Biography

After obtaining his juren degree in 1621, he served in various posts. In the winter of 1643, he was appointed governor of Hubei and Hunan. When Zhu Yousong was proclaimed emperor in Nanjing, he was made junior vice-president of the Board of War in 1644 and was made governor-general of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi in 1645. In early 1645, he was forced to join Zuo Liangyu as he advanced on the Ming court in Nanjing. However, he escaped in Wuchang and fled to Changsha. Two months later Zhu Yujian was proclaimed emperor in Fuzhou and He was appointed president of the Board of War and Grand Secretary of the Dongge (东阁) with the hereditary rank of Earl of Dingxing (定兴伯). Meanwhile the remaining forces of Li Zicheng declared their allegiance to He who established the so-called "Thirteen Military Centers" (十三镇) in Hunan. He requested Zhu to move the court to Ganzhou, Jiangxi, but Zhu was captured in October 1646 in Tingzhou, Fujian, near the Jiangxi border. In November 1646, Zhu Youlang was proclaimed emperor in Zhaoqing, Guangdong and He was made president of the Board of War and Grand Secretary of the Wuyingdian (武英殿). When the Manchus advanced to Hunan, the "Thirteen Military Centers" were defeated and He fled to Wugang, Hunan. When Wugang fell to the Manchus, He joined Qu Shisi (瞿式耜) to defend Guilin and Guangxi while Zhu Youlang fled to Jingzhou, Hunan. He was raised in rank to Marquis of Dingxing (定兴侯) after defeating the Manchus at Quanzhou, Guangxi.

The rebellion of Jin Shenghuan (金声桓) against the Manchus in Jiangxi in June 1648 shifted the center of Manchu attack allowing He to recover a number of cities in Hunan. The following year, the Manchus attacked the Ming forces in Hunan. On March 3, Xiangtan, Hunan fell and He was captured. When he was captured, he went on a hunger strike for seven days. In the same month, He hanged himself, dying at the age of 58. The Ming court gave him the posthumous title of Prince of Zhongxiang (中湘王) and the posthumous name Wenlie (文烈). In 1776, the Qianlong Emperor canonized him as Zhongcheng (忠诚).

生平

天启崇祯年间

腾蛟出身书香门第，祖父何志清，明嘉靖贡生，父训课极严，有一天问书不解，父怒举石砚击腾蛟头，骂说：「子不受教，击死无悔。」

明天启元年（1621年），中辛酉科举人。崇祯年间，被授与南阳知县，吏治精敏。后被拔擢为大兴知县，精敏如治南阳，迁郎署，擢巩昌兵备副使。以善抚兵将，为秦督洪承畴所推荐。

崇祯十五年（1642年）春，奉命出任湖北郧阳兵备道。崇祯十六年（1643年），张献忠攻陷武昌，楚抚王聚奎、王扬基以失机论治，廷臣视楚为戒途，无敢赴者。三月，由史可法力荐，任右佥都御史，巡抚湖广。

弘光隆武年间

弘光元年（1645年、顺治二年）明将左良玉从武昌起兵反叛南明进攻南京，何腾蛟拒绝加入，进入湖南，聚集过去手下的僚属堵胤锡、傅上瑞、严起恒、章旷、周大启、吴晋锡等，招兵买马。六月，清军进入南京，弘光朝覆灭。

五月李自成战死后，大顺军馀部四散。在清军两路追击下，西路大顺军（以田见秀、袁宗第为首）遂投何腾蛟，联合抗清。但何腾蛟本无意与大顺军合营，因此没有诚意依靠这支久经战阵的军队，反而在驻地与粮饷上处处刁难大顺军。同时，何腾蛟还对大顺军进行分化和排挤，将大顺军中地位较低的郝摇旗、王进才收为亲信，而排挤田见秀、袁宗第及刘体纯等老将。由此使得田、袁为首的大顺军只好率部北上荆州，同另一支入荆南的大顺军（以李赤心（李过）、高一功为首）会和。

