From the story of the destruction of two great generals of the Taiping Army, we can unravel the mystery of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s “child molestation” culture.

Among the vigorous Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wars, the one that most shocked everyone in the Qing Dynasty and broke out in cold sweat, and even nearly killed the Qing Dynasty's 200-year life, was the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northern Expedition. After Hong Xiuquan established his capital in Nanjing, in March 1853, he sent Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, Ji Wenyuan and other powerful generals to command an army of 20,000 and vowed to fight for the Northern Expedition. The number of this tiger division starting from Yangzhou was not large, but its quality was. Astonishingly elite: They are all made up of veterans of the Taiping Army who came out of Guangxi, which is often referred to as "Old Guangxi" by the Taiping Army. Each of these veterans has experienced hundreds of battles, and their belief in the Kingdom of Heaven is firm to the point of fanaticism. Their fighting spirit is very brave and tenacious. , the combat effectiveness is even more brave. Among them, the two most brave generals of the Taiping Army were recognized as Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang. Although these two are far less well-known among modern history enthusiasts today than the princes who came after the Taiping Rebellion, because of their rather dainty names, they were involved in a love triangle scandal with Hong Xiuquan's sister in some gossip TV dramas. But on the battlefield of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 150 years ago, they were once the most talked about terrorist killers in the Qing army. Even when they heard the name, many Eight Banners generals who were usually bullish could not stop. tremble. Both of them are martial arts masters in Guangxi. They were born in this martial arts land and have practiced hard kung fu since childhood. From boxing and kicking to swords, guns, swords, halberds, bows, horses, and horseback riding, they are famous for their prowess in everything. Before they joined the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, , made a name for himself in the arena of Guangxi, and was given the nickname "Wu Ming Shuang Xiong". Later, he followed Hong Xiuquan's banner and took the lead in every battle. Since the Jintian Uprising, he has repeatedly made outstanding achievements and is known as the "Crown of the Military Front". .

According to the famous general Seng Gelinqin, who was the pillar of the Qing Dynasty's army at that time and later fought against him, Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang were the two swords of Mo Xie, the general in the Taiping Army. According to the opinions of many Taiping generals who surrendered after the defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the reason why Hong Xiuquan sent these two "swordsmen" to fight this fierce battle was because these two men were too strong in temperament and ability, and their subordinates were full of people. If you don't feel safe keeping a proud and powerful general by your side, you might as well send him to the north to save your worries. As soon as these two "swords" came out, their green fronts shone brightly: The expedition in March was like a fierce whirlwind, sweeping across the six northern provinces like a torrential rain. The legendary Eight Banners of the Qing Army were either beaten to the point of running away with their heads covered, or Before the fight is over, it's like a scurry. From Anhui to Henan, fight and win along the way! What makes the many "capable ministers" in the Qing Dynasty who claim to "know soldiers" ashamed is that they can't defeat these "long-haired" people in a fight, but the IQ fight is more serious and anxious: during this period, the Qing army has no chance of victory. Yan Bingtao, the prefect of Huaiqing, even performed a remarkable feat by blocking the Taiping Army in a bloody battle. Not only did he hold back Lin Fengxiang, but the main force of the Taiping Army quickly fell into a counter-encirclement by the superior force of the Qing army. But compared with the bloody prefect Yan, the Qing army commander Nar Jing'e, a scholar of the Wenhua Palace who was deeply trusted by Emperor Xianfeng and a rare cultural celebrity among Manchu ministers, showed his true colors when he entered the battlefield. At first, he thought he was smart and led blindly. Lin Fengxiang used a little trick to fool the Qing army by setting up a fake military fortification, and easily broke out from under the eyes of the Qing army, wasting the good situation that Magistrate Yan had blocked. The more serious consequence was that after being frightened by this, the Taiping Army counterattacked even more fiercely. They first detoured over the Taihang Mountains, performing a classic strategic detour in modern history, and then dominated more than 20 cities in a row, killing them all in one fell swoop. Enter Zhili territory.

