Due to the power struggle between Yang Xiuqing and Hong Xiuquan, the "Tianjing Incident" was triggered, which led to a rupture within the Taiping Rebellion's leadership group. The turmoil swept through the backbone of the revolution and their relatives, soldiers and servants, eventually causing more than 20,000 losses. After that, Hong Xiuquan became suspicious of Shi Dakai because of his cronyism, which made Shi Dakai decide to leave the Taiping Rebellion and lead the army away.
Behind this major incident, it not only reveals that Shi Dakai lost confidence in Hong Xiuquan in the face of difficulties, but also shows that he lacks a sense of the overall situation and does not strive to resolve misunderstandings to unite against the enemy. On the contrary, he went his own way on impulse and chose a lone "expedition", which brought great losses to the cause of heaven and gave the enemy an opportunity, which was a major mistake by Shi Dakai.
In September 1856, the "calamity of Xiao Wall" broke out in Tianjing City, caused by Yang Xiuqing's "Long Live the Forced Seal" incident, which led Hong Xiuquan to summon Wei Changhui, the Northern King, to lead troops into Beijing from the Jiangxi front, and killed Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, and his relatives. Shi Dakai, who was fighting on the Hubei front, hurried back to Tianjing to try to "solve" it, but was hated by Wei Changhui and almost killed. At the moment of the attack, Shi Dakai fled to Jiangxi by night city. Wei Changhui did not stop there, and he even brutally killed Shi Dakai's entire family.
Wei Changhui's madness aroused great indignation among the Tianjing army and people, and they eventually executed Wei Changhui with the support of the army and civilians and sent his head to Ningguo, Jiangxi. After this series of conflicts and suppression, Shi Dakai was able to return to Tianjing. This battle of mutual killing within the leadership group has come to an end for the time being.
After the "internal strife" in Tianjing, only Hong Xiuquan and Shi Dakai were left of the six kings of the Guangxi uprising. In terms of seniority, prestige and talent, Shi Dakai is undoubtedly the primary candidate for supporting the Kingdom of Heaven and taking charge of military and political affairs. He was welcomed by officials at all levels of the Taiping Rebellion, and "everyone rejoiced in his righteousness and elected him as the righteous king", but he did not accept the title.
However, Hong Xiuquan expressed dissatisfaction with Shi Dakai's audience and began to be wary of him. Perhaps influenced by the negative lessons of Yang and Wei, Hong Xiuquan turned to believe in relatives with the same surname, and named Hong Renfa and Hong Renda, who had no talent, as kings, and refused to give Shi Da the right to open military affairs, and even had the intention of murder. This situation undoubtedly went against the will of everyone and hindered Shi Dakai's talents.
Faced with this situation, Shi Dakai made the decision to leave Tianjing on May 11, 1857. On the way to Anqing, he posted a notice explaining to the officers and soldiers of the Taiping Army why he had left Tianjing and his wishes. This notice indicates that he chose to leave because he was worried about being killed, and called on everyone to make their own meritorious contributions and part ways with Hong Xiuquan to seek their own future.
However, Shi Dakai's departure did not have the desired effect. Soon after, Hong Xiuquan realized the harm of this internal division to the cause and began to try to redeem it. He ordered all officials to "welcome Shi Dakai back", and even revoked the official titles of Hong Renfa and Hong Renda, and sent people to Anqing the gold medal of the local rescue commendation and Hong Xiuquan naming him as the righteous king, hoping that Shi Dakai could return to the dynasty to assist the government. However, these efforts were rejected by Shi Dakai.
If Hong Xiuquan can seize the opportunity during this period and actively seek reconciliation with Shi Dakai, it will be an important turning point for the cause of the Taiping Rebellion. Unfortunately, due to Hong Xiuquan's wrong decision, the Taiping Rebellion eventually went to an irreversible path of decline.
