In the late Ming and early Qing, the Great Xi kingdom founded by Zhang Xianzhong, who rose in rebellion from his home in northern Shaanxi at the same time as Li Zicheng and became his equal in fame, was short-lived but left a profound impact.
When Zhang Xianzhong led his army out of Chengdu, the "land of gentle abundance," home to four hundred thousand residents and one of the nation's five most prosperous cities as early as the Tang Dynasty, was burned to ashes overnight. Sichuan, the entire "Land of Abundance," suffered devastating damage to its productive capacity, and its population plummeted. This led to the century-long migration known as "Huguang filling Sichuan," which began in the early Qing. The author focuses on this period of history.
The story begins with Zhang Xianzhong's capture of Chengdu and the founding of the Great Xi kingdom. It continues through his death at Phoenix Mountain in Xichong, when his four sworn sons changed course and raised the banner of allying with the Ming to resist the Qing, fighting across Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. Amid intense upheaval and division, Li Dingguo held out to the end, dying of illness in the dense forests along the southwestern frontier. The story concludes with the burial on the Chinese side of the Yunnan-Burma border of the thousands of patriots who had fought for years alongside Zhang Xianzhong and Li Dingguo, in a sweeping and tragic finale.
Against a backdrop of an extraordinarily complex, turbulent, and divisive era, and through tense, gripping twists and turns, the author brings the characters' fates to life by exploring the contradictions and conflicts in their personalities. Zhang Xianzhong, Wang Zhixian, Wang Zhaolin, Lady Liu, Zhang Xianzhong's four sworn sons Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Li Dingguo, and Ai Nengqi, as well as the late Ming generals Yang Zhan and Zeng Ying, are all vividly portrayed. Alongside revealing a little-known chapter of history and its historical figures, the book brings to life the customs and everyday life of Chengdu in that period. It is as if a series of windows onto that era have been opened for us, each offering a distinctive view.
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Since ancient times, those who succeed must win the hearts and support of the people. Liu Xuande, who proclaimed himself emperor in Shu, knew that he was "people-oriented" and divided the world. Zhang Xianzhong and others in later generations were only keen on bloodlust to maintain political power, robbing and breaking bones without caring about the lives of the people, and with an unstable foundation, it would be strange to be invincible.
The author Tian Wenyi was born in the southwest, loves the southwest, and has written many stories about the southwest culture. This book tells about Zhang Xianzhong who captured Chengdu and established the Daxi Kingdom in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In fact, in popular history, there are not many records about Zhang Xianzhong. This book starts from a historical perspective. The author writes about the rise and decline of Zhang Xianzhong, allowing readers to experience Zhang Xianzhong's extraordinary life immersively. Very exciting! Thanks to the author's superb writing skills, this book looks very enjoyable!
This is a history book with very dry content but not dry writing. The historical materials are detailed and the writing is sophisticated, making it easy for people to read. The Great Western Kingdom, which has only been mentioned briefly in history, is recorded in detail in this book. When reading, it is like traveling through time and space and participating in various deeds. I will feel grievances for the characters in it, I will not be angry at some of the deeds, I will feel regretful, and I will feel heartbroken. I would think about what would happen if it were me. When I came back to my senses, I realized that I was not a participant in history, but just a bystander. What a shame.
Everyone knows the absurd story that Li Zicheng had millions of soldiers, but he fell from power within a few days of becoming emperor. However, Zhang Xianzhong, the little overlord of Sichuan and Sichuan, is rarely praised. However, the people of Sichuan still pass on his legendary experience of the Great Western Kingdom orally. Compared with Li Zicheng, his story has more strength and loyalty in his character; although he is also cruel, superstitious, and willful; although his uprising ultimately ended in failure, history needs to be remembered. Looking for a moment, the author tells us about that unknown period of blood, tears, and love.
After reading this book, I have the following thoughts: 1. Wang Zhixian should not be abandoned. When the army was short of food, Wang Zhixian came up with a plan to ask idle soldiers to cultivate and cultivate fields. However, it was only implemented for a period of time and then abolished. If Zhang Xianzhong had listened to Wang Zhixian at that time, the army would not have had enough food to eat, and in the end he could only use people to satisfy hunger. 2. Favored the traitor Wang Zhaolin, set up an investigation team, and killed an unknown number of people. 3. When the imperial examination was held, he was offended by something, so he killed all the people taking the examination. This offended all the scholars in Sichuan and left the people below with no talent to govern the country.
It is worth reading to understand Zhang Xianzhong's deeds in more detail.
I feel that the writing is more realistic. Zhang Xianzhong was murderous and his capricious character led to the tragic failure of the uprising, and he could not escape the punishment of history in the end.
Although the Daxi Kingdom founded by Zhang Xianzhong did not last long, its influence was extremely far-reaching. When Zhang Xianzhong led his army to withdraw from Chengdu, Chengdu was burned to ashes overnight; the productivity of the entire Land of Abundance Sichuan was devastated, and the population dropped sharply. As a result, "Huguang filled Sichuan" began in the early Qing Dynasty and lasted for more than a century. The author intercepted this historical fact. From the time Zhang Xianzhong captured Chengdu and established the Daxi Kingdom, he wrote until Zhang Xianzhong died in Fenghuang Mountain in Xichong, and his four adopted sons changed their tune, raised the banner of uniting the Ming Dynasty to resist the Qing Dynasty, and moved to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. In the violent turmoil and divisions, Li Dingguo persisted until the end and died of illness in the dense forest on the southwest border; thousands of martyrs who followed Zhang Xianzhong and Li Dingguo for many years were laid to rest on the Chinese side of the Yunnan-Myanmar border, with high and solemn momentum.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, in the midst of the replacement and reform of social dynasties, the society was in turmoil, and uprisings were taking place everywhere, seeking their own rights. Zhang Xianzhong was a peasant leader in the late Ming Dynasty. He led the peasant uprising army in Sichuan, overthrew the Ming Dynasty regime, and established himself as the Emperor of Southwest Daxi. Adhering to the concept of resisting oppression and pursuing power, he led the rebel army in a series of war conquests and established a relatively independent regime. However, Zhang Xianzhong's ambition and cruelty eventually led to his downfall. During his reign, he carried out brutal rule and atrocities, which aroused dissatisfaction and resistance from the people. In the end, the Ming government sent troops to suppress, Zhang Xianzhong was defeated, his regime collapsed, and he himself did not die well.
The content of this book is so exciting! It tells the story of Zhang Xianzhong and gave me a deeper understanding of the history of that period. The characters in the book are vividly portrayed, and I especially like the character Zhang Xianzhong. His classic saying "All things are born to nourish people, and people harm all things to defy nature" impressed me deeply. I recommend you to read this book, you will definitely gain a lot!