Nar, who had been tricked, was even more cowardly now. As the governor of Zhili, he fled with his subordinates in a panic, even throwing the official seal on the ground, and everything became peaceful. Trophies of the army. His troubles could be said to be disgusting for the precarious Qing Dynasty: Just look at the map and you will know that by October 1853, the Taiping Army had occupied Dingxian County, Hebei Province, which was only 300 kilometers away from Beijing. Dori. The sword's edge was already pointed directly at the neck of the Qing Dynasty. More than this life-and-death situation, what caused the Qing Dynasty's monarchs and ministers to collapse even more was the frightened fighting power of the Qing army at this time. In order to solve the crisis in the capital, Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty spent a lot of money and transferred a large number of elite troops from the Northeast and Mongolia. They were all Laodi troops known as the most powerful in archery, horse riding and archery in the Qing Dynasty. But even this group of legendary arrogant aces was so frightened that their legs weakened when faced with the Taiping Army's furious advance. Some cavalrymen even killed their own horses, just to avoid being dragged to the battlefield. Those dragged to the battlefield were all kinds of cowards. For example, in the Zhili War, the Heilongjiang Cavalry and Horses who were ordered to reinforce were charged by the Taiping Army and were immediately beaten to pieces. Some people ran too aggressively and even lost all their weapons and horses. Throw away everything, even the clothes and armor, and finally return to the capital with a meal. In those days, there were many beggars in Beijing, and they were all the Eight Banners elites who came back in groups. The army was frightened, and the panic in Beijing was beyond the imagination of later generations: After the news came that the Taiping Army had captured Dingxian, the whole of Beijing went into a panic. In just a few days, 30,000 people escaped There were hundreds of thousands of people living in each household. At its worst, Qianmen Street, which was usually the most prosperous street in the capital, was desolate, with not a single person in sight.

What is particularly worth mentioning is that the Taiping Army’s hearty victory in the Northern Expedition at this time also had an explosive international impact. Western countries, represented by the United Kingdom, are paying special attention. According to the British consul in Shanghai, the demise of the Qing Dynasty seems to be a matter of minutes.

Thousands of miles away in London, rumors are even more telling: Emperor Xianfeng has transferred a large amount of palace treasures to Mobei, and there is gold and silver all the way, which is quite dazzling. Emperor Xianfeng, who was said to be transferring his treasure, was actually on the verge of despair. He even lamented to the ministers: The trip to the Ming Dynasty has come to an end. That is to say, he is about to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Chongzhen, climbing the coal mountain and hanging on the tree with a crooked neck. Compared with the bitter wind and rain before the demise of the Ming Dynasty, the tragic scenes at the Qing Dynasty's court meetings at that time can be said to be a reappearance of yesterday: Every time Xianfeng convened a meeting with ministers, he just said a few words about the serious situation, and then the ministers cried in a group. The wailing in the hall was so loud that it lasted for several days. The high-ranking officials in the Qing Dynasty were so upset that everyone had swollen eyes. With such a good situation, Lin Fengxiang, as the commander-in-chief, is also full of ambitions. As early as when he reached Zhuxian Town, Henan Province, he sent people back to Tianjing to report on the work. The article was full of magnificent scenes: "From Linhuai to this point, we can see all kinds of wheat and not a single field. It is very difficult to find food. The soldiers It will increase day by day, and I will see many people riding mules. I think that at this time, everything is abundant, but there is a shortage of rice. When I came to Linhuai, I brought people back to the court several times. Is it unknown? The mountains and rivers are so far away that it is difficult to get news. We have decided to set off from Zhuxian Town. Only after we have successfully crossed the Yellow River can we report back to your highness Jin'an. There is no need to worry about long live the King of Heaven. "At this point, The Taiping Army's Northern Expedition, which had been victorious, had suddenly reached its peak stage. As for capturing the capital and even overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, it seemed that it was just a matter of time.

Secondly, this was a last-minute kick, but the Northern Expeditionary Army really didn't play well. The most important reason for not playing well was that the Taiping Army, which had been victorious one after another, was suicidal: although they were invincible along the way, they were just looting rather than occupying. Therefore, the further they went north, the more they were trapped in a tight siege. , by the time the troops arrived in Beijing, they were basically alone and had penetrated deeply. Soon their retreat was cut off and they fell into a tight siege. And God was not being kind at this time. The first snowfall in northern China this year was earlier than in previous years. The Taiping soldiers from the south were already short of food and clothing, and when they encountered this bad weather, they immediately Frostbite resulted in serious attrition. There is also the fact that the Qing Dynasty has a hard life and is not exhausted. In the critical situation of Emperor Xianfeng, he mobilized soldiers and horses to organize the most tragic expedition. But compared to Chongzhen's unfortunate situation of constantly selecting idiots, the person Xianfeng entrusted with important tasks was the most warlike prince among the Manchu and Mongolian nobles at that time: Seng Gelinqin. Compared with the various useless coaches before the Qing army, Seng Gelinqin can be called the conscience of the industry. After being ordered to face the crisis, he did not rush and changed his past blind and deadly fight with the Taiping Army. The Taiping Army fought a protracted war. With a pair of tactics, the situation of the battle suddenly reversed. The Taiping Army was first blocked in Jinghai, and was dragged to the point of running out of ammunition and food. In desperation, Lin Fengxiang had no choice but to go south to Lianzhen, Shucheng, and dredge Haogou to wait for reinforcements. This played into Seng Gelinqin's hands. The Qing army, which had recovered its strength, immediately concentrated its superior forces and pounced on them, but they still dealt with it very patiently: even though Emperor Xianfeng kept urging him to attack, they still just treated him like flies buzzing. He insisted on fighting according to his own tactics, just like a few boulders, slowly and steadily crushing towards the Taiping Army.

