After June of the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong (1794), the Qing government began to suppress Shuyuanjiao and Hunyuanjiao in the six provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Gansu, Henan, and Anhui on a large scale. For a time, a large number of believers were arrested, and major leaders such as Song Zhiqing and Qilin were brutally killed. Liu Song and his son were also arrested in Longde and confessed to collaborating with Liu Zhixie to revive the Hunyuan Sect. Emperor Qianlong In view of the fact that "the cult in this case originated from Liu Song, spread to Liu Zhixie, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty of Song Dynasty", he ordered that Liu Zhixie, who had escaped, be "secretly and quickly investigated and severely interrogated." Amid the clamor for the arrest of the "imperial prisoner" Liu Zhixie and the Chana believers, local officials in various provinces used blackmail to conduct house-to-house searches, but only asked for bribes. As a result, people with hatred colluded internally and externally with the practitioners, and started to stir up troubles in the name of no place for them. They started in Xiangyang and spread to Sichuan and Shaanxi."
Under this very severe situation, Qi Lin's important disciples, "Old Xiangyang Leader" Yao Zhifu and others took on the important task of restoring the organization of Shuanyuan Sect in Hubei and preparing for the uprising. Yao Zhifu sent people to inform believers in some areas of Hubei and Shaanxi: "The tenth day of the third month of the coming year (the first year of Jiaqing) will be the day of the lunar year, lunar month, lunar month, and the people of the same religion will be reunited. They will inform everyone to rebel and make weapons." A large-scale armed struggle against the Qing Dynasty came.
On the seventh day of the first lunar month of the first year of Jiaqing (1796), an anti-Qing struggle led by Zhang Zhengmo, Nie Jieren and others broke out in the Wenquanyao area at the junction of Yidu and Zhijiang, Hubei Province, which opened the prelude to this great uprising.
The struggle of the Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi peasant uprisings can be roughly divided into three stages. From the first month of the first year of Jiaqing (1796) to March of the third year of Jiaqing (1798), it was the first stage, mainly involving the Hubei uprising army's anti-Qing struggle.
After Zhang Zhengmo and others first raised the flag of rebellion, outbreaks broke out in many areas in Hubei Province, such as Xiangyang, Zhijiang, Changyang, Dangyang, Laifeng, Zhushan, Yuanan, Baokang and other places An armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty. Among them, Xiangyang area : Yao Zhifu rose up in Jiahezhou near his hometown Pengjiatuan (his troops were later called Xiangyang Huanghao), and Gao Junde responded to the uprising in Sanhe Town near his hometown Gaojiawan. Later, The famous Xiangyang Uprising Army was formed and became the main force in the Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi peasant uprisings.
Yao Zhifu is the leader and backbone of the Xiangyang Huanghao. After he revolted, in order to express his memory and admiration for Qi Lin, he elected Qi Lin's wife and "Master's Wife" Wang Conger as the chief teacher, and called this unit Qijiaying.
In October of the first year of Jiaqing, an uprising led by Xu Tiande and Wang Dengting broke out in Dazhou, Sichuan. An uprising led by Xuanhan broke out in Dongxiang (today's Xuanhan) led by Leng Tianlu and Wang Sanhuai. Then there were the Taiping Sun Cifen, The uprising led by Long Shaozhou and others. In November, Feng Deshi and others led people's uprisings in Ankang and Mixi, Shaanxi. In December, Luo Qiqing, Gou Wenming, Ran Wenchou, Ran Tianyuan, Xian Dachuan and others raised anti-Qing banners in Bazhou, Tongjiang and other places in Sichuan. In less than a year, wars broke out everywhere in Sichuan, Chu, and Shaanxi, and the Qing army was severely beaten.
Zhang Han Dynasty notice collected by the First Historical Archives of China clearly states that the political slogan of the "white flags and uniforms" of the rebel army is "Prosperity of the Han and destruction of the Manchus" and solemnly declares: "The world" belongs to the "Han family" , Qing Dynasty "The fortune is declining and the heart of heaven is not right."
Fighting for land is also the goal of the farmers in this uprising. White Lotus SectIn the process of preaching, they preached that "people in the religion pay a certain amount of taxes first, and in the future they will be granted land according to the taxes." Before the uprising, the White Lotus leader in some areas made a promise to "distribute acres of land after the project is completed." It can be seen that the White Lotus Uprising included demands against the Qing Dynasty and the feudal land system.
The Xiangyang Rebel Army used Zhongxiang as its base to raise food and grass in preparation for a decisive battle with the Qing army. At this time, Emperor Jiaqing had appointed Yongbao President Hubei Military Affairs, and led Qingcheng, Mingliang and other troops to pursue him closely. Under the command of Yao Zhifu and others, the rebel army smashed Yongbao's north-south pincer attack plan and returned to the Shuanggou and Wangjialou areas of Xiangyang at the end of August.
