Preface
In the long river of history, there are countless embarrassing stories, and one of the special "emperors" has endured a cruel fate that is rare in the world. At only 15 years old, he became the only emperor to be executed by Ling Chi, and it was not until the last moment of his life that his body experienced unimaginable pain. Why do you say pitiful?
The life history of the righteous son: the birth of Hong Tianguifu
In the winter of 1853, Tianjing, Jiangsu Province (now Nanjing). The Taiping Rebellion was in full swing, and the leader Hong Xiuquan established the "Celestial Empire" where he was the king. At the end of the year, Hong Xiuquan's wife Xian Guifei gave birth to Hong Xiuquan's eldest son, named "Hong Tianguifu".
"Guifu", a beautiful name, seems to foreshadow the extraordinary fate of this child. Hong Xiuquan placed high hopes on this son, hoping that he would become the successor leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. But when the child was born, Hong Xiuquan was not present, and he could not rush back during the military operation.
Legend has it that when Hong Tianguifu was born, there were flocks of birds flying in the sky, and for a while, the birds chirped one after another, as if they were cheering for the arrival of this new life. This vision was seen as a sign of providence, and Hong Xiuquan's expectations for his son were even higher.
However, fate is not as rosy as it seems. Hong Tianguifu's biological mother, Xian Guifei, was not Hong Xiuquan's wife, but a woman he accepted as a concubine after the establishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Hong Tianguifu, as Hong Xiuquan's eldest son, can only be regarded as a concubine.
This disadvantage in identity did not diminish Hong Xiuquan's preference and expectations for him. Hong Xiuquan decided to raise Hong Tianguifu as his own righteous son and took great care of him. He pinned his hopes on Hong Tianguifu to complete his unfinished business and push the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to the pinnacle of glory.
Imprisoned Education: Hong Tianguifu's Childhood
Hong Xiuquan is extremely attentive to Hong Tianguifu's education. He made his daughter Hong Tianjiao serve as Hong Tianguifu's enlightenment teacher, and began to inculcate the teachings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and his understanding of the faith from an early age.
Hong Tianguifu's school life Xi monotonous and boring. He confined himself to his study all day, listening to Hong Tianjiao's explanations of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the early publications of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and asking him to memorize their contents. For a child, such isolation makes him curious and longing for the outside world. Hong Tianjiao said to the young Hong Tianguifu. And Hong Tianguifu is also convinced, he firmly believes that this is his responsibility and obligation.
In 1856, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom captured Nanjing, and Hong Xiuquan established the Tianwang Mansion here and proclaimed himself the Heavenly King. The 3-year-old Hong Tianguifu was also canonized as the "Young Lord" and became a veritable prince of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. At this time, he was able to read the scriptures and publications of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom fluently, and could recite large passages of content, which strengthened Hong Xiuquan's determination to let him inherit the great cause.
However, in this splendid Heavenly King's Mansion, Hong Tianguifu's life is isolated from the outside world. The trajectory of his life is carefully planned in advance, and there are fixed numbers of daily Xi, meals, and walks. This is extremely detrimental to a child's development. Hong Tianguifu longs for freedom, but his father's expectations and the high walls of the Heavenly King's Mansion make him have nowhere to run.
Only playmate: a talking parrot
Xi and boring studies occupy most of Hong Tianguifu's time, and occasional entertainment activities are also arranged in advance. However, in this limited life, there is a special existence that has accompanied Hong Tianguifu to spend some good time.
It was a beautiful green parrot, and someone dedicated it to Hong Xiuquan. This parrot has excellent onomatopoeia and can learn human language and dialogue. Hong Tianguifu was fascinated by such intelligent creatures, and the parrot became his only playmate.
"Ya Father (Heavenly Father, referring to Hong Xiuquan) mountains and rivers, Yongyong cub (the young lord's self-title) sits, and Yongyong Kuang sits with the cub. The parrot learned the language of man and showed this sentence in front of Hong Tianguifu. Hong Tianguifu laughed heartily after hearing this, this was a rare happy time for him.
