During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the rebellion of the three feudatories surged, and the vassal kings such as Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Zhixin rose up against the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty fell into a crisis for a while. At this critical moment, a fierce general of the Han army from Ningxia stepped forward, and with his extraordinary courage and outstanding military command skills, he turned the tide many times, and finally became the hero of the suppression of the rebellion of the three feudatories. He is Zhao Liangdong.
However, although Zhao Liangdong made great achievements, he was suppressed because he was too upright. Emperor Kangxi had a love-hate relationship with him, admiring his bravery on the one hand, and fearing that his integrity and selflessness would affect his authority. In the end, Emperor Kangxi suppressed Zhao Liangdong for 16 years, and it was not until Zhao Liangdong died that Kangxi confided in his heart. What kind of twists and turns did Zhao Liangdong, the first fierce general of the Kangxi Dynasty, experience in his legendary life? How did he establish his meritorious service in the rebellion of the three feudatories?
1. From a humble background, with courage and meritorious service
Zhao Liangdong was born in a poor family in Ningxia, and his family was poor, and he had to work to survive since he was a child. However, he was born with a strong physique and infinite strength, and he was well-known in the township. In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng's peasant rebel army was active in the northwest, and Zhao Liangdong's family fled to escape the war, and their lives became even more difficult.
In the first year of Shunzhi, the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, and Li Zicheng was defeated and fled westward. In order to prevent the Dashun army from counterattacking, the Qing army recruited Han people in the northwest. Zhao Liangdong was born brave and was recommended to enlist in the army, starting as a small soldier. He made great achievements in suppressing the uprising of Li Zicheng and Ding Guodong, and was gradually promoted to the position of capital division and Gaotai guerrilla.
In the thirteenth year of Shunzhi, Zhao Liangdong accompanied Hong Chengchou to conquer Yungui, and was promoted to deputy general for meritorious service. In the first year of Kangxi, he was promoted to the general army of Guangluo. During his tenure in Guangluo, Zhao Liangdong strictly governed the army, and the soldiers under his command were disciplined and never harassed the people.
In the early years of Kangxi, Miao uprisings occurred in Manai, Longna, Shuixi and other places, and Zhao Liangdong led the army to quickly quell the rebellion, which was deeply appreciated by Kangxi. After Kangxi became pro-government, Zhao Liangdong was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Datong, Tianjin and other important towns, and his grade was to the second grade.
Zhao Liangdong is honest and selfless, speaks straightforwardly, and never obeys his boss. He took the lead, charged forward in wartime, and the soldiers under his command were all brave and resolute. It was these two characteristics that laid the foundation for his later contributions in the rebellion of the three feudatories.
Second, the uprising of the three feudatories, Zhao Liangdong made miraculous achievements
In October of the twelfth year of Kangxi, Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi, led an army against the Qing Dynasty and captured the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. The vassal kings such as Geng Jingzhong, King of Jingnan, and Shang Zhixin of Pingnan also responded, and Sun Yanling, a general of Guangxi, Wang Fuchen, the governor of Shaanxi, and Luo Sen, the governor of Sichuan, also joined them. For a time, half of the Qing Dynasty was occupied by rebels.
In the early days of the rebellion, Emperor Kangxi was puzzled, and the Qing army was defeated and retreated. Some of the consulting ministers suggested that the capital be moved to Shengjing to avoid its attack. Emperor Kangxi finally made up his mind to mobilize heavy troops from all over the world to conquer the three feudatories. Zhao Liangdong, who was the commander-in-chief of Tianjin at the time, was also transferred back to the northwest front of his hometown.
In the thirteenth year of Kangxi, Chen Fu, the governor of Ningxia, was killed by the rebels, and Kangxi appointed Zhao Liangdong as the chief soldier of Ningxia to suppress the local rebellion. Zhao Liangdong is a person from Ningxia and does not want to meet with the villagers, so he asks for punishment and coercion. Kangxi played on the spot, Zhao Liangdong killed the rebel on the one hand, and read the edict on the other, only more than a month, Ningxia was in turmoil, Zhao Liangdong only beheaded a few people, and the rest were pardoned.
