Early life

Shi Dakai was a Hakka from Guigang, Guangxi. He headed the family at a young age after being orphaned, and was known in the local community for his hospitality, martial skills and justice in handling local affairs. Shi had studied for the imperial examinations, but had failed in his attempts to pass them.

Taiping Rebellion

In 1849, at the age of 16, Shi was sought out by Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan, and joined them in the leadership of the rebellion. Quickly distinguished by his brilliant tactics, skilled training of the troops and fair administration of the public funds, Shi was made commander of his own army at the age of nineteen.

In January 1851, Hong Xiuquan and the five key leaders of the rebellion (among whom Shi was the youngest) formally established the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace in Jintian, Guangxi, with about twenty thousand followers. In May, the Taiping army moved into Guangxi, followed by the Qing army, who launched a fierce attack. At Renyi's watergate, Shi used stealth strategy to win a decisive victory with three hundred men against the enemies' five thousand. In August, after the Taiping conquered the city Yongan, Shi won wide admiration from the populace for his gentle rule and fair administration, people attracted by his reputation coming to join the rebellion in flocks. In October, Hong Xiuquan made the twenty-year-old Shi E-Wang, "Lord of the Holy Lighting". Shi later spearheaded the series of battles that won the city Nanjing for the Taiping, where they established their capital, to be known as Tianjing, or Heavenly Capital (天京). Now legendary and avowed among the Qing army, Shi was also the only Taiping commander who fought through those battles without a single defeat. Both friend and foe noted his kindness in treating civilians, and folk songs that commemorated his victories became popular in the lands the Taiping moved through.

While he did notable work fortifying the capital Tianjing, Shi's most famous political accomplishment was his reform of Anqing (安慶易制). In 1854, Shi arrived in Anqing and undertook military and civil affairs. He created compassionate decrees that encouraged agriculture, lightened taxes and stimulated commerce, and insinuated local talent to create an efficient and honest bureaucracy. He restored the badly neglected public security by encouraging civilians to report the misbehaviours of soldiers and handing out fair punishments. In a few months of Shi's administration Anqing became one of the most loyal and well-managed cities of Taiping, as well as one of the best fortified.

Shi's battle of Hukou, Jiangxi, in 1855, was the most dramatic of Taiping's military victories. The Xiang marines (湘軍水師), led by Zeng Guofan, was considered the elite of Qing forces. Shi arrived on the battlefield in December, receiving command after Taiping had already suffered serious losses. Shi planned the battle meticulously, laying out airtight defenses and using small boats to continuously harass the enemy camps, then trapping the Qing's ships with secretly built dams and chopping the Xiang forces in half. Shi led a series of swift offenses securing decisive victories for Taiping, driving the Qing commander Zeng Guofan to attempt suicide, and later calling Shi "the most cunning and strong amongst the Taiping."

Shi's personal life is the most austere of all Taiping leaders. His dwelling was the most modest and he was the only one who refused to tear down civilian homes in its construction. While the Taiping Kingdom's custom required leaders to have multiple wives, Shi was content with his wife Huang and repeatedly declined the beauties offered to him. The only additional wives he took were those commanded upon him by his superiors. These women and the female officers had the freedom of riding in and out of his dwelling, a liberty unheard of in the house of other Kings. In his youth, Shi's original wife Xiong left him when he decided to join the rebellion, carrying their unborn son with her. The child was born into Xiong's second marriage and later claimed back by Shi's aunt. He was Shi's only surviving issue.

In 1856, civil war broke out between the East King Yang Xiuqing and the North King Wei Changhui murdering tens of thousands, known as the Tianjing Incident. Hearing of the massacre, Shi returned to Tianjing attempting to mediate, but instead was forced to flee the city, and his entire family were murdered by Wei Changhui. Shi escaped to Anqing and summoned forces against the half-insane Wei Changhui, but upon learning that Qing armies threatened Huannan, he decided to put the Kingdom first and moved the forces to help the defense. This move won him further acclaim. In November, Hong Xiuquan ordered Wei Changhui's execution and requested that Shi return to Tianjing and take over the administration, whereupon he obeyed. He restored order to the city and rebuilt Taiping's broken morale, and the public support for Shi caused Hong Xiuquan to harbor deeper suspicion against him. Hong then handed power to his two brothers and gradually undermined Shi's administration, to the point where Shi realized that he must either leave or risk the eruption of another civil war

