Tao Kuang (glory of right principle), as he is called, from the style
chosen for his reign, gave promise of being a useful and enlightened
ruler; at the least a great improvement on his father. He did his
best at first to purify the court, but his natural indolence stood in
the way of any real reform, and with the best intentions in the world
he managed to leave the empire in a still more critical condition
than that in which he had found it. Five years after his accession,
his troubles began in real earnest. There was a rising of the people
in Kashgaria, due to criminal injustice practised over a long spell
of time on the part of the Chinese authorities. The rebels found a
leader in the person of Jehangir, who claimed descent from one of the
old native chiefs, formerly recognized by the Manchu Emperors, but
now abolished as such. Thousands flocked to his standard; and by the
time an avenging army could arrive on the scene, he was already
master of the country. During the campaign which followed, his men
were defeated in battle after battle; and at length he himself was
taken prisoner and forwarded to Peking, where he failed to defend his
conduct, and was put to death.
The next serious difficulty which confronted the Emperor was a
rising, in 1832, of the wild Miao tribes of Kuangsi and Hunan, led by
a man who either received or adopted the title of the Golden Dragon.
At the bottom of all the trouble we find, as usually to be expected
henceforward, the secret activities of the far-reaching Triad
Society, which seized the occasion to foment into open rebellion the
dissatisfaction of the tribesmen with the glaring injustice they were
suffering at the hands of the local authorities. After some initial
massacres and reprisals, a general was sent to put an end to the
outbreak; but so far from doing this, he seems to have come off
second best in most of the battles which ensued, and was finally
driven into Kuangtung. For this he was superseded, and two
Commissioners dispatched to take charge of further operations. It
occurred to these officials that possibly persuasion might succeed
where violence had failed; and accordingly a proclamation was widely
circulated, promising pardon and redress of wrongs to all who would
at once return to their allegiance, and pointing out at the same time
the futility of further resistance. The effect of this move was
magical; within a few days the rebellion was over.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account