Feng Zicai () (1818–1903) was a general in the Imperial Army during the Qing dynasty who helped suppress the Taiping Rebellion and fend off a French invasion in the Sino-French War. He was originally a bandit from Qinzhou, Guangxi.
Early life Feng Zicai’s ancestors lived for generations in Shatouwai (沙头圩), Nanhai County, Guangdong Province (now part of Guangzhou). During the Qianlong era, the area was hit by floods, so Feng Zicai’s grandfather moved to Shawei (沙尾) Village outside Qinzhou. Feng Zicai was born there on 27 July 1818.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：冯子材，字翠亭，广东钦州人。
Feng Zicai had a very tough childhood. He lost his mother at the age of 4 and his father at 10.唐天勇, 李腊梅. 冯子材抗击农民运动及其伟大人生转变评析[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2016(11). His maternal uncle, Mr. Li (黎), wanted to adopt him, but Feng Zicai refused and lived with his grandmother and older brother. He attended school for only two months before quitting. To survive, young Feng Zicai had to follow adults to trade salt, do carpentry, fish and catch shrimp, and escort cattle. After floods destroyed their thatched house, they had to live in a temple, constantly facing hunger and cold with an uncertain daily life. When he was 15, his grandmother passed away.邵雍. 冯子材的军事生涯[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2018, 第33卷(11):7-15.
Driven by the will to survive, Feng Zicai took to the streets, learning to handle knives and swords. By age 20, he had mastered formidable martial skills. From then on, he made a living as a bodyguard, escorting cattle merchants to sell draft oxen in Lianzhou (now in Hepu County).邵雍. 冯子材的军事生涯[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2018, 第33卷(11):7-15.
Tiandihui In 1848, in Lingshan County, he was ambushed by Liu Babu (劉八部) of the Sanhehui (三合會), a branch of the Tiandihui, and got surrounded. Outnumbered, he was captured and joined them, eventually becoming a leader. In 1851, Liu Babu led his men to pledge loyalty to the Tiandihui leader Ling Shiba (凌十八)邵雍. 冯子材的军事生涯[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2018, 第33卷(11):7-15. and then went with him to Jintian (金田镇), hoping to link up with the Taiping army. However, the Taiping army had already left. When Ling Shiba's group arrived, they were surrounded by local Qing forces sent to attack the Taipings, and most were annihilated. Feng Zicai was among the few who managed to escape. After breaking through, he met Zhang Jiaxiang (張嘉祥), leader of the Yiyitang (怡義堂), another Tiandihui branch, and joined him in Bobai.
After a failed attack on Bobai in May that year, Zhang Jiaxiang saw that neither the Tiandihui nor the Taiping Rebellion could succeed, so that same year he defected to the Qing side. Feng Zicai was persuaded to defect alongside him and surrendered to You Changling (游長齡), the Bobai county magistrate. Zhang Jiaxiang's Tiandihui bandit group was then reorganised into the "Changsheng Braves" battalion (“常胜”勇营) and placed under the command of the Green Standard Army.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：初从向荣讨粤寇，补千总。平博白，赐号色尔固楞巴图鲁。
Taiping Rebellion Feng Zicai became a lieutenant colonel under Guangxi provincial commander Xiang Rong, joining him in suppressing peasant uprisings in what is today Guangxi-Guangdong border. Feng was awarded the title "Serguleng Baturu"《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：初从向荣讨粤寇，补千总。平博白，赐号色尔固楞巴图鲁。 by the Qing court for actions around Bobai. By 1853, his battalion would be transferred northwards to Jiangnan to fight the main forces of the Taiping Rebellion, being deployed at "Jiangnan Grand Camp" (江南大营) near the Xiao Mausoleum outside of Nanjing.唐天勇, 李腊梅. 冯子材抗击农民运动及其伟大人生转变评析[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2016(11).
