In 1669, the year Kangxi was 16 years old. In history, there have been many emperors of this age, but the extraordinary Kangxi has already outwitted the monopoly of imperial government. The young emperor displayed extraordinary political wisdom and firm will, which quickly brought him to the commanding heights of power.
However, Kangxi's ambition for hegemony did not stop there. He realized that in order to make the Qing Empire more stable and prosperous, there were three more problems that needed to be solved—San Francisco, river affairs, and Caoyun. Among them, he is undoubtedly most concerned about the San Francisco issue. These three clan kings had long been a stubborn problem of the Qing rule, and they had considerable strength and influence in the frontier areas, which could threaten the stability of imperial power at any time. Therefore, Kangxi needed to show not only his leadership wisdom, but also his political courage in order to solve this problem, which had always worried him.
He allowed it to withdraw from the domain, and became angry
The so-called "San Francisco" refers to the Ming dynasty's surrender to Shang Kexi, Geng Jimao, and Wu Sangui as princes of the domain, guarding Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yungui respectively. These three clan kings were originally loyal vassals of the Ming Dynasty, but over time they established a strong presence in the local area and posed a threat to Qing rule.
The Kangxi Emperor, as an intelligent and far-sighted monarch, received a profound historical education from an early age and was well aware of the dangers of San Francisco. He was determined to defuse this "time bomb" hanging over the Qing rulers and bring San Francisco under the control of the central government.
However, opportunities don't always come as planned. In the spring of the 12th year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1673), King Pingnan was still happy, worried that his son's behavior might affect him, and asked the imperial court to allow him to return to Liaodong to retire. Kangxi saw this opportunity and interpreted "pension" as "withdrawal of the domain", and gladly approved Shang Kexi's request.
Geng Jingzhong of Fujian saw the opportunity and also wrote to request the withdrawal of the domain and move to Liaodong. Kangxi quickly agreed, this time showing his firm determination.
However, for Wu Sangui, things are not so simple. Wu Sangui was the most powerful of the three clan kings, and he had great power over the Empress Dowager and the court magnates. Although he also wrote to request the withdrawal of the domain, in fact, he hoped that the imperial court would keep him. Kangxi was well aware of Wu Sangui's true intentions, so he decided to listen to the opinions of the courtiers, and although there were many objections, Kangxi had already made up his mind that San Francisco had become overwhelming and that it was better to initiate action.
Kangxi decisively ordered that he be "allowed to withdraw his domain" and also sent special envoys to Yunnan, seemingly to help deal with the matter, but in fact to seize the initiative. When Wu Sangui learned the news, he felt embarrassed and angry, decided to take a desperate step and launched a rebellion.
Thus, the famous "San Francisco Rebellion" officially broke out. This chaos became a great challenge under the Kangxi Emperor, and it also gave people a glimpse of his decisive and wise rule. Kangxi not only accurately judged the situation, but also demonstrated the mind and choice of a great monarch with firm determination and action.
Rising troops in Jiangnan, the world responded: Wu Sangui's heroic hegemony
Wu Sangui knew that to successfully launch the uprising, he needed to adopt clever strategies. First of all, relying on the strength of his army, he adopted a strategy of attacking and defending, sending troops everywhere, and overwhelmed the Qing army. At the same time, he saw the will of the people and decided to take a series of measures to win support. He ordered his generals to change their Ming Han clothes to win the support of old Ming courtiers and Han people, and also sent emissaries to the provinces to liaise and win over local officials. More importantly, he wrote to Shang Kexi and Geng Jingzhong, inciting the two clan kings to rebel and drawing them into the banner of anti-Qing.
At the beginning of the uprising, the balance quickly tilted to Wu Sangui's side. Wu's subordinate Ma Bao occupied Guizhou and entered Hunan, while on the Sichuan side, Wang Pingfan also succeeded in capturing territory. Xiangyang and Guangxi defected one after another, and the forces supporting Wu Sangui grew day by day. Under Wu Sangui's ingenious demagoguery and mobilization, Geng Jingzhong also rebelled and joined forces with Wu to capture more than 30 cities in Jiangxi.
Shang Kexi's son Shang Zhixin, incited by Wu Sangui, decided to "vote for Wu against the Qing", which further strengthened Wu Sangui's sphere of influence and took control of Guangdong. In addition, Wang Fu, a confidant who had been loyal to Wu Sangui, also rebelled against the Qing and successfully occupied parts of Gansu and Shaanxi. Even Zheng Jing (son of Zheng Chenggong), who was entrenched on the island of Taiwan, launched an offensive from Penghu in an attempt to get a piece of the pie.
