Tan Shaoguang () (1835 – December 1, 1863) was a military leader of the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It last ...

. During his military tenure he was known as the King of Mu (慕王) ("Seeker Prince"). As a young soldier he joined the Jintian Uprising. After several years he was promoted to general, and led the Taiping forces to many military victories. He was awarded the

E An The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom developed a complicated peerage system for noble ranks. King/Prince ''Wang'' (王, lit. "king" or "prince") was the highest title of nobility, often hereditary, ranked just below the Heavenly King. There were five ...

in 1861. He was murdered by traitors after an interrogation in 1863.

Notable victories

The Army Group Jiangnan (江南大營) were

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

soldiers who encircled

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

twice, in March 1858 and May 1860. The first siege used 200,000 soldiers, and was led by

Li Xiucheng Li Xiucheng (; 1823 – August 7, 1864) was a military rebel commander opposing the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion. He was born to a peasant family. In 1864, he was captured and interrogated following the third and final Battle of ...

. It was routed in 1860, after occupying

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

Province (except for

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

). Tan also fought in the

Battle of Shanghai (1861) The Battle of Shanghai (太平軍二攻上海) was a major engagement of the Taiping Rebellion that occurred from June 1861 to July 1862. British and French troops used modern artillery on a large scale for the first time in China. Cannon fire ...

Death

Li Xiucheng's mansion was built in

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trad ...

, where it is the only one from the Taiping Rebellion still existing today. In July 1863 Li ordered his son-in-law, Tan Shaoguang, to assume control of

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

led the

Huai Army The Huai Army (), named for the Huai River, was a military force allied with the Qing dynasty raised to contain the Taiping Rebellion in 1862. It was also called the Anhui Army because it was based in Anhui province. It helped to restore the stabil ...

; the "

Ever Victorious Army "Ever Victorious Army" ( ''cháng shèng jūn'') was the name given to a small imperial army that fought rebels in late-19th-century China. It was directed and trained by Europeans. The Ever Victorious Army fought for the Qing dynasty against th ...

", which had been raised by an American,

Frederick Townsend Ward Frederick Townsend Ward (; November 29, 1831September 22, 1862) was an American sailor and soldier of fortune known for his military service in Imperial China during the Taiping Rebellion. Early life and education Ward was born in Salem, Mass ...

, was placed under the command of

Charles George Gordon Major-General Charles George Gordon CB (28 January 1833 – 26 January 1885), also known as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British Army officer and administrator. He saw action in the Crimean War as an officer in ...

. With its support

won several battles, leading to the surrender of

. Six days before Tan was killed,

conducted a secret negotiation with eight generals on a boat on

Yangcheng Lake Yangcheng Lake () is a freshwater lake about northeast of the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, and ranges in depth from . The lake is -long from north to south, with an average width of from east to west. It is the most famous area of origin ...

. He asked them to kill Tan, promising their safety. To seal their agreement, Li prepared a dinner of rich, sweet Taiping crabs. Before recapturing Suzhou from the Taiping forces, the eight generals met with Tan in the inner city. Tan accused his generals of cowardice; his guards killed over 1,000 soldiers, but his traitorous generals killed him after Li Xiucheng's escape. Two days before this meeting, Li Xiucheng had warned Tan Shaoguang of the treachery; Tan did not believe him, refusing to escape and follow him. Following Tan's death, the traitorous generals opened the city door; over 200,000 Taiping forces surrendered, and welcomed

as he recaptured Suzhou. However 10,000 of them were killed on orders of Li. Tan Shaoguang was also the husband of one of Liu Xiucheng's three daughters; one of which was married to Chen Binwen, another Taiping general.

Sources

*Tiān Guó Zwi(天國志) 1835 births 1863 deaths 19th-century executions by China Hakka generals Executed people from Guangxi Executed Taiping Heavenly Kingdom people Military leaders of the Taiping Rebellion People executed by the Qing dynasty People from Guigang {{China-hist-stub

Notable victories

Death

See also

Sources