There may be many people who are curious. Hunan people can only be considered ordinary in height and physical quality. Why are they so outstanding on the battlefield? The reason is that Hunan people eat hard and bully others, and the most important thing is perseverance; Zeng Guofan was originally just a civilian. When he first took charge of the military power, he must have been a lot rusty, and he also suffered many defeats in previous battles. However, Zeng Guofan was tough by nature, and the history books said that he was "repeatedly defeated and repeatedly fought".
The Xiang army under his command was originally a local township brave, far less than the regular army, but they were as indomitable as Zeng Guofan, and every failure was an exercise for them; It can be said that they regard the battlefield as a training ground. It's cruel, but it's true. In the end, Zeng Guofan and his Xiang army defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with this indomitable spirit.
But in history, the Xiang army did not rise until the end of the Qing Dynasty. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, the Xiang Army had already appeared, but the name at that time was not Xiang Army, but Flying Tiger Army, which was founded by Xin Qiji and was known as "the dragon in the word" in history. Some people may be curious, isn't Xin Qiji a scholar? Why did you become a military commander again? Don't underestimate Xin Qiji. If we simply talk about bravery, Xin Qiji ranked first in the Southern Song Dynasty and even in history.
After all, not everyone can achieve the feat of attacking 50,000 people with 50 people, and still capture the traitor Zhang Anguo alive. However, many scholars in later generations think that this kind of thing is beyond human ability, 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 shrinking of the Southern Song Dynasty court. In addition, Song Gaozong once praised his heroic behavior, and Song Xiaozong, who ascended the throne soon, also showed the spirit of regaining lost ground and revenge. Therefore, during his early tenure in the Southern Song Dynasty, he wrote many suggestions to resist the Northern Expedition of the Jin Dynasty, such as the famous Ten Treatises on Meiqin and Nine Treatises.
Although these suggestions were praised by people and widely circulated at that time, the court was indifferent, only interested in Xin Qiji's practical ability in the suggestions, and sent him to Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and other places to serve as an important local official, responsible for managing famine relief and rectifying public order. At that time, there were many thieves in the south, and the garrison was useless. Sending troops did more harm than good.
The government once pointed out that "there are many thieves in Jiangxi and Hunan, but the counties and the imperial army are weak." Begging for two generals, each choose a servant, set up an army, and in the name of courage, the number is one thousand. "But it was not implemented later. Because of his military ability, Xin Qiji participated in the fight against pirates many times. History books say that "thieves connect with Hunan, give up illness and make peace", so they have accumulated rich experience. Because of Hunan's special position of "controlling the family and imitating the throat" and its weak military equipment, Xin Qiji proposed to the court to establish an army and strictly train it.
The imperial court had this idea for a long time, so after Xin Qiji proposed to the imperial court to create the Flying Tigers, 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 forgiven by the court.
At first, the imperial court planned 1000 people, and Xin Qiji requested 1500 people. How many people are there in this army? According to records, during Xin Qiji's reign, the Flying Tigers finally "recruited 2,000 soldiers, 500 horses and all vests." In an army, discipline is the guarantee of combat effectiveness. At first, the Flying Tigers were praised for their discipline. The discipline of the Flying Tiger Army is naturally attributed to Xin Qiji.
Of course, the Flying Tigers are 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 Chun is good at meeting generals and is responsible for their training, while Russia is good at using soldiers and has clear discipline, making it a strong army." Although the Flying Tiger Army declined and eroded later, the environment was so big at that time that the fighting capacity of the Flying Tiger Army was generally elite.
What's the record of the Flying Tigers? Originally, the purpose of the Flying Tigers Army was only to govern the local area and eliminate local bandits. At this point, the Flying Tigers have accomplished their task well. After the Flying Tigers became an army, the basic bandits disappeared in Hunan. However, the Southern Song Dynasty court 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 Jin Mongolia, which was roughly equal.
There may be many people who think it's nothing. What makes it a powerful army? Because the flying tigers are only two or three thousand in size, they are definitely not the main force of the army. But once the war breaks out, many people will think of recruiting the Flying Tigers to participate in the war, and it often works. 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 of the Southern Song Dynasty is gradually unable to use it.
Moreover, the leader of the Flying Tigers in the later period was not the original leader, but a military commander who flew in. Even the soldiers of the Flying Tigers are brave and helpless when they meet a "loser" leader. Of course, elites are all made of money. The reason why the Flying Tigers are so elite is not small. This team of two or three thousand people has made "all the States in Hunan suffer", which can be seen.
Perhaps the reputation of the Flying Tigers in history is far less than that of Yue Jiajun of Yue Fei, Han Jiajun of Han Shizhong and Liu Yong's Figure-of-Eight Army, but those elites above are actually regular troops, enjoying the best allowance and holding the best equipment, with many men, such as Yue Jiajun, who reached 400,000 at the peak! However, the famous regular army did not last long, and the Flying Tigers, although only two or three thousand people, changed their leaders again and again, but persisted in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Therefore, what supports the Flying Tigers is not a big star with great personality charm, but a belief in defending the country and defending the country. They appeared to protect their homes from bandits; Later, they were sent to the front to fight many times, and they didn't complain, because the belief that supported them was to protect the country and defend the country. Although the Flying Tigers disappeared in the long river of history with the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty, their beliefs were passed down, and later the Xiang Army also inherited this belief, which made them indomitable, defeated repeatedly, and became more and more brave, making them legends. In fact, throughout history, no matter which dynasty, Xiang army persisted to the end, including the Ming Dynasty.