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Ronglu

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Ronglu
Born(1836-04-06)6 April 1836
Died11 April 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 67)
SpouseWanzhen[1]
Issueone son
Youlan, 2nd Princess Chun
FatherGuwalgiya Changshou

Ronglu (Chinese: 荣禄; Wade–Giles: Jung-lu; 6 April 1836 – 11 April 1903) was a Manchu statesman and general during the late Qing dynasty. Born into the powerful Guwalgiya clan of the Plain White Banner in the Eight Banners, he was cousin to Yehenara Lan, who later became Empress Dowager Cixi.[2] He served in a number of important positions in the Imperial Court, including the Zongli Yamen and the Grand Council, Grand Scholar, Viceroy of Zhili, Beiyang Minister, Minister of Board of War, Nine Gates Infantry Commander, Wuwei Troop Commander that safeguard the military security of the Forbidden City, and jokingly told Cixi that he would be her bodyguard if she became Empress when they were children.[3]

Life

Ronglu was born on 6 April 1836. He was the son of Guwalgiya Changshou (瓜爾佳長壽). Ronglu's grandfather, Guwalgiya Tasiha (瓜爾佳塔斯哈), had served in Kashgar as an official.

Before Cixi's marriage as a concubine into the royal family, Ronglu was rumored to have had a love relationship with Cixi.[4] During Cixi's tenure as regent of the Qing Dynasty, Ronglu became one of the leaders of Cixi's conservative faction at the imperial court, and opposed Kang Youwei's Hundred Days' Reform in 1898. Cixi always remembered her cousin's support for her, even when they were young, and rewarded him by allowing his only surviving child, his daughter Youlan, to marry into the imperial clan.

Through his daughter's marriage to Zaifeng, 2nd Prince Chun, Ronglu is the maternal grandfather of Xuantong Emperor.

Professional career

At 1894 after First Sino-Japanese War was appointed Peking Land Troop Commander (Chinese:步军统领), at 1895, he was appointed minister of Zongli Yamen, minister of Board of War (Chinese:兵部尚书) and Peking Land Troop Commander. During the Boxer Rebellion, Ronlu was the commander of Wuwei Middle Troop (Chinese:武卫中军), providing military security for the Forbidden City.

At 1898, Ronlu was appointed Grand Scholar (Chinese:协办大学士), Viceroy of Zhili, Beiyang Minister (Chinese:北洋大臣), Minister of Grand Council and Minister of Board of War (CHinese:兵部), coordinating between Dong Fuxiang, Nie Shicheng, Song Qing and the Yuan Shikai Beiyang Army, and creating Wuwei Troop (Chinese:武卫军), then appointed Nine Gates Infantry Commander. When Empress Dowager and Guangxu Emperor escaped to Xian during the invasion of the Eight Nation Alliance, Ronlu was ordered to stay in Peking to safeguard the Peking City and the Forbidden City.[5][6]

Imperial decrees from Empress Dowager

On Day Nineteen of May(lunar calendar) 1901, a total of five decrees were issued by the Empress Dowager. Decree No.1 ordered Ronglu to "command various Imperial soldiers, plus Shenjiying, Tiger Gods Division, with Horse cavalry, in addition of Wuwei Middle Troop, to suppress these bandits, to intensify searching patrol; to arrest and execute immediately all criminals with weapons who advocate killing.". Decree No.4 of the same day ordered Ronglu to "send an efficient troops of Wuwei Middle Troop swiftly, to the Peking Legation Quarter, to protect all the diplomatic buildings."[7]

Wuwei Troop

Main article: Wuwei Troop

On 1899, with the approval of Empress Dowager, Ronglu began to build the first modern infantry military force of the Manchu Empire. During the war at Eight Nation Alliance, Wuwei Troops commanded by Dong Fuxiang and Nie Shicheng and Ronglu himself suffered heavy casualty and since been disbanded.

