Author: Sasha
This article is Sasha's original and will not be reprinted by any media
【Sasha Lecture Hall No. 338】 (Lecture 125 of the Historical Series)
110 years ago today (1907), the revolutionary Xu Xilin launched an uprising in Anqing, killing Anhui Governor Enming. After the failure of the uprising, Duan Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, decided to kill Xu Xilin. Xu was cut into the heart, smashed his testicles alive, and died tragically. Ironically, just 4 years later, Duanfang himself was brutally knifed by the rebels, and his head was paraded in the streets. Listen to Sasha.
110 years ago today (1907), the revolutionary Xu Xilin launched an uprising in Anqing, killing Anhui Governor Enming.
Xu Xilin was one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Party, and both lu Xun were members of the Restoration Society. Founded in Shanghai in 1904, the core members are mainly high-level intellectuals.
The Society and Sun Yat-sen's Allies were so-called revolutionary fellow travelers, but there was a big difference. Its political program, that is, the oath of membership, is "restore the Han nationality, return our mountains and rivers, pledge the country with one's own body, and retire from meritorious service.", advocating that in addition to written propaganda, assassination and insurrection should be used as the main revolutionary means.
Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin joined the association in 1905 and prepared uprisings in Anhui and Zhejiang respectively. Xu Xilin bought an official position from the corrupt Manchu Qing government at great expense and became the main person in charge of the patrol academy. Because Xu Xilin was shrewd and brave, he was deeply praised by The Inspector of Anhui and listed him as one of his confidants.
In fact, Xu Xilin is today's so-called undercover, fighting in the heart of the enemy.
Xu Xilin shot 7 shots in a row to kill Enming, but because the information of the uprising was leaked in advance and the Manchu Qing army was prepared, it failed.
After his arrest, Xu Xilin was not afraid at all and was passionate.
Yu Lang, a Manchu Qing official who interrogated him, said: Are you convicted? Tomorrow I'm going to cut your heart and liver!
Xu Xilin laughed: Enming is dead! I'm good enough. Tomorrow is a thousand knives, and it is not spared! What about a heart and liver?
After the interrogation, it is customary to take a photo. Xu Xilin faced the camera, without any fear, and said: There is no smile on his face, how to leave it to future generations? Take another picture.
This photo remains to this day.
Ling Chi was a torture unique to ancient China, but it was used in many cases in the late Qing Dynasty. Ling Chi is almost always aimed at anti-Qing elements or major criminals who have lost their humanity.
On April 24, 1905, the Manchu Qing Dynasty carried out the so-called reforms, announcing the abolition of Ling Chi, the head of the gang, and the corpse in the death penalty.
In principle, then, there should be no such torture in the future.
However, on July 7, 1907, the revolutionary Xu Xilin was opened by his servants and dug out of his heart to pay homage to Inspector Enming of Anhui. Although there is no record in the history, it is generally believed that the servants first smashed Xu Xilin's testicles with an iron hammer.
Think about how torture this is. Don't say that the man's crotch is smashed, even if it is kicked casually, even the boxing king Tyson has fallen.
Even according to the view of killing people in that era, Xu Xilin shot and killed Enming, and Xu could be shot or beheaded. Eun Ming was shot 7 times in the body and did not suffer much pain.
So, what is the reason for killing Xu Xilin like this?
What's more, Xu Xilin's heart and liver, which were dug out, were also fried and eaten by Enming's guards? What's going on here?
Some put the blame on Eun Ming's wife, the daughter of Prince Qing Yili. They said that this housewife demanded severe punishment, which made Xu Xilin late.
Clear-eyed people can see that even if a woman is the daughter of a prince, can she order the governor of Liangjiang, Duanfang?
The culprit who really decided to kill Xu Xilin was precisely Duan Fang. Tottek Duanfang was one of the more accomplished men in the Manchu Qing hierarchy. He once held important positions such as the Governor of Liangjiang, the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and the Governor directly under him, and was one of Cixi's favorite ministers. Duan Fang is arrogant, greedy and violent, but he has considerable political ability and is good at winning people's hearts.
Why kill people with such cruel means? One is revenge, the second is warning, and the third is fear.