However, the deep meaning of this joke confused him as a young child. The world of the Father does not seem to be as stable as the parrot says, and what fate will he face? These questions filled Hong Tianguifu's heart, and the parrot could only answer with its mechanical greetings.
This kind of confusion from the heart has become a major annoyance in Hong Tianguifu's childhood. His growth is in the contrast between prosperity and spiritual emptiness, and the tragic fate he is destined to face is already waiting for his arrival not far away.
The Shattering of Dreams: The End of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was once in full swing, and Hong Xiuquan's idealistic pursuit also made countless people's blood boil. However, his extreme beliefs were soon dashed in the face of the harsh reality. Under the dual pressure of external and internal strife, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom went from its peak to decline and entered the end of the road.
In 1864, Hong Xiuquan died of illness. This former giant is gone, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has lost its spiritual leader and turned into decay. At just 15 years old, Hong Tianguifu was forced to take up the torch in this unfinished revolution and become the symbolic leader of the young people.
At this time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had been divided, and Hong Tianguifu held the nominal supreme power and title, but the real decision-making power fell into the hands of civil and military officials. The young "Heavenly King" is nothing more than a puppet and a victim of their struggle for profit.
During this period, Hong Tianguifu began to clearly feel the decay of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. There was an influx of refugees in the city of Nanjing every day, and the artillery fire of the Qing army was getting closer and closer. The shops were closed, and the streets were filled with desperation. Hong Tianguifu looked at all this, as the king of heaven, but he could only wait for fate to come.
The ministers on the left and right were so comforting, but Hong Tianguifu knew that this was nothing more than a hypocrisy and a snake. The future of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been annihilated, and he cannot escape death. However, the heavy shackles made him unable to escape, and he could only wait for the final judgment of fate in this doomsday judgment.
Tragic ending: Hong Tiangui Fu Ling Chi was executed
In July 1864, the Qing army invaded Nanjing, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom came to an end in a bloody storm. This defeat was not only a political and military defeat, but also a cry of death for countless martyrs and civilians. It marked the end of Hong Xiuquan's idealistic challenge.
The moment when the dream was shattered, it was also the moment when 16-year-old Hong Tianguifu's life changed drastically. Gone is his pampered life at court, replaced by a desperate escape.
The cronies on the left and right urged. Hong Tianguifu stumbled through the city of Nanjing, where he had lived for more than ten years, witnessing the fall of the city in which he had lived for more than ten years. He was desperate and had nothing to do. In the end, this unfortunate young man could not escape the arrangement of fate and was captured by the Qing army.
This moment marks the end of Hong Tianguifu's life. He was sent to Nanchang to be tried and finally executed by the Qing Dynasty's power apparatus. Throughout the process, the former king of heaven lost his will and became a victim of the tragedy of this era.
Hong Tianguifu faced cruel torture and still childishly begged for forgiveness. But this did not help, the Qing court had already sentenced this "traitor", and in the end he was executed by Ling Chi and tortured with 1516 knives before he died, at the age of 16.
The death of a young life also symbolizes the final death of Hong Xiuquan's idealism. Hong Tianguifu's life ended in the destruction of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. His life was only 16 years, but he endured the tragedy of the entire era and the heaviness of fate.
Epilogue: A brutal footnote to history
Hong Tianguifu's life ended tragically, and he became the most harrowing symbol in the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. A youthful time that should have been lively and brilliant was wiped out in the whirlpool of war and politics. His experience reflects a microcosm of that era: the contrast between ideals and reality, the interweaving of faith and ambition, and the extreme injustice given by fate.
He is a victim of the Game of Thrones, a footnote to the tragedy of an era. His life reflects the dark side of politics and faith, and one cannot help but ponder the cost at which a new world needs to be built, and what limits the power of faith should have.
Hong Tianguifu's short life ended with a cruel punishment, but his story still implies reflections. We must examine the hidden instability in the pursuit of our beliefs and ideals. The wheel of history cannot be stopped, but justice and humanity still need to shine in it.
The tragedy of Hong Tianguifu is a microcosm of an era. Reflection on his experience will also be an important part of building a better world.