Late Qing Tragic Gales - A Biography of Wen Tingshi

Author: Xiao Maqing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Wen Tingshi was personally appointed by Emperor Guangxu as a court official and served as a teacher to the Empress Zhen. He thus developed a special relationship with this historically renowned, talented yet tragically fated woman. As a representative of the "Late Qing Stream," a staunch advocate of the war faction, he was unafraid to defy authority, boldly criticized Li Hongzhang, opposed the signing of treaties that ceded Taiwan, organized the "Strong Society," promoted the "Public Carriage Petition," and became a thorn in the eyes of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who dismissed him and never reinstated him. Comparing Wen Tingshi, a scholar, hero, and romantic figure, to Wen Tianxiang of the late Song Dynasty reveals astonishing similarities between them: both lived during times of declining imperial power and foreign invasion, shared grand ambitions, excelled in poetry and literature, entered government early and were highly valued by their respective dynasties, feared no power or brutality, and dared to fight. However, their posthumous reputations differed greatly. Wen Tianxiang became a household name, a celebrated national hero in history, while Wen Tingshi remains largely unknown and even controversial. With the passion of a hometown native and a rigorous academic approach, this book vividly portrays the corruption and darkness of late Qing governance under Cixi's autocracy, as well as the highly legendary life of Wen Tingshi.
Zhang Jianqi sang "The Great River Flows East," stirring dragons and fish. Who swung the spear too hastily? Without capturing the Copper Roost or the Twin Beauties, how can one be counted a hero! Drinking a cup to the vast sky, I still drift like a cloud. Unbuttoning my robe to embrace the "Great King's Wind." When will the long sword be leaned against the heavens? Climb straight to Kongtong.
Wen Tingshi's "Rough Waves Wash the Red Cliff" (An Old Song)
This was the late winter of the ninth year of the Xianfeng era, a bleak season. Jiaoying Prefecture in northern Guangdong, a small southern city that should not have been too cold, suddenly felt the chill. The prefecture was filled with a deeply tragic atmosphere. A fierce battle was about to descend upon this place. The Taiping army, led by Shi Guozong with tens of thousands of troops, had seized Longyan and Yongding in Fujian, occupied Dapu, entered Jiaoying Prefecture from Songkou, and now besieged the city, encircling it tightly for three full days. In the dim night outside the city, flames flickered, and shouts echoed, as the Taiping army showed a strong momentum to crush the prefecture.
On the city walls, a stern figure had been watching the outside for some time—Wen Sheng, the acting prefect of Huizhou, who was also overseeing Jiaoying Prefecture. His face was ashen, and his heart burned with anxiety. Jiaoying Prefecture was strategically located at the intersection of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces. Three days earlier, the Taiping army had sent a letter to Wen Sheng, the prefect, claiming to seek passage, asking them to open the gates, supply food and grass, and in return, everything would be fine. Otherwise, they would raze the city to the ground!
Wen Sheng believed the so-called "passage request" was merely a pretext. Once the Taiping army entered, how could the prefecture escape disaster? He ordered the messenger to return and tell Shi Guozong: "As long as I Wen Sheng am alive, the gates will never open. Please take a detour!" He also instructed his son, Xingrui, to leave immediately and seek reinforcements from the Viceroy Huang Shouchen.
The messenger returned with Wen Sheng's words, and Shi Guozong flew into a rage. With a single command, tens of thousands of Taiping troops began scaling the city walls. Wen Sheng had initially thought he could hold out for a while, waiting for reinforcements to turn the tide. But he never expected an unexpected turn of events to catch him off guard: Pan Fayan, the commander defending the city, was a coward, preserving his own strength by falsely claiming to "repel the enemy" and leading six hundred soldiers out after the gates. Once they left, the prefecture was left with only the elderly and weak troops.
Wen Sheng had no choice but to rally the remaining defenders, using stones and boiling water to block the Taiping army's advance. Day after day, they fought with all their might. But Wen Sheng increasingly felt that, outnumbered and outmatched, the fall of the prefecture was inevitable. By the fifth day, the siege tightened, and the situation grew dire. Wen Sheng, along with the soldiers and civilians, was already fighting with his last ounce of strength.
Suddenly, a child's cry came from the distance. Wen Sheng froze. The call came from his beloved grandson, Yunge, the third son of Xingrui, who was only four years old.
"Grandfather!" Wen Sheng, already desperate, broke into a cold sweat. The battle was so critical, yet his daughter-in-law, Peng, was still in the city with the child. He couldn't bear for the boy to suffer if the prefecture fell. Moreover, in Wen Sheng's eyes, this grandson was extraordinary.
Several years earlier, during an early winter, when Peng was nine months pregnant, she had a strange dream. She found herself on an unknown mountain, shrouded in mist and clouds, breathtakingly beautiful like the legendary Pengla. The winding path was covered in exotic flowers and grasses. Amid the fog, a immortal drifted over, holding a dazzling white treasure—a jade qilin. With a gentle smile, the immortal took her hand and placed the qilin in her palm.
To dream of a qilin was auspicious! Before giving birth, Peng dreamed of the immortal bestowing a jade qilin,ing her newborn grandson would be extraordinary. Moreover, the day after his birth, the Crown Prince Zai Chun was born. That same year, the Empress Dowager Nala was enfeoffed as the Yi Concubine, later becoming the Empress Dowager Cixi. These imperial events happening simultaneously filled the family with joy, and they sensed that this child would achieve great things and be connected to the capital.
After his birth, Wen Sheng named the boy Qisheng, in line with Peng's dream.
He couldn't let his grandson die for him! The thought made Wen Sheng even more agitated. He called Peng before him and said loudly, "The prefecture is about to fall. You must take the child and leave Jiaoying Prefecture at once!"
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