Preface
How can a woman become a generation of female generals in the war-torn era? How can a queen choose to die with her in the desperate situation of the country's destruction? What kind of life course did this woman, who was once forgotten by history, go through to become an indelible legend in Chinese history?
Chapter 1 Girlhood of Hunger and Cold
In 1612, in an ordinary farmhouse courtyard, a baby girl quietly arrived. She is the famous Dashun handsome Gao Guiying.
Gao Guiying was born in a poor rural village in Shanxi, and her parents died early, leaving her and her brother Gao Yigong to rely on each other. At that time, the political situation in the Ming Dynasty was turbulent, and the people lived in dire straits. Gao Guiying's childhood was spent in hunger and poverty.
When night fell, Gao Guiying and her brother curled up in a dilapidated hut, listening to the howling wind outside, and their hearts were full of fear and confusion about the future. The surrounding land is barren, and years of famine and locust plagues have left the harvest meager, and they have to rely on wild herbs and tree bark to survive.
Despite such a difficult life, Gao Guiying's heart is still full of compassion for others. She often secretly distributed what little food she had to her poorer neighbors. Such an act of kindness could not change her fate.
As she grew older, Gao realized that she had to find a way to change her and her brother's fate. On a cold winter day, she puts on the only worn cotton jacket and embarks on a journey to find a way to survive.
Chapter 2: The Mother General of the Rebel Army
In 1630, Li Zicheng's peasant rebel army swept across the country like a storm. Gao Guiying's elder brother Gao Yigong also threw himself into this magnificent struggle. Two years later, he introduced his sister to Li Zicheng.
The meeting between the two is like the meeting of stars, and they fall in love at first sight. Gao Guiying's perseverance and Li Zicheng's ambition made them quickly get married. After marriage, Gao Guiying did not indulge in the glory and wealth of the queen, but devoted her energy to the logistics of the rebel army.
She mobilized the women of her hometown and formed a women's army. Under the leadership of Gao Guiying, these women not only learned to ride and shoot, but also learned how to survive on the battlefield. Their bravery and tenacity moved the soldiers of the Dashun Army.
In a battle, Gao Guiying personally led the women's army to charge, they were armed with spears and wore iron armor, like tigers descending from the mountain, extremely brave. After the battle, their heroic deeds spread throughout the barracks, and Gao Guiying's name resounded in the sky. She is not only Li Zicheng's wife, but also the mother general of the Dashun Army, and the faith and reliance in the hearts of all soldiers.
Chapter 3 The Brief Glory of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
In the spring of 1644, the banner of the Dashun Army fluttered over the capital, Li Zicheng ascended the throne as emperor, and Gao Guiying was canonized as empress. It was a time of hope, and Gao Guiying stood in the newly built palace, looking out at the country she had built with Li Zicheng.
However, this glory is short-lived, fleeting. Wu Sangui's rebellion and the invasion of the Qing army made Dashun's national fortunes take a sharp turn. Li Zicheng had to lead the remnants of his troops out of the capital and return to Shaanxi in an attempt to rebuild the empire's glory there.
Gao Guiying was always by Li Zicheng's side during this difficult retreat, and her eyes revealed firmness and unyieldingness. She knew that the war was far from over, and that she, as queen, must continue to fight for the newborn nation, for her husband, for the soldiers and civilians who followed them.
However, fate does not seem to favor the nascent empire. In a fierce battle, Li Zicheng died heroically, leaving behind a stormy country and a heartbroken queen.
Chapter 4 Empress Gao, the handsome woman of Dashun
After the news of Li Zicheng's death came, Gao Guiying's world seemed to collapse. Her heart was filled with endless grief, but she knew she couldn't fall.
She wiped away her tears, straightened her back, and decided to carry on her husband's legacy and lead the remnants of Dashun to continue the struggle. With the approval of the Southern Ming court, Gao Guiying was named "Lady of Jiexiao Zhenyi Yipin" and was given the important task of leading the remnants of Dashun.