Over the next few months, Shi Dakai led his army from Anhui into Jiangxi, fighting all the way. However, his father-in-law Huang Yukun was killed in battle between Leping and the Qing army, and his subordinates Cheng Ying and the commander-in-chief Chen Baotai also defected to the enemy. In early 1858, Shi Dakai led his army into Quzhou in Zhejiang, occupied Guangde, Zhizhou and other places, and tried to stay there. However, under the pursuit of the Qing army, it was difficult for them to gain a foothold.
Therefore, Shi Dakai decided to enter Pucheng, Chong'an and other places in Fujian, and occupied Jianyang, Shaowu and other places. Shortly after returning to Jiangxi, Shi Dakai led his army into Jianningfu, Fujian, preparing to enter Guangdong via Ganzhou, Jiangxi. However, this strategic intention was detected by the Qing army, and the Qing army in Fuzhou crept in, and the Battle of Fuzhou broke out in this situation. In this battle, the Taiping Army suffered heavy losses.
In early 1859, Shi Dakai occupied Nan'an Fucheng and ordered Shi Zhenji and Lai Yuxin to lead troops into Guangdong and Hunan, respectively. These units connected Tai Po and Jiaying Prefecture in Guangdong, as well as Guiyang, Chenzhou and Jiahe in Hunan, showing strong combat and operational effectiveness.
However, by the end of May, the main army reached Baoqing Prefecture and Wugang Prefecture in Xiangxi and fought a major battle with the Xiang army for more than 70 days. Although the Taiping Army had the upper hand in terms of numbers and combat effectiveness, successive battles did not bring a clear advantage.
After that, as Shi Dakai's soldiers faced an uncertain future, morale gradually declined. The soldiers talked a lot, the army was distracted, and there was a strong feeling of homesickness. Under these circumstances, it is difficult for Shi Dakai to take more action to change the status quo.
After March 1860, the situation became even more severe as the officers and soldiers of the Banner Zaifu Yu Zhongfu mutinied and left. Yu Zhongfu tried to stop the action, but was killed. Subsequently, Cai Cixian, the Wuwei army, also prepared to leave, but after the incident was revealed, he was executed by Yuanzai Zhang.
These events caused even greater unrest. The soldiers under the commanders of the six Shangshu, the counselors, the Chengxuan, and the servants fled in groups, and three of the teams were scattered by the enemy after reaching Hunan; The other two branches were scattered in Elephant State and Pennsylvania; Another went to Liping, Guizhou.
Under these circumstances, Shi Dakai had to find a relatively stable environment in the Qingyuan area, and returned to his hometown in Guixian in June and July 1860. His subordinates had advised him to "gather many soldiers" after returning to Guixian, or "return to (Tian) Beijing and share the royal family", but he had no intention of returning to Tianjing.
After arriving in Guixian, Shi Dakai wanted to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, but this was just an illusion. In the situation where the enemy "offered rewards everywhere", it was difficult for him to realize this wish, so he could only continue to fight.
In the city of Guixian, Shi Dakai established a royal palace, and stationed a hundred miles of troops outside the city. However, due to the distraction, Shi Dakai left Guixian in August 1861 and moved to Hunan in September.
In early 1862, Shi Dakai led his troops to Laifeng, Hubei; From Lichuan, Hubei Province to Shizhu, Sichuan in February, and to Fuzhou in April. During this period, in the name of "True Heavenly Mandate Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Holy Spirit Dentong Army Chief General Yiwang", he issued the "Warning to the Four People in Fuzhou City", declaring: "This Lord will set his heart to restore the summer and greet the Anmin", asking the local people to "kill the cool officials to surrender", and just warned the Qing Dynasty's Fucheng "demon soldiers" and "regimental training" not to "resist our Wang Division", otherwise they will only bring humiliation to themselves.
The people of Fuzhou responded and joined the Taiping Army one after another, numbering 200,000. However, when Shi Dakai made three detours in the spring of 1863 to capture Chengdu, he suffered a crushing defeat at Zidadi, where the Dadu River and the Songlin River in Sichuan.
