of ineffective medical treatment.
(Xiao Chaogui stills)
As far as the trajectory of Xiao Chaogui's life is concerned, he should be an important figure belonging to Yang Xiuqing's family. But the difference between the two is that Xiao Chaogui is not as ambitious as Yang Xiuqing. Although he tried his best to assist Yang Xiuqing militarily, he always put battle first and did not like to fight with each other. If he were still alive, perhaps Yang Xiuqing would not force Gong Hong Xiuquan.
Looking at Feng Yunshan, although Feng Yunshan was the King of the South, his status was inferior to that of Hong, Yang, and Xiao, but he was the most critical figure in the success of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The "Self-Description of Li Xiucheng, the King of Loyalty", records: "The founder of the country came out of the plot of the Southern King, and the former doers were all the Southern King." ”
In the early missionary activities of the Worship of God Society, Feng Yunshan was the most diligent person. Feng Yunshan preached in the Bauhinia Mountains area, and in just a few years, he created a new revolutionary organization, which made Hong Xiuquan's work very simple. Among the early six kings, except for Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan himself, almost all the other 4 kings were recruited by Feng Yunshan.
Later, Feng Yunshan was arrested, not only to be killed himself, but also to sit with his family. But Feng Yunshan was fearless, but instead studied a set of "heavenly calendars" in prison, with Lichun as the first year.
(Feng Yunshan stills)
Before the Jintian Uprising, Feng Yunshan had always been in the second place. However, due to the fact that Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui had the special function of "passing on the will of the lower mortals", and the military power was also controlled by them, Feng Yunshan later assumed the false title of a deputy military division. However, all the official systems and ceremonial systems of the Taiping Army were formulated by Feng Yunshan.
Unfortunately, in 1852, Feng Yunshan was ambushed by the Qing army and also died due to artillery fire.
However, although Xiao Chaogui and Feng Yunshan were important. But it does not indicate the existence of the two of them, and such a thing as the "Tianjing Incident" will not happen. Why?
Because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Army was born as a peasant, it had poor culture and poor military discipline. It is only a matter of time before there are contradictions between the leadership. Even Xiao Chaogui and Feng Yunshan did not die, and they mediated with all their strength when there was a conflict between Hong and Yang. But coups such as the "Tianjing Incident" are bound to happen.
Because of his personality, Yang Xiuqing made too many enemies among the generals of the Taiping Army, and it was only a matter of time before he was caught up in a firefight. And once Hong Xiuquan came to power, he would inevitably crown his two brothers as kings to contain the power of the kings. A good-tempered person like Shi Dakai will run away in order to avoid contradictions. But if it was a fierce person like Wei Changhui, he might directly fight with the Heavenly King. By that time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would still be long-lasting.
(References: "Self-Description of Li Xiucheng, King of Zhongwang", "Awakening To the World")