By 1856, Feng commanded a regiment stationed in northern Jiangsu during the disastrous 1st rout of the Jiangnan Battalion in which Xiang Rong committed suicide and Feng was forced to flee past Danyang. With Xiang Rong's death, he was transferred to serve under Zhang Guoliang. During this tenure, he helped Zhang recapture Zhenjiang and Danyang from Taiping forces and Zhang allegedly once patted him on the back and praised him, saying, "Brave Zi, I am no match for you." (「子勇，余愧弗如。」)《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：改隶张国樑麾下，从克镇江、丹阳，尝一日夷寇垒七十馀。国樑拊其背曰：“子勇，余愧弗如！”积勋至副将。
By 1858, Qing forces were able to reestablish the "Jiangnan Grand Camp" (江南大营) and beseige the Taiping garrison in Nanjing. In September, Taiping Army commanders Chen Yucheng (陈玉成) and Li Xiucheng (李秀成) each led their forces to Wuyi (乌衣) in Chuzhou, preparing to jointly attack the Qing imperial commissioner Dexing'a's (德兴阿) "Jiangbei Camp" (江北大营). Feng Zicai led 5,000 troops to cross the river to provide support, but Feng's forces were almost completely wiped out, with only 400 left after retreating back to Jiangnan.唐天勇, 李腊梅. 冯子材抗击农民运动及其伟大人生转变评析[J]. 钦州学院学报, 2016(11).
In 1860, the Jiangnan Battalion was once again routed, with Feng once again fleeing to Danyang alongside Zhang Guoliang and being defeated again, with Zhang Guoliang drowning outside the South Gate. Feng retreated with survivors to Zhenjiang, reorganising, and helping to recapture Lishui.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：国樑殁，代领其众。取溧水，擢总兵。
By 1862, he was transferred to garrison Zhenjiang with 3000 men. Later, his troops grew to 20,000 and provisions were often insufficient, yet he never complained. He had guarded Zhenjiang for a total of six years, governed well, and the people were happy to serve him. The Taiping Army attacked Zhenjiang over a hundred times, but could not dislodge Feng Zicai. At that time, most Qing generals north of the Yangtze set up checkpoints to collect taxes themselves. Regarding this, Feng Zicai said, "Is this something a soldier should do?" (「此何與武人事？」) He asked Zeng Guofan to send officials to handle the situation.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：同治初，将三千人守镇江。时江北诸将多自置卡榷釐税，子材曰：“此何与武人事？”请曾国藩遣官司之。所部可二万，饷恒诎，无怨言。莅镇六载，待士有纪纲，士亦乐为所用。寇攻百馀次，卒坚不可拔。
After the Fall of Tianjing in July 1864, the Qing court granted many meritorious titles. Feng Zicai was appointed Governor-General of Guangxi, awarded the title of Yellow Riding Jacket (黄马褂), and granted the hereditary title of Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉).《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：事宁，擢广西提督，赏黄马褂，予世职。
After Taiping
After the Fall of Tianjing in 1864, Taiping activity decreased significantly, allowing Feng to return to his home province of Guangxi and fulfill his duties as Guangxi provincial commander, having been appointed in 1862.
In 1865, he went to Luoding and Xinyi in western Guangdong to suppress Taiping loyalists. Two months later, he moved to Guizhou to help suppress the Qian Rebellion, capturing Quanming (全茗) and Ganxu (感墟). In 1867, he established his base of command in Nanning where he worked to fight bandits, rebels, the Hmong and other groups threatening the Qing Empire in south China and northern Vietnam.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：赴粤平罗肃，移师讨黔苗，克全茗、感墟。
In 1868, Feng's former subordinate Li Yangcai (李扬才), frustrated with his official career, led troops into Vietnam under the pretext of restoring the Le dynasty and attempted to overthrow the ruling Nguyen dynasty. Feng was sent to suppress Li's rebellion and succeeded the next year in 1869, capturing Li alive. During this campaign, he exposed the misconduct of Zhao Wo (赵沃) and other acting officials, who had falsely reported a defeat at the Battle of Xin Street (新街) as a victory. This angered Liu Kunyi, Governor-General of Liangguang, who was personally connected to Zhao Wo. Liu vigorously defended Zhao, allowing the already dismissed Zhao to remain in command, while Feng was sidelined. Feng was replaced by Huang Guilan (黄桂兰), a Huai Army officer. Under the leadership of these two mediocrities, the Guangxi defense forces gradually weakened, becoming ineffective during the Sino-French War.廖宗麟．《民族英雄刘永福》．广西人民出版社．1997年．第66页
