Preface
The Taiping Rebellion was a vigorous peasant uprising in modern Chinese history, and its influence was far-reaching. However, after the failure of the uprising, the survivor Lai Hanying lived to be 96 years old. And when he was dying, he revealed a secret buried deep in his heart.
How important is this secret, and what kind of historical enlightenment will it bring us? This article will trace the changes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in depth, and explore the truth of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the eyes of the survivors.
1. Lai Hanying: A military advisor with both wisdom and bravery
Among the generals of the Taiping Rebellion, there was one person who stood out in particular - Lai Hanying. He is not only a close confidant of Hong Xiuquan, but also an outstanding military strategist.
Lai Hanying was born in Huaxian County, Guangdong, and his family was poor since he was a child, but he continued to improve himself, was proficient in poetry and books, and studied medicine and martial arts. In the countryside and countryside, everyone looked at him differently. It was this extraordinary talent that allowed him to join the Taiping Army at the beginning of the Jintian Uprising and become Hong Xiuquan's right-hand man.
Lai Hanying's military talent was fully demonstrated in the Battle of Yangzhou. At that time, the Qing army had mobilized 100,000 troops to suppress the border, and the situation was critical. As the defender of Yangzhou, Lai Hanying did not panic, but responded calmly.
He first strengthened the city defenses and set up artillery turrets to enhance the attack power of the city walls. Subsequently, he sent a squad to harass the Qing army and conduct psychological warfare to make the enemy fearful. In the end, he personally led the army to attack at night and completely defeated the Qing army.
It was with extraordinary resourcefulness and fearless courage that Lai Hanying was able to achieve victory in such a difficult situation. It can be said that the success of the Yangzhou Defense War not only won precious time for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, but also made Lai Hanying's position in Hong Xiuquan's heart more stable.
The reason why Lai Hanying was able to achieve such brilliant achievements on the battlefield was inseparable from his in-depth study of military theory, in addition to his outstanding personal qualities. He is not only proficient in classical military books such as "The Art of War", but also good at combining theory and practice. In the defense of Yangzhou, he skillfully used the city wall as a weapon to defeat the strong with the weak, which can be described as a model of the use of the art of war.
At the same time, Lai Hanying is also a good man with a benevolent heart. In between wars, he would always personally treat the wounded and repay his comrades with medical skills. This benevolent character also made him highly respected in the hearts of soldiers. It can be said that it is this combination of wisdom and courage, benevolence and righteousness that makes Lai Hanying one of the most outstanding generals in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
2. The Struggle for Power: The Bane of Heaven
However, just as the Taiping army was winning, an internal power struggle was brewing in secret. The contradiction between Yang Xiuqing, the king of the east, and Wei Changhui, the king of the north, was the root cause of the fall of the kingdom of heaven.
Yang Xiuqing is the second-in-command of the Taiping Army, second only to Hong Xiuquan in status. He called himself "Heavenly Father" and even asked Hong Xiuquan to worship him. Although Wei Changhui is only the king of the north, he is from a wealthy background and has a fierce personality, which makes it difficult to tolerate Yang Xiuqing's arrogance.
The contradictions between the two can be traced back to before the Kaneda Uprising. At that time, Yang Xiuqing had already begun to establish his own power within the Taiping Army and tried to surpass Hong Xiuquan's status. And Wei Changhui, as a child of a rich family, was already dissatisfied with this kind of style.
In addition, Yang Xiuqing repeatedly beat and scolded Wei Changhui, and the contradictions between the two sides intensified. In the end, Wei Changhui couldn't bear it anymore and denounced Yang Xiuqing's crime to Hong Xiuquan. In order to calm the dispute, Hong Xiuquan had to execute Yang Xiuqing and his family.
However, this infighting does not end there. In fact, Wei Changhui's real purpose is to replace him and become the new Heavenly King. This power struggle not only divided the Taiping army internally, but also seriously weakened its combat effectiveness.
The Taiping Army, which was originally the leader on the battlefield, has now begun to be defeated repeatedly. It can be said that this internal strife was the root cause of the final collapse of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
3. Wei Changhui's conspiracy
Wei Changhui's conspiracy, it was not until his deathbed that Lai Hanying revealed the truth to others. It turned out that when Wei Changhui reported Yang Xiuqing to Hong Xiuquan, he had secretly laid a net.
On the one hand, he took advantage of this to gain Hong Xiuquan's trust and military power, and on the other hand, he took the opportunity to eliminate Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan, Shi Dakai and other capable generals in the Taiping army. It can be described as killing three birds with one stone, paving the way for his own seizure of power.
The reason why Wei Changhui can be so ruthless is closely related to his upbringing. He came from a wealthy family and was a well-known local landlord family. However, due to the ostracism of other local landowners, his family was once imprisoned and treated unfairly. This experience made Wei Changhui have a strong desire for power and status since he was a child.
After joining the Taiping Army, although Wei Changhui was loyal to Hong Xiuquan on the surface, he already had his own ambitions in his heart. He saw the contradiction between Yang Xiuqing and Hong Xiuquan, skillfully used this, and finally achieved his goal.
Fortunately, Shi Dakai discovered Wei Changhui's conspiracy in time and teamed up with Hong Xiuquan to kill him. However, this civil strife has greatly damaged the vitality of the Taiping army, and Hong Xiuquan began to be suspicious and killed meritorious generals, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom collapsed.
Fourth, Hong Xiuquan's mistakes
As the leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Xiuquan's approach after the "Yang Wei" incident was really a mistake. He not only drove away the loyal Shi Dakai, but also slaughtered many meritorious generals.
This can't help but make people sigh that the reason why Hong Xiuquan was able to launch such a large-scale peasant uprising in the first place largely relied on these loyal and promising soldiers under his command. However, once they were suspected and killed, the Taiping army's combat effectiveness would naturally be greatly weakened.
The reason why Hong Xiuquan took such extreme measures was mainly due to his character flaws. As a peasant leader, although he had a strong determination to change his fate, he also lacked sufficient political wisdom and foresight.
When faced with internal disputes, Hong Xiuquan often chooses simple and crude means rather than resolving conflicts through coordination and negotiation. Far from solving the problem at its root, this approach has exacerbated internal divisions.
It can be said that Hong Xiuquan's suspicion accelerated the decline of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. If he could trust his subordinates, perhaps the fate of the kingdom of heaven would be rewritten. Unfortunately, he was unable to overcome his limitations in the end, which eventually led to the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
epilogue
A review of the Taiping Rebellion reveals that the 14-year-old peasant uprising ultimately failed largely due to internal power struggles and leadership failures.
Although Lai Hanying is an excellent military strategist, he is only an executor after all. In contrast, Hong Xiuquan, as the leader, lost his concentration at a critical moment, leading to the fall of the heavenly kingdom.
This can't help but make people feel that even a great cause needs a wise leader to harness. However, the Taiping Rebellion did open up a new path for the Chinese peasants and gave them hope of changing their fate. This spirit will always inspire us to move forward.
We should learn from this and be more cautious on the road ahead to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Only in this way can we truly succeed and realize our dreams.