Cixi ordered Shi Dakai's 5-year-old son Ling Chi to be executed, and the executioner had just executed the child, and the child had fainted. This cruel order is chilling. Why did a five-year-old child endure such a cruel punishment? Why was Cixi so vicious and showed no mercy to an innocent child? What kind of conspiracy and power struggle were hidden behind this? What fate would the child suffer in the end? This is a heart-wrenching suspense that makes us all look forward to finding out.
1. Shi Dakai's heroic deeds of rebellion against the Qing Dynasty
Shi Dakai, formerly known as Shi Heng, was a famous national hero in the late Qing Dynasty. Born into an ordinary peasant family, he suffered from the rule of the Qing Dynasty since he was a child. In 1862, when the Taiping Rebellion was gaining momentum in his native Sichuan region, Shi Dakai joined the Taiping Army determined to resist the tyranny of the Qing Dynasty.
At first, Shi Dakai was just an ordinary infantryman, but he soon stood out for his extraordinary courage and intelligence. In a fierce battle, he was not afraid of danger and personally rushed to kill the Qing army's position, opened a breakthrough for the army, and made great achievements. The leaders of the Taiping army praised him and quickly reused him.
Soon, Shi Dakai was entrusted with an important task and led an army to fight along the front line of Jiangxi and Hunan. He strategized, performed many miraculous feats, and made the Qing army suffer many times. Once, he skillfully used the local terrain to set up an ambush, ambushed a heavy Qing army, and completely annihilated thousands of Qing troops. This victory made him famous in the Taiping army.
As the war deepened, Shi Dakai's military talent and leadership ability became increasingly apparent. He knew that bravery alone could not win, so he attached great importance to resourcefulness and strategy. He often said to his subordinates: "War is not only about who has the most soldiers, but also about whose strategy is clever." Sure enough, with careful deployment and clever use of troops, he won many battles.
Despite his young age, Shi Dakai was already one of the most prominent generals in the Taiping Army at that time. He not only won the support of his subordinates, but also won wide support from the people. Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, also appreciated him and personally awarded him the title of "Wing King".
However, the good times were short-lived. With the decline of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Shi Dakai's army was gradually surrounded by the Qing army. In a fierce battle, he was unfortunately captured. In the face of the coercion and temptation of the Qing army, Shi Dakai was unwavering and unyielding. Before his death, he instructed his soldiers to continue to struggle for national liberation.
Although Shi Dakai died young, his heroic deeds and indomitable spirit will always be remembered. He was one of the most shining national heroes of that turbulent era, defending the dignity and freedom of the nation with his blood and life.
2. Cixi's brutal persecution of Shi Dakai and his family
After Shi Dakai was captured, the Empress Dowager Cixi held a grudge against him. As an important general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Shi Dakai caused huge losses to the Qing Dynasty army, and was a thorn in Cixi's heart. In order to demonstrate the imperial power, Cixi decided to severely punish Shi Dakai.
In 1863, Cixi ordered Shi Dakai Lingchi to be executed. Ling Chi is an extremely cruel death penalty, requiring thousands of cuts to end the life of a prisoner. For a "great rebel" like Shi Dakai, Cixi thought that Ling Chi was the punishment he deserved.
The execution ground was slaughtered, and Shi Dakai was escorted to the execution platform. He was dressed in prison clothes, his hands and feet were chained, but he still held his head high and his expression calm. The executioner picked up the sharp blade and prepared to begin the execution. At this critical moment, a small figure suddenly broke into the execution ground.
It turned out to be Shi Dakai's 5-year-old son Shi Dingzhong. The child had been imprisoned in the palace and tortured since his father was captured. When he heard that his father was going to be put to death, he cried out to see him one last time. The eunuchs wanted to stop it, but Shi Dingzhong had already rushed to the execution platform.
When Shi Dakai saw his son, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he regained his composure. He said to his son, "Dingzhong, Daddy is about to leave you." You have to remember that our Shi family has resisted tyranny for generations and fought for national freedom... ＂
Before he finished speaking, the voice of the Empress Dowager Cixi came from the throne: "Shut up! Shi Dakai, your evil seed will also pay for your crimes! Executioner, cut this kid for me too, and cut it up with 3,000 knives!"
Shi Dakai was shocked, he never thought that Cixi would be so vicious, even a 5-year-old child would not be spared. He struggled desperately to protect his son, but was soon held down by the eunuchs. The executioner picked up the blade and aimed it at Shi Dingzhong's body.
The child was frightened, and he cried out, "Mother, what am I wrong? ＂
However, Cixi turned a deaf ear and said coldly, "Let's start." ＂
The moment the blade fell, Shi Dingzhong was in great pain and soon fainted. Seeing this, Cixi did not mean to stop, she said: "Take good care of him, don't be in a hurry at this time, and slowly cut it in the future." ＂
In this way, Shi Dingzhong was subjected to inhumane torture for 11 years. Every once in a while, he would be taken to the execution ground and subjected to a brutal chokehold. It wasn't until he was 16 years old, when he was finally slashed with 3,000 knives, that the poor child was able to end his life.
