Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/347

 Kweichow (1641). In the following year he was recalled and offered the post of supervisor of military colonization in Ho-pei (總理河北屯田), which he declined.

Meanwhile Kiangsi province was in danger of invasion by Chang Hsien-chung, and Yüan was appointed, on recommendation of Wu Shên 吳甡, to the newly created post of governor-general of Kiangsi, Hupeh, Ying-t'ien, and Anking, with headquarters at Kiukiang. Upon the dismissal of Wu Shên in 1643 Yüan's post was given to Lü Ta-ch'i 呂大器, a chin-shih of 1628. But as the latter found it impossible to co-operate with, Yüan was reinstated. When the Prince of Fu (see under ) was proclaimed Emperor at Nanking (June 19, 1644), it was Yüan who influenced Tso Liang-yü to recognize the newly-established Court. Tso, however, was opposed to who at that time was influential at the Nanking Court. In the following year, urged perhaps by his subordinates, Tso led his army eastwards towards Nanking, taking Kiukiang on April 29, 1645. He died the same night and his son, Tso Mêng-kêng (see under ), was placed in command of the army. The son, however, unable to hold the loyalty of his father's troops, saw his power weaken, and possibly made overtures to the Ch'ing forces. He escorted Yüan—long sought by the Manchus—to Ch'ih-chou, Anhwei, where not long after Tso Mêng-kêng surrendered to the Ch'ing forces. Yüan was made prisoner (May 26, 1645) and was taken to Peking. After refusing repeatedly to take the posts which the Manchus offered him, he was finally put to death (August 7, 1646). In 1766 Emperor Kao-tsung conferred on him the posthumous name, Chung-i 忠毅.

Yüan's literary remains, entitled 六柳堂遺集 Liu-liu t'ang i-chi, in 3 chüan, and a collection of his verse, entitled 未優軒詩草 Wei-yu hsüan shih-ts'ao, were banned during the Ch'ing period. One chüan of the former, entitled 潯陽記事 Hsün-yang chi-shih, was reprinted in 1915 in the 豫章叢書 Yü-chang ts'ung-shu.

[M.1/277/1a; M.3/255/5b; M.35/12/6a; M.41/9/12a, 12/35a; M.59/15/4a; I-ch'un hsien-chih (1870) 7/11b, 8 chung-i 3b; 袁州府志 Yüan-chou fu-chih (1874) 8 chung-i 2/2b].

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 YÜAN Chia-san 袁甲三, Mar. 16, 1806–1863, Aug. 8, official, was a native of Hsiang-ch'êng, Honan. A chin-shih of 1835, he was appointed a secretary in the Board of Ceremonies, assuming his post in 1840. Three years later he began to serve concurrently as a secretary in the Grand Council. After various promotions he became a censor in 1850, and within three years submitted more than twenty memorials on national affairs. He advocated, as early as 1851, a project to change the course of the Yellow River to follow the Ta-ch'ing-ho 大清河 in Shantung. His suggestion was ignored, but in a few years the Yellow River abandoned the old course, as he had foreseen, thus causing untold damage over a vast area. He criticized the measures taken in Kwangsi against the Taiping Rebels (see under )—in particular the conduct of such commanders as and Sai-shang-a (see under ). He accused several governors of cowardice or misconduct, and even reprimanded Prince for usurping power. His foresight and courage in these matters won him fame as a truly great censor.

After the Taipings had, in 1853, occupied Nanking and invaded northern Anhwei, a native of that province, Lü Hsien-chi 呂賢基, was sent there from Peking to organize a local militia. At Lü's request, Yüan was ordered to assist in this task. Later in the same year Yüan was entrusted with command of the militia which had previously been under Chou T'ien-chüeh (see under ), with headquarters at Ying-chou. When, in November 1853, Lu was killed in action, Yüan was ordered to proceed to central Anhwei to take over his command, but he insisted on staying in northwestern Anhwei to maintain communications with Honan. His judgment, in this instance, proved to be sound, for, who went to Lu-chou in central Anhwei, was defeated and killed there. For a time Yüan's troops were the only government forces left intact in Anhwei. In 1854 he moved eastward to Lin-huai and was promoted to be vice-president of the Censorate, but failed in the attempt to recover Lu-chou. A year later he was criticized by the governor of Anhwei for making false reports and for non-cooperation with the other generals. He was temporarily cashiered, but owing to his own account of the case and the favorable reports of and others, 949