At that time, Shi Da rushed to build a bamboo raft to cross the river, but the torrential rain poured out that night, and the river swelled up, and it was difficult to cross it for a while. At this time, Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty, flew to Chongqing's general Tang Yougeng to lead troops to the north bank of the Dadu River to intercept it; At the same time, Wang Yingyuan and Ling Chengen bought the south bank pine forest toast Wang Yingyuan and Ling Chengen to cut down mountains and trees, block the bank pass, and cut off the road to Luding Bridge.
In the end, Shi Dakai's army was completely destroyed in Zida Land on the banks of the Dadu River, and this great victory also became an important victory for the Qing Dynasty.
In addition, Shi Dakai also mobilized troops from Yazhou and Yueli in an attempt to encircle the enemy army. However, between the Seven Congresses, although Shi Dakai tried to seize the crossing three times, he was unsuccessful, resulting in a large number of casualties.
After that, the Zidadi camp was captured by the Qing army, and Shi Dakai's army was attacked in front and behind, and there was no way to escape. Coupled with the lack of military food, they could not obtain food, and they could only pick mulberry leaves, dig grass roots, or slaughter mules and horses for food. At that time, malaria was endemic, and the death toll was high, but after more than 20 days of fighting, they still could not get out of danger, and the number of troops plummeted from more than 40,000 to more than 7,000.
Under these circumstances, Shi Dakai wrote to Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Sichuan, with the idea that he could avoid death, proposing to "pardon the killing" and "may one person kill himself in exchange for the safety of the three armies."
After receiving the letter, the Qing army allowed him to surrender to "save his life" and swore an oath to show his integrity. On 12 June, Shi Dakai ordered five of his princesses to "throw themselves into the river and be martyred" with their two young sons in their arms.
The next day, Shi Dakai, along with Zaifu Zeng Renhe, Encheng Weipucheng, Zhongcheng Huang Zaizhong, and his five-year-old son Shi Dingzhong, surrendered to the Ximagu Qing military camp and was eventually captured.
At the same time, the Qing army, under the command of Luo Bingzhang, attacked the Taiping Army by surprise, and more than 3,000 officers and men of the Taiping Army were brutally killed, except for a few who fought to the death to break through the siege.
On May 10, 1863, Shi Dakai was executed by Ling Chi and died in Chengdu at the age of 33. According to Luo Bingzhang, the executioner at the time, Shi Dakai was strong and unyielding before his execution: "His fierce spirit is displayed between his eyebrows, and he is comparable to an unusual thief." Another executioner, Liu Rong, also said: Shi Dakai "has a strong spirit and overflows his face, but his words are neither humble nor humble, and he does not wag his tail and beg for mercy," and "when he was about to be executed, his expression was pleasant," and he showed the spirit of heroism and righteousness.
The tragedy of Shi Dakai's defeat and death can be attributed to many reasons. First of all, Hong Xiuquan bears unshirkable responsibility for Shi Dakai's betrayal. Since establishing the capital Tianjing, Hong Xiuquan has indulged in comfort and pleasure, building construction and abandoning his business. In the face of the great enemy, he did not actively work to seize the rivers and mountains, but became a bureaucratic who was divorced from reality and closed to the ears.
After the Tianjing Incident, Hong Xiuquan only learned from the negative aspects and squeezed out Shi Dakai, who was both good and virtuous. This not only split the military strength of the Taiping Rebellion, but also deprived the edifice supporting the Heavenly Kingdom of an important pillar. From the perspective of his own interests, Shi Dakai's departure seems to be excusable.
However, if you look at the big picture, it may be possible to try to win Hong Xiuquan's change of mind and gain his trust. This is exactly what Yang Xiuqing's brother Yang Fuqing and Wei Changhui's brother Wei Zhijun later abandoned and were hired. If Shi Dakai had been able to seize the opportunity to return to Tianjing, perhaps he would have been able to reverse the unfavorable situation in the relationship between Hong and Shi and avoid the fate of doom.
However, history is always full of regrets and unknowns. We can only better understand this historical fact by understanding the details of this historical event and the context of the time.