At the beginning of the second year of Jiaqing, the Xiangyang rebels moved northward to Henan in three routes: "On the north route, Wang Tingyi burned the Baoan Post in Ye County, , and surrounded the officers and soldiers on the Yuzhou West Road, and Li Quan transferred from Xinyang to Yingshan, Suizhou , headed towards Queshan, towards Xichuan, Yao Zhifu and Qi Wangshi went out to Nanyang on the Lushi Middle Road, and plundered Songxian and Shanyang." Then they advanced from Henan to Shaanxi and won in Zhen'an. Reunion.
In May of the second year of Jiaqing, the Xiangyang rebels crossed the Han River and divided into three routes deep into Sichuan. On June 23, they met with the Sichuan rebels Xu Tiande, Wang Sanhuai and other troops in Dongxiang.
After joining forces in Dongxiang, the Sichuan-Chu uprising armies agreed to uniformly number them by region: Yao Zhifu and Wang Conger's troops were called Xiangyang Huanghao, Gao Junde and Zhang Tianlun's troops were called Xiangyang Baihao, Zhang Han Dynasty's troops were called Xiangyang Lanhao, and Xu Tiande's troops were called Dazhou Qinghao. , the tribes of Wang Sanhuai and Leng Tianlu were called Dongxiang Baihao, the Longshao Zhou tribe was called Taiping Huanghao, the Luo Qiqing tribe was called Bazhou Baihao, and the tribes of Ran Wencuo and Ran Tianyuan were called Tongjiang Lanhao. In addition, Lin Lianggong's tribe is called Yunyang Yuelan Hao, and Gong Wenyu's tribe is called Fengjie Line Hao.
On the second day after Dongxiang joined forces, the various rebel armies dispersed and fought independently. Yao Zhifu and Wang Conger decided to withdraw to Hubei except for Li Quan, who stayed and fought side by side with the Sichuan uprising army. On June 24, the second year of Jiaqing, the Xiangyang uprising army set out from the Dongxiang area and passed through Yunyang and Wanxian counties. They fought fiercely with the Qing army near Baidi City in Kuizhou (Fengjie). They "invaded Kuizhou directly" and attacked the Qing army at night. "The siege was very urgent." After that, they moved eastward along the Yangtze River and marched into Hubei in two groups. The front line was led by Wang Conger and Yao Zhifu, passing through Badong and Xingshan to Baokang and Nanzhang areas; the rear line was led by Wang Tingyi and passed through Yuan'an and Dangyang to Nanzhang to meet up with the front line. After the Han River failed, they had to move to Shaanxi, passing through Baihe and Xunyang to Ankang (Immediately An) area, and soon crossed Daba Mountain and entered Sichuan Province for the second time. At that time, the teams of Xiangyang Yellow, Xiangyang White, and Xiangyang Blue met in Sichuan and were divided into four armies: Wang Conger, Yao Zhifu, etc. were in the first army, Wang Tingyi, Gao Junde, etc. were in the first army, Fan Renjie, Li Quan and others formed an army, and Zhang Hanchao and others formed an army. They "camped for twenty miles, and fought in units one after another, with more teams in the front." They moved back and forth in the Guangyuan and Ningqiang areas on the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, waiting for opportunities to attack the Qing army. . By the third year of Jiaqing, they were divided into several groups and fought in Shaanxi. In February of the third year, Wang Conger and Yao Zhifu led an army of 20,000 rebels across the Han River from Xixiang and Yangxian, and went north to capture Mei County, Zhouzhi, and then decided to turn to the southeast of Shaanxi and pass through Shanyang. When they re-entered Hubei, they were surrounded by Xiang Yong led by Mingliang, Delengtai and Yunxi County Magistrate Kong Jili in the Sancha River area of Yunxi County. On March 5th and 6th, the two sides started a fierce battle. The Xiangyang Huanghao uprising army fought bloody battles, and more than 10,000 soldiers were killed. More than ten people, including Wang Conger and Yao Zhifu, jumped off the cliff from the Yanwang plaque in Maoshan Mountain.
After that, the remaining troops of the Xiangyang Huanghao, led by Li Quan and others, continued to persist in the anti-Qing struggle.
The sacrifices of Wang Conger and Yao Zhifu marked the second stage of the Sichuan-Chu-Shaanxi Peasant Uprising, that is, from April of the third year of Jiaqing to December of the seventh year of Jiaqing, mainly the Sichuan uprising army carried out the anti-Qing struggle.
The Sichuan Uprising Army can generally be divided into two major branches. One group is led by Xu Tiande, Leng Tianlu, and Wang Sanhuai, and the other group is led by Ran Wenchuan and Luo Qiqing.