Surprisingly, in just over a year, most of the area south of the Yangtze River was controlled by Wu Sangui, while the Qing army was concentrated north of the Yangtze River, and the two sides formed a confrontation bounded by the Yangtze River.
Wu Sangui was not in a hurry to march north, he had a wiser plan. He hoped to divide and rule with the Qing Dynasty on the Yangtze River, consolidating his power in the Jiangnan region, thereby ensuring the stability and rule of Jiangnan. His strategy not only excelled in war, but also achieved political and diplomatic success.
All hearts are unified, each is broken: the contest between Kangxi and the "San Francisco Rebellion"
It was a time of great wind and rain, and half of the rivers and mountains that had been laid down through hardships were occupied by Wu Sangui. This news shocked the government and the public, and the Qing court ministers also engaged in fierce arguments over the "withdrawal of the domain" policy.
In such a complex and grim situation, the Kangxi Emperor showed extraordinary calmness and determination. He first took a series of measures to demonstrate his firm stance towards Wu Sangui. Kangxi killed Wu Sangui's son Wu Yingxiong to show his determination to eradicate Wu. Next, he conducted an in-depth analysis and developed a strategy of "individual breakdown".
First, he temporarily slowed down the withdrawal of the Fujian and Guangdong domains, in order to divide Shang Zhixin and Geng Jingzhong and isolate Wu Sangui. Then, on the Western Front, Kangxi successfully rebelled against Wang Fuchen, who had been loyal to Wu Sangui. In the southeastern battlefield, Kangxi's "arrangement" caused Zheng Jing and Geng Jingzhong to fight for territory, leaving the latter in a situation where he was under enemy back and had to surrender.
After Geng Jingzhong surrendered, Shang Zhixin was shocked and followed the surrender in Guangdong. Sun Yanling of Guangxi was killed in Guilin after clashing with Wu Sangui's grandson, and Guangxi also surrendered. At this time, Zheng Jing was already isolated on the eastern front and could only choose to return to Taiwan.
In March of the 17th year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Wu Sangui was cornered and hastily declared himself emperor in Hunan, establishing the state title "Zhou", and realizing his dream of being emperor. However, five months later, under the pressure of the Qing army and surrounded on all sides, Wu Sangui died of a violent illness. His grandson Wu Shifan succeeded to the throne and continued his confrontation with Kangxi.
The Qing army crossed the Yangtze River and launched an all-out offensive, recapturing large areas of lost territory. Wu's forces were already in jeopardy, and Wu was forced to flee back to Kunming.
In the twentieth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, the Qing army besieged Kunming with all its might, and Wu Shifan finally chose to commit suicide, ending the "San Francisco Rebellion" that lasted for 8 years.
The fundamental reason for the failure of the "San Francisco Rebellion" was that the people were uneven and tearing each other down. The various anti-Qing forces fought for personal interests, which eventually led to each opportunity to be defeated. Wu Sangui's hegemony was eventually shattered, and the lesson of history is that unity is important, but what is more crucial is common beliefs and goals, only in this way can we overcome adversity and win victory.
The story of another clan king outside San Francisco: Kong Youde, King of Dingnan
In the historical picture of the San Francisco Rebellion, the names of Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi, Geng Jingzhong and other clan kings are clearly embedded in it, but there is also a clan king, although he is not as prominent as San Francisco, but has his own unique experience and influence. This clan king is Kong Youde, the "King of Dingnan".
Kong Youde's life is legendary. Born in 1602, he was not known for his academic talents in his early years, and could not even read a few words. Because his family was not wealthy, he was forced to work as a miner in Tieling.
However, in the military field, Kong Youde showed outstanding talent, especially horseback riding and archery. When he was about 17 or 18 years old, the famous Battle of Salhu took place, in which the Houjin army defeated 200,000 Ming troops in only five days with only 60,000 people, completely changing the situation and making Houjin begin to emerge.
Subsequently, Kong Youde joined the Ming army, followed the general Mao Wenlong, participated in the battle of Houjin Jinjiang, and went to Phi Island in Korea. Mao Wenlong rose to fame as a result of this battle, promoted to the rank of officer, and Kong Youde also performed well in it, was promoted to general by Mao Wenlong, and became his adopted grandson.
