This will be the last entry from this book. As of this entry I've done the parts of the book covering Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung.
紀念義士的九腳桶
In Memory of the Heroes: Jioujiaotong
清朝乾隆年間 , 由於台灣百姓延續著明鄭 "反清復明" 的思想 , 又厭惡滿清派來台灣的官吏貪汙腐化 , 壓榨百姓 , 因此起義活動層出不窮 . 在屏東也出現一位名叫莊大田的抗清英雄 , 令滿清吃足了苦頭 . During the reign of Qing (Ching) Emperor Qianlong, the people of Taiwan persisted in the "overthrow the Qing, restore the Ming" thinking that stretched back to Koxinga. They hated the corrupt, oppressive Qing officials who were sent to Taiwan, and for this reason one uprising followed another. In Pingtung there appeared Zhuang Da-tian, a hero of the resistance, who caused the Qing Dynasty great difficulties.
那時候 , 林爽文在中部地區高舉 "反清復明" 的旗幟 , 聲勢非常浩大 , 許多起義軍紛紛響應 . 住在屏東番仔寮的莊大田為人豪氣 , 常主動接濟窮人 , 因此成為番仔寮住民的領導者 . 當他決定響應林爽文的起義時 , 當地居民立刻有上千人自願參加 . 莊大田出資製造軍器 , 又購買布疋製成軍旗 , 旗上寫著 : "南路輔國大元帥" . 南路是指天地會南路的意思 , 有意與 "順天大元帥" 林爽文南北相呼應 , 不過雙方並沒有隸屬關係 . At that time Lin Shuang-wen was recognized as the resistance leader in central Taiwan. He was very influential, and he inspired many to join the resistance army.
Zhuang Da-tian lived in Fandzeliao and was a proud man. He did his utmost to help the poor in Fandzeliao, and for this reason he became a leader in that area. Once he decided to join Lin Shuang-wen's uprising, thousands of his neighbors immediately volunteered with him.
Jhuang Da-tian invested in weapons, and immediately had a flag made for his [part of] the army. On the flag was written: "Southern Road, Auxiliary Grand Marshal." The "Southern Road" was a reference to the Heaven and Earth Society, in which the "Shuntian Grand Marshal" was important. Lin Shuang-wen exercised [nominal] authority over north and south [Taiwan], but he was for the most part unaffiliated [with Zhuang Da-tian's army]. (1)
一切準備妥當 , 莊大田便起義攻打鳳山縣城 . 鳳山縣城的參將胡圖里見莊大田的義軍來勢洶洶 , 不戰而逃 . 莊大田順利的佔領鳳山縣城 , 繼續招兵買馬 , 打算一舉攻下台南府城 . Once he was ready, Zhuang Da-tian attacked the Qing garrison at Fengshan. Hu Tu-li, the general at Fengshan, saw Jhuang Da-tian's forces coming in great strength and fled without fighting. Jhuang Da-tian easily occupied the fort, and from that point he continue to recruit soldiers and buy horses. He planned on assaulting the provincial capital in Tainan [once he was ready].
這時候 , 在高雄左營的九曲堂 , 有十名武藝高強的壯士決定一起加入莊大田的起義軍 . 他們在戰場上非常勇敢 , 總是身先士卒 , 滿清的將士都知道這十位藝高膽大義士的名聲 . At that time ten mighty warriors from Jiuqutang in Zuoying, Kaohsiung decided to join Zhuang Da-tian's rebel army. They were very brave on the field of battle, always the first to lead an attack, and word of these ten forthright men had even reached the ears of the Qing soldiers.
眼看起義軍的聲勢愈來愈浩大 , 滿清官員根據平定鴨母王朱一貴事件時得到的寶貴經驗 , 決定分化閩南人和客家人的情感 , 使他們產生嫌隙 , 進而一一擊破 . Watching the revolutionary forces grow in strength, the Qing officials fell back upon a strategy used during Zhu Yi-gui's uprising, exploiting the cultural differences between Hakka and Minnanese rebels, dividing one side from the other so that they could be picked off later.
受到分化的客籍人士忘了自己也曾受盡滿清貪官的迫害 , 齊聚忠義亭 , 宣誓效忠滿清 , 還前往台南支援清軍防守府城 . The Hakka contingent thus estranged from [Zhuang Da-tian's] army forgot how they'd been persecuted by the Qing officials. They went to the Jhong Yi Pavilion and swore allegiance to the Qing Dynasty, afterwards joining the Qing forces at the provincial capital in Tainan.
公元1787年 (乾隆52年) 1月7日 , 莊大田和林爽文合軍圍攻台南失利 , 林爽文率軍北走 , 莊大田則退屯大岡山 . 此後 , 莊大田和清軍不斷周旋 , 但是由於許多親信在戰場上捐軀 , 加上盟軍一一被滿清收編 , 莊大田部隊的聲勢已經大不如前了 . On January 7, 1787 on the Western calendar (the 52nd year of Qianlong's reign), Zhuang Da-tian and Lin Shuang-wen combined their armies in a failed assault on Tainan. Lin Shuang-wen then led [his part of] the army north, while Zhuang Da-tian retreated [with his forces] to Dagang Mountain. After this point Zhuang Da-tian and the Qing forces fought a war of attrition, in which Zhuang Da-tian lost many comrades on the field of battle while the Qing forces gained allies and grew in strength. Zhuang Da-tian's army lost momentum and lacked its former power.
