The examination of the Nien leader Chang Lo-hsing

Zhang Lexing (, 1810 – 1863) was a Chinese guerrilla leader during the

Nian Rebellion The Nian Rebellion () was an insurrection against the Qing dynasty in northern China from 1851 to 1868, contemporaneously with the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) in southern China. The rebellion was suppressed, but the population and economic ...

in China. Zhang was originally a landlord and a member of a powerful lineage involved in salt-smuggling. In 1852 he was chosen to lead the Nian, and in 1856 was bestowed with the title "Lord of the Alliance" when the Nian organised themselves under a banner system inspired by the

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu language, Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', , ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu people, Manchu househol ...

of the ruling Qing Dynasty. Zhang also at this time claimed the title of "Great Han Prince with the

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven ( zh, t=天命, p=Tiānmìng, w=, l=Heaven's command) is a Chinese ideology#Political ideologies, political ideology that was used in History of China#Ancient China, Ancient China and Chinese Empire, Imperial China to legit ...

". He later joined forces with the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

and became the "Commander of the Northern Expedition". In 1863 he was defeated and captured along with his son and adopted son by

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

cavalry general

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin () was a Mongols, Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang, Xianfeng Emperor, Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi emper ...

. Prior to being executed, he confessed that he could no longer remember how many places he had plundered; he also claimed to not know the whereabouts of his wife, who had been chased off by government troops, or his brother Zhang Minxing, who had left for the southwest along with several thousand men, and that other Nian leaders had already been killed. Despite the apparent loss of leadership, the Nian rebellion would continue for another five years. Zhang's nephew Zhang Zongyu succeeded him in command of the Nian armies, with Sengge Richen being killed in a Nian ambush only two years after Zhang's death.Schoppa, page 78.

References

Other sources

*Chiang, Siang-tseh. ''The Nien Rebellion'', Seattle, 1954. *Teng, Ssu-yu. ''The Nien Rebellion and Their Guerilla Warfare, 1851–1868'', Paris, 1961. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Lexing 1863 deaths Nian Rebellion Military leaders of the Taiping Rebellion Chinese military personnel killed in action 1810 births People from Bozhou Generals from Anhui 19th-century Chinese military personnel Chinese dissidents Chinese smugglers Chinese landlords 19th-century landowners