However, the ups and downs of fate make everything unpredictable. Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, later Geng Jingzhong's grandfather, were both fellow villagers and righteous brothers. However, their fate was changed by the actions of a famous general. Yuan Chonghuan, the first general of the anti-Qing dynasty, killed Mao Wenlong, and Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, disillusioned with Daming, left the Ming army and went to Denglai, Shandong, where they defected to Sun Yuanhua.
Sun Yuanhua was an expert in Western artillery, and he built a powerful firearm corps in Dengzhou and Laizhou. These artillery pieces posed a great threat to the Houjin army. A cannon fire at the head of Ningyuan City wounded Nur Hachi, causing him to die of his injuries, an incident that had a significant impact on the rise of Later Jin.
However, just when the Houjin army became afraid of the Ming army, a seemingly trivial event changed everything, that is, the story of a chicken. This story will leave an important footnote in the history of the "San Francisco Rebellion".
The "Wuqiao Mutiny" caused by a chicken: Kong Youde's strange scene
In August of the fourth year of Chongzhen, the city of Dalinghe was besieged by Emperor Taiji's troops, and Sun Yuanhua of Shandong received an order to send troops to support. After careful consideration, Sun Yuanhua decided to send Kong Youde, because he was a native of Liaodong and knew the local situation well, so he was the most suitable candidate.
Sun Yuanhua provided Kong Youde with 2,000 soldiers and 300 cannons, ordered him to travel overland to the Daling River, and demanded to reach the front line within two months. However, this is almost an impossible task. In addition to the long journey and difficult mountain trails, they had to transport 300 cannons, which made the task even more difficult. As a result, two months later, Kong Youde's troops had still not left Shandong and were already facing severe shortages of food and grass.
In the late Ming Dynasty, not only were there frequent wars in Liaodong, but rebel armies also rose up throughout the country. Local governments requisitioned food from the civilian population, resulting in the people almost taking away food rations. In this case, it is difficult to buy food even if there is money. The people of Shandong were also not enthusiastic, the entire county was like a retreat, Kong Youde could only reduce the way of eating, reducing three meals to two, and two meals to one.
However, one day, as his troops passed Wu Bridge, an accident occurred.
A hungry soldier went to steal a chicken, but the owner of the stolen chicken was Wang Xiangchun, a local prince, and had close ties to the imperial court. Wang Xiangchun's brother served as Shangshu of the military department, so the incident caused a huge storm.
Kong Youde had no choice but to kill the errant soldier. This action aroused the dissatisfaction of the soldiers, who had endured hunger for a long time, and were very emotional, and they expressed their unwillingness to advance: "We starve every day, and now even Shandong has not yet come out, and the Daling River is even more out of reach." We may starve to death on the road! ”
At that time, Li Jiucheng, a general in the army, took the opportunity to incite and claimed: "Sun Yuanhua asked us to reach Liaodong within two months, but now that the two-month deadline has passed, we have not even left Shandong!" If, according to military law, we have delayed important military operations, then each of us will be severely punished! And we have so many artillery, why not simply rebel? ”
So Kong Youde and his 2,000 soldiers decided to change their original plan, and they turned back to Shandong and recaptured Dengzhou and Laizhou. This sudden decision seemed easy because Kong Youde's "god brother" Geng Zhongming acted as an internal agent in the city and opened the gates for them. This action caused Sun Yuanhua's patrol army and forged cannons to fall into Kong Youde's hands.
The theft of a chicken became the trigger for the "Wuqiao Mutiny", which changed the fate of Kong Youde and his troops, and finally won a big victory in Shandong.
The butterfly effect: a chain reaction of a chain of events
Historically, the butterfly effect has often influenced events in unexpected ways. As early as a year before Kong Youde's rebellion, a series of events had already made waves in the Ming Dynasty, which eventually led to Kong Youde's choices and actions.