何腾蛟陆续招募左良玉馀部马进忠、张先璧、黄朝宣等将。授黄朝宣、张先璧、刘承先、李赤心（李过）、郝摇旗(永忠)、袁宗第、王进才、董英、马进忠、马士秀、曹志建、王允成、卢鼎等为总兵，开镇湖南，时称「十三镇」。后郑芝龙、郑鸿奎、黄道周等奉唐王监国继而称帝，年号隆武，是为绍宗襄皇帝。绍宗襄皇帝原为唐王，奉藩南阳，时何腾蛟为南阳知县，是以腾蛟常谓人曰：「新上为南阳故人，鱼水之合，吾辈皆有缘也」。

隆武二年（1646年）春，清兵勒克德浑进攻江西，腾蛟领军由长沙出发。四月十四日清兵攻赣州，杨廷麟死守半年，何腾蛟坐视不救，仅派遣南安伯郝永忠带兵马一万余名经郴州入龙泉（今江西遂川县），郝永忠从长沙出发，经过衡州，九月初二日至郴州，即观望不前。另一支部队张先璧部也在行至同江西接境的攸县后就「屯师不进」。十月初三日，清军大举攻城，至四日深夜，清军登城拆垛，蜂拥入城，城陴和巷战死者如麻，杨廷麟投清水塘自尽，至黎明，清军占领赣州城。

后郝摇旗部败清军于岳州、藤溪，抵住清军。

永历年间

永历元年（1647年）初，孔有德、尚可喜、耿仲明率清军进攻湖南，三月陷岳州、湘阴，直指长沙。抗清阵线发生分裂。湖南总督何腾蛟、总兵王进才撤退。

永历二年（顺治五年、1648年）永历帝在桂林，加封腾蛟为太师、进爵为侯，子孙世袭。闰三月，明降将金声桓、李成栋等在江西、广东倒戈反清，清军撤出湖南巩固武昌，抗清局面复振。何腾蛟趁势反攻，取全州、永州、衡州。大顺军馀部忠贞营在堵胤锡的领导下占领湖南大量州县，围困长沙。何腾蛟命堵胤锡率忠贞营离开，准备自己进攻长沙，然而久攻不下。内部纷争又起。马进忠西走武冈，常德失防，湖南大乱，不可收拾。

永历三年（1649年）各镇各怀二心，局势恶化，一月，腾蛟往长沙见忠贞营李赤心（李过），以少数兵力入守湘潭。二月，清兵破湘潭，俘腾蛟，腾蛟绝食七日，从容吟绝命诗：「天乎人事苦难留，眉锁湘江水不流。炼石有心嗟一木，凌云无计慰三洲。河山赤地风悲角，社稷怀人雨溢秋。尽瘁未能时已逝，年年鹃血染宗周。」同月，腾蛟自缢于流水大埠桥边，终年58岁。永历帝闻讯，三军缟素痛哭，諡文烈，赠中湘王。

归处另说

二说，接《明史》「（李）勇，腾蛟旧部将也，率其卒罗拜，劝腾蛟降。腾蛟大叱，勇遂拥之去。绝食七日，乃杀之。」腾蛟实未死，部份旧部同其归隐四川顺庆府（张献忠战死遗址一带），死后葬于灵龟山，有实坟，封号「龟山之人」。

评价

史家顾诚则认为隆武之亡，不能只归咎于郑芝龙，何腾蛟本人实难辞其咎。隆武帝知道郑芝龙跋扈难制，希望何腾蛟派精兵迎驾，移跸江西，「清军进攻赣州，隆武帝进退维谷的时候。何腾蛟为了保住自己的权势，竟然置大局于不顾，一连几个月不派使者向隆武帝报告情况」，「隆武帝被清军俘杀，闽、赣、粤相继失陷，何腾蛟在湖南的处境也越来越困难。」其也认为何腾蛟在抗清事业中成事不足败事有馀，他「既无知人之明，又无御将之才，却私心自用」，不仅排挤了有抗清实力的大顺军，还为拼凑班底而重用湖南当地明朝杂牌军，为之加官请爵，然而这些人招兵买马，却只危害地方，毫无作用

注释

参考书目

• 王夫之《永历实录·卷七》《何腾蛟传》

• 顾诚：《南明史》第六节清军占领赣南

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