In 1949, Ma Hongkui finished eating, sat on the sofa and picked his teeth, and his figure of more than 200 kilograms was very eye-catching

It was an afternoon in 1949, and Ma Hongkui, the "Emperor of the Soil" of Ningxia, had just had a big meal, wearing a military uniform and a pair of sunglasses, sitting lazily on the sofa and picking his teeth. The staff recalled that Ma Hongkui weighed around 200 kilograms at that time, which was really amazing in the northwest region at that time. He picked his teeth gracefully as he looked around with a sly look, as if he was calculating something. What kind of life experiences did this "traitorous male" who once ran rampant on one side go through? How did he climb from a small warlord to the pinnacle of power step by step? Let us find out.

Ma Hongkui's rise to power

Ma Hongkui was born in 1888, his ancestral home is Lingbao County, Henan Province, and his family is poor. When he was young, he was forced to drop out of school after only a few years of private school to work as a family farmer. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, Ma Hongkui joined the local peasant army and began his career as a warlord.

At first, Ma Hongkui was just a small armed captain, and his troops were only a few dozen. But he was alert and cautious, good at observing the situation, and soon showed great military talent. In 1920, Ma Hongkui was entrusted with the important task of leading an army of thousands to Ningxia to quell the rebellion. With his shrewd combat strategy and outstanding command skills, he quickly put down the rebellion in Ningxia and made great achievements.

Since then, Ma Hongkui has gradually expanded his strength. He skillfully took advantage of the situation of warlords in the northwest at that time, and constantly absorbed new armed forces to strengthen his army. At the same time, he continued to expand his territory, gradually expanding his control to the entire Ningxia region.

By 1932, Ma Hongkui had finally seized the supreme military and administrative power in Ningxia and became the de facto ruler of the land. With sufficient military strength and political authority, Ma Hongkui began to set about establishing his own "Ma dynasty".

In the process of seizing real power in Ningxia, Ma Hongkui showed extraordinary strategy and determination. He sometimes used force to suppress his opponents, and sometimes skillfully manipulated public opinion to isolate and divide the enemy's forces. Even in the face of a powerful central government army, Ma Hongkui was able to maneuver tactfully to ensure that his foundation was not shaken.

With these extraordinary means, Ma Hongkui eventually became the undisputed "soil emperor" in the land of Ningxia. From an obscure minor warlord to the seizure of supreme power in the entirety of Ningxia, Ma Hongkui's rise to prominence can be described as bizarre and full of countless wonderful storylines.

Ma Hongkui's dictatorship

Once in Ningxia's supreme power, Ma Hongkui began his 17-year dictatorship. As an out-and-out warlord, Ma Hongkui's practice is undoubtedly tyrannical and exceeding, increasing the tax burden of the common people.

At that time, Ma Hongkui in Ningxia could be said to be a household name. Not only did he have absolute control over the military, but he was also a man of his word in administrative matters. Ma Hongkui has to personally inquire about the details of tax collection. He continued to increase the types and amounts of taxes paid by the peasants, ranging from land taxes and land taxes to livestock taxes and property taxes.

What's even more terrifying is that Ma Hongkui also set up a special "Ma Family Army", which is composed of his cronies and family members. The main duty of this private army is to collect taxes throughout the territory. Once a peasant defaults on paying taxes, Ma Jiajun will swarm and ruthlessly raid their homes. Some diehards were beaten and imprisoned.

In the face of Ma Hongkui's unscrupulous tyranny, the people of Ningxia were miserable. Some people have had to abandon their homes and flee to other places in order to escape the heavy burden. And those who stayed could only survive under Ma Hongkui's iron hooves.

At the same time, Ma Hongkui himself lived a luxurious and erosive life. He built a majestic palace in the city of Ningxia, with hundreds of rooms, and was splendidly furnished. He also hired a large number of servants for them to eat, drink, and be merry. Every festival, Ma Hongkui will hold a banquet, and the scene is extremely extravagant and wasteful.

In addition to eating and drinking, Ma Hongkui also has an inextricable obsession with beauty. Not only did he marry a concubine, but he also took five wives. These six wives were all famous ladies at that time. In order to please Ma Hongkui, they always wear gorgeous dresses and valuable jewelry to show the dignity of their status.

In this way, Ma Hongkui established a dictatorial "Ma Dynasty" in the Ningxia region. He relied on force and brutality to suppress all opposition voices, monopolize power, and live a luxurious life of eating, drinking, and merrymaking. And the people of Ningxia are miserable under his iron hooves and live a miserable life.

Ma Hongkui's cunning methods

Although Ma Hongkui established a dictatorship in Ningxia, his power was not firmly established. On the one hand, he needs to be constantly on guard against the armed intervention of the central government, and on the other hand, he needs to be wary of the coveting and threats of warlords elsewhere. Therefore, Ma Hongkui has shown extraordinary cunning in maintaining his dominance.

First of all, Ma Hongkui is very good at weighing the pros and cons between various factions and skillfully manipulating public opinion. He is well aware that in order to achieve long-term peace and stability, it is far from enough to rely on force alone, and it also needs the support of public opinion and the approval of all forces. Therefore, Ma Hongkui has spared no effort to promote his "orthodox" status both internally and externally.

Internally, he trumpeted that he was a "national hero" and a "leader who saved the country and the people." He built a number of schools and hospitals in Ningxia and beautified them to establish his image as "for the benefit of the people". Externally, Ma Hongkui tried his best to exaggerate his status as a "leader" in the northwest region, and from time to time made overtures to the central government, showing his support for national reunification.

