Twisting the Army

A peasant rebel army that spread across northern China in the 1850s and 1860s. They were also called the Nianpi and Nian Dang. Nian is a dialect of Anhui that means a group of people, and the Nianzi were a group of armed roving bandits, such as illegal salt sellers, who were active mainly in northern Anhui from the late 17th century to the early 18th century. Around the middle of the 19th century, a large number of peasants whose survival was threatened by disasters and heavy taxes joined the Nianzi, expanding their influence. With the Northern Expedition of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Nianzi from various regions united, and in 1855, they organized an army of five banners under Zhang Le (Luo)-hang as their leader (the leader of the Great Han, or, according to one theory, the King of Great Han). They fought against the Qing army in various parts of the Huai River basin. Zhang was later given the title of King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (King Wo) and cooperated with Zhong King Li Xiucheng and Ying King Chen Yucheng, but maintained his independence. In 63, Zhang lost his base in northern Anhui and was executed. However, after the fall of Tianjing (Nanjing), the Nian army joined forces with the remnants of the Taiping army led by Lai Wenguang, and with him as its leader, they harassed the Qing army in northern China. In 66, the Nian army split into the Eastern and Western Nian armies, and the Western army fought in concert with the Hui rebels, but in 68 both the Eastern and Western armies were suppressed by Li Hongzhang's Huai army and others.

[Shinji Kojima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1850年代から60年代にかけて、中国の華北に広がった農民反乱軍。捻匪(ねんぴ)、捻党ともよばれた。捻とは一群の人々を意味する安徽(あんき)の方言で、17世紀後半から18世紀前半にかけて安徽北部を中心に活動した闇(やみ)塩売りなどの武装遊侠(ゆうきょう)集団を捻子(ニエンツ)といった。19世紀なかば前後に、災害や重税によって生存を脅かされた農民が大量に参加して勢力を拡大した。太平天国軍の北伐を機に、各地の捻子が連合し、1855年張楽（洛(らく)）行を盟主（大漢盟主、一説に大漢明命王）として五旗からなる軍を編成し、淮河(わいが)流域各地を転戦して清(しん)軍と戦った。その後、張は太平天国の王号（沃王(よくおう)）を受け、忠王李(り)秀成、英王陳玉成らと連携したが、独立性は保持し続けた。63年安徽北部の根拠地を失い、張は処刑された。しかし天京（南京）陥落後、捻軍は太平軍の残党頼文光の部隊と合流し、彼を首領として華北の清軍を苦しめた。66年東捻軍と西捻軍に分かれ、西捻軍は回族反乱軍と呼応して戦ったが、68年には東西両軍とも李鴻章(りこうしょう)の淮軍などに鎮圧された。

［小島晋治］

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