Sabotage of the Chinese Army

Ronglu deliberately sabotaged the performance of the Imperial army during the Boxer Rebellion. When Dong Fuxiang's muslim troops were eager to and could have destroy the foreigners in the legations, Ronglu stopped them from doing so.[8] The Manchu General Zaiyi, Prince Duan, was xenophobic and was friends with Dong Fuxiang. Zaiyi wanted artillery for Dong Fuxiang's troops to destroy the legations. Ronglu blocked the transfer of artillery to Zaiyi and Dong, preventing them from destroying the legations.[9] When artillery was finally supplied to the Imperial Army and Boxers, it was only done so in limited amounts, Ronglu deliberately held back the rest of them.[10]

It was Ronglu and other "moderates", who withdrew the Kansu Muslim warriors from Beijing, in order to let the foreigners march right in. The Muslim troops were feared intensely by the foreigners.[11]

Ronglu also deliberately hid an Imperial Decree from General Nie Shicheng. The Decree ordered him to stop fighting the Boxers due to the foreign invasion, and also because the population was suffering from the campaign against the Boxers. Due to Ronglu's actions, General Nie continued to fight against the Boxers and killed many of them, while the foreign invaders were making their way into China. Ronglu also ordered Nie to protect foreigners and save the railway from the Boxers.[12]

During the war, because parts of the Railway were saved under Ronglu's orders, the foreign invasion army was able to transport itself into China quickly.

Due to Ronglu's sabotage, General Nie was forced to fight the Boxers as the foreign army advanced into China. The fierce Boxer insurgency led General Nie to commit thousands of troops against them, instead of against the foreigners. Nie was already outnumbered by the Allies by 4,000 men. General Nie was blamed for attacking the Boxers, as Ronglu intended to sabotage Nie and let him take all the blame. At the Battle of Tientsin, General Nie decided to take his own life by walking into the range of Allied guns.[13]

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

References

  • Hummel, Arthur William, ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). 2 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1943.
  1. ^ Initially Ronglu's concubine, she became his official wife when Ronglu's first wife died.
  2. ^ Woo, X.L. Empress Dowager Cixi: China's Last Dynasty and The Long Reign of a Formidable Concubine. p. 17
  3. ^ Woo, X.L. Empress Dowager Cixi: China's Last Dynasty and The Long Reign of a Formidable Concubine. p. 17
  4. ^ Old Buddha, Princess der Ling.
  5. ^ http://www.qingchao.net/lishi/ronglu-dongnanhubao/荣禄与东南互保
  6. ^ http://www.qingchao.net/lishi/ronglu-2/ 论晚清重臣荣禄
  7. ^ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Imperial_Decree_on_Day_Nineteen_of_May(lunar_calendar)#Decree_3Imperial
  8. ^ Paul A. Cohen (1997). story in three keys: the boxers as event, experience, and myth. Columbia University Press. p. 54. ISBN 0231106505. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  9. ^ X. L. Woo (2002). Empress dowager Cixi: China's last dynasty and the long reign of a formidable concubine : legends and lives during the declining days of the Qing Dynasty. Algora Publishing. p. 216. ISBN 1892941880. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  10. ^ Stephen G. Haw (2007). Beijing: a concise history. Taylor & Francis. p. 94. ISBN 0415399068. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  11. ^ Sterling Seagrave, Peggy Seagrave (1993). Dragon lady: the life and legend of the last empress of China. Vintage Books. p. 318. ISBN 0679733698. Retrieved 2010-06-28. {{cite book}}: More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  12. ^ Lanxin Xiang (2003). The origins of the Boxer War: a multinational study. Psychology Press. p. 235. ISBN 0700715630. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  13. ^ Jane E. Elliott (2002). Some did it for civilisation, some did it for their country: a revised view of the boxer war. Chinese University Press. p. 499. ISBN 9629960664. Retrieved 2010-06-28.

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