Why did Li Xiucheng's confession not dare to be released until 1963? If it was made public too early, Zeng Guofan would probably be destroyed. This mystery has puzzled countless historians for years. Li Xiucheng, the last iron-blooded general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, wrote a shocking self-description after being captured. However, parts of this self-report were destroyed, and the truth was confusing, sparking countless speculations and rumors. It was not until 1963 that the full picture was released by the descendants of Zeng Guofan, and the shocking truth was revealed. What exactly did Li Xiucheng write in his autobiography? Why did Zeng Guofan hide the truth? What kind of thrilling story is hidden behind this? Let us find out.
The iron-blooded generals of the kingdom of heaven have made the great powers fearful
In the late period of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, a young man from Tongcheng, Anhui Province came to prominence bravely, and he was Li Xiucheng. In 1850, Li Xiucheng joined the Taiping Army, and soon became known for his bravery and skill, and quickly gained reuse.
At first, Li Xiucheng was just a small officer, but he was very brave and brave. Whenever he goes out to fight, he charges bravely and fearlessly, like a god of war possessed. There are countless stories of Li Xiucheng's heroic battles in the Taiping army, and he is invincible and invincible.
In 1860, Shi Dakai, a confidant of Yang Xiuqing, the eastern king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was killed in battle, and Li Xiucheng was exceptionally promoted by Yang Xiuqing to replace Shi Dakai and become the commander of the Eastern Prince's army. Since then, Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng have been called the "double walls" of the Taiping Army and have become the most relied on generals in the late Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Li Xiucheng is strong in martial arts, superb in the art of war, and good at fighting guerrilla warfare. He is well versed in the terrain and can always set up a net to lure the enemy into a trap. The Qing army repeatedly hit the trick and sank into the sand. Even the Anglo-French forces were amazed by Li Xiucheng's command ability.
In 1864, when the fall of Tianjing was imminent, Li Xiucheng bravely resisted and covered the escape of the son of Hong Xiuquan, the monarch of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In the fierce battle, he was not afraid of the fierce bombardment of the Qing army, and regarded death as home, just to protect the blood of his master. In the end, he was defeated by force and was captured.
At this time, Li Xiucheng was already the first fierce general in the Taiping Army. His heroic and fearless achievements frightened the great powers, and also made Zeng Guofan, a famous general of the Qing Dynasty, frightened. Whenever he heard that Li Xiucheng was coming to lead the army, Zeng Guofan did not dare to attack easily, so he could only hold on to the ground and work hard.
The content of the self-report was shocking and caused a shock to the government and the public
After Li Xiucheng was captured, he was not immediately sent to Beijing for trial, but was imprisoned in Jiangxi. While in prison, he wrote an astounding 50,000-word autobiography.
As soon as this self-statement was circulated, it immediately caused an uproar between the government and the opposition. The first half of the narrative describes Li Xiucheng's family origins and his experience of joining the Taiping Army, but from page 74 onwards, the content suddenly takes a striking turn.
It is rumored that in the second half of his statement, Li Xiucheng directly proposed to Zeng Guofan to "take the opportunity to rebel". He analyzed that the Manchu Dynasty was at the end of its strong crossbow, and it was difficult to return. The court is rotten and incompetent, and the people are struggling to make a living, which is the right time, place and people. And Zeng Guofan has a heavy army and a very high reputation, if he takes this opportunity to make trouble, he will definitely be able to support the new dynasty.
Li Xiucheng also said in his self-report that he was willing to respond internally to Zeng Guofan's rebellion and expand his territory for Zeng Guofan. As soon as these words came out, everyone in the government and the opposition was shocked. Some people questioned whether Li Xiucheng harbored ill intentions to drive a wedge between Zeng Guofan and the imperial court, while others speculated whether Zeng Guofan had other intentions and secretly colluded with the Taiping army.