In 1857, Shi left the capital, writing a poem asking the people to have faith in the Taiping Kingdom, and the people who wish to follow him may do so. The exact number that choose to follow Shi, and the damage this caused the Taiping, is a matter of intense academic debate: Li Xiucheng, Shi's contemporary, claimed that Shi led away tens of thousands with devastating results,. but there is little historical evidence to correspond with this while some testifying against it, as Shi had only a small force to mobilize inside Tianjing in the first place, and an enemy record shows that the expedition from Tianjing was small enough to cross the Tongjing river in less than a day.

While Shi left Tianjing, he was not separated from the Taiping command, for he still maintained communication with Hong Xiuquan and sent his forces to assist various Taiping commanders on other battle fronts. He did not completely give up hopes to return until Hong Xiuquan replaced his authority of command, upon which he began the expedition away from Tianjing. Over the course of the expedition, soldiers from various sources came to join Shi. He fought for six years throughout central China against the much larger armies of the Qing Dynasty. To this day, many legends about him are still told affectionately in the provinces that his army travelled through. As they were further and further from Tianjing, some of Shi's officers tried to persuade him to shed the name of Taiping and establish his own rule, which he repeatedly refused. Eventually some of the troops split from him and headed back toward Tianjing.

During the course of the expedition, Shi's troops weaved in and out of the geographically harsh Sichuan province. In December 1862, Shi's army crossed the Jinsha River (River of the Golden Sand) under heavy fire from the Qing, using a diversion to mislead the enemy. They set up plans to cross over the banks of the Dadu in order to reach their destination Chengdu. One of Shi's officers led a branch of the army across the river without difficulty, but by the time Shi and his main army arrived, a furious flood suddenly made the river impossible to cross. Several attempts were made with heavy losses, and the army was running out of rations. The Qing army followed a few days behind. On 13 June, Shi Dakai negotiated with the Qing to spare his men's lives if he turned himself in. He entered Qing camps with three followers, dressed in formal Taiping uniform, and spoke to the Qing fearlessly. He was questioned and imprisoned, and on the 25th he was executed by slow slicing in the Anshun Court. His enemies recorded that through the entire torturous execution Shi did not flinch, and never once cried out in pain. He was 32 years old. After his death, 4,000 men among Shi's troops were released, and the remaining 2,000 were executed. Many of Shi's former troops continued to battle the Qing, most notably the forces led by Lai Yuxin and Li Fuyou.

While Shi Dakai was an accomplished poet, only three of his authentic works survive, along with two more probables. After his death, many romantic poems of the heroism style were written in his name, borrowing his prestige to encourage more and more Chinese people to overthrow the Qing dynasty, something that eventually led to the creation of the Republic of China in 1912.

Shi's heroics as an outstanding general were later to inspire his fellow Hakka clansman Zhu De, who founded the Red Army, later known as the People's Liberation Army.

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生平

早年經歷

石達開于1831年出生于廣西省右江道潯州府貴縣北山里那邦村（今廣西壯族自治區貴港市港北區奇石鄉），家道小康，因幼年喪父，沒有兄弟，八、九歲起獨撐門戶，務農經商之餘，習武修文不輟。石達開長得高大俊秀，十三歲已「凜然如成人，自雄其才，慷慨有經略四方志」，因急公好義，常為人排難解紛，年未弱冠即被尊稱為「石相公」，十六歲時，洪秀全、馮雲山慕名拜訪，邀他共圖反清大計，石達開遂加入拜上帝會，三年後毀家紓難，率四千餘人參加金田起義，封為左軍主將。

北進東征

1851年9

月，太平天國在永安建制，二十歲的石達開晉封「翼王五千歲」，意為「羽翼天朝」。，從1851年1月到1853年3月，石達開隨太平軍轉戰數省，戰功卓著，尤其是1852年西王蕭朝貴在湖南長沙陣亡後，太平軍在長沙城下陷入清軍反包圍，形勢萬分危急，石達開率部西渡湘江，開闢河西基地，緩解了太平軍的缺糧之危，又多次擊敗進犯之敵，取得「水陸洲大捷」，重挫清軍士氣，其後，為全軍先導，經河西安全撤軍，跳出反包圍圈，奪岳陽，占武漢，自武昌東下金陵，二十八天挺進一千八百里，戰無不勝，攻無不克，時人號之「石敢當」。