In 1869, he led an army through Zhennan Pass into Vietnam to pursue rebel forces led by Wu Yacheng (吴亚终), capturing Anbian (安边) and Heyang (河阳). After Wu Yacheng was killed, Feng incorporated some rebels into his own army and was preparing to return to China when Liang Tianxi (梁天锡), a former lieutenant of Wu, broke his surrender agreement and rebelled again. Feng suppressed his rebellion and returned to China the next year in 1870. In 1871, Vietnam was unable to pay tribute to the Qing dynasty due to banditry and rebellion along the Sino-Vietnamese border. Feng was once again sent across the border to quell the chaos. He returned to China the same year.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：九年，出镇南关，攻克安边、河阳，凯旋，再予世职
In 1875, Feng was appointed Governor-general of Guizhou《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：光绪改元，赴贵州提督任。
Returning to Guangxi in 1881, he was getting increasingly ill and thus retired the next year in 1882 to his hometown Qinzhou.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：七年，还广西。明年，称疾归。
Sino-French War
After the outbreak of the Sino-French War in 1884 and in the aftermath of early Chinese defeats in Sơn Tây and Bắc Ninh, Zhang Shusheng, Governor-General of Liangguang sent an envoy to Feng to ask for his assistance in training militia forces. When the envoy arrived, Feng Zicai was wearing short clothes, barefoot, and driving calves back alongside a herder. The envoy explained the purpose of his visit, but Feng declined. Later, upon hearing of Zhang Shusheng's death, he travelled to Guangzhou to pay his respects.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：越二年，法越事作，张树声蕲其治团练，遣使往趣驾。比至，子材方短衣赤足、携童叱犊归，启来意，却之。已，闻树声贤，诣广州。适张之洞至，礼事之，请总前敌师干卫粤、桂。
Zhang Zhidong, the new Governor-General of Liangguang, was also in Guangzhou to take up his new post. He requested Feng to come out of retirement and be reactivated for military service, saying Feng was "an experienced veteran, familiar with border military affairs, and widely respected." (「老成宿將，熟習邊境軍務，威望遠播」)
Feng accepted this request and was placed in command of a chiefly Zhuang armed force in South China, composed mainly of local peasantry and some of Feng's retired imperial troops. On 23 February 1885 the misdeployment of Feng's troops too far from the battlefield was a major factor in the defeat of China's Kwangsi Army in the Battle of Đồng Đăng. However, the 2 French brigades involved were not strong enough to exploit this victory, putting the Tonkin Campaign into a temporary stalemate. During this stalemate, Feng helped fortify positions at Yen Cua Ai. Feng atoned for his incompetence at Đồng Đăng exactly one month later. On 23 and 24 March 1885 Feng's forces were present at the Battle of Bang Bo, in which Francois de Negrier's 2nd Brigade was defeated at Zhennanguan on the Kwangsi-Tonkin border. The Chinese had heavily fortified their position, and although the French captured a number of Chinese outworks on 23 March, their attacks on 24 March failed to make any headway. Eventually the French were counterattacked and forced to retreat with heavy casualties.
Feng Zicai's troops, stationed on the Chinese right wing around the village of Bang Bo, played an important role in the battle, defeating an assault by the French 111th Line Battalion on a position known as 'the long trench'. Feng is said to have encouraged his troops with the words 'You should die rather than bear to see a French army invading Chinese soil!' (「寧死不忍見法軍侵入中國境內」). He is also said to have personally led the Chinese counterattack against the 111th Battalion with a spear alongside 2 of his sons, Feng Xiangrong (冯相荣) and Feng Xianghua (冯相华). The Chinese had been beaten with ease by the French during the Lang Son Campaign of February 1885, and Chinese sources attest to the poor morale of the Chinese army at Bang Bo. Feng Zicai is known to have issued orders that any man who left his post would be executed on the spot, and several dozen Chinese soldiers who fled when the French approached the long trench were immediately shot.《清史稿·列传二百四十六》：子材指麾诸将使屹立，遇退后者刃之。自开壁持矛大呼，率二子相荣、相华跃出搏战。诸军以子材年七十，奋身陷阵，皆感奋，殊死斗。关外游勇客民亦助战，斩法将数十人，追至关外二十里而还。越二日，克文渊，被赏赉。连复谅城、长庆，擒斩三画、五画兵总各一，乘胜规拉木，悉返侵地。