She did not choose to retreat, but chose to confront the Qing army head-on. She reorganized her unit and named it "Loyal Battalion", and personally served as a female commander, leading this unit and continuing to fight the Qing army on the battlefield.
In the days that followed, Gao Guiying led the loyal battalion through the mountains and forests of Hubei, haunting the enemy's rear like ghosts, launching surprise attacks and demoralizing the Qing army. Every nightfall, Gao Guiying would stand outside the tent, staring at the starry sky, thinking about how to win a glimmer of life for the country and these soldiers.
Her heart is full of longing for the future, and she believes that as long as she persists, one day, the flag of Dashun will fly on this land again.
Chapter 5 The Years of Bloody Struggle
As Nanming's power gradually weakened, Gao Guiying and her loyal battalion became lone heroes on the battlefield. On the land of Hubei, they are like phoenixes in the fire, constantly reborn from the fire, and have repeatedly performed miraculous feats.
Their whereabouts were erratic, night raids, ambushes, and every sortie terrified the Qing army. During a late-night operation, Gao Guiying led the Women's Army to infiltrate the camp of the Qing army, like a ghost in the night, silently slitting the throat of the enemy.
However, the brutality of war is not only reflected on the battlefield. As time went on, the supply lines became longer and longer, and the shortage of grain and grass became increasingly scarce. Gao Guiying had to lead her troops from Hubei to Henan, and finally retreated to the mountains of Shaanxi.
There, they waged a protracted guerrilla war against the Qing army. Every battle is a test of life and death, and every victory is a firm belief in faith. Among the people, the deeds of Gao Guiying and her women's army have been passed down as myths, and they are portrayed as demigods, omnipotent and fearless.
But under this mysterious aura, Gao Guiying and her warriors are still flesh and blood, and every time they fight, they defend this land with their lives.
Chapter 6: The Tragedy of the Fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty
In the spring of 1646, the last emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty was captured in Yanyu Tower, marking the complete demise of the Southern Ming. This news shook everyone's heart like a bolt from the blue.
Gao Guiying stood on the top of Maolu Mountain, looking at the beacon fire in the distance, her heart was full of endless sadness and despair. She knew that there was no turning back from this war, and that she and her troops had become the last night watchmen.
The Qing army has already set foot in most of China, and their next target is Gao Guiying and her loyal battalion. Faced with an overwhelming enemy army, Gao Guiying did not choose to surrender, but decided to fight the enemy to the end.
She ordered her soldiers to build a strong camp on Maolu Mountain, ready for the general attack of the Qing army. On the eve of the Qing army's preparation for a general attack, Gao Guiying made a shocking decision.
She ordered the soldiers to set the camp on fire, and the flames lit up the night sky. Then, dressed in armor and with a sword in hand, she resolutely stepped into the sea of fire. Seeing this, her soldiers followed in her footsteps and threw themselves into this tragic flame.
Early the next morning, when the Qing army occupied Maolu Mountain, they found that it had become a scorched earth. In the midst of the ruins, they found Gao Guiying's body, still holding her sword, as if to tell the world that she had never given up the struggle. Gao Guiying's sacrifice has become an eternal legend in Chinese history, and her name will be remembered forever by future generations.
epilogue
How did a woman become a female general of a generation in an era of war? How did an empress choose to die with her in the desperate situation of the country's destruction? The story of Gao Guiying is undoubtedly one of the most moving legends in Chinese history.
She grew from an ordinary peasant girl to a mother general of the Dashun Army, bravely killing the enemy on the battlefield, and became the faith and reliance of all soldiers. Even after the fall of the Dashun Dynasty, she still chose to fight the Qing army to the end, and finally chose to die heroically, becoming an indelible legend in Chinese history.
Her story is undoubtedly the highest interpretation of freedom and ideals. In this turbulent era, she chose to fight against fate and chose to defend her faith and dignity with her life. This indomitable spirit will forever inspire future generations and become an indelible spiritual totem of the Chinese nation.