天京佐政

1853年3月，太平天國定都金陵，改號天京，石達開留京輔佐東王楊秀清處理政務。定都之後，諸王廣選美女，為修王府而毀民宅，據國庫財富為己有，唯石達開潔身自好，從不參與。

首與西征

1853年秋，石達開奉命出鎮安慶，首度節制西征，他打破太平天國以往重視攻占城池、輕視根據地建設的傳統，採取穩紮穩打的策略，逐步擴大根據地範圍，親自指揮攻克清安徽臨時省會廬州（今合肥），迫使新任安徽巡撫、楚軍名將江忠源自盡。

安慶易制

過去，太平天國沒有基層政府，地方行政一片空白，石達開到安徽後，組織各地人民登記戶口，選舉基層官吏，又開科舉試，招攬人材，建立起省、郡、縣三級地方行政體系，使太平天國真正具備了國家的規模；與此同時，整肅軍紀，恢復治安，賑濟貧困，慰問疾苦，使士農工商各安其業，並制定稅法，徵收稅賦，為太平天國的政治、軍事活動提供所需物資。1854年初，石達開在安徽民眾的讚頌聲中離開安徽，回京述職，太平天國領導層對他的實踐給予充分肯定，因此放棄絕對平均主義的空想，推行符合實情的經濟政策。

再主西征

1854年夏秋，太平軍在西征戰場遭遇湘軍反撲，節節敗退，失地千里。石達開看出兩軍最大差距在于水師，便命人仿照湘軍的船式造艦，加緊操練水師。在湘軍兵逼九江的危急時刻，石達開再度出任西征軍主帥，親赴前敵指揮，于1855年初在湖口、九江兩次大敗湘軍，湘軍水師潰不成軍，統帥曾國藩投水自盡，被部下救起，西線軍事步入全盛。同年秋天，石達開又揮師江西，四個月連下七府四十七縣，由于軍紀嚴明，施政務實，愛護百姓，求才若渴，江西民眾爭相擁戴，許多原本對太平天國不友好的知識分子也轉而支持太平軍，隊伍很快從一萬多人擴充到十萬餘眾。

1856年3月，石達開在江西樟樹大敗湘軍，至此，湘軍統帥曾國藩所在的南昌城已經陷入太平軍的四面合圍，對外聯絡全被切斷，然石達開適于此時被調回天京參加解圍戰，雖大破江南大營，解除清軍對天京三年的包圍，卻令曾國藩免遭滅頂。

天京事變

1856年9月，「天京事變」爆發，東王楊秀清因跋扈無道，與天王洪秀全、北王韋昌輝衝突，洪秀全密令韋昌輝把楊秀清滅族，楊秀清上萬部屬慘遭株連，石達開在前線聽到天京可能發生內訌的消息後趕回阻止，但為時已晚。北王韋昌輝把石達開反對濫殺無辜的主張看成對東王的偏袒，意圖予以加害，石達開率部殺死城門衛兵，逃出天京，韋昌輝於是將其京中家人與部屬全部屠戮。

石達開在安徽舉兵靖難，上書天王，請殺韋昌輝以平民憤，天王見全體軍民都支持石達開，遂下詔誅韋。11月，石達開奉詔回京，被軍民尊為「義王」，合朝同舉「提理政務」。他不計私怨，追究屠殺責任時只懲首惡，不咎部屬，北王親族也得到保護和重用，人心迅速安定下來。在石達開的部署下，太平軍穩守要隘，伺機反攻，陳玉成、李秀成、楊輔清、石鎮吉等後起之秀開始走上一線，獨當一面，內訌造成的被動局面逐漸得到扭轉。

被逼離京

天京事變後，太平天國合朝推薦石達開主持朝政，但洪秀全卻忌憚石達開的聲望才能，雖迫于民意命他提理朝政，卻不肯授予他「軍師」的地位和實權，只封他為「聖神電通軍主將義王」，局勢稍見好轉後，又對他產生謀害之意。為免再次爆發內訌，石達開被迫逃出天京，前往安慶。

