Dorozhand
Banned
The Black Turban Rebellion was unique for having two distinct natures, that of a traditional dynastic change, and that of a nationalist uprising. Liang Jinhai embodied both of these faces, of the old generalissimo turning against his lord, and of the Han nationalist philosopher capable of building a new China to stand against the west. As Prince of Cai, a title he garnered after, ironically, defeating a northern rebellion in 1810, he came under the influence of western advisors he invited to his court, and as commander of the Han banner army he adopted new drill and weaponry that helped to quash rebellion. When the Second Opium War broke out, his army performed well, far better than all other forces China could muster, but he was alone in a sea of incompetence, and China was defeated anyway. The Qing court, now facing peasant revolts, and seeing Liang as a potential threat, sent bannermen to depose him and disarm his forces, but he caught wind of the plot and fortified his position in central China. Becoming a powerful symbol of rebellion, peasants throughout central and south China flocked to his banner and acclaimed him emperor. Obliging, he declared the foundation of the Cai Dynasty and the Qing stood little chance against him.
The Manchu cause seemed hopeless as soon as the Han gained a semblance of national consciousness, and the very conservatism that legitimized their rule for as long as it lasted was what brought them down in the face of the west and modern ideas. Your challenge is to get the Manchu to control China into the 20th century.
The Manchu cause seemed hopeless as soon as the Han gained a semblance of national consciousness, and the very conservatism that legitimized their rule for as long as it lasted was what brought them down in the face of the west and modern ideas. Your challenge is to get the Manchu to control China into the 20th century.