In August 1630, the third year of Chongzhen, a shocking event occurred within the Ming Dynasty: Yuan Chonghuan was beheaded. Behind this incident involved the impeachment of Yuan Chonghuan by the remnants of the powerful minister Wei Zhongxian, and at the same time, Huang Taiji also took the opportunity to counterplot. Unlike his father Nur Hachi, Emperor Taiji used Han generals, treated Han people kindly, and advocated the unity of Manchu and Han. These measures made Emperor Chongzhen believe that it was true, mistakenly believing that Yuan Chonghuan had secret contacts and agreements with Later Jin. In the end, Yuan Chonghuan was executed by Ling Chi in Jingshi, and one of his crimes was "unauthorized killing of Dao Shuai (Mao Wenlong)", without the knowledge of Emperor Chongzhen beforehand.
This incident made Huang Taiji ecstatic, he had been worried about Mao Wenlong's existence before, but now that Mao Wenlong had died and Yuan Chonghuan had also been executed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, this is not the end of it, more good news is coming.
Kong Youde's rebellion also broke out at this time. The Ming court sent Sun Yinglong from Tianjin to suppress the rebellion against Kong Youde. Sun Yinglong led 2,000 sailors and a group of giant warships to suppress the rebellion. However, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming devised a scheme and succeeded in capturing Sun Yinglong. Although Sun Yinglong is not a high-ranking general, the military equipment he has is very precious.
In an instant, Kong Youde mastered the water army and firearms battalion, and was also equipped with naval division soldiers and a large team of warships.
However, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming did not intend to establish themselves as kings. They understood that the rebel army would one day be defeated, so they decided to submit to the most powerful forces. In the end, they led the remnants of the troops and super weapons and surrendered Houjin.
Huang Taiji was happy about this, and he personally went ten miles away to greet Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming. After the meeting, he adopted the highest etiquette of the Manchus, the hugging ceremony. He needed to kneel on one knee, and although it was not clear whether Huang Taiji really did this at the time, it was enough to show his excitement and joy.
In 1636, the ninth year of Chongzhen, this year was not only the first year of Chongde, but also marked a further watershed in the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Taiji announced the establishment of the Great Qing Dynasty and officially crowned Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming as princes of the domain. These two brave generals repeatedly established battle exploits for the Qing and became important supporters of the Qing court.
However, with the death of Emperor Taiji and the accession of the Shunzhi Emperor, Kong Youde was made King of Dingnan with the seal of the general of Pingnan. His task was to annihilate the remnants of the Ming dynasty, the Southern Ming regime. This task is a new challenge for Kong Youde, the king of Dingnan.
However, four years later, the Southern Ming regime welcomed an outstanding leader, Li Dingguo the King of Xining. Li Dingguo captured most of Hunan in a very short time, then marched towards Guangdong, and finally set his sights on Guilin, Guangxi. Kong Youde led his army to fight Li Dingguo many times, but he was obviously at a disadvantage and could not match Li Dingguo's military strength.
In the ninth year of Shunzhi, on the fourth day of the first month of July, the Ming army captured the city of Guilin, and Kong Youde personally climbed the city tower to command the defense of the city. However, he never expected that he would be shot in the forehead by an arrow. The soldiers hurriedly helped him back to the camp, but Kong Youde's injuries grew worse.
Kong Youde felt that his life was in danger, so he dismissed his family and let the servants flee the city with a son and a daughter, while his wife and concubine chose to hang themselves. In the city of Guilin, Kong Youde clearly knew that he had reached the end of his life. In order to martyr his country, he used his last strength to knock down the candlestick, set fire to his study, and set himself on fire.
After the Shunzhi Emperor learned of Kong Youde's death, he posthumously gave him the nickname "Wu Zhuang" and built a crowned tomb for him, named "Kong Wang Tomb".
So, what happened to Kong Youde's son and daughter?
Kong Youde's daughter, Kong Sizhen, trekked alone through mountains and rivers to come to Beijing to face the saint. She was later adopted as a righteous daughter by Empress Xiaozhuang Wen and became the "godsister" of the Shunzhi Emperor.
However, Kong Youde's son Kong Tingxun was not so lucky. Soon after, he was captured by the Ming army, and six years later, Li Dingguo ordered his beheading.
Since the Kong family did not have a suitable son to inherit the throne, the title of King of Dingnan was abolished by the Qing court. Although Kong Youde was not as old as Geng Zhongming, he was trusted in the Qing court and could be said to be the leader among the kings of the clans.
However, history cannot assume that if Kong Youde survived, whether he would have had an impact on the "San Francisco Rebellion" can only be imagined by future generations. This historical story reminds us once again that small events and decisions in history can have far-reaching consequences, and that everyone's fate has unpredictable turning points.
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