In the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), the Salar people in Gansu Province were the main body and jointly launched an anti-Qing uprising with the Hui people. The reason for the outbreak of this uprising was that the Qing court had mistaken religious policies, which took advantage of the contradictions between the old and new Islamic sects in the local area to favor the old religion and suppress the new religion. In the end, because the sectarian dispute developed into an anti-Qing peasant uprising that shook Lanzhou, let's talk about this uprising.
变乱前夜，一触即发
The Salar people call themselves "Salar", believe in Islam, and settled in Xunhua, Hualong in Qinghai and Linxia in Gansu during the Yuan Dynasty. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Deng Yu led the army to the west, pacified the Hehuang area, the local area was quickly attached, after accepting the Ming Dynasty's appeasement, was awarded the title of 100 households, and the Tusi system has been followed until the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. In the second year of Yongzheng, after the Qing court put down the rebellion of Luobzang Danjin, it gradually strengthened its control over the region. In the fourth year of Yongzheng, Salawu officially became the "household and people" who paid grain to the country. In the eighth year of Yongzheng, a Xunhua battalion was set up with 800 soldiers. In the 27th year of Qianlong, Xunhua Hall was set up, which was subordinate to Lanzhou Prefecture.
"Xunhua Hall Chronicles"
The local Salar and Hui are all ethnic groups that believe in Islam. According to the Islamic zakat system, those who have assets and income are given a certain percentage of their property to the mosque, except for the necessary expenses for their daily life. The local mosque is in fact occupied by the imam and imam of the mosque, so naturally it occupies more and more "zakat". After receiving a huge amount of "zakat", the imams and imams bought land and rented it to the peasants for cultivation, and became a class of landlords dressed in religion. In order to control the land and wealth of the mosque, the imam who obtained a huge amount of wealth also changed from the election of the parishioners to a hereditary system, and this system of combining sects and feudal families is called the "eunuch system".
In the Yong and Qianqian periods, the Hufu Yehua Temple in the northwest was the most powerful. After returning from the Arab region in the twelfth year of Yongzheng, Ma Lai preached the teachings of Hufye in Xining, Hezhou, Xunhua and other places, pioneered the "Qiankai", compiled the "Stygian Sand Sutra", because the teachings formulated by it were "simple and cost-saving, and new to their ears and eyes", they were respected by the believers, and the local people "followed it for a while", and their prestige was increasing day by day. After Ma Guobao, the son of Ma Laichi, grasped the religious power, the "Huasi Gate Eunuch" was attached to the local officials, forming a community of interests, and under the official endorsement, its power was further expanded, and almost all the Salar people in Xunhua became the "Flower Temple Gate Eunuch", and the Huasi Gate Eunuch was called the "old religion".
The power of the eunuchs of the flower temple gradually increased
During the Qianlong period, Ma Mingxin, who "studied" in the Arab region, returned to China, and he adapted to the needs of the peasants to oppose the "eunuch" system, and founded the Protestant religion "Zhehe Renye", advocating that the head of the church should pass on the virtuous and oppose the hereditary system of the leader. And in order to expand the spread of his teachings, he advocated less alms from believers, gave alms to believers, gave relief to the poor, and reduced the cost of religious ceremonies, which was very attractive to the poor people. In the process of disseminating the teachings, the Salar Hui Su 43 and others were deeply impressed, worshiped Ma Mingxin as their teacher, and became the leading figures in the church. Nine of the 12 workers (townships) of the Salar people were converted to "Hezhe Renye" and joined Protestantism, and Protestantism thrived.
"Records of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 1340": The Hui people of Gan Province, the old and new religions, every time they provoke each other, they need to use sheep and cloth to recite the scriptures because of the old religion, which costs more. Protestant chanting scriptures, only take 56 confessions, and the small people want to save money, so they are willing to return to Protestantism.
"Records of the Qing Dynasty"
This aroused the jealousy of the old sect. In the twenty-seventh year of Qianlong, when Ma Mingxin and Ma Guobao were preaching in Xunhua, a dispute broke out over different doctrines. At this point, the contradiction between the old and new religions gradually became white-hot, and the local government favored the old religion, making the Protestant Hui people more and more dissatisfied. In the forty-sixth year of Qianlong, there was finally a thunderstorm, and on the eighth day of the first month, fierce armed battles broke out in Dingjiangzhuang and Beliezhuang. On the 12th, Ma Mingxin's disciples, the Protestant leaders Su 43 and Han Er, led more than 1,000 followers to besiege Qingshuigong Dongzhuang, killing 18 people including Han 38, a Hui member of the old sect. This incident shook the Lanzhou Mansion, "summoning Su 43 and others to the case", and in the face of the summons of the Qing court, Su 43 resolutely refused. Therefore, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Leer, sent Yang Shiji, the prefect of Lanzhou, and Xinzhu, the deputy general of the Hezhou Association, to lead 123 troops to the bomb pressure.
