1. Wu Sangui, courtesy name Changbai or Changbo, was a Chinese military leader who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty.
14 Facts About Wu Sangui
1. 2.
Wu Sangui was denied help from his maternal uncle, Zu Dashou, and so decided to rescue his father with a force of about 20 soldiers chosen from his personal retinue.
3.
Wu Sangui gained the position of guerrilla general when he was no older than 20.
4.
At that time, Wu Sangui was stationed in Songshan and brought a 3,000-strong force the moment he heard the news.
5.
Wu Sangui was unable to withstand the repeated attacks from both Jirgalang and Duoduo.
6.
Wu Sangui fought a bloody battle with the Qing army, but could not break through the siege until Liu Zhaoji came to his rescue.
7.
The Ming army casualties were more than 1000, with deputy general Yanglun and Zhou Yanzhou dead, but Wu Sangui's bravery was still praised.
8.
Wu Sangui survived not only by following Wang Pu, but by having a good retreat plan.
9.
When Hong Chengchou ordered the breakthrough, Wu Sangui went back to his camp and immediately discussed tactics with his generals.
10.
Wu Sangui killed Li's envoy, wrote back to his father, scolding him for his disloyalty, and sent several generals to pretend to pledge allegiance to Li.
11.
In 1678, Wu Sangui went a step further and declared himself the emperor of the "Great Zhou", with the era name of Zhaowu.
12.
Wu Sangui has often been regarded as a traitor and an opportunist, due to his betrayals of both the Ming and Qing dynasties.
13.
Wu Sangui appears as an antagonist in the popular wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron by Jin Yong.
14.
In Taiwanese historical romance Princess Huai Yu, Wu Sangui appears as an antagonist but his son, Wu Yingxiong, features prominently as the best friend of the Kangxi Emperor and love interest of Princess Jianning.