公元1787年11月 , 滿清加派協辦大學士福康安親率貴州 , 廣西 , 四川等省的精兵萬餘人 , 從鹿港登陸 . 這時候 , 滿清派來台灣的部隊 , 加上原本駐臺及從澎湖調來的軍隊 , 整體軍力已經比林爽文 , 莊大田剛起義時台灣原有的軍力增加十倍以上 . On November 1787 on the Western calendar, the Qing court consulted the great scholar Fu Kang-an, who personally led an army of over 10,000 elite troops from Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and other provinces. They disembarked from their ships at Lugang. At this point the new troops, in addition to older troops from Taiwan ['s main island] and Penghu, formed in an army that was ten times stronger than Lin Shuang-wen and Zhuang Da-tian's combined forces.
過了不久 , 林爽文兵敗被捕 , 台灣中部的抗清起義軍徹底瓦解 . 福康安的部將繼續率軍南下 , 採取心理戰術 , 用 "善意呼喚" 對待莊大田的部隊 , 使得莊大田手下的大將李茂 , 謝檜山相繼投降 , 部隊只剩十分之三 . 莊大田只好率軍往南逃竄 , 最後也被逮捕處死 . Before long Lin Shuang-wen had been defeated and arrested, and central Taiwan's anti-Qing revolutionary army had completely fallen apart. Fu Kang-an continued to lead his troops south, and using psychological tactics they made "housecalls" on Zheng Da-tian's generals, causing his generals Li Mao and Xie Kwai-shan to surrender in turn. [Zhuang Da-tian's] army was down to a third of its former strength, and all he could do was flee south, where he was imprisoned and executed.
當莊大田敗逃時 , 十義士始終追隨左右 , 令莊大田非常感動 . 莊大田被清軍追殺 , 知道大勢已去 , 於是對十義士說 : "現在情勢非常不利 , 我遲早會血染沙場 , 為了替 "反清復明" 留一點香火 , 希望你們趕緊離開部隊 , 等待機會再給滿清政權致命的一擊 ." After Zhuang Da-tian fled following his defeat, the ten heroes continued to follow him everywhere. This moved him greatly. As Zhuang Da-tian was being pursued by the Qing army he knew their cause was lost, so he said to the ten righteous men: "Our situation is extremely unfavorable, sooner or later our blood will be spilled. I hope you will leave our company quickly, in order to preserve some of the anti-Qing spirit. You should wait for another opportunity to smash the Qing regime."
可是 , 十義士卻堅持繼續留在部隊裡 . 後來 , 實在禁不住莊大田一再的曉以大義 , 十義士才揮淚告別 , 逃回九曲堂 . Yet the ten heroes insisted on staying with the army. Later still Zhuang Da-tian was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice [for their cause], and the ten righteous men fled in tears to Jiuqutang.
清軍肅清莊大田的部隊後 , 鳳山縣的守備陳明聲為了避免起義軍死灰復燃 , 於是以迅雷不及掩耳的速度 , 下令對各庄社進行 "清庄" . 剛回到九曲堂的十名義士立刻就被官府盯上 . 其中一人因為住得比較偏僻 , 平安脫險 , 其餘九人全部被捕 . After the Qing had wiped out Zhuang Da-tian's army, Chen Ming-sheng, commander of the garrison at Fengshan, ordered a lightning-fast sweep of the villages under Qing control in order to stamp out anti-Qing sentiment. Nine of the ten heroes, just then arrived in Jiuqutang, were immediately identified and arrested by the government. The tenth hero, who lived in a more remote area, lived on in safety.
陳名聲將這九名義士在庄內處斬 , 由於欽佩他們的民族氣節 , 就在每一位義士前面放置一個水桶 , 一共是九個水桶 , 以免頭顱斬下時被泥土沾汙 , 表示對義士的尊敬 . 因此 , 九曲堂又叫作九腳桶 , 也稱作九曲桶 . Chen Ming-sheng had these nine men beheaded in the village. Out of admiration for their communal spirit he had a bucket placed before each man, nine buckets in all, so that their heads would not be dirtied by the ground after their beheadings. This was how [Chen Ming-sheng] showed his respect for these righteous heroes. For this reason Jiuqutang is also called "Jiujiaotong" or "Jiuqutong." (2)
Related Entries 相關的文章:
1. There are two places in Pingtung which may have answered to the name "Fandzeliao" at the time, one in Jiadong Township and another in Changjr Township.
My explanation of the words on the flag is exceedingly inadequate, but I don't feel like diving into the Heaven and Earth Society's complete philosophy today.
2. Zuoying? Way up there? These places are very far apart. Either the author is confused, there was another place by the name of Zuoying, or Zuoying was MUCH bigger back then. At present Jiuqutang is in Dashu District, across the Kaoping River from Pingtung County.
3. 九曲堂 or Jiuqutang, as written on the train sign above. 九腳桶 means "nine feet bucket," a reference to the fact that the men were kneeling during their beheadings. The bucket was placed near their feet to catch their heads.
