Feng Zicai
Encyclopedia
Feng Zicai (1818–1903) was a bandit from Qinzhou
, Guangxi
, China
who later became a general in the Imperial Army during the Qing dynasty
. His ancestry is Bobai, Guangxi
.
, commanded a regiment
stationed in northern Jiangsu
during the Taiping Rebellion
. He defeated rebel forces many times on their march across the Yangtze River
toward the north and was promoted to lieutenant general
in 1864. The war ended in 1871.
In 1867, he established his base of command in Nanning
where he worked to fight bandits, rebels, the Hmong
, and other groups threatening the Qing Empire in south China and northern Vietnam
.
. Feng atoned for his incompetence exactly one month later. On 23 and 24 March 1885 Feng's forces were present at the Battle of Bang Bo, in which Francois de Negrier's 2nd Brigade was defeated at Zhennanguan on the Kwangsi-Tonkin border. The Chinese had heavily fortified their position, and although the French captured a number of Chinese outworks on 23 March, their attacks on 24 March failed to make any headway. Eventually the French were counterattacked and forced to retreat, with casualties of 74 killed and 213 wounded. Chinese casualties were far higher.
Feng Zicai's troops, stationed on the Chinese right wing around the village of Bang Bo, played an important role in the battle, defeating an assault by the French 111th Line Battalion on a position known as 'the long trench'. Feng is said to have encouraged his troops with the words 'You should die rather than bear to see a French army invading Chinese soil!' (寧死不忍見法軍侵入中國境內). He is also said to have personally led the Chinese counterattack against the 111th Battalion. The second story is unlikely to be true, but the first story may well have a basis in fact. The Chinese had been beaten with ease by the French during the Lang Son Campaign
of February 1885, and Chinese sources attest to the poor morale of the Chinese army at Bang Bo. Feng Tzu-ts'ai is known to have issued orders that any man who left his post would be executed on the spot, and several dozen Chinese soldiers who fled when the French approached the long trench were immediately shot.
Feng's defiant words to his troops at Bang Bo are sculpted on a giant stone on Wuzhi Mountain, the highest mountain in Hainan
.
Qinzhou
Qinzhou is a municipal region in Guangxi, People's Republic of China.The municipality lies on the Gulf of Tonkin and has a population of 944, 000.-Administration:The Qinzhou municipal region comprises two districts and two counties....
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
who later became a general in the Imperial Army during the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. His ancestry is Bobai, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
.
The Taiping Rebellion
In 1856, Feng, a lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, commanded a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
stationed in northern Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
during the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
. He defeated rebel forces many times on their march across the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
toward the north and was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in 1864. The war ended in 1871.
In 1867, he established his base of command in Nanning
Nanning
Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage.-History:...
where he worked to fight bandits, rebels, the Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, and other groups threatening the Qing Empire in south China and northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Sino-French War
During the Sino-French War (August 1884 to April 1885) Feng was placed in command of a chiefly Zhuang armed force in South China, composed mainly of local peasantry and some of Feng's retired imperial troops. On 23 February 1885 the misdeployment of Feng's troops too far from the battlefield was a major factor in the defeat of China's Kwangsi Army in the Battle of Dong DangBattle of Dong Dang
The Battle of Dong Dang was an important French victory during the Sino-French War.- Background :The battle was fought as a pendant to the Lang Son Campaign , in which the French captured the Guangxi Army's base at Lang Son.On 16 February General Louis Brière de l'Isle, the commander of the Tonkin...
. Feng atoned for his incompetence exactly one month later. On 23 and 24 March 1885 Feng's forces were present at the Battle of Bang Bo, in which Francois de Negrier's 2nd Brigade was defeated at Zhennanguan on the Kwangsi-Tonkin border. The Chinese had heavily fortified their position, and although the French captured a number of Chinese outworks on 23 March, their attacks on 24 March failed to make any headway. Eventually the French were counterattacked and forced to retreat, with casualties of 74 killed and 213 wounded. Chinese casualties were far higher.
Feng Zicai's troops, stationed on the Chinese right wing around the village of Bang Bo, played an important role in the battle, defeating an assault by the French 111th Line Battalion on a position known as 'the long trench'. Feng is said to have encouraged his troops with the words 'You should die rather than bear to see a French army invading Chinese soil!' (寧死不忍見法軍侵入中國境內). He is also said to have personally led the Chinese counterattack against the 111th Battalion. The second story is unlikely to be true, but the first story may well have a basis in fact. The Chinese had been beaten with ease by the French during the Lang Son Campaign
Lang Son Campaign
The Lang Son Campaign was a major French offensive in Tonkin during the Sino-French War...
of February 1885, and Chinese sources attest to the poor morale of the Chinese army at Bang Bo. Feng Tzu-ts'ai is known to have issued orders that any man who left his post would be executed on the spot, and several dozen Chinese soldiers who fled when the French approached the long trench were immediately shot.
Feng's defiant words to his troops at Bang Bo are sculpted on a giant stone on Wuzhi Mountain, the highest mountain in Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
.