In the fifteenth year of Kangxi, the general Tuhai conquered Wang Fuchen, the governor of Shaanxi, and Zhao Liangdong was transferred to his command. Tuhai divided the troops into two routes, led by Zhao Liangdong, and successively conquered Qinzhou, Xihe, Lixian and other places, and his prestige was greatly enhanced. Tu Hai personally praised Zhao Liangdong for being a Han army, but he was brave and did not lose to the soldiers outside the Guan. Later, Tuhai listened to Zhou Chang's suggestion and recruited Wang Fuchen, and Zhao Liangdong also made meritorious contributions.
In the eighteenth year of Kangxi, Zhao Liangdong took the initiative to ask for war and was willing to lead the Ningxia army south into Sichuan. Kangxi granted his request, and Zhao Liangdong was stationed in Hanzhong and took charge of the road under Tuhai. He first conquered Mishu Pass and Huangzhu Pass, and then won a great victory in Huixian County, defeating Wu Sangui's confidant Wu Zhimao. Then he captured Yangping Pass and Xianxian, and joined forces with the main force of the Qing army. The picture played on the sea, and Kangxi gave Zhao Liangdong the rank of brave general.
The following year, Tuhai ordered Forni to attack the White Dam, but the battle was to no avail for several days. Zhao Liangdong was sent to go again, Zhao Liangdong gave an order to the river, and the whip pointed at the direction, and the soldiers under his command regarded death as home, crossed the river with difficulty, and conquered the enemy formation. Although Zhao Liangdong's command suffered hundreds of casualties, no one retreated, Kangxi was overjoyed and praised Zhao Liangdong as a "great man".
Zhao Liangdong then crossed the Mingyue River, approached Mianzhu, surrendered the governor Zhang Wende, and recovered Chengdu. Kangxi specially promoted Zhao Liangdong as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and added the title of secretary of the military department. Since the expedition to Baishui Dam, only more than ten days, Zhao Liangdong has built a great feat.
Third, Zhao Liangdong took charge of Kunming alone
In the spring of the twentieth year of Kangxi, the general Tuhai was seriously ill and was ordered to return to Beijing to recuperate. After Tuhai left, the armies of all walks of life began to compete with each other for merit and did not belong to each other. Wang Jinbao, Fu Nicheng and others each commanded their soldiers and horses, trying to swallow the war exploits alone.
Seeing this, Zhao Liangdong played Kangxi and asked to be alone and lead the Ningxia army south and go straight to Kunming. Kangxi played on the occasion and ordered Zhao Liangdong to wave his army south, and went straight to Kunming City, where Wu Shifan, the grandson of Wu Sangui, was guarding.
After Zhao Liangdong left Mianzhu, the army marched along the west of the river, first conquered Mishu Pass and Huangzhu Pass, and defeated all the rebel blockers. Then crossed the Mingyue River, captured Huixian, Yangpingguan and other important towns, and was invincible all the way.
In the spring of the twenty-first year of Kangxi, Zhao Liangdong's army arrived at the city of Kunming. At that time, there were rebel troops inside and outside Kunming, and there were 30,000 elites under the personal command of Wu Shifan on the periphery, and the inner city was even more impregnable.
Zhao Liangdong ordered the sergeants to build a camp and confront the rebels for several months. During this period, Zhao Liangdong personally inspected the position many times to find a breakthrough. Finally, he found that there was a low-lying area around the south gate of Kunming, which was an excellent location for attacking the city.
Zhao Liangdong ordered the sergeants to build an earthen wall there, erect a ladder, and wait for an opportunity to break through the city. One night, Zhao Liangdong personally led the elite soldiers, braved the artillery fire of the rebels, attacked the city wall, and then opened the city gate, and the Qing army entered in a big way.
In this way, after a fierce battle, Kunming City was conquered under the leadership of Zhao Liangdong. Wu Shifan saw that the general trend had gone, so he led the rest of his troops to surrender. Kangxi was overjoyed when he heard the news, and issued an edict to reward Zhao Liangdong: "Liangdong led the department to attack the South Dam at night, broke the fortress and captured the bridge, and then Bocheng." ＂
Zhao Liangdong's battle can be described as a great achievement. He not only conquered the important city of Kunming alone, but also made the first contribution to quelling the rebellion of the three feudatories. After that, other generals of the Qing army asked Zhao Liangdong for advice on the method of attacking the city, and they all admired Zhao Liangdong's bravery and wisdom.
