Preface
In the late Qing Dynasty, the main contributor to the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement was the Hunan army. Speaking of the Hunan army, people often think of Zeng Guofan, but in fact, the early Hunan army also had many excellent generals.
Jiang Zhongyuan was once a general of the Hunan Army on the same level as Zeng Guofan, and the creation of the Hunan Army was also inseparable from Jiang Zhongyuan. He has also made many brilliant achievements on the battlefield, and it is precisely because of this that he has been promoted to the ninth level in just two years, from a seventh-grade petty official to the position of governor of Anhui.
First, the pioneer
Jiang Zhongyuan has an inseparable relationship with the composition of the Hunan army, and it can be said that the relationship between him and Zeng Guofan is not only a colleague, as we all know that both are fellow villagers in Hunan, and they also participated in the same year when they took the entrance examination. It's just that it's only Zeng Guofan.
But Zeng Guofan has never denied Jiang Zhongyuan's ability, although the two did not win together, but the connection between the two has not been severed after that. They have been in contact by letter, discussing issues and discussing national affairs together.
In the second year of Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan was ordered to go to form the Hunan army, during this period of time, Jiang Zhongyuan's correspondence with it was not broken, it can be said that the formation of the Hunan army in that year had Jiang Zhongyuan's thoughts, the relationship between the two is to make friends, and they will help each other when they encounter difficulties.
Soon after, Jiang Zhongyuan sent a letter to Zeng Guofan, asking Zeng Guofan to help him recruit a thousand Chu Yong, and Zeng Guofan immediately provided great help. In the second year, Jiang Zhongyuan sent a letter to Zeng Guofan to suggest that he set up a water division, Jiang Zhongyuan attached great importance to this aspect, and after that, he repeatedly passed it to Zeng Guofan to follow up on the formation of a water division.
Even Zeng Guofan later said that the establishment of the sailor was inseparable from Jiang Zhongyuan, although Jiang Zhongyuan's life was short, he also made a lot of contributions to the Qing Dynasty.
Second, the official is promoted to the ninth level
Although Jiang Zhongyuan had extremely high achievements after that, his initial career was also very bumpy. I went to Beijing to participate in the entrance examination, but unfortunately I did not make the list. So Jiang Zhongyuan returned to his hometown to be a sesame petty official.
At that time, Jiang Zhongyuan was also a knowledgeable, capable, and capable person. As we all know, the various forces in China in the late Qing Dynasty were ready to move, and they all wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get a piece of the pie, and even more so to overthrow the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Sensing that China was about to change dramatically, Jiang Zhongyuan's original purpose was to protect his hometown from the invasion of war.
At this time, Hong Xiuquan was already starting his own actions, and Jiang Zhongyuan, who had a keen insight into the current situation, expected that the big war was coming.
So Jiang Zhongyuan began to train young people in his hometown and cultivate their combat ability and quality. After all, it is most reliable to rely on yourself at all times.
When the war really comes, although they are only militias, their role on the battlefield is also huge. Here, when Jiang Zhongyuan's training had just achieved results, the place where this militia came into play. The Yao tribe in the Xinning area, under the leadership of their leader, used the White Lotus Sect of the previous dynasty to make waves again.
When the rebels attacked, the local officers and soldiers were powerless to fight back. At this time, the officers and soldiers in such remote areas have long lost their combat effectiveness. In desperation, the local magistrate found Jiang Zhongyuan and wanted to recruit soldiers on the spot for training.
In this way, under the leadership of Jiang Zhongyuan, he successfully suppressed the rebellion of the Yao people, attacked the rebels' lair, and captured their leader on the spot.
Because of his outstanding performance this time, Jiang Zhongyuan's ability was quickly discovered by the court and put him in the position of the magistrate. Gold shines wherever it is, it is Jiang Zhongyuan who was quickly appreciated by the leaders for his ability after taking office in Zhejiang.
Wu Wenrong, who was the governor of Zhejiang at the time, appreciated him very much, and this Wu Wenrong also had a relationship with Zeng Guofan, and he was Zeng Guofan's teacher.
