Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/206

Rh joyed tranquility, anticipating the complete restoration of the Ming regime.

This peace, however, did not last long, for after March 1649 the Ming forces were repeatedly defeated on several fronts. On March 1 Nanchang fell and Chin Shêng-huan was killed. Two days later Hsiang-t'an was taken and was shortly after put to death. A month later Li Ch'êng-tung was defeated at Hsin-fêng, Kiangsi, and drowned himself (April 7). But the decisive campaign against the Ming court did not begin until early in 1650. On February 3 of that year, Nan-hsiung, Kwangtung, fell to the Manchus and four days later Chu Yu-lang abandoned Chao-ch'ing. He went by boat to Wu-chou which he now entered (March 2) for the sixth time. In the ensuing nine months he held his court on boats which his minister, Yen Ch'i-hêng 嚴起恆, designated "The Water Palace" (水殿). On November 24, 1650 Canton was taken and three days later Kuei-lin also. Chu Yu-lang abandoned his "Water Palace" (December 2) and moved still farther west to Nan-ning. On his way he learned that Ch'ü Shih-ssŭ had been taken prisoner. The Ch'ing forces took Wu-chou on April 5, 1651 and Liu-chou ten days later. On October 15 P'ing-lo fell, and Chu Yu-lang abandoned Nan-ning for Hsin-ning (present Fu-nan), Kwangsi. After the fall of Pin-chou (January 11, 1652) and Nan-ning (January 17) Chu fled westward to Lung-ying (present Lung-ming), Kwangsi, and later (February 24) still westward to Kwang-nan, Yunnan, where he met the representatives of who invited him to Kweichow. On March 15 he arrived at An-lung, a city in Kweichow near the borders of Kwangsi and Yunnan, where he made his headquarters for four years (1652–56) under the protection and support of Sun K'o-wang. Meanwhile, a subordinate of Sun K'o-wang, held the Manchus at bay in a guerrilla war extending over Hunan, Kwangtung, and Kwangsi. But by 1656 antagonism between Sun and Li developed to such proportions that they engaged in a battle near An-lung in which Sun was defeated. Chu Yu-lang, now under Li's protection, fled to Yunnanfu where he established his court (February 15, 1656) in the newly-built mansion of Sun K'o-wang. After suffering another defeat at the hands of Li, Sun retired northward to Changsha where he surrendered to the Manchu army under. When the Manchus occupied Ch'ü-ching, Yunnan (December 25, 1658), Chu fled westward to Yung-p'ing, Yunnan, where he arrived late in January 1659. On January 25 Yunnanfu also fell to the Manchus.

After the Ming troops were defeated at Tali, Yunnan (March 7), Chu Yu-lang fled the next day to T'êng-yüeh, a city near the border of Burma. From there hshe [sic] dispatched a message to the Burmese officials in Bhamo expressing a desire to take refuge in that country. Leaving T'êng-yüeh on March 13, he reached Mêng-mao a week later. On March 23, he and his entourage, numbering about 1,478 persons, arrived at Bhamo and were allowed to enter that city on condition that they surrender their arms. The Burmese sent four boats to welcome them to Ava. Chu Yu-lang and his household, numbering 646 persons, sailed down the Irrawaddy while the rest of the party made the journey by land. After twelve days Chu reached Tsengoo Myo (?), but was detained there more than two and one half months by order of the King of Burma. In the meantime the overland party reached Ava (May 7), but made its headquarters across the river from Ava at Sagaing. There the group was surrounded by Burmese troops, and most of its members were either killed or made slaves. Less than ninety, led by the son of the Prince of Min (珉王), found safety in Siam. The "dragon boat" which the King of Burma had dispatched to welcome Chu Yu-lang arrived at Tsengoo Myo (?) on June 23. The company set off the next day, reaching Ava June 26th. They, too, established quarters at Sagaing where they remained for the next two years, treated virtually as prisoners.

The remnant of the Ming army under Li Ting-kuo and Po Wên-hsüan 白文選 occupied the northeast part of Burma and defeated the Burmese troops at Hsipaw early in 1661, but did not succeed in rescuing Chu Yu-lang. On June 19 a brother of King Bintale of Burma, the Prince of Prome, led an insurrection and drowned the King. On August 13 he summoned the Ming officials to the Tupayon (stupa) at Sagaing, on the pretense of swearing allegiance to the new regime. There more than half of the company was mowed down by Burmese troops, and Chu Yu-lang and about 340 others were placed under heavy guard. On January 20, 1662 arrived with a large force at Aungbinle, a few miles outside of Ava, to demand the surrender of Chu Yu-lang. Two days later Chu and his household were delivered to Wu and taken to Yunnanfu (April 30) where he and his 194