In modern history, although the Xiang Army was only a local army, it was far superior to the regular army in terms of combat effectiveness. The founder of Xiang Army was Zeng Guofan. The reason for establishing Xiang Army was to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and Zeng Guofan lived up to expectations. It can be said that Xiang Army contributed most to the collapse of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the bravery of Xiang people has been known to the world since then. The Xiang army also had a very good performance later.
There may be many people who are curious. Hunan people can only be regarded as ordinary in terms of height and physical quality. Why are they so outstanding on the battlefield? The reason is that Hunan people eat hard and bully, and the most important thing is perseverance; Zeng Guofan was originally just a civilian. He must have been a lot unfamiliar when he first took charge of the military, and he also suffered many defeats in the previous battles. But Zeng Guofan was tough by nature, and the history books said yes? Repeated defeats and battles? .
The Xiang army he commanded was originally just a local local rural brave, far less than the regular army, but like Zeng Guofan, they were indomitable, and every failure was a kind of exercise for them; It can be said that they regard the battlefield as a training ground. Although it is a bit cruel, it is true. In the end, Zeng Guofan and his Xiang army defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with this indomitable spirit.
However, in history, the Xiang Army did not rise until the late Qing Dynasty. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, the Xiang Army appeared, but its name was not Xiang Army at that time, but Flying Tiger Army, and its founder was in history. The dragon in the word? Known as Xin Qiji. Some people may be curious, isn't Xin Qiji a scholar? Why are you a military commander again? Don't underestimate Xin Qiji. If you simply talk about bravery, Xin Qiji ranks first in the Southern Song Dynasty and even in history.
After all, not everyone can sneak attack on 5, troops with 5 men, but also capture the traitor Zhang Anguo alive. However, many scholars in later generations think that this kind of thing cannot be done by human beings, so they just regard it as a joke. When Xin Qiji first came to the south, he didn't know much about the cowardice and cringe of the Southern Song Dynasty imperial court. In addition, Song Gaozong once praised his heroic behavior, and Song Xiaozong, who acceded to the throne soon, once showed the spirit of wanting to recover lost land and avenge his disgrace. Therefore, during his first stint in the Southern Song Dynasty, he wrote many suggestions on resisting the Northern Expedition of Jin Dynasty, such as the famous Ten Treatises on Mei Qin and Nine Discussions.
Although these proposals were praised by people and widely read at that time, the imperial court gave a cold response, and was only interested in Xin Qiji's practical talents in the proposals. He was sent to Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and other places as an important local official, responsible for managing famine relief and rectifying public order. At that time, there were many thieves in the south, but the garrison was useless, and the disadvantages of deploying the army outweighed the advantages.
has the government ever proposed? Jiangxi and Hunan have many thieves, but the county compartments and the imperial army are weak. Begging for two commanders, each with a servant and an army, and in the name of courage, with a thousand people. ? But it was not implemented afterwards. Because of his military ability, Xin Qiji participated in the anti-piracy activities many times. Stealing even Hunan, abandoning illness and seeking peace? Therefore, I have accumulated rich experience. Because of Hunan? Controlling the family of Jiaoguang, the throat of Wu Shu? Because of his special position and weak military equipment, Xin Qiji proposed to the court to establish an army and train it strictly.
The imperial court had this idea for a long time, so after Xin Qiji proposed to the imperial court to create the Flying Tiger Army, he quickly got the permission of the imperial court, so Xin Qiji began to work on various matters. However, due to its high cost, there are many discussions in the ruling and opposition parties, and some people even obstruct it. However, Xin Qiji was unmoved and persisted. Even dare to hide the gold medal. After great efforts, it was finally completed and was forgiven by the court.
At first, the imperial court planned to have 1, men, while Xin Qiji asked for 1,5 men. In the end, how many men did this army have? According to records, during the reign of Xin Qiji, the Flying Tigers finally? Two thousand soldiers were recruited, five hundred were Ma Jun, and the others were outside, and all the horses and armor were ready. ? In an army, discipline is the guarantee of its combat effectiveness. At first, the Flying Tiger Army was praised for its discipline. The discipline of the Flying Tigers Army is naturally due to Xin Qiji.
Of course, the Flying Tiger Army is so famous not only because of Xin Qiji; In fact, the Flying Tigers were truly reborn after Xin Qiji left. According to records, after Xin Qiji left Hunan, Li Chun took over. Chun is good at meeting his generals, but he is responsible for the training. He is skillful in fighting and disciplined, and he is a strong army. . Although the Flying Tiger Army had fallen and eroded later, the environment was so great at that time, and the fighting capacity of the Flying Tiger Army was still elite on the whole.
what's the record of the flying tigers? Originally, the purpose of the establishment of the Flying Tiger Army was only to govern the local area and wipe out local bandits. At this point, the Flying Tiger Army has accomplished its task very well. After the Flying Tiger Army became an army, the basic bandits disappeared in Hunan. However, the imperial court in the Southern Song Dynasty was not a fool, especially when there was a strong enemy invasion. Therefore, in many cases, the Flying Tigers were also sent abroad, and the foreign achievements were twice against Kim and Mongolia, which was roughly equal.
many people may think that this is nothing. What makes it a strong army? Because the size of the Flying Tigers is only two or three thousand, it is definitely not the main force of the army. However, once the war breaks out, many people will think of recruiting the Flying Tigers to fight, and it often has a role. From the side, we can see the strength of the Flying Tigers Army, and at the same time, it also reflects that the regular army in the Southern Song Dynasty is gradually becoming unusable.
And in the later period, the leader of the Flying Tiger Army was not the original leader, but a military commander who came from the air. Even if the soldiers of the Flying Tiger Army were brave, how could they meet one? Loser? Leadership, that is also very helpless. Of course, the elite are all piled up by money. The reason why the Flying Tigers are so elite and spend a lot of money is that this team of two or three thousand people has made it? Are the States in Hunan suffering extremely? It can be seen.
Perhaps the reputation of the Flying Tiger Army in history is far less than that of Yue Jiajun of Yue Fei, Han Jiajun of Han Shizhong, and Liu Kun's Eight-character Army, but these elites are actually regular troops, enjoying the best allowances, holding the best equipment, and having a large number of soldiers. For example, Yue Jiajun reached 4, at its peak! However, the famous regular armies did not last long before they dissipated, while the Flying Tigers, although only two or three thousand in number, had changed their leaders again and again, but they persisted in the Southern Song Dynasty to destroy the country.
Therefore, what supports the Flying Tigers Army is not a famous soldier with great personality charm, but a belief in defending the country and defending the country. Their appearance is to protect their homes from bandits; Later, they were repeatedly sent to the front to fight, and they had no complaints because the belief that supported them was to defend the country. Although the Flying Tigers later disappeared in the long river of history with the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty, their belief was passed down, and later the Xiang Army also inherited this belief, which made them indomitable, defeated and fought repeatedly, and became more and more brave, making a legend. In fact, throughout history, no matter which dynasty, Xiang army persisted to the end, including the Ming Dynasty.