Under this tactic, the fierce Taiping Northern Expedition also lost its chance of final victory. Despite the desperate situation, the Taiping Army's resistance was still heroic. Lin Fengxiang fought bloody battles in Lianzhen, repelling Seng Gelinqin's attacks many times. All the two thousand most elite old Guangxi warriors around him died in the battle. Lin Fengxiang suffered multiple wounds on his body and was eventually found in a cave. He was sent to Beijing and later executed. Then Seng Gelinqin repeated his old tricks and besieged Li Kaifang in Fengguantun. He used all fire and water attacks, and continued to advance the crushing tactics step by step. After paying a huge price of casualties, he still worshiped Li Kaifang as an opportunist due to his illness. The flaw in the fake landing plane was used to capture this warrior and sent him to Beijing for execution. At this point, this life-and-death battle that shocked the northern land of the Qing Dynasty ended with the victory of the Qing Dynasty. What amazed the Qing army the most before and after the Taiping Army was still its fierce combat effectiveness. Even in the final battle of Fengguantun, a captured old Guangxi soldier of the Taiping Army was able to take advantage of the Qing army's inattention and suddenly grab a knife and kill the Qing army guard, and also snatched the horse and escaped. As a result, Seng Gelinqin personally They chased him and mobilized soldiers to intercept him in front and back before killing this man. As for the Manchu and Mongolian elites who died under him, there were actually more than a dozen of them in this moment. The fighting prowess of "Old Changmao" was now spread throughout the Qing army. For many years after that, it really frightened the Qing army. Compared with this incident, another phenomenon that surprised the Qing army was another phenomenon in the Taiping Army: homosexuality. The most typical example is Lin Fengxiang, the fierce warrior who was executed late. The capture of San Lin Fengxiang, according to Chen Sibo, a Wuchang native who was wrapped up in the Taiping Army, was such a heroic scene: Lin Fengxiang's right arm and left leg were seriously injured.

Then the camp was breached, but Lin Fengxiang could not be found. The anxious Seng Gelinqin dug three feet into the ground and searched for four days. Finally, he found the tunnel where Lin Fengxiang was hiding. He was even more amazed when he entered it. : The tunnel is brightly lit, fully furnished, and has enough food for a month. More than 30 Taiping generals, including Lin Fengxiang, are hiding inside. Just when the Taiping generals were discovered, they all picked up their weapons in shock and prepared to fight to the death. However, Lin Fengxiang stood up and sighed that it was God's will, and he was captured with regret. But according to Xue Fucheng, in this tragic capture process, there was another shocking incident: when Lin Fengxiang was captured, he was still holding two "beauties" in his arms, feasting and having fun in the tunnel.

Moreover, my hair was shaved, and I was planning to find an opportunity to elope and run away. This thing may not seem unusual, but what really shocked the Qing army was that the "beauties" Lin Fengxiang was sitting on were actually men. Why is there such a trend? It turns out that since the founding of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the most famous thing is its strict crackdown on matters between men and women: During the official uprising in 1851, Hong Xiuquan solemnly promulgated five military disciplines, the second of which was "Do not allow men to do business with women." A women's camp composed entirely of women's groups. Later, in order to prevent emotional disputes between male and female soldiers from affecting their combat effectiveness, Hong Xiuquan introduced a system of segregation of men and women, saying: "Men can work with men, and women can work with women. They are not allowed to mix." When the five kings were enfeoffed in Yong'an City, , Hong Xiuquan also promulgated the "Ten Commandments" of heaven, saying, "Any man or woman who commits adultery is called a monster, and the biggest violation of heaven is." After the Taiping Army occupied Wuchang, an important town on the Yangtze River, Hong Xiuquan intensified the segregation of men and women. The system has been implemented more strictly and harshly. Even if a husband visits his wife or a son visits his mother, "it is only appropriate to ask questions at the door, a few steps away, and the voice must be loud."