Clash between old and new religions
处置失当，义军围兰
On March 18, Xinzhu led his troops to Xunhua and arrived at Baizhuang, where Su 43 and others disguised themselves as old believers to listen to the news. Xinzhu said there: "If the Protestant Church does not obey the law, I should make the old Christianity the master and wash it away." ”。 After listening to Xinzhu's remarks, Su Forty-three and others decided to lead a riot and killed Xinzhu in the Baizhuang Mansion that night. I also heard that the prefect Yang Shiji was also coming, broke the jar and broke it, and rushed directly to Qitaibao to kill Yang Shiji, "Later, I heard that Yang Shiji was coming, and he had already killed the official, this matter is too big, it is better to kill Yang Shiji" (Xinzhu and Yang Shiji's death, according to the "Xunhua Hall Chronicles" and "The King James Lanzhou Chronicle" was written, and the details of the "Xunhua Hall Chronicles" are richer, among which the report of the Shaanxi and Gansu Governor Leerjin is very different from the "Xunhua Hall Chronicles").
The death of Xinzhu and Yang Shiji
The governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Leer, would like to report it
On March 21, Su 43 led about 2,000 troops (1,000 or hundreds in another place) to attack the city of Hezhou, and on the 22nd, Shen Ke broke through the city of Hezhou and seized "about 70 or 80 loads of gunpowder and lead." The uprising broke out in full swing.
After the outbreak of the uprising, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Leer, sent troops to guard Didao to prevent the rebels from attacking Lanzhou, and on the other hand, he arrested Ma Mingxin and his family in Anding and Guanjiao and imprisoned them in Lanzhou. After Su Forty-three and others learned the news of Ma Mingxin's arrest, they decided to lead the crowd to attack Lanzhou to rescue Ma Mingxin. On March 24, the Su 43rd rebel army came to the Tao River and, with the help of the Jehrenye disciples, "crossed the river on a raft." Arrived at Lanzhou Xiguan in one day and one night, and Lanzhou City was defended by Leer Di Dao transferred 500 soldiers, only 300 people were left to defend in the city, the troops were thin, and they were caught off guard, and they did not have time to clear the wilderness, and the grain in the west and south of the city outside the city was "burned and looted by thieves". At the same time, Su 43 ordered people to "break down the pontoon bridge" outside Lanzhou City to stop the reinforcements.
"The Chronicle of Lanzhou"
On March 27, the rebel army gathered under the west gate of Lanzhou City, and Wang Tingzan, the political envoy of Gansu Province, wanted to save the dangerous city by delaying the army, so he pushed Ma Mingxin on the city wall and asked him to "write to stop the thief", but Ma Mingxin refused to write, and proposed to "order the two people next to him to inform" , Wang Tingzan had no choice but to behead Ma Mingxin and organize resistance (judging from Ma Mingxin's behavior, it is very likely that he knew that it was a delaying tactic, so he let the rebels under the city attack without caring about his life and death).
"The Chronicle of Lanzhou"
Gansu Admiral Renhe led the Qing army "more than a dozen", Liangzhou General Soldier Dening, and Deputy Commander Erheng led 300 troops, and drove to Jinchengguan Ferry to reinforce Lanzhou. However, due to the demolition of the bridge, the only way to kill and injure the rebels was to fire guns on the other side of the bank. Under the cover of firepower, they landed on the opposite shore by boat and fought with the rebels. At the same time, Tu Qinbao, the chief soldier of Guyuan Town, led 500 soldiers from the east of Lanzhou. On the morning of the 29th, the rebel army took the initiative to attack, and Tuqinbao, Erhenge, and Dening led troops to meet the battle, and pushed the rebel army back to the mountain near Lanzhou, and Lanzhou temporarily relieved the crisis.
On March 28 and 29, he fought under the city
When the news of the rebel army's siege of Lanzhou reached Beijing, Emperor Qianlong was shocked, so he immediately shook his people and ordered Qing troops from nearby provinces to rush to Lanzhou to rescue. The reinforcement of the Qing army included 2,600 officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners garrison in Xi'an, 300 soldiers of the Green Battalion in Tongguan, 1,500 soldiers of the Green Battalion in Taiyuan, 3,500 soldiers in Datong Town, 1,500 soldiers in the Eight Banners of the Chengdu Garrison, and 1,000 soldiers in Yansui Town, with a strength of more than 10,000 officers and soldiers. Qianlong almost had to send 4,000 firearms and Jianrui battalions of the Eight Banners of the Beijing Division, but he was later stopped by Leer.
