In the long course of history, there are always some people and events that are remembered because of their unique nature and far-reaching impact. Wu Sangui, a historical figure who played an important role at the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties, has been infamous for 10,000 years because of his label of "traitor". After he led the Qing soldiers into the customs, he opposed the Qing Dynasty and "restored his sight", and was finally beheaded by Kangxi on charges of rebellion. However, what few people know is that Wu Sangui actually had a son who escaped by luck and continued the incense for the Wu family. Today, this legacy bloodline has multiplied to more than 1,000 people in Majiazhai, continuing to write the legend of the family.
Wu Sangui
1. Wu Sangui's ups and downs in life
Wu Sangui's life is full of twists and turns. In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, as an important general, he guarded the Shanhaiguan Pass and made great achievements for the Ming Dynasty. However, as the situation became severe, Wu Sangui began to waver. On the one hand, he has the feeling of loyalty to the Ming Dynasty; On the other hand, he longed for the Qing court's treatment of "splitting the land and separating the land". In the end, after his beloved woman Chen Yuanyuan was captured by Li Zicheng, he chose to open the city gate and lead the Qing soldiers into the customs.
Wu Sangui helped the Qing soldiers to destroy Li Zicheng, and led troops into Burma, killing Emperor Yongli of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and completely clearing the last bloodline of the Ming royal family. At this point, the Qing Empire gained a firm foothold in Guannei, and Wu Sangui also shaved off his hair and became the king of Pingxi to guard Yungui. However, he was not satisfied with this, what he wanted was greater power and the opportunity to establish himself as king.
2. The failure of the rebellion and the beheading of all the houses
In 1673, Emperor Kangxi began to make drastic efforts to cut down the feudal domain, which made Wu Sangui aware of the sense of crisis. So, under the slogan of "opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty", he launched the famous "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories". However, the rebellion did not receive widespread support, and instead caused Wu Sangui to lose the trust of most of the people. In the end, because of the hot weather and excessive anxiety in Hengzhou, Wu Sangui suffered from many illnesses, which were about to kill him. Soon after, Wu Sangui, who had only been on the throne for five months, died suddenly, and the Wu family's anti-Qing dynasty was about to come to an end.
After Wu Sangui's death, although his son Wu Yingxiong was a concubine of the Qing court, he was also killed by Kangxi, and even Wu Yingxiong's son did not escape this catastrophe. Kangxi launched a crazy revenge on the Wu family and ordered the beheading of Wu Sangui's entire family. However, in this brutal purge, there was one omission - Wu Sangui's biological son Wu Yingqi.
3. The son who was left behind
Wu Yingqi, who is often mistaken for Wu Sangui's nephew in historical materials, is actually Wu Sangui's biological son. He was not born to Wu Sangui's wife Zhang, but the son of the concubine Yang. After Yang's death, Wu Sangui passed on to his brother because he could not take care of his son wholeheartedly. However, this secret is known to very few people.
Wu Yingqi learned the truth of the matter when he grew up, and secretly re-recognized Wu Sangui as his father. He accompanied his father to fight in the north and south, and made a lot of achievements, and was named the left capital of the Pingxi Domain. However, after Wu Sangui's death, he failed to inherit his grandfather's legacy because of his humble background.
Fourth, the reclusive life with his adoptive mother Chen Yuanyuan
When the Wu family was facing annihilation, Wu Yingqi remembered his father's secret letter before his death, and asked him to protect the Wu family's bloodline as a last resort. So, in the process of withdrawing troops, he began the road of escape. When he passed by Chenzhou, he came to Wu Sangui's concubine Chen Yuanyuan and told her to pay attention to concealment.
Chen Yuanyuan fled to Chenzhou for refuge as early as Wu Sangui's death. Now there are only two of them left in Wu Sangui's family, so after the two discussed, they decided to hide together and fled to the deserted mountains. Since then, Wu Yingqi has honored Chen Yuanyuan as his mother, and the two are looking for their own place in the barren mountains and mountains as mother and son.
In the process of escaping, they were helped by Ma Bao, a general left behind by Wu Sangui. Ma Bao built houses and reclaimed wasteland for them in the wilderness, so that they had a place to live. And this place is now Majiazhai in Cengong County, eastern Guizhou.
Fifth, more than 1,000 descendants of Majiazhai
In Majiazhai, Wu Yingqi and Chen Yuanyuan lived an incognito life. They got on good terms with the local villagers and changed the name of the village to Majiazhai to hide their eyes. After Chen Yuanyuan's death, Wu Yingqi built a mausoleum for his adoptive mother, in order not to be discovered, Chen Yuanyuan's stele was engraved with "the tomb seat of the late ancestor Wu Men Nie".
With the passage of time, the descendants of the Wu family in Majiazhai have always maintained their memories and admiration for their ancestors. They pass on the secrets of their ancestors from generation to generation through oral transmission. Today, Majiazhai has multiplied to more than 230 households, with a total of more than 1,000 people, all of whom are surnamed Wu.
These Wu descendants lived a peaceful and fulfilling life. They used their wisdom and courage to continue the incense for the Wu family, and also allowed this history to continue. In the remote mountain village of Majiazhai, Wu Sangui's descendants write the legendary story of the family in their own way.