Preface
In Chinese history, Wu Sangui, as an important figure in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, his rebellion set off a magnificent historical storm. However, in the midst of his rebellion, a tragic scene is etched in time.
The governor of Yungui, faced with a desperate situation, chose to end his life with a knife, however, at the critical moment, his son took the knife and resolutely declared: "Father, I will die first".
This scene is heartbreaking, and it also makes people sigh at the complexity and impermanence of human nature. Let's walk into that magnificent history and witness a touching and tragic story.
I. Ambition
In the twelfth year of Kangxi, the heyday of the Qing Dynasty. Beneath the surface calm, there is an undercurrent. Emperor Kangxi opened the prelude to "cutting the domain", triggering an earth-shattering change.
The king of Pingnan, Shang Kexi, asked to return to his hometown under the pretext of asking for help, but in fact he wanted to be the king and hegemon in the domain. Emperor Kangxi saw through his mind and decided to weaken his real power. The news reached Yunnan and shook the entire southwest.
Wu Sangui, a former general of the Ming Dynasty, is now one of the founding heroes of the Qing Dynasty. He led his troops into the pass, helped the Qing army break through the city of Beijing, and led the army south to pacify the Nanming regime. Wu Sangui made great contributions and was named the king of Pingxi and guarded Yunnan.
However, as time went on, Emperor Kangxi's wariness of Wu Sangui increased day by day. After all, Wu Sangui was a foreign general who served in the Ming Dynasty. His power in Yunnan grew day by day, and he became a hegemon, which made Emperor Kangxi quite uneasy.
Wu Sangui's seal letter was confiscated, the right to appoint personnel was taken away, and the real power was gradually weakened. He held a grudge against it, and his ambition grew. Shang Kexi's request to say goodbye to old age was undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back. Wu Sangui knew that Emperor Kangxi had already started the process of "cutting the domain", and sooner or later he would deal with himself.
2. Unswerving loyalty
In contrast to Wu Sangui's ambition is Gan Wenkun's loyalty. Gan Wenkun was born in a prestigious family, and was bright and studious since he was a child. He handled the "Chongwenmen Tax Case" and enforced the law impartially, winning the appreciation of Emperor Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi appointed Gan Wenkun as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, firstly, to use his military talents, and secondly, to contain Wu Sangui's forces. After Gan Wenkun took office, he was honest and honest, and soon won the support of the people.
However, the arrival of Gan Wenkun made Wu Sangui feel great pressure. Wu Sangui regarded Yunnan as his sphere of influence, so how could he allow others to get involved? Moreover, Gan Wenkun was a minister sent by the imperial court, and he was a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh.
Wu Sangui tried to win over Gan Wenkun for his own use, but was sternly rejected by the latter. Wu Sangui was furious, knowing that Gan Wenkun was a hard nut to crack. He secretly sent someone to spy on Gan Wenkun's whereabouts and waited for an opportunity to attack.
Although Gan Wenkun sensed Wu Sangui's murderous intentions, he was not afraid. He is a loyal and patriotic Hanchen, even if he fights to the death, he must be loyal to the court. In this way, Gan Wenkun and Wu Sangui launched a life-and-death contest on the land of Yunnan and Guizhou.
3. The outbreak of rebellion
In November of the twelfth year of Kangxi, Wu Sangui finally couldn't hold back and raised troops in Yunnan to rebel. He played the banner of "opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty" and called on the righteous people of the world to fight to the death against the Qing court.
When the news reached the yamen of the governor of Yunnan, Gan Wenkun was shocked. As the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, he has an unshirkable responsibility and must stand up and be loyal to the imperial court. He ordered Zhang Guozhu, the governor of Yunnan, and Li Benshen, the governor of Guizhou, to lead troops to meet Wu Sangui.
However, what Gan Wenkun didn't expect was that Zhang Guozhu and Li Benshen turned against the enemy and took refuge in Wu Sangui. It turned out that they had long been in harmony with Wu Sangui, and it was Wu Sangui who was placed in the imperial court.
Gan Wenkun was shocked, and he realized that Wu Sangui's power in Yungui was far beyond his imagination. Not only did the green battalion soldiers in Yunnan and Guizhou all defect, but even many of the staff around him secretly colluded with Wu Sangui.
Fourth, a dilemma
Gan Wenkun was besieged and in a dilemma. He originally wanted to unite with Cao Shenji, the governor of Guizhou, to jointly resist Wu Sangui. However, Cao Shenji surrendered Wu Sangui at a critical moment, frustrating Gan Wenkun's plan.
Seeing Wu Sangui's army approaching step by step, Gan Wenkun knew that he had become a loner. He summoned the civil and military officials in Guiyang City, and wanted to organize a living force to fight to the death. However, to Gan Wenkun's despair, these officials did not come out one by one, and no one was willing to come out to support.
