Among the kings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there is a figure who stands out from the crowd. He is deeply influenced by Western thoughts, and his political ideas surpassed almost all the Chinese at that time. This person is the god-wife Hong Rengan who wrote the "New Chapter of Political Affairs"! After Zeng Guofan’s core staff, Zhao Liewen, read the "New Chapter of Senior Government", he said sincerely: "Looking at this book, there is no one among thieves!" So the question is, why Hong Rengan is so powerful, why he can't save the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. What?
Hong Rengan is a native of Guanlubu Village, Huaxian County, Guangdong, and is a brother of the same race as Hong Xiuquan (formerly known as Hong Renkun). Hong Rengan and Hong Xiuquan are in similar situations, and the family also trains him to study, hoping to get fame. Hong Xiuquan is eight years older than Hong Rengan and has also been a teacher of Hong Rengan. Therefore, the relationship between the two is very good. Since teachers and students are also friends and brothers. The situation of the two was similar, both of them failed the imperial examination, and then became the private school teachers.
When Hong Xiuquan founded the "God Worship Society", there were initially only two believers, one was Feng Yunshan and the other was Hong Rengan. When Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan went to preach in Guangxi, Hong Rengan wanted to go, but was blocked by his family and could not make the trip. After that, Hong Rengan continued to teach, while Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan developed their influence in the Zijingshan area of Guangxi. Before the Jintian Uprising, Hong Xiuquan sent people to his hometown to pick up his relatives. Hong Rengan was in Qingyuan at that time, so he did not catch up. After
, due to the arrest of the Qing army, Hong Rengan failed to rendezvous with Hong Xiuquan, and came to Hong Kong under the cover of the foreign missionary Han Shanwen. During his stay in Hong Kong, Hong Rengan was influenced by Western thoughts. In Hong Rengan’s own words, “to teach in the Hong Kong Foreigners’ Hall and learn astronomy, geography, almanac, medicine, and everything.” “Living in Hong Kong for four years, Therefore, I know most of the leaders, and I know all about the hypocrisy of the middle school system."
It was not until 1859 that Hong Rengan went through hardships and came to the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Tianjing. At that time, the talents of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were withered. Hong Xiuquan was very happy with the arrival of his clan brother. He even broke the rule that he would no longer be a king. However, this talented goddess failed to play a big role, let alone save the heaven at sunset, why is this?
First of all, Hong Rengan had no political prestige, which caused the kings to disobey. Although Hong Rengan was the earliest supporter of Hong Xiuquan, he did not participate in the Jintian Uprising and subsequent battles. After arriving in Tianjing, Hong Rengan was made the king of the gods, and his position was above the generals such as Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng, which caused dissatisfaction among the generals. When Hong Rengan talked with foreigners, he once said "how do the kings disrespect their authority?"
Secondly, Hong Xiuquan has the sole power, and Hong Rengan has no real power in his hands. Although Hong Xiuquan appointed Hong Rengan as the king, he did not actually hand over the power to Hong Rengan. Regarding this, Hong Rengan wrote in the "New Articles of Political Affairs": "From now on, if you can be broken, you can break. If you don't want to be broken, you will pay the younger brother, the palm rate, and the six parts. You will not be responsible for it. The Eucharist of Dignity". However, Hong Xiuquan was indifferent to this, Hong Rengan could only confide to foreigners "how the king does not listen to others".
Finally, Hong Rengan lacked military talent. At that time, the military was the most important thing in all the affairs of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Although Hong Rengan had a political vision, he was still a scholar in the final analysis. He had neither the ability to lead soldiers nor the ability to plan strategies. In the Battle of Anqing in 1861, Hong Rengan led his army to rescue and was defeated repeatedly. After the fall of Tianjing, Hong Rengan kept the young king going south, and the hundreds of thousands of troops collapsed. How can such a Hong Rengan save the kingdom of heaven?
References: 1. "History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom"; 2. "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom"