Cixi's persecution of Shi Dakai and his family shocked China and the rest of the world. This kind of cruelty to an innocent child is truly outrageous. However, in Cixi's eyes, this was just a means to maintain imperial power. In this extreme way, she wanted to warn her subjects not to disobey the court.
3. The conspiracy and power struggle behind Cixi's persecution
Cixi's brutal persecution of Shi Dakai and his family hides a protracted power struggle. As the de facto supreme ruler of the Qing Dynasty at the time, Cixi was extremely wary of any dissident forces in order to consolidate her power.
As an important general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Shi Dakai caused huge losses to the Qing Dynasty army, which naturally aroused Cixi's anger and hatred. But more importantly, Shi Dakai's act of resistance touched the root of Cixi's maintenance of rule.
The core idea of the Taiping Rebellion was to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a new society of equality. This was undoubtedly a fundamental threat to Cixi's autocratic rule. If this force is allowed to spread, it will surely shake the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Cixi decided to strike hard at the Taiping army and completely extinguish the fire of rebellion.
And Shi Dakai, as one of the most outstanding generals in the Taiping Army, naturally became the key target of Cixi's attack. Cixi not only wanted to severely punish Shi Dakai himself, but also to warn the subjects of the world that any disobedience to the imperial court would be severely punished.
Therefore, when Shi Dakai was captured, Cixi showed no mercy and ordered him to be executed. This extremely cruel punishment is not only a personal punishment for Shi Dakai, but also a way to show the imperial power to the people of the whole country.
But this alone was not enough, Cixi wanted to inflict a merciless blow on the entire Shi family, thus completely destroying their will to resist. Therefore, she ordered Shi Dakai's 5-year-old son Shi Dingzhong to be sentenced to Ling Chi and 3,000 knives, so that the child could endure torture for 11 years.
This cruelty to an innocent child was undoubtedly an extreme measure for Cixi to maintain her rule. She wanted to use this deterrent behavior to warn her subjects not to disobey the court, otherwise even their wives and children would suffer.
It can be said that Cixi's persecution of Shi Dakai and his family was a brutal conspiracy she carried out to consolidate her autocratic rule. She wants to use this bloody way to completely destroy any force that might shake the rule of the Qing Dynasty and maintain her supreme power.
Although this conspiracy achieved Cixi's goal, it also laid the foundation for the late Qing Dynasty. The tragedy suffered by the Shi family deepened the people's dissatisfaction and hatred against the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and became a fuse to promote the reform of the law. This was undoubtedly an important factor in hastening the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Fourth, the historical impact of this tragedy
Cixi's brutal persecution of Shi Dakai and his family caused shock at home and abroad at the time. This tragedy not only became a portrayal of the cruelty of the late Qing Dynasty, but also contributed to the struggle between the government and the opposition in the future, and accelerated the fall of the dynasty.
After the news spread, there was an uproar at home and abroad. Former supporters and sympathizers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom all expressed indignation and condemnation of Cixi's actions. It was unprecedented for a five-year-old child to be subjected to such inhuman torture.
There were also quite a few Qing officials who expressed unease about the matter. They believed that Cixi's actions had completely violated human ethics and would seriously damage the reputation of the imperial family among the people. People of insight have even bluntly pointed out that this kind of behavior is tantamount to self-destruction of the monarch's prestige and will inevitably cause greater public resentment.
Sure enough, the tragedy quickly spread among the people, causing an uproar. The people hated Cixi's tyranny and unreasonableness, and strengthened their determination to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Some people who had been neutral also began to favor the idea of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Driven by this wave, the Taiping Rebellion made a resurgence in some areas, putting great pressure on the Qing regime. At the same time, some ideas advocating reform of the law also began to spread among the scholars. They believed that only a thorough reform of the Qing dynasty's ruling system could prevent a repeat of such a tragedy.
It can be said that the tragedy suffered by the Shi family became an important fuse for promoting the reform movement. This undoubtedly accelerated the process of the fall of the late Qing Dynasty.
Internationally, this tragic incident has also attracted widespread attention and condemnation. Some foreigners in China expressed great indignation at this incident, believing that it was completely contrary to humanitarianism and civilization. Some even called on their own governments to exert pressure on the Qing Dynasty to change course.
This kind of public opinion pressure undoubtedly exacerbated the Qing Dynasty's international isolation. Some foreign powers began to increase their pressure on the Qing Dynasty to carry out reforms. This was undoubtedly another important factor in accelerating the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
Overall, Cixi's brutal persecution of Shi Dakai and his family became a microcosm of the tyranny of the late Qing Dynasty. This tragedy not only shocked China and the rest of the world, but also became an important fuse to promote the reform of the law and accelerate the collapse of the dynasty. It marked that the Qing dynasty had completely lost its legitimacy and was destined to be abandoned by the wheels of history.