In July of the third year of Jiaqing, Wang Sanhuai was deceived by Lebao and was arrested and rebelled. The Sichuan uprising army continued to fight tenaciously under the leadership of Xu, Leng, Ran, Luo and others.
In October, the rebel army and the Qing army launched the "Battle of Taipeng Village" in Yingshan County . In December of the third year of Jiaqing, Luo Qiqing's troops were defeated, broke out of Fangshan, and were captured and sacrificed by Delengtai. His subordinates Xian Dachuan, Gou Wenming and others met with Ran Wencuo in Ma Bazhai. In the first month of the fourth year, the Qing army broke into their stronghold, and Ran Wenzhou and others died heroically.In the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, Emperor Jiaqing specially appointed Lebao as the Minister of Economics and Strategy, controlling the military affairs of the five provinces of Sichuan, Chu, Shaanxi, Gansu and Henan. In July, Lebao was appointed as the Minister of Economics and Strategy for half a year. Ludengbaodailebao was the minister of economics and strategy. Because he did not know Chinese characters and could not write military books, he appointed Mingliang, who was experienced in military affairs and had high qualifications, as the governor of Sichuan. Soon, he learned that Mingliang was always at odds with the governor of Shaanxi, and he was afraid that he would not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility. He also ordered Na Yancheng, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to send minister Guan Fang and lead 3,000 soldiers from Shengjing and Jilin to Shaanxi to supervise the army. In October, Emperor Jiaqing ordered that Mingliang and Yongbao be arrested in Beijing and punished, and Na Yancheng was ordered to take charge of Shaanxi's military affairs. At the same time, he also ordered the governors and generals to annihilate the rebels in their own territory. Everywhere in the world, there are people who are dedicated to doing this.”
In November, the rebel army led by Ran Tianyuan advanced westward from the old forests of Bashan in northern Sichuan to the territory of Cangxi, , and had a fierce battle with Eldenbao, who was impatient to leave. Ran Tianyuan took advantage of the condescending and favorable terrain, cleverly laid an ambush, and concentrated all his strength to attack the middle camp of Eldenbao. In a "bloody battle all night", he killed the following 24 deputy generals and more than 200 soldiers and village warriors of the Qing army. people.
In the first month of the fifth year of Jiaqing (1800), Ran Tianyuan united with Zhang Zicong of "Dongxiang Baihao", Zhao Mahua of "Dazhou Qinghao" and others, totaling more than 10,000 people, to cross the Shipan Tuofu River in Dingyuan County, Sichuan ( Jialing River ) After seizing the ship, they occupied the Longnu Temple ferry and made the transition overnight, directly threatening the important towns in Sichuan - Chengdu and Chongqing.
North Town General Soldier Zhu Shedou rushed to western Sichuan to suppress it. On the 19th day of the first lunar month, Zhu Shedou "reached the high court and went straight into the bandit camp. The bandits gathered in four groups and surrounded them for dozens of miles. The officers and soldiers fought hard and fired cannons. The bandits advanced on the ground, but the bombardment missed. The danger was very serious. There were people nearby. In the small village, there was no tree fence, and the enemy was surrounded by fire. Knowing that it was not possible, he fought hard and killed dozens of people. The brave ones who escaped were jumped into the crowd, and they ran for more than a hundred miles before they were able to escape. It’s not just one or two.”
The victory of the rebel army in the Battle of Gaoyuanchang disrupted the overall strategic plan of the Qing rulers and pushed the anti-Qing struggle of the Sichuan rebel army to a new climax.
In February of the fifth year of Jiaqing, Ran Tianyuan led the rebel army through Jianzhou (today's Jiange), Nannan, Yanting and other places into Matigang, Yanting. In March, he and the Qing army De Lengtai, Yang Yuchun and others fierce fighting. The rebel army was defeated and Ran Tianyuan was captured and killed.
The rest of the rebel army was divided into two groups. One crossed the Tongjiang River to join the rebel army heading north to Shaanxi and Gansu, and the other stayed in western Sichuan to persist in the anti-Qing struggle.
The Battle of Matigang was the most intense battle in the Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi peasant uprisings. As the ruler said: "Since the thieves rebelled, they have fought this battle the most." From then on, the strength of the rebel army gradually weakened. The general trend is: the insurgent army "divided into more units to tie up the officers and soldiers. When the troops arrived, they scattered and hid, and when the troops retreated, they divided and gathered together." Under the "law of suppressing thieves" formulated by the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty, it was always tracking and suppressing. Under various defeat tactics, the main leaders of the rebel army such as Wang Tingyi, Leng Tianlu, Xu Tiande, Gao Junde, Li Quan, Zhang Hanchao, Fan Renjie, Gou Wenming, and high school sophomores were captured or sacrificed one after another. By the end of the seventh year of Jiaqing, only small groups such as Qi Guodian, Gou Chaojiu, and Wang Shigui remained in the rebel army, persisting in the anti-Qing struggle in Nan and Balao Forest. The Sichuan-Chu-Shaanxi peasant uprising entered its final stage, which lasted from the first month of the eighth year of Jiaqing to the fifth month of the tenth year of Jiaqing. It was mainly small groups of rebel armies scattered in the southern and Balao forests that persisted in fighting and some rural warriors who rebelled against the Qing Dynasty.
