In history, most of the negative evaluations of Wei Changhui are said to be conspiratorial, vicious in their work, indiscriminately killing innocents, and creating contradictions. It is said that he was the culprit of the "Tianjing Incident", and that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom went from prosperity to decline because of his brutal killing.
However, I do think that the blind denial of Wei Changhui is actually unfair. Wei Changhui himself also has a side worthy of affirmation. In other words, Wei Changhui was actually a victim, he was just being used. Why?
(Wei Changhui stills)
First, Wei Changhui destroyed his family to support the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, reflecting the thoroughness of his revolution.
Wei Changhui is different from Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing and others. Hong Xiuquan was a fallen talent, and he failed many exams, so he was quite resentful of the imperial court and society. Yang Xiuqing is a charcoal burner, at the bottom, and this status also determines that he is dissatisfied with reality.
But Wei Changhui was different, his family was relatively rich, and his life was not bad (although he may have been bullied by others, but the history is not recorded.) Without a record, it is impossible to be sure of how much suffering he suffered), but he resolutely took out all his possessions and joined the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with his family. It can be seen from here that Wei Changhui's participation in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had a spirit of thorough revolution.
(Hong Xiuquan stills)
Second, Wei Changhui was the most loyal of the four kings to the leader, Hong Xiuquan.
The four kings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, Xiao Chaogui, the Western King, Feng Yunshan, the Southern King, and Wei Changhui, the Northern King. Feng Yunshan was the first to join the revolution, but he died relatively early. Of the remaining three kings, Yang Xiuqing claimed to be the "Heavenly Father" Xia Fan, and Xiao Chaogui claimed to be the "Heavenly Brother" Xia Fan. It can be seen that from the very beginning, they have ambitions and want to be above Hong Xiuquan. It was also because they had such a move that they became the cause of civil infighting in the Taiping Heavens.
But Wei Changhui did not do so. Although there is a theory that Wei Changhui claims to be god's "fifth son" (and many experts have questioned whether he has called himself so), he has not thought of putting his power above Hong Xiuquan, and does not have the ambitions of Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui.
In the end, Hong Xiuquan summoned Wei Changhui to deal with Yang Xiuqing in the Taiping Heavenly Strife, which can also be seen in his loyalty to Hong Xiuquan.
(Yang Xiuqing stills)
Third, Yang Xiuqing repeatedly insulted Wei Changhui, and Wei Changhui was able to bear the burden of humiliation.
In the power structure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Wei Changhui's status was second only to Yang Xiuqing. If everyone has anything to report, they first report to Wei Changhui, and then Wei Changhui reports to Yang Xiuqing. At the same time, Wei Changhui was in charge of the garrison, and his power was actually very large.
However, in order to seize the greatest power, Yang Xiuqing insulted him many times, regardless of whether he was also a king. Even after hitting Wei Changhui many times, he couldn't stand up. However, Wei Changhui was able to bear the burden of humiliation, and every time Yang Xiuqing's palanquin came, he had to "support the palanquin to greet him." Moreover, every time he played to Yang Xiuqing, he never said much, said at most three or four sentences, and knelt down to express his acceptance of Yang Xiuqing's teachings. Some people think that this is Wei Changhui's cunning, but it cannot be said that this is a manifestation of his bearing the burden of humiliation.
(Tianjing Incident)
Fourth, Wei Changhui's brutal killing during the Tianjing Incident was the result of being instructed by Hong Xiuquan.
During the Tianjing Incident, Wei Changhui brutally killed Yang Xiuqing and cleaned up Yang Xiuqing's henchmen, although things were too cruel and too hot. But this is also a manifestation of his being instructed by Hong Xiuquan. If there was no Hong Xiuquan's instructions to him, how could he have done this? Besides, he killed two months in a row in Tianjing, and continued to kill 20,000 people, which was obviously connived by Hong Xiuquan. If Hong Xiuquan did not agree to his doing this, he would have stopped him long ago, why would he let him kill for two months in a row. Judging from his loyalty to Hong Xiuquan earlier, it was impossible for him not to listen to Hong Xiuquan's greeting. If he really doesn't listen to Hong Xiuquan, he must want to kill Hong Xiuquan as well (it is easy for him to kill Hong Xiuquan). But he did not, and in the end, Hong Xiuquan calmly summoned Shi Dakai and killed him. It can be seen that he is really just a pawn of Hong Xiuquan.
Of course, when we say this, we have no intention of excusing Wei Changhui. Even if he was loyal to Hong Xiuquan and eventually became a pawn of Hong Xiuquan, the sins he committed in the Tianjing Incident were unforgivable.
(Reference: History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom)