Brief: This article narrates how the young Kangxi Emperor seized real power. At 14, he overthrew the arrogant regent Oboi using a clever wrestling trap. Later, he faced the massive revolt of the Three Feudatories led by Wu Sangui. After eight years of war, Kangxi defeated the rebels, strengthened central rule, and firmly stabilized the Qing Dynasty.
I. The Shadow of the Regent
Before his death, the Shunzhi Emperor appointed four regents to guide his young son, believing their past opposition to the usurper Dorgon guaranteed their loyalty. However, this arrangement proved perilous. While the elder Sonin was respectful and eventually passed away, and Ebilun and Suksaha were less assertive, Oboi emerged as a formidable force. A battle-hardened warrior who had suffered wounds in service, Oboi possessed immense confidence and military clout. Unlike Dorgon, who had adapted Manchu customs to Chinese governance, Oboi remained entrenched in old frontier traditions, often ignoring the young emperor and insisting on having his own way.
Tensions escalated over land distribution. As the head of the Bordered Yellow Banner, Oboi coveted the fertile lands held by Suksaha’s Plain White Banner. He demanded an exchange of territories, effectively reviving the hated practice of “land enclosure,” which had previously been abolished to protect Han civilians. This decision caused panic among both Han subjects and established Manchu settlers who feared displacement. When high-ranking officials like Minister of Revenue Suna Hai and Governor Zhu Changzuo petitioned against the move, citing imperial decrees protecting the people, Oboi flew into a rage. Accusing them of contempt for the throne, he summarily executed three top ministers without the emperor’s consent, signaling his absolute disregard for the law.
II. The Breaking Point
In 1667, at the age of fourteen, the Kangxi Emperor officially assumed personal rule. Oboi, however, treated this transition with disdain, continuing to dominate court discussions. Suksaha, unable to coexist with Oboi’s tyranny, requested retirement to guard the late emperor’s tomb. Oboi seized this opportunity, fabricating twenty-four charges of treason against him and demanding his execution. When the young Kangxi protested that the crimes did not warrant death, Oboi shouted him down, flexing his muscles aggressively. Ultimately, Oboi ignored the emperor’s hesitation and ordered the extermination of Suksaha’s entire family. Witnessing this brazen usurpation of authority, Kangxi felt humiliated and angry but realized he lacked the military strength to confront Oboi directly.
III. The Wrestling Trap
Determined to reclaim his power, Kangxi sought counsel from his grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. They agreed that Oboi had to be removed, but caution was essential. Kangxi devised a cunning plan involving his cousin Sonin’s son, Songgotu, a senior bodyguard. The emperor began recruiting robust teenage boys from the palace guards, ostensibly to practice wrestling (Manchubuku) for amusement. These “Brave Youths” trained daily, often with the emperor joining in. When Oboi visited the palace and saw the chaotic play, he dismissed the emperor as a mere child indulging in games, lowering his guard completely.
Once the wrestlers were loyal and ready, Kangxi tested their allegiance, asking if they feared him or Oboi more. Upon their pledge of loyalty, he revealed the truth: they were to arrest the tyrant. In the summer of 1669, Oboi was summoned to the Southern Study. As he approached the throne to bow, the young wrestlers ambushed him, grappling his limbs and throwing him to the ground. Despite Oboi’s desperate pleas – pointing to his scars earned in service to the dynasty – Kangxi remained firm. Although thirty crimes were listed against him, the emperor spared his life out of respect for his past contributions, stripping him of rank and imprisoning him instead. Through this daring maneuver, the sixteen-year-old emperor successfully seized absolute power.
IV. The Three Feudatories
With Oboi gone, Kangxi faced a far greater threat to the Qing stability: the Three Feudatories. These were three powerful Han Chinese generals – Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi, and Geng Zhongming – who had defected to the Qing and helped conquer China. In reward, they were enfeoffed as princes and governed vast territories in the south: Wu Sangui in Yunnan and Guizhou, Shang Kexi in Guangdong, and the Geng family (now led by Geng Jingzhong) in Fujian. Over time, these lords became virtual kings within their domains. They levied their own taxes, minted currency, and maintained private armies, draining the imperial treasury of millions of taels annually while offering little loyalty in return.
The situation reached a tipping point when Shang Kexi, citing old age, requested retirement and asked that his son succeed him. Kangxi saw a strategic opening: he granted the retirement but refused to allow the son to inherit the title. This bold move enraged the other feudatories. Wu Sangui, sensing the threat, attempted to bluff the emperor by requesting his own removal, expecting the court to beg him to stay. However, Kangxi, supported by minister Mingju (literally “bright pearl”), called his bluff and ordered the dissolution of all three feudatories.
V. The Revolt of the Three Feudatories
Cornered, Wu Sangui launched a massive rebellion in 1673. In a display of supreme hypocrisy, he wept before the tomb of the last Ming emperor – whom he had personally executed years prior – and declared a crusade to “restore the Ming.” His forces, along with those