At the same time, Ma Hongkui also attaches great importance to maintaining relations with various forces. His attitude towards the central government was extremely tactful, and he was neither willing to completely confront nor completely surrender. Whenever the central army attacked, Ma Hongkui always resisted first, then took the initiative to show goodwill, and finally compromised to preserve his foundation.

As for other local warlords, Ma Hongkui used countless tricks. Sometimes, he will use the power of public opinion to isolate and divide the forces of his opponents; sometimes he will secretly win over some small warlords to expand his own strength; and sometimes, he will even sow discord, cause internal strife, and reap the benefits of fishermen.

It can be said that Ma Hongkui is well aware of the means of power struggle. He was always calculating how to consolidate his dominance and how to maneuver among the various forces so that his "Ma dynasty" would be immortal.

What's even more terrifying is that Ma Hongkui's manipulation of public opinion is also superb. Not only did he employ a large number of literati and artists, but he also controlled almost all the newspapers and media in Ningxia. All news that is favorable to him is greatly exaggerated and embellished, and unfavorable remarks are severely censored and blocked. In this way, Ma Hongkui created a public opinion atmosphere in Ningxia that supported him.

It was with these cunning methods that Ma Hongkui was able to maintain his shaky dominance in the turbulent years, which lasted until the arrival of the People's Liberation Army in 1949. It can be said that Ma Hongkui's strategy for the game of thrones is really staggering.

Ma Hongkui's family life

Behind the scenes of Ma Hongkui's iron-fisted rule, his family life is also quite legendary. As an out-and-out warlord, Ma Hongkui has an inextricable obsession with power and beauty.

First of all, Ma Hongkui can be described as a green light in terms of his wife's room. In addition to marrying a main house, he also accepted five aunts, and there are countless beauties in the harem. These six wives were all famous ladies at that time, each with their own style and charm.

Ma Hongkui is very fond of these wives. He not only built a luxurious palace for them in Ningxia City, but also hired a large number of servants for them to eat, drink, and live a carefree life. Every festival, Ma Hongkui will hold a banquet, and the scene is extremely extravagant and wasteful, just to please these wives.

However, Ma Hongkui is not too concerned about the education of his children. Although he has also funded some schools, it is more to establish his image of "benefiting the people". For his children, Ma Hongkui does not have too many good intentions. Most of his sons grew up surrounded by servants at home, and received some basic reading and literacy education, which lacked systematic training.

When these children grow up, most of them are idle and idle. Ma Hongkui didn't care too much about this, as long as they didn't affect his rule. It wasn't until Ma Hongkui was forced into exile in the United States that these children began to run for a living.

The relationship between Ma Hongkui and his children is naturally not very harmonious. They were very dissatisfied with Ma Hongkui's methods of rule, believing him to be a tyrannical tyrant. Ma Hongkui, on the other hand, believes that these children are incompetent idiots who can't understand his hardships at all. The contradiction between the two sides continued until Ma Hongkui's later years.

However, Ma Hongkui's attitude towards his wives is much better. Although there are quarrels between them from time to time, Ma Hongkui will always settle things in time. He knew that only by uniting could he maintain his dominance. Therefore, Ma Hongkui is always obedient to his wives and tries to please them.

It can be said that Ma Hongkui's family life is a microcosm. His obsession with power and beauty, his indifference to his children, and his affection for his wife all reflect the character traits of this warlord. In his family, there are also countless wonderful family conflicts and grievances.

Ma Hongkui's fall and exile

Although Ma Hongkui established a 17-year dictatorship in Ningxia, his "Ma Dynasty" could not escape the end of the downfall. In 1949, with the arrival of the People's Liberation Army, Ma Hongkui's good days came to an end.

In that year, the main forces of the PLA began to advance in the northwestern direction. Ma Hongkui realized the coming crisis and began to resist desperately. Not only did he personally lead his cronies to engage in a firefight with the PLA, but he also secretly co-opted some other minor warlords in an attempt to gather more forces.

However, these efforts of Ma Hongkui were in vain. The People's Liberation Army is far more powerful than him, and the local people have long complained about his rule, Ma Hongkui is simply unable to resist. Finally, in October 1949, Ma Hongkui was forced to abandon the city and flee, and Ningxia also fell completely.

Before fleeing, Ma Hongkui did an outrageous thing. In order to prevent the People's Liberation Army from pursuing, he personally ordered the granary in Ningxia City to be burned, resulting in a large amount of grain being burned. This is undoubtedly a cruel injury to the local people, making them even more in dire straits in the midst of the war.

After fleeing Ningxia, Ma Hongkui did not stop there. With his family and cronies, he fled first to Qinghai and then to Xinjiang, where he briefly colluded with the local warlord front in an attempt to regroup his forces. But soon, they were completely surrounded and routed by the main forces of the PLA.

Ma Hongkui, who had no way out, finally chose to completely flee Chinese mainland. In 1950, he fled to the United States by boat with his family and a large fortune. There, Ma Hongkui lived a quite nourishing life. Not only did he buy a mansion in Los Angeles, but he also invested in a number of local businesses.

However, Ma Hongkui's later years were not too peaceful. His relationship with his wife and children has always been very tense, and several aunts and wives have simply left him to fend for themselves. What's even more terrifying is that Ma Hongkui has repeatedly failed in investment, lost a lot of wealth, and his life was in trouble for a while.

In this way, the once rampant "soil emperor" finally died in 1970 full of melancholy. His life can be described as full of ups and downs, full of drama, from the beginning of a small warlord, step by step to the peak of power, and then completely destroyed, and finally exiled to a foreign country, living a lonely old age. Ma Hongkui's life is undoubtedly the most wonderful epitome of the warlord melee era in the northwest.