Wu Sangui

The Manchus, having vanquished the Ming Dynasty and supplanted them as masters of the Chinese Empire, have found controlling the "Mandate of Heaven" a daunting task.

The vastness of China's territory means that there are only enough banner troops to garrison key cities forming the backbone of a defense network that relies heavily on surrendered Ming soldiers.

In addition, following a policy of "letting the Han Chinese govern the Han Chinese", three surrendered Ming generals have been singled out for their contributions to the establishment of the Qing dynasty, ennobled as feudal princes, and given governorships over vast territories in Southern China.

The chief of these is Wu Sangui, who has been given the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, while generals Shang Kexi and Geng Jingzhong govern the Guangdong and Fujian provinces, respectively.

The three lords have great influence over their lands and wield far greater power than any other regional or provincial governors.

They have their own military forces and have the authority to alter tax rates in their fiefs.

The three feudal lords and their territories have inevitably become increasingly autonomous with the passage of years.

The Shunzhi Emperor had granted Wu Sangui permission to appoint and promote his own personal group of officials, as well as the privilege of choosing warhorses first before the Qing armies.

Wu is also in charge of handling the Qing government's diplomatic relationships with the Dalai Lama and Tibet.

Most of Wu's troops were formerly Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's forces and they are well-versed in warfare.

Wu Sangui's forces take up several million taels of silver in military pay, taking up a third of the Qing government's revenue from taxes.

Wu Sangui had been rewarded with the position of Pingxi Wang in Yunnan by the Qing imperial court, after he had conquered the region from the remnants of Ming loyalists.

It had been extremely rare for someone outside of the royal family, especially a non-Manchu, to be granted the title of Wang (king).

Those being awarded the title of Wang who are not members of the royal family are called Yixing Wang (literally meaning "kings whose surnames are different from that of the emperor").

It is believed that Yixing Wangs usually come to bad ends, largely because they are not trusted by emperors as members of the emperors' own family are.

Wu Sangui, although not trusted by the Qing imperial court, is still able to rule his land with little or no interference from the imperial court, largely because the Manchus, an ethnic minority, need time after their prolonged conquest to figure out how to impose the rule of a dynasty of minority people on the vast Han-Chinese society they hold in their hands.

In fact, as a semi-independent ruler in the distant southwest, Wu Sangui is seen as an asset to the Qing court, and for much of his rule he has received massive annual subsidies from the central government.

This money, as well as the long period of stability, is spent by Wu Sangui in bolstering his army in the southwest, in preparation for an eventual clash with the Qing.

Geng Jingzhong rules in Fujian province as a tyrant over his fief, allowing his subordinates to extort food supplies and money from the common people.

Shang Kexi rules his fief in Guangdong province in a similar fashion to Geng Jingzhong.

In total, much of the central government's state revenue and reserves are spent on the Three Feudatories and their expenses have emptied almost half of the imperial treasury.

When the Kangxi Emperor had come to the throne in 1661, he had felt that the Three Feudatories posed a great threat to his sovereignty over the empire and wants to reduce the three lords' powers.

Wu Sangui had in 1667 submitted a request to the Kangxi Emperor, asking for permission to be relieved of his duties in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, on the excuse that he was ill, and the Emperor had approved.

The Kangxi Emperor decides in 1673 to make Wu Sangui, along with the two other princes who had been rewarded with large fiefs in southern and western China, move from their lands to resettle in Manchuria.

As a result, the three revolt.

Thus begins the eight-year civil war known as the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (also known as the San-fan War), with Wu Sangui declaring himself the "All-Supreme-Military Generalissimo".

Shang Kexi in early 1673 finally petitions the central government, stating his desire to retire to his hometown in Liaodong province and nominating his son as his successor.

Kangxi calls for a council to seek his subjects' views on the issue and receives divided responses; some think that the Three Feudatories should be left as they are, while others support the idea of retracting the three lords' powers.

Kangxi goes against the views of the majority in the council and accepts the three lords' requests for retirement, ordering them to leave their respective fiefs and resettle in Manchuria, but denies the heredity of Shang Kexi’s fief.

Wu Sangui and ...

...Geng Jingzhong decide in July to petition for their own retirements to test the emperor’s resolve, thinking that he will not risk offending them.

The move backfires as the young emperor calls their bluff by accepting their requests and ordering all three fiefdoms to be reverted back to the crown.

Wu Sangui, faced with the stripping of their powers, feels he has no choice but to rise up in revolt.

He is joined by Geng Zhongming and by Shang Kexi's son Shang Zhixin.

The ensuing rebellion will last for eight years.