For a time, all kinds of rumors were rampant among the people. Some people say that Li Xiucheng was tortured in prison to extract a confession and was forced to write these words, while others say that Zeng Guofan made Li Xiucheng justice in order to cover up his ambitions. What's more, it was directly rumored that Zeng Guofan had colluded with the Taiping army and was preparing to rebel and overthrow the Qing Dynasty.
These rumors shocked the government and the opposition, and also gave Zeng Guofan a headache. He had to come forward to clarify many times, but the turmoil did not subside. Eventually, the second half of the autobiography was destroyed, and the truth became a mystery for the ages.
Zeng Guofan weighed it again and again, and finally gave up the rebellion
Faced with Li Xiucheng's "rebellion" suggestion in his own account, Zeng Guofan fell into a dilemma. On the one hand, he had a heavy army and a high prestige, and he did have the strength to rebel, but on the other hand, the risk of rebellion was too heavy.
Zeng Guofan knew that although he had a high status in the court, he had a bad reputation among the people. Previously, he led the Hunan army to exterminate the Taiping army many times, and repeatedly burned, killed and looted, and was resented by the people. In the event of a rebellion, it will be difficult to gain the support of the people, but it may cause the morale of the military to waver.
Moreover, even if the rebellion was successful, Zeng Guofan was not sure that he would be able to maintain peace and stability for a long time. At that time, China was already scattered and embattled. The Western powers relied on firearms to suppress the border, and there was Tsarist Russia in the northeast. The national strength is declining day by day, where does Zeng Guofan have enough strength to contain external troubles?
What's more, Zeng Guofan also had great doubts about his ability to govern. He is only a martial artist, although he is brave, but to dominate this vast territory, he alone is not immune to the ability to capture. Once the rebellion is successful, opposition forces will rise up in various places, and it will be difficult for him to deal with it.
After much deliberation, Zeng Guofan finally made a conservative choice. He understood that although there was a glimmer of life in the rebellion, the risks were too great, and the consequences were endless. Instead of making a desperate bet, it is better to be content with the status quo and maintain overall stability.
Therefore, despite Li Xiucheng's repeated persuasion in his self-report, Zeng Guofan still ignored it. He flatly rejected this suggestion of "rebellion" to avoid setting himself on fire. In order to cover up the truth, he also destroyed the second half of Li Xiucheng's self-report and never let this secret be leaked.
The truth is revealed, and history will eventually be revealed
The "rebellion" content in Li Xiucheng's self-report has become a buried historical mystery. It was not until 1963 that this mystery was revealed to the public by the descendants of Zeng Guofan.
In 1963, Zeng Guofan's great-grandson, Zeng Jize, published a book called "Li Xiucheng's Self-Statement". In this book, he published the full picture of Li Xiucheng's self-report, including the part that was previously destroyed.
It turned out that in the second half of his statement, Li Xiucheng did as the rumors said, persuading Zeng Guofan to take the opportunity to rebel and overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty rule. He analyzed that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was at the end of its strong crossbow, and the people were suffering, so it should be a good time to push through the old and bring forth the new. And Zeng Guofan, with his heavy troops and prestige, is the most qualified to be this promoter.
Li Xiucheng also said in his autobiography that he was willing to respond internally to Zeng Guofan's rebellion and clear the way for Zeng Guofan. As soon as these words came out, Zeng Guofan was naturally surprised. He knew that once this self-statement spread, the court would punish him severely, and he and his whole family would suffer.
In order to avoid this catastrophe, Zeng Guofan had to take drastic measures to destroy the second half of his autobiography and never let it circulate. At the same time, he also corrected Li Xiu's achievements and sealed his mouth forever.
end
After Zeng Jize released the full picture of his self-report, he shocked the entire academic community. This not only solves the century-old mystery, but also makes people see Zeng Guofan's good intentions. It turned out that the reason why he ignored Li Xiucheng's "rebellion" suggestion was not because he was timid and afraid, but because of various trade-offs. This decision may have saved Zeng Guofan's life and family, but at the same time, he missed a historical opportunity to change the world. However, it is difficult for anyone to say what the outcome would have been if he really rebelled? History is always so confusing, full of helplessness and regret.