Zhang Xianzhong
Since ancient times, soldiers have been generals, generals like to accept their sons, and adopted sons can be said to be the generals' most trusted subordinates, Zhang Xianzhong, the commander of the Great Western Army, is no exception, and his most trusted four righteous sons are basically the most powerful generals under him, namely: Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi.
So, what kind of life experiences and endings do Zhang Xianzhong's four righteous sons have?
Zhang Xianzhong's first adopted son: Sun Kewang
Sun Kewang (?1660), formerly known as Sun Kewang, was the main general of the Daxi regime of Zhang Xianzhong's peasant rebel army in the late Ming Dynasty, a powerful minister in the Yongli period of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and a native of Yanchang County (or Mizhi County) in Shaanxi. In 1630 A.D. (the third year of Ming Chongzhen), Zhang Xianzhong rebelled in northern Shaanxi, and Sun Kewang, who was born poor, joined the righteous army, and was adopted by Zhang Xianzhong as an adopted son and changed his surname to Zhang. As an adult, he was brave and cunning, and whenever he encountered an enemy, he led his subordinates to sink and strain, and was called "a wall" by the army. He is the eldest of Zhang Xianzhong's four adopted sons.
In August 1644 (the seventeenth year of Chongzhen), Zhang Xianzhong established the Daxi regime in Chengdu (now Chengdu, Sichuan). After Zhang Xianzhong died in northern Sichuan, Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo led the rest of the Great Western Army south to capture the Yunnan-Guizhou area and insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty. The descendants are expected to switch to the Yongli regime and use force to hold the Yongli court hostage.
In order to conspire to be the king of Qin, Sun Kewang killed 30 scholars of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and had a disagreement with the general Li Dingguo, which led to internal strife. In 1657 A.D. (the eleventh year of Yongli and the fourteenth year of Shunzhi), Sun Kewang led troops from Guizhou into Yunnan and attacked Li Dingguo, but the generals were defeated by Li Dingguo. Sun Kewang surrendered to the Qing army and led the Qing troops into Sichuan and Guizhou, and was subordinate to the white flag of the Han army.
In 1660 A.D. (the fourteenth year of Yongli and the seventeenth year of Shunzhi), Sun Kewang died of illness (one said that he was shot by the Qing army during hunting).
Zhang Xianzhong's second adopted son: Li Dingguo
Li Dingguo (July 11, 1620 - July 21, 1662), the word Hongyuan, Ning Yu (or Yunzi one, the first name Rujing), one of the forces of the late Ming Dynasty people's rebellion, the general of the Western Army, the famous general of the Yongli regime in the Southern Ming Dynasty, one of the most outstanding anti-Qing generals in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and a national hero. Li Dingguo is a native of Yan'an, Shaanxi, a native of Yulin, Zhang Xianzhong's son, and was named General Anxi.
In the second year of Longwu (1646), after Zhang Xianzhong died in battle, he and Sun Kewang led the Ming Dynasty to resist the Qing Dynasty. In the sixth year of Yongli (1652), he entered Guangxi, Keguilin, took advantage of the victory to go north, and even Keyongzhou and Hengyang, "two famous kings, the world shook", so that the Qing court was ready to give up the annexation of seven provinces in southwest China, but Sun Kewang was jealous, retreated to Guangxi, and then tun Yunnan. Ten years, Mi welcomed the Yongli Emperor into Yunnan and was crowned the king of Jin. The descendants were expected to surrender to the Qing Dynasty and presented the "Yunnan-Guizhou Map" to the Qing Dynasty, and the southwest defense secrets were lost, and the Qing army attacked Guizhou on a large scale. He turned to the unfavorable and retreated into Burma.
In 1661 A.D. (the fifteenth year of Yongli and the eighteenth year of Shunzhi), the 100,000 troops of the Qing army Wu Sangui entered Burma and forced the king of Burma to hand over Emperor Yongli, but failed. In the sixteenth year of Yongli (1662), Wu Sangui hanged Emperor Yongli in Kunming, and the Southern Ming Dynasty perished. Li Dingguo, who had persisted in the struggle against the Qing Dynasty in the southwestern border for 17 years, died of illness in Mengla (west of the Lancang River) in June 1662 at the age of 42.
Zhang Xianzhong's third adopted son: Liu Wenxiu
Liu Wenxiu (1633-1658), who followed Zhang Xianzhong in his early years, was named the general of Funan after the establishment of the Great Western Kingdom in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, and was called the four generals together with Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and Ai Nengqi. In the third year of Shunzhi (1646), Zhang Xianzhong died in Nanchong, Sichuan, and Sun Kewang led the rest of the tens of thousands of people to go south, into Yunnan and Guizhou, Lianke Zunyi, Guiyang.
In the sixth year of Yongli (1651), he was named the king of Funan, when Ai Nengqi was dead, he led the Great Western Army to ride 60,000 out of southern Sichuan, and entered Chengdu from Xuzhou and Chongqing, killing Bai Hanzhen and Bai Guangsheng, etc., forcing Wu Sangui to defeat Baoning. Liu Wenxiu went out of Sichuan, fought with Wu Sangui's troops in Baoning, northern Sichuan, and was defeated by the enemy, Wang Fuchen committed suicide and retreated to Guizhou. In the tenth year of Yongli (1656), he went to Kunming with Emperor Yongli and was named the king of Shu. The following year, Sun Kewang betrayed Nanming, Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo defeated Sun Kewang in Jiaoshui, and Sun Kewang led more than 600 subordinates to Baoqing to surrender to Qing.
In the twelfth year of Yongli (1658), Liu Wenxiu practiced in the mountains of Sichuan and collected more than 30,000 soldiers under Sun Kewang. Li Dingguo asked Emperor Yongli to recall Liu Wenxiu, which made the Qing army's three-way attack on Guizhou go extremely smoothly in the future, and Li and Liu had a knot in their hearts, Wenxiu was very depressed in his heart, "handed over all the affairs of soldiers and horses to the guard Chen Jian, and did not leave the house", and died of illness in Kunming on April 25. His son Liu Zhen was also later demoted.
Zhang Xianzhong's fourth adopted son: Ai Nengqi
Ai Nengqi (1626-1647), a work of Ai Yunzhi, Ai Qineng, Zhang Xianzhong at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He is known for his bravery, and is known as the "Four Generals" along with Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and Liu Wenxiu. In the first year of Dashun (1644), he was named the general of the north. After offering loyalty to the emperor, he was crowned the king of the north.
In the third year of Shunzhi (1646), Xianzhong died in Xichong, Nengqi led troops into Yunnan, prepared to fight against the Qing Dynasty in the Ming Dynasty, conquered Dingfan on February 12, and Zhang Yao and others were executed. In the first year of Yongli (1647), he attacked Dongchuan (present-day Huize, Yunnan). Thirty miles away from Dongchuan Mansion, he encountered an ambush when the local Tusi Lu Wan Zhong was ambushed, the poisoned arrow bled nonstop, and he returned to Kunming and was declared dead.