"Any couple who violates the rules of heaven will be beheaded." Husbands and wives are also not allowed to sleep together, but any violation will be beheaded. On the eve of the capture of Nanjing, Hong Xiuquan issued another edict that strictly divided the boundaries between men and women: "Women are in charge of internal affairs, and foreign affairs are not suitable for hearing." Women around them are strictly prohibited from contacting the outside world. Therefore, Lin Fengxiang would never dare to blatantly bring beautiful women with him. It was precisely because of Hong Xiuquan's strict requirements that the sexual needs of the Taiping Army's officers and men could not be satisfied and were in a state of long-term repression. Therefore, this twisted and abnormal phenomenon formed in the army. There is no conclusive data on whether there were homosexuals among the soldiers, but it was quite popular among the Taiping Army to adopt "boys", that is, young men from good families who were relatively handsome in fishing and hunting, to accompany the army and take them as their concubines. There are a lot of records in this regard in Zhang Dejian's "Collection of Thieves". For example, wherever the Taiping Army went, although they did not rape women, they searched for beautiful young people everywhere. As the saying goes, "Unexpectedly, we encountered Cantonese bandits (Taiping Army), who kidnapped good people. They regarded children as their most precious treasures. Every time they fell into a city or passed through a village, they could not escape. They picked up all the dull, sensitive and pretty children from rich and poor families and caught them all." It is a true portrayal of the discipline of the Taiping Army at that time. This approach also brought the same deep suffering to the people: when many boys were kidnapped, their parents cried bitterly, and some parents were killed by the Taiping Army because they begged. The boys who were captured into the Taiping Army barracks also had a very difficult life. They were often called "young master" or "little master" in public, but in fact they had to be ravaged by the generals, and even if they showed a little bit of missing their parents, they would They were tortured severely, and some were tortured to death.

So in the Taiping Army barracks, there was this common scene: some beautiful young people were pulled in front of the generals, and various torture instruments were placed on the spot. As long as they were obedient and ravaged, they were given delicious food It's easy to wear, but if you dare to resist, you will be tortured immediately. Such a combination of kindness and power scared many children to swallow their anger and lived a life that was worse than death for many years. What is particularly worth mentioning is that male soldiers doted on boys, and female soldiers doted on girls. The purpose was the same: to relieve emptiness and loneliness. For example, Zeng Guofan's aide Wang Kaiyunna had a concubine named Mo Liuyun. This Mo Liuyun was originally from Hengtang, Xuanhua, Guangxi (now Nanning). His nickname was Ayou. He was kidnapped by the female soldiers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and became the plaything of the female generals of the Taiping Army. Later, his father went to the Taiping Army camp to beg for help. , wanted to redeem the child, but was sternly rejected. It was not until the female general of the Taiping Army who supported her was later convicted and killed that the girl saw the light of day again. Later, she accidentally met Wang Kaiyun, which was a blessing in disguise. Wang Kaiyun regarded this marriage as a happy event in his life, and showed warm love to this woman who had suffered a lot. According to what he said in "Xiang Qi Lou Poems Collection": "I was listening to songs in Nanhai, and there was a Nanning woman. She passed by her old apartment in a short while, feeling sad and sad. Everyone laughed at her, but I admired it alone, gave her poems, and bought them together. , two daughters in this life, so they became concubines." But compared with many Taiping Army generals who became obsessed with this way and lost their fighting spirit, Lin Fengxiang was relatively good, at least he did not lose his morale. After being captured, he "see the king" (Seng Gelinqin). He is so arrogant that he can stand without kneeling." He is loyal and unyielding, and regards death as his own. When he suffered an injury, he "looked at the place where the knife touched, but never uttered a sound." He can be called a tough guy.

Li Kaifang and seven of his subordinates, including Huang Suiduan and Xie Jinsheng, were equally proud and unyielding when they died in Beijing. When the Qing army tied up Huang Yiduan, Huang Yiduan kicked two enemies to death and wounded two others. When he was about to be executed, the audience was packed with people. Huang Yiduan said loudly to the audience: "Since I left Tianjing, I have been invincible. The pure monster is vulnerable to a single blow. I will perish before my eyes!" How sad! The Taiping Army was full of fierce generals, but it was a pity that its leader Hong Xiuquan was absurd and scheming. This group of soldiers who fought bloody battles never received assistance from the headquarters. Rather than being wiped out by the Qing army, it is better to say that they were delayed to death by Hong Xiuquan. What was even more tragic was the subsequent Tianjing Incident, in which a large number of Taiping generals killed each other. So much so that the folk saying has been passed down: If the heavenly father kills the heavenly brother, the kingdom will not be connected, and Changmao is not the rightful owner, so he still belongs to Xianfeng.