Wang Yangming’s Conquest and the Founding of Chongyi: Governance

In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the border areas of southern Jiangxi, western Fujian, Hunan, and Guangdong were characterized by high mountains and deep valleys, where government authority struggled to reach. During the Zhengde era, a massive peasant uprising broke out here, eventually leading to the iron-fisted suppression by the “Master of Mind Philosophy,” Wang Yangming, and the birth of a new county—Chongyi County. This transformation was not only a military victory but also a profound shift in governance, turning a “region of fierce bandits” into a “land of etiquette and scholarly robes.”

Geographic Connections

Nan’an Prefecture, Hengshui (County Seat), Zuoxi, Tonggang, Shangbao, Shangyou County, Nankang County, Dayu County, Yi’an Li, Chongyi Li, Yanhu Li, Longping Li, Shangde Li, Chaliao.

The Origin of Chaos: Xie Zhishan as the “King of Southern Conquest”

In the 3rd year of Zhengde (1508), due to years of natural disasters and heavy taxation, Xie Zhishan, along with Xie Zhitian and Xiao Guimo, rose in rebellion in Huangwuba and Matu of Hengshui. The rebel forces, centered in Hengshui and Tonggang, established a massive network of armed fortresses. By the 6th year of Zhengde (1511), Xie Zhishan and Lan Tianfeng led their troops to attack Dayu, Nankang, Shangyou, and Ganzhou, even killing the assistant magistrate of Gan County, Chen Pi.

Historical records show that the rebels established 80 to 90 mountain fortresses, controlling territory spanning a thousand li and attracting tens of thousands of “tax-evading refugees” and nomadic groups. In the 8th year of Zhengde (1513), Xie Zhishan proclaimed himself the “King of Southern Conquest” (Nanzheng Wang), established a bureaucratic system, and openly challenged the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the imperial court dispatched several officials, such as Jin Ze and Chen Jin, to suppress the rebels, but they were repeatedly defeated, leaving the region in a state of anarchy for years.

The General-Philosopher: Ten-Route Offensive and the Tonggang Decisive

Battle In October of the 11th year of Zhengde (1516), the Ming court appointed Wang Shouren (also known as Wang Yangming) as the Right Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Southern Ganzhou. On the 7th day of the 10th month of the 12th year of Zhengde (1517), Wang Yangming mobilized a powerful force from eight prefectures and one sub-prefecture, implementing a meticulous “ten-route offensive” against the rebels.

Specific military data demonstrates the efficiency and scale of this campaign: 1. Troop Deployment: Wang divided his forces into ten routes. The first route, led by Ganzhou Prefect Xing Xun, entered from Shikeng in Shangyou. The second route, led by Tingzhou Prefect Tang Tan, captured Niedu and Zuoxi. 2. Decisive Phase: In the 10th month of Zhengde 12, Wang personally led the central army to crush the strongholds in Hengshui and Zuoxi. The rebels retreated to the natural fortress of Tonggang. Behind Tonggang were sheer cliffs where Xie Zhishan had set up “flying ladders” to escape into Hunan. 3. Final Result: From the 1st to the 13th day of the 11th month, imperial troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat at Suoshilong and Shibalie. The campaign eventually destroyed 84 strongholds, killed or executed 2,000+ rebels, captured 3,600+, and seized 600+ livestock. Xie Zhishan was seriously wounded and captured during the battle; he was executed in Nanchang the following year.

The Chaliao Stele: A Governance Manifesto on the Cliffs

Following the victory in the 12th year of Zhengde (1517), Wang Yangming ordered the carving of the famous Chaliao Stele on a sheer cliff in Tonggang Village, Sishun Township. This inscription was not merely a monument to military glory but a turning point in governance philosophy.

The stele measures 3.75 meters in height and 1.85 meters in width and has a history of 468 years. The inscription explicitly records the timeline of the military operations: “In the Dingchou year of Zhengde (1517)… in the 10th month, I led the Jiangxi troops from Nankang… in the 11th month, we attacked Tonggang… the army returned”. The text lists Wang Yangming’s titles and the names of participating censors and prefects, symbolizing the re-establishment of central authority over this once lawless land. In the text, Wang lamented that “weapons are instruments of evil, to be used only as a last resort,” reflecting his core belief that “to destroy the bandit in the mountains is easy, but to destroy the bandit in the mind is difficult”.

Administrative Reconstruction: The Birth of Chongyi County

After the rebellion, Wang Yangming realized that military suppression alone could not guarantee long-term peace. In his petition, Memorial on the Establishment of Chongyi County, he pointed out that the area was “beyond the reach of orders and rarely visited by humans” and that a county seat must be established to “control the ungoverned people”.

1. Founding and Naming: In the winter of Zhengde 12, Wang’s petition was approved. Since the region was part of Chongyi Li in Shangyou County, it was named Chongyi County, signifying the “veneration of etiquette and righteousness”. 2. Territorial Integration: The founding of Chongyi involved a massive administrative reorganization. It annexed Chongyi, Shangbao, and Yanhu Li from Shangyou County, Longping and Shangde Li from Nankang County (collectively known as the “Great Inclusion”), and Yi’an Li from Dayu County (the “Small Inclusion”). 3. Urban Construction: On the 6th day of the 4th month of the 13th year of Zhengde (1518), construction of the county seat officially began. Shu Fu, the vice-magistrate of Nankang, was appointed as the supervisor. Initially, an earthen wall was built with a perimeter of 500 zhang (later expanded to over 1,300 zhang) and a height of 1.7 zhang, costing approximately 8,045 taels of silver [15-17].

Governance Shift: From Bandits to Scholars

Upon the establishment of Chongyi, Wang Yangming immediately focused on education to reshape social customs. In Zhengde 13 (1518), a Confucian school was founded, including a temple of Confucius (Wen Miao) with dimensions of 40 zhang in depth and 29 zhang in width. Wang himself even lectured to the students during his military stay.

This transformation is also reflected in population data. Although the rebellion caused a sharp decline, by the 31st year of Jiajing (1552), Chongyi County had registered 1,237 households and a total population of 5,716. By “measuring the land for residents and carving roads through mountains,” Wang Yangming successfully transformed the “bandit people” hidden in the valleys into “registered citizens,” achieving a leap from chaos to order.

The founding of Chongyi County remains a classic example of Wang Yangming’s philosophy of practical governance. Beneath the Chaliao Stele, the crimson cliffs, once scorched by war, stand as a witness to the frontier of southern Jiangxi’s magnificent turn from “conquest by force” to “rule by administration.”