After wang Jingwei, who also carried out the assassination, was arrested, the regent Zaifeng listened to the so-called "it is not appropriate to dissolve the knot of the wronged family", fearing that killing one would have more people to kill him, and did not execute Wang.
But the end side is different.
In Xu Xilin's assassination list, Duan Fang ranked first. It was only because a revolutionary was arrested that Xu Xilin hastily revolted in advance, which allowed Duan Fang to save his life.
For Duan Fang's assassination attempt, he was very frightened, and he gritted his teeth in hatred and decided to kill a hundred people.
It is not enough to kill people alone, but also to kill people, so that everyone knows the fate of daring to assassinate the court officials.
Although the Manchu Qing abolished these tortures in 1905, Duan Fang still brutally executed Xu Xilin with the death penalty, smashed his testicles, and ate his heart and liver.
So, did Duanfang's actions scare the revolutionaries?
Apparently not.
In the spring of 1910, before Wang Jingwei assassinated Zaifeng, the first target of the circle was also Duanfang. Later, in order to pursue greater influence, Wang Jingwei changed to killing Zaifeng.
In 1911, Duanfang was ordered to lead more than 2,000 new troops to Sichuan to suppress the Road Protection Movement.
During this period, the Wuchang Uprising broke out. The new army under Duan Fang's command was pulled from Wuchang precisely, and there were a large number of revolutionary parties in it. Soon, the new army mutinied and captured Duan Fang and his brother Duan Jin.
The funny thing is that Duanfang originally had personal soldiers and a large number of staff.
These soldiers, who had eaten Xu Xilin's heart and liver to repay their master Enming, did not fire a single shot at the moment, and all fled, leaving only one servant. It can be seen that the so-called eating heart and liver to repay the master is just a performance of the lackeys.
When the new army arrived at Duanfang's residence, Duanfang was so frightened that he rolled out of the urine and went into the bed, so that the servant said: The adult has gone to bed, please come back tomorrow.
The forces nouvelles ignored them and rushed into the bedroom to drag Duanfang out of the bed.
Compared with Xu Xilin's generosity, Duan Fang's soul was scattered and begged for his life.
Duan Fang first wanted to use money to buy his life, promising that the military salary of 40,000 taels of silver would arrive immediately, and he was willing to give it all away.
The New Army soldier replied: Who wants your money. For the Han revolution, we want your head.
Duan Fang, who was born in Zhengbaiqi, did not even admit that he was a Manchu at this time, saying: I am a Han Chinese, my original surname is Tao, and I am after the Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming. I have only been throwing the flag (Manchu) for 4 generations, how about returning to the Han surname now? Just to avoid death.
After a vote by the soldiers of the Forces nouvelles, it was finally decided to put their brothers to death.
When Duan Jin was killed, he still had a few hard bones, and he opened his mouth to scold a few words, unwilling to kneel. Duan Fang had long since lost his soul and could not move when he was taken into the execution hut.
The soldiers recalled that like pigs, the soldiers pressed the end of the square down on a bench, some pressing their heads and some pressing their feet.
Subsequently, the soldiers of the New Army used sabers to hack Duan Fang alive. Not just hacking, but also slashing and dismembering the body. At the time of the execution, the saber was not happy, and it took several knives to cut off the head. The heads of the Duanfang brothers were soaked in kerosene and packed in wooden barrels to go to Wuchang to show the public. Li Yuanhong, the governor of the Hubei Army, ordered the two heads to parade in the streets, and Wuhan was empty of people to watch the head.
Manchu Qing relatives are so many nobles, why kill the end of the party alone?
Duan Fang's killing of Xu Xilin became a public enemy of the revolutionaries, which was naturally an important reason.
Some argue that barbarism should not be treated with barbarism. DuanFang's brutal killing of Xu Xilin does not mean that the revolutionary party should brutally kill Duanfang. Even with the exception of the Restoration Conference, the vast majority of the revolutionary parties do not advocate assassination.
Unfortunately, as far as Chinese history is concerned, many times it is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a violence to counter violence.
Since Duan Fang had opened the killing ring himself, it was not unusual for China to fall into such a fate.
When he ordered Xu Xilin's testicles to be smashed and his abdomen to dig his heart, Duan Fang definitely did not expect that he would one day be divided by a random knife and his body and head.