In December of the seventh year of Jiaqing (1802), the Qing Dynasty’s Minister of Economic Affairs Eldenbao, Counselor Delengtai, and the governors and governors of Sichuan, Chu, Shaanxi, Gansu and other provinces reported to Emperor Jiaqing "Sichuan, Shaanxi and Chu Suppression Capture" "If you rebel against the bandits, you will achieve great success." Jiaqing is also prepared to "pacify the evil bandits in the three provinces and reward them based on their merits." Just when the Qing court was preparing to "share the blessings of peace," the remaining rebel forces were carrying out an unyielding struggle in the old forests of Nanshan and Bashan. They may be more than a hundred people together, or dozens of people together, "jumping like wolves, fully aware of the orders of officers and soldiers and the paths of the old forest, passing by Shaanxi and rivers, gathering and dispersing. They are often surrounded and scurry down cliffs in the mist. Those who still fight hard with a few arrows in the middle will be disadvantaged if they divide the army and encounter them. If the large army is chasing them, the rabbit will escape.There are only a few hundred thieves left, but the three provinces are not allowed to lift martial law." In order to eliminate the small group of rebels that haunted Laolin, Emperor Jiaqing ordered the Qing army general Yang Yuchun to "go to the Nanshan area and tightly defend the key passes and rivers. Keep an eye on the north. Let one of the zero bandits escape. All Nanshan passes and river defenses in Shaanxi Province were blocked by Yang Yuchun. The remaining bandits were left to De Lengtai to be completed by himself, so that everyone can take responsibility for their success." Although the rebel army was in an extremely difficult and difficult situation, they still attacked the Qing army unexpectedly and achieved some achievements. For example, in the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803) In April, Mukdenbu, the left-wing leader of the Minister of Economic Affairs of the Qing Dynasty and "a champion in every battle", was killed by the rebels.
In April of the eighth year of Jiaqing, Qi Guodian, an important member of the Qilin family, was killed in the battle. "Jumped off a cliff and fell to his death", the Qing government believed that "no evil channel had been captured before" and so far "no one had escaped the net". After a large-scale "search and suppression" of Laolin, in July it announced that the rebels had been "completely eliminated" and began A large number of Xiangyong were laid off.
Since Xiangyong was mostly composed of bankrupt and impoverished farmers and refugees, once they were disbanded by the Qing government, they "gained less" and were "poor and homeless, so they couldn't help but feel longing" and joined the uprising one after another. The remnants of the army accounted for a large proportion of the uprising team, with one or two hundred people. "The Chen thieves only have thirty or forty people, and the rest are all local braves." Walking with the officers and soldiers, they were not only familiar with the dangerous roads, but also had rich combat experience. They used surprise attacks, ambushes, disguised as officers and soldiers, etc. to defeat the Qing army many times. The Xiangyong were mostly a mob, and finally collapsed under the bribery and division of the Qing Dynasty. In May of the 10th year of Jiaqing, the last leaders of the rebel army, such as Gou Chaojiu and Wang Shigui, died heroically. A vigorous peasant uprising in Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi was declared over.
Such a massive peasant uprising in Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi was the only one seen in the feudal society of China. As pointed out: "The previous generation of bandits all launched troubles but failed to create a cause, and the Sichuan Valley was bound to collapse. There was no one who dared to act like Pang and Yu, and worked hard to become as strong as today." "This great uprising fully exposed the weaknesses of the Qing ruling class, dealt a heavy blow to their reactionary rule, and became a turning point for the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline.
Although this great uprising failed, it greatly encouraged the oppressed people to fight against the Qing Dynasty. Confidence and fighting spirit.
For example, the Tianli Sect uprising in the border areas of Gyeonggi and Zhilu and Henan provinces, led by Lin Qing and Li Wencheng only eight years after the end of the White Lotus Sect uprising, was the beginning of the Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi peasant uprisings. The people who participated in the uprising called it "the White Lotus Sect started to cause trouble" and "the White Lotus Sect rebelled in Hu County, Henan". There were also many anti-Qing uprisings after Jiaqing that were directly or indirectly related to the White Lotus Sect. It fully shows that this uprising had a great impact on future generations
.