以天京根據地為中心的作戰

1857年9月，洪秀全迫于形勢的惡化遣使請石達開回天京，石達開上奏表示不會回京，但會調陳玉成、李秀成、韋俊等將領回援，並以「通軍主將」身份繼續為太平天國作戰，洪秀全詔准了這一方案，天京官方遂承認石達開此後的作戰是太平天國的遠征活動。

此後，石達開前往江西救援被困的臨江、吉安，擁戴他的安徽太平軍將領大都留守安徽。因沒有水師，無法渡過贛江，救援行動失敗，石達開又于次年進軍浙江，並聯合國宗楊輔清進軍福建，欲開闢浙閩根據地，與天京根據地連成一體。

浙江是江浙皖清軍的主要餉源，為阻止石達開攻浙，清廷急調各路兵馬增援，最終不得不命丁憂在籍的曾國藩重任湘軍統帥，領兵入浙。太平軍在浙江取得許多勝利，但江西建昌、撫州失守後，入浙部隊失去了後方，協同作戰的楊輔清又在被天王封為「木天義」後從福建撤軍，為免四面受敵，石達開決定放棄攻浙，撤往福建，後又轉戰到江西。石達開建立浙閩根據地的努力以失敗告終，但牽制了大量清軍，為太平軍取得浦口大捷、二破江北大營、三河大捷等勝利創造了有利條件。

是冬，石達開經與部將會商，決定進攻湖南，取上游之勢，再下趨湖北，配合安徽太平軍作戰，並伺機分兵入川。1859年春，石達開自江西起兵入湘，發動「寶慶會戰」。彼時湘軍正計劃分兵三路進攻安慶，聞石達開長驅直入湖南腹地，軍心全線動搖，只得將因勢利導，全力援湘。面對湘軍的重兵馳援，石達開孤軍作戰，未能攻克寶慶，被迫退入廣西。

廣西離散

1859年秋，石達開率太平軍數萬人進入廣西，10月首克慶遠府。進入廣西之後，因糧食短缺日益嚴重，部下思鄉情切，石達開不願自立一國、無法滿足部下對高官厚祿的需求等原因，一些部下產生去意，適逢英王陳玉成致書石達開，邀其攻打湖南，配合安慶解圍，石達開遂因勢利導，于1860年命童容海、彭大順等將率五、六萬有意離去的部眾攻打湖南，回應陳玉成所請，成為人數最多的一支脫離石達開部隊，另有一些部隊因內訌、退路被切斷等原因脫離石達開。這些部隊脫離石達開後，有些成功通過清軍控制區返回天京一帶會合太平軍本部，有些則在半途被清軍打散，並有多名將領死于內訌。其中，彭大順在途中戰死，童容海、吉慶元、朱衣點等與部隊約五萬人在1861年到達江西與忠王李秀成部會合。

遠征川、黔、滇

1861年9月，石達開自桂南北上，于1862年初經湖北入四川，自此，為北渡長江，奪取成都，建立四川根據地，石達開轉戰川、黔、滇三省，先後四進四川，並于1863年4月兵不血刃渡過金沙江，突破長江防線。5月，太平軍到達大渡河，對岸尚無清軍，石達開下令多備船筏，次日渡河，但當晚天降大雨，河水暴漲，無法行船。三日後，清軍陸續趕到布防，太平軍為大渡河暴漲的洪流所阻，多次搶渡不成，「戰守俱窮，進退失據，糧盡食及草根，草盡食及戰馬，兼之瘧痢流行，死亡枕籍。閱時一月，而軍心屹然不動」，令當地人發出「其得士心如此，豈田橫之客所可同日而語哉」的驚嘆。

為求生擒石達開，四川總督駱秉章遣使談判，石達開決心捨命以全三軍，經雙方談判，由太平軍自行遣散四千人，這些人大多得以逃生。剩餘兩千人保留武器隨行，石達開被押往成都，清軍未遵守承諾，兩千官兵戰死。