At the same time as sending reinforcements, Qianlong also gave full play to the traditional ability of attacking and destroying the old religion, and ordered the old sect Hui people to organize the Hui soldiers to serve the army to crusade against the Protestant religion, "that is, the people of the old religion should be clearly told to pardon them for the crime of fighting and killing each other, as a precursor, so that they can kill the thieves and serve themselves."
"The Chronicle of Lanzhou"
Beginning in late March, reinforcements of the Qing army in Lanzhou arrived one after another, and the rebel army became more and more courageous in the face of the Qing army, which had a great advantage in numbers, and killed and wounded a large number of Qing troops, so that some Qing troops were afraid of war.
"Shengwu Ji Volume 7": The southwest of Lanzhou City is forced to the mountain, the officers and soldiers do not strangle it first, they are occupied by thieves, overlooking the heights, although there are more than 1,000 people, all of them are Protestant dead friends, Su Ye shooting, fine muskets, and negative land risks. More than 10,000 officers and soldiers were camped in the east of the city, separated from the thieves, repeatedly frustrated and sharp, disturbed every night, and the guns and artillery were up.
"The Legend of Shengwu"
The first battle of Lanzhou made Emperor Qianlong and his dissatisfaction, saying that "at this time, the officers and soldiers have exceeded one glance, and there are only more than 1,000 bandits, so why is it difficult to annihilate them in one fell swoop", and ordered Leer to be held accountable, and Li Shiyao temporarily took over his position to continue to suppress the rebels. He also ordered the scholar Ah Gui to be the minister of the Qin Mission, and went to the front line to direct the war with the Hubu Shangshu and Shen. At the same time, Li Shuyao had to mobilize 1,000 Jinchuan Tun to train and 700 Alxa Mongol soldiers to join the attacking team under the unfavorable situation of a long battle.
Under the siege of the superior Qing army, the rebel army had already lost a large number of troops, and "no less than seven or eight hundred people were repeatedly killed by officers and soldiers, shot by guns, and escaped thieves from all directions, and there were only more than 1,000 people left." Due to the great loss, it had to be guarded at Longwei Mountain, Hualin Mountain, Bawax Temple and other places in the southwest of Lanzhou City. On April 17, He Shen arrived in Lanzhou, and in order to compete with A Gui, he ordered Tuqinbao, the general army of Guyuan Town, to launch an attack, but the result was unsuccessful and Tuqinbao was killed.
困守华林山，起义终失败
On April 21, the 46th year of Qianlong, Ah Gui, who was appointed as the minister of the Qin Mission, arrived in Lanzhou, and in order to ensure the safety of Lanzhou, he sent troops to set up various gates outside Xiguan from the banks of the Yellow River to various mountain beams, in case the rebel army approached the city wall. He also walked non-stop in the barracks, distinguishing between officers and men, and assigning tasks, "briefly reading the officers and men of each battalion, ordering the cowardly to defend the camp, or ordering the cowardly to lure the enemy when fighting, and choosing the strong and brave to fight forward."
On April 26, Agui with 4,000 troops divided into three ways to attack the rebel army to defend Longwei Mountain, the left and right flanks as the main attacking force, the middle road to lure the enemy to fight, induce the rebel army out of the card attack, the rebel army did not know what to do, they have "highlighted the battle", the two wings of the Qing army killed, the old Jiaohui soldiers also attacked with the Qing army, the rebel army was defeated, more than 100 killed.
On April 26, the battle of Longwei Mountain
In order to concentrate on the Qing army, the rebel army abandoned Longwei Mountain and defended Hualin Mountain with all its might. The east and west walls of Hualin Mountain stand several feet, and the paths are cut off by the rebel army. There are pillboxes inside the card and a trench outside the card, and it is very difficult to storm it.
On May 2, Ah Gui repeated the old trick, so that the old sect Hui soldiers pretended to advance to lure the enemy out, the rebel army was fooled again, 600~700 volunteers rushed out of the fortifications to fight, 1500 Qing troops who had been ambushed in advance rushed to kill again, the rebels were defeated and retreated, under the cover of firepower, they withdrew the fortifications, and then they could not hold out. In the battle, more than 200 rebels were killed.