At this time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom uprising resounded throughout the Qing Dynasty, and Emperor Xianfeng, who had just ascended the throne, was in urgent need of talents, so he asked Zeng Guofan. Among the people recommended to him by Zeng Guofan, Jiang Zhongyuan was there, and of course the two had known each other for a long time. This time, Jiang Zhongyuan also went to Beijing to meet Xianfeng.
Unfortunately, soon after the death of the elders in Jiang Zhongyuan's family, he had to go back to keep filial piety. It was during this time that the situation changed again. The Central Army had no combat effectiveness, Xianfeng ordered recruitment from the locality, and Jiang Zhongyuan, who heard the news, resolutely led the five hundred Chu Yong recruited in his hometown to rush to the battlefield in Guangxi.
But only 500 people were not enough, so the next year, Jiang Zhongyuan returned to his hometown again, and this time he recruited a total of more than 1,000 people. The main force against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was established, which was of course the prototype of the Hunan army later.
As we all know, the early Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's combat effectiveness was very strong, but when it encountered Chu Yong in the hands of Jiang Zhongyuan, it could only be in vain, and the defeat began to be the turn of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Soon after, Jiang Zhongyuan received an order to hold Cormorant Island, where Jiang Zhongyuan had defeated the Taiping army three times, so that Hong Xiuquan had to abandon his current tactics and thus give up his coveting of Guilin, Guangxi, and lead the army north.
Of course, this is only one of Jiang Zhongyuan's insignificant achievements. What really made him famous was the Battle of Lingyidu, which caused the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom heavy losses, numerous casualties and the destruction of more than 300 ships in this battle. and one of their founders, Feng Yunshan, was seriously wounded in this battle and finally died.
It was precisely because of this battle that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom completely hated Shangjiang Zhongyuan, and this battle greatly boosted the morale of the Qing army. In the past, the Qing Dynasty ended in defeat, and now it can finally take turns in feng shui. It was the great victory in this battle that made the imperial court accurately recognize Jiang Zhongyuan's ability.
Subsequently, Jiang Zhongyuan was entrusted with important tasks, and by the autumn of the third year of Xianfeng, Jiang Zhongyuan had already sat in the position of governor of Anhui. It can be said that he was the fastest among the generals of the late Qing Dynasty to climb with his military exploits.
Back then, when Jiang Zhongyuan went to Guangxi, he was just a small county. In just two years, he has been promoted to nine levels in a row.
3. Defeated and killed
In the third year of Xianfeng, Luzhou, which is today's Hefei, Anhui Province, was tightly surrounded by the Taiping army. The prefect immediately asked Jiang Zhongyuan for help, and in order to allow Jiang Zhongyuan to come to support as soon as possible, the prefect went to inform Jiang Zhongyuan that there were only 3,000 defenders in the city and almost ran out of ammunition and food.
After arriving, Jiang Zhongyuan realized that he had been deceived, but Jiang Zhongyuan did not pursue it, but used all resources to hold Luzhou. The reinforcements were intercepted outside the city of Luzhou, and the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, who could help, was timid and afraid of death and was unwilling to send troops to help.
A month later, Luzhou ran out of ammunition and food, and the prefect directly rebelled and surrendered to the Taiping army. But even so, Jiang Zhongyuan was still unwilling to surrender. With a loud explosion, the Taiping army attacked the city of Luzhou. At this time, the prefect had long been hiding, leaving only Jiang Zhongyuan with the only remaining Qing army to hold on.
Even though he knew that there was no power to return to heaven, Jiang Zhongyuan was always unwilling to surrender, in fact, when the Taiping army attacked and entered, Jiang Zhongyuan wanted to commit suicide, but was stopped by the guards around him.
In the end, when he arrived at the sluice bridge, Jiang Zhongyuan's body was stained red with blood, and in order not to fall into the hands of the Taiping army, Jiang Zhongyuan committed suicide by jumping into the pond.
epilogue
It can be said that if Jiang Zhongyuan did not die in battle, he may not be a Zhongxing minister who saved the Qing Dynasty. Compared with Zeng Guofan and others, Jiang Zhongyuan still had a little less luck, so that he stayed on the battlefield forever.
Jiang Zhongyuan's life was brilliant and short, and after his death, the Qing Dynasty posthumously sealed him, which can be seen in the recognition of his ability.