After conquering Kunming, Zhao Liangdong did not stop. He continued to supervise the southward movement, and in Yunnan and Guizhou, dozens of cities were broken in succession, and the remnants of the rebels were completely swept away. It was not until the twenty-fourth year of Kangxi that Zhao Liangdong was ordered to return to his teacher.
On the way back, Zhao Liangdong passed through Sichuan, and local generals came to greet him. Zhao Liangdong saw that the people of Sichuan were living in difficulty, so he ordered the province to be exempted from taxes for one year to relieve the people's hardship. This move has won Zhao Liangdong a high reputation among the people of Sichuan.
Fourth, integrity and selflessness, Kangxi has suppressed for 16 years
Zhao Liangdong made great achievements in quelling the rebellion of the three feudatories, which can be described as outstanding meritorious service. However, it was this merit that made Emperor Kangxi love and hate him, which eventually led to Kangxi's suppression of Zhao Liangdong for 16 years.
Zhao Liangdong is honest and selfless, speaks straightforwardly, and never obeys his boss. He took the lead, charged forward in wartime, and the soldiers under his command were all brave and resolute. It is these two characteristics that make Zhao Liangdong repeatedly perform miraculous feats on the battlefield.
However, this integrity also made Emperor Kangxi jealous. Although Emperor Kangxi appreciated Zhao Liangdong's bravery, he was deeply afraid that his integrity and selflessness would affect his authority. Therefore, Kangxi had a love-hate relationship with Zhao Liangdong, on the one hand, rewarding him for his merits, and on the other hand, secretly suppressing him.
According to historical records, in the twenty-fourth year of Kangxi, Zhao Liangdong returned to his teacher after pacifying Yungui. Kangxi issued an order and ordered Zhao Liangdong to stay in Beijing "The attendant has a purpose". On the surface, Zhao Liangdong was asked to serve in the capital, but in fact, he was placed under house arrest. Since then, Zhao Liangdong has been banned from leaving Beijing and can no longer hold a substantive position.
In the following years, Kangxi's suppression of Zhao Liangdong became more and more severe. In the twenty-eighth year of Kangxi, Zhao Liangdong bluntly spoke about the gains and losses of the government and was severely reprimanded by Kangxi. The following year, Zhao Liangdong asked to go to Beijing for inspection, but Kangxi refused.
In the thirtieth year of Kangxi, Zhao Liangdong asked to go out of Beijing again, but Kangxi not only refused, but also dismissed him for investigation. Zhao Liangdong was deprived of all official positions and titles, and only one vacant title was retained. Since then, Zhao Liangdong has completely lost his prestige and status.
It was not until the thirty-sixth year of Kangxi that Zhao Liangdong was allowed to leave Beijing and was demoted to the prefect of Fengxiang, Shaanxi. However, this is the time when Zhao Liangdong's life is coming to an end. The following year, Zhao Liangdong died of illness at the age of seventy.
After Zhao Liangdong's death, Emperor Kangxi confided in the reason for suppressing him. According to the "Qing Historical Manuscript", Emperor Kangxi once said to Zhao Liangdong's nephew: "Zhao Liangdong is an upright person, and I respect him, but I am afraid that his words are too straightforward and will hurt my physique, so he is not allowed to leave Beijing." ＂
It can be seen that the reason why Emperor Kangxi suppressed Zhao Liangdong was completely out of selfishness. He was afraid that Zhao Liangdong's integrity and selflessness would affect his authority, so he did not hesitate to personally issue an order to suppress this hero who was the head of the pacification of the three feudatories for 16 years.
Zhao Liangdong has been diligent and loyal all his life, and has made many military exploits, and he should have been honored and rich. However, he was suppressed for being too upright, and in the end he could only die in a degrading place. This encounter is really suffocating.