Fighting on 2 May
At this point, the battle situation entered a stalemate stage, and in the face of the rebel army's "try their best to resist and defend to the death", the Qing army's offensive entered the stage of constipation, and there was no way but to die. The only thing that made Ah Gui feel a little comfortable was that 700 Mongolian Alxa banner soldiers arrived in Lanzhou on 20 May, and 1,000 Jinchuan Tunlian, who were good at mountain warfare, also arrived in Lanzhou around the first day of the fifth month of the leap month.
Seeing that the plan to lure the enemy was completely ineffective, Ah Gui at this time took advantage of the advantage of troops and launched a strong attack on the rebels in all directions of Hualin Mountain under the cover of artillery. On the third and ninth days of the fifth month of the leap month, successive fierce attacks were launched, approaching layer by layer, and the fortifications set up by the rebel army were destroyed one after another. In order to reduce the lethality of the rebels, Ah Gui, Mingliang and others ordered the soldiers to dig trenches to advance, and after approaching the fortifications of the rebels, they set up wooden cards, shot at the rebels, and threw out "bundles of branches and bags of soil and threw them into the thieves' trenches", and after filling the trenches of the rebels, they attacked again, and the space of the rebels was gradually compressed.
The Qing army dug trenches and advanced
On the 15th of the fifth month of leap month, the Qing army finally made a breakthrough after more than a month of strong attack, seized the mountain bag in front of the rebel army's Daka, and set up artillery to bombard Daka, and then forced the rebels out of Daka, and the rebels had to retreat to two nearby mountain bags.
At this time, the rebel army was also considered to be at the end of the strong crossbow, and Hualin Mountain had no source of supply and no water source. Under extremely difficult circumstances, the rebels took advantage of the dangerous terrain of Hualin Mountain to repel several attacks by the Qing army. Su Forty-three also knew that staying in Hualin Mountain was not a way, and organized several breakouts, but they were all repelled by the Qing army, and after repeated attrition, the righteous army "still had four or five hundred people in size and wounded." For the rebel army, the only good thing is that in Lanzhou in May and June, the rain was continuous, and the rebel army used the rain to alleviate the water shortage crisis (note: the funny thing is that it was through this rain that the Gansu Relief Case was presented in front of Qianlong, and everyone who is interested can check it).
"Shengwu Ji, Volume 7": The siege of Lanzhou by the official army was also a thief, cut off its way, and was repeatedly relieved by the rain, because of the suspicion that Gansu had been in drought over the years.
"The Legend of Shengwu"
On June 15, the rebel army ushered in its final moment, and the Qing army took advantage of the extreme hardship of the rebel army to launch a general offensive and capture the gate set up by the rebel army. Su 43, together with Ma Deming, Hai Chaozong, Zhang Huaide, and Zhang Han, led the crowd to meet the Qing army, and after a desperate struggle, all of them were killed. More than 300 rebels were killed.
Su forty-three was killed in battle
The remaining more than 200 volunteers were outnumbered and retreated to Hualin Temple for their final resistance. The Qing army set fire to the temple on the fifth day of the seventh month, and while throwing guns and stones, all the rebels were killed in battle, and none of them surrendered. Qianlong was also shocked by the tenacity of the rebel army, "At this time, there are not many remaining parties, and the key culprits and the first offender have all been annihilated, and all that remains is the remnants of the thieves and the defeated people.
“善后”之恶
After this uprising, the Salar tribe who participated in the uprising had 976 households in nine jobs, and "all of them were wiped out", and the remaining fields were divided among the old sects, and all adult men were killed, and the women were sent to Xinjiang to be enslaved by the local Erut, Solon, and Chahar soldiers, and the minor men were sent to Yunnan and Guangxi to fill the army.
The so-called aftercare
"Xunhua Hall Chronicles"
In order to prevent another large-scale rebellion, the Qing court moved the Shaanxi Governor from Xi'an to Guyuan, and the Guyuan General Army to Hezhou, and the Xunhua Department added a staff general, a member of the Chinese army garrison, and a member of the Qianzhong, the general, and the additional foreign commission, so as to strengthen the control of the local Hui people. He also garrisoned troops on Hualin Mountain to defend and fortified the city wall of Lanzhou City to ensure the defense of Lanzhou. At the same time, the religious activities of the Hui people are strictly controlled, and believers are not allowed to recite scriptures, and the villagers sign pledges and monitor each other.
Although the uprising was quelled, the Qing court's high-pressure policy towards the Hui people led to increasingly acute religious and ethnic contradictions, which brought hidden dangers to the long-term peace and stability of the local area, so that three years later, the Zhehe Ninye followers Tian Wu and Zhang Wenqing revolted.
Citations: "Chronicles of the Imperial Dynasty of Lanzhou", "Records of Shengwu", "Records of Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty", "Chronicles of Xunhua Hall"