Gan Wenkun, who was desperate, decided to lead his cronies and the children of the clan to march towards Zhenyuan. The terrain of the town is dangerous, surrounded by mountains, and there is only one sheep intestine path, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Gan Wenkun originally wanted to defend this place and wait for reinforcements from the imperial court.
However, as soon as he came to Zhenyuan, he found that Wu Sangui's army had already occupied the commanding heights one step ahead. Gan Wenkun led his cronies and fought hard to kill the enemy. After a bloody battle, only Gan Wenkun and his son Gan Guocheng, as well as two cronies Heshan and Yatu, escaped by luck.
5. Martyrdom
Gan Wenkun and his party, who escaped, were soon surrounded by Wu Sangui's army. Wu Sangui's subordinate Jiang Yi came forward to persuade him to surrender, hoping that Gan Wenkun would surrender. Gan Wenkun angrily reprimanded Jiang Yi and said that he would rather die than give in.
He tidied up his clothes, faced the direction of the capital, bowed three times, and then drew his saber, intending to kill himself. At this critical moment, Gan Wenkun's son Gan Guocheng suddenly stepped forward, snatched the knife from his father's hand, and killed himself first.
Blood splashed Gan Wenkun's body, Gan Wenkun was shocked, but saw his son lying in a pool of blood, lifeless. The grief-stricken Gan Wenkun didn't expect his son to be so loyal and brave. He picked up the saber and scolded Wu Sangui in the direction, denouncing him for bullying the monarch and bringing disaster to the country and the people.
Then, Gan Wenkun resolutely killed himself and martyred himself. Gan Wenkun's two cronies, Heshan and Yatu, also committed suicide one after another when they saw this. So far, Gan Wenkun's father and son have been martyred and have done their last loyalty to the imperial court.
VI. Earthquake Asano
The tragic martyrdom of Gan Wenkun's father and son moved Wu Sangui as well. He didn't expect that Gan Wenkun would be so hard-boned, and would rather die than give in. Wu Sangui ordered the burial of Gan Wenkun's father and son as a sign of respect.
The news of the martyrdom of Gan Wenkun's father and son soon spread to the capital. Emperor Kangxi was furious when he heard the news, he didn't expect that Wu Sangui would be so rebellious that even the officials of the imperial court would dare to kill him. Emperor Kangxi ordered the rebellion and vowed to break Wu Sangui's body into 10,000 pieces to sacrifice the spirits of Gan Wenkun's father and son in the sky.
Emperor Kangxi sent his most trusted general, led 30,000 elite soldiers, and marched south to defeat Wu Sangui. The two sides fought fiercely in Yunnan, and the war lasted for several months, and Wu Sangui was finally unable to defeat the imperial army, and was captured alive and returned to Beijing.
Emperor Kangxi ordered Wu Sangui Lingchi to be executed and beheaded all over the house as a punishment. Wu Sangui's head was hung on the gates of the capital as an example. At this point, Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi, rebelled and finally failed.
7. The spirit lives on
This rebellion made Emperor Kangxi realize that he must strengthen the control of the vassal kings to prevent them from having different intentions. Emperor Kangxi began a large-scale campaign to reduce the power of the feudal kings, and eventually turned them into fictitious titles with no real power.
And the tragic martyrdom of Gan Wenkun's father and son also deeply moved Emperor Kangxi. He posthumously presented Gan Wenkun as a squire in the military department, nicknamed "Zhongguo", and built a martyr's shrine for Gan Wenkun and his son to commemorate.
In that martyr's shrine, there is a stone stele, which is engraved with the inscription written by Emperor Kangxi himself: "Loyalty does not take refuge, always the shape of a courtier, and the fruit is determined by the heart, and the spirit of the rivers and mountains is still strong!" This sentence has become a famous sentence for later generations to praise Gan Wenkun's father and son.
The deeds of Gan Wenkun's father and son have also become a good story talked about by later generations. In that turbulent era, there were only a handful of people who could die generously and die for their country like them. Their spirit has touched countless descendants and become role models in the hearts of generations after generations.
epilogue
Loyalty and ambition are intertwined in this historical situation. Wu Sangui's ambition swelled and eventually led to the tragedy of the destruction of his family, while the unswerving loyalty of Gan Wenkun's father and son became an immortal spiritual monument.
Times are changing, and the years are changing, but the traditional virtues of loyalty, courage, and responsibility will never go out of style. They are like bright pearls, shining brightly, illuminating the noble side of human nature.
Let us draw strength and wisdom from this tragic history, pursue nobler ideals, and realize higher values of life. Only in this way can we truly become a person with flesh and blood and warmth.