1863年6月27日，石達開與部將曾仕和、黃再忠、韋普成著天國衣冠，在成都公堂受審，舉止沉著，陳詞慷慨，「寓堅強于和婉之中」「梟傑堅強之氣，溢于顏面，詞色不亢不卑，不作搖尾乞憐之語」，令主審官崇實理屈詞窮，無言以對，而後從容就義，臨刑之際，神色怡然，身受凌遲酷刑，至死默然無聲，觀者無不動容，嘆為「奇男子」。

評價

石達開被認為是太平天國將領中最富有謀略的人。曾國藩說「查賊渠以石為最悍，其誑煽莠民，張大聲勢，亦以石為最譎」，左宗棠說「石逆狡悍著聞，素得群賊之心，其才智出諸賊之上，而觀其所為，頗以結人心，求人才為急，不甚附會邪教俚說，是賊之宗主，而我所畏忌也」。

太平軍的高級將領們對石達開的膽略十分推崇，如忠王李秀成談及各王優劣才能時「皆云中中，而獨服石王，言其謀略甚深」，英王陳玉成認為太平軍將領「皆非將才，獨馮雲山石達開差可耳」。不只如此，他還贏得了眾多與他敵對立場的人的敬重，如文人周洵在《蜀海叢談》中稱其為「奇男子」，清朝一位貢生在湘軍軍宴上公開說他有「龍鳳之姿，天日之表」，在大渡河畔與他為敵的許亮儒對他的英雄氣概與仁義之風欽佩不已。直到他死去近40年後，由清朝文人所撰的著作《江表忠略》之中還有這樣的記敘：「至今江淮間猶稱……石達開威儀器量為不可及。」

當代中國學術界對石達開的總體評價是：「他在太平天國前期建立了不朽的功勳，是一位農民起義的傑出領袖，太平天國第一流的軍事家與政治家」「在太平天國後期孤軍奮鬥，最後雖然失敗，仍然起了牽制清軍，配合長江下游的太平軍作戰的作用。他自己的奮鬥精神也很能激勵後人。」

在有關石達開的各種評價中，來自和他同時代的立場中立的美國傳教士麥高文的一段話猶有代表性——「這位青年領袖，作為目前太平軍的中堅人物，各種報道都把他描述成為英雄俠義的——勇敢無畏，正直耿介，無可非議，可以說是太平軍中的皮埃爾·特拉魯（Bayard，法國著名將領）。他性情溫厚，贏得萬眾的愛戴，即使那位頗不友好的《金陵庶談》作者也承認這一點。該作者為了抵消上述讚揚造成的美好印象，故意貶低他的膽略。正如其他清朝官方人士以及向我們口述歷險經過的外國水手聲稱的，翼王在太平軍中的威望，駁斥了這種蓄意貶低的說法，不容置疑，他那意味深長的「電師」頭銜，正表示他在軍事上的雄才大略和他的性格。他是一個有教養的人，一個敢做敢為的人」。

詩文

雖然不少詩文被傳為石達開所作，惟《白龍洞詩刻》、《五言告示》、《駐軍大定與苗胞歡宴即席賦詩》可證，其餘不能證明為石的作品。

武藝

石達開是晚清中國的武學大家，《北平國術館講義》中將他與許宣平、達摩祖師、宋太祖、岳武穆、張三丰、戚繼光、甘鳳池等人並論為中國曆史上最傑出的拳術名家，然因英年早逝及身份敏感，事跡多隱沒。

據記載，石達開的拳術「高曰弓箭裝，低曰懸獅裝，九面應敵。每決鬥，矗立敵前，駢五指，蔽其眼，即反跳百步外，俟敵踵至，疾轉踢其腹臍下。如敵勁，則數轉環踢之，敵隨足飛起，跌出數丈外，甚至跌出數十丈外者，曰連環鴛鴦步」，民間認為這種武藝就是後來號稱「北腿之傑」的「戳腳拳」，並傳說石達開曾將這種武藝傳授給選拔出來的士兵，用于作戰。

石達開不僅外功出眾，而且內外兼修，他和陳邦森比武的故事已成為後世武林口耳相傳的掌故。根據文字記載和口碑傳說，二人相約各自擊打對方三拳，受拳者不得還擊，「邦森拳石，石腹軟如綿，邦森拳如著碑，拳啟而腹平。石還擊邦森，邦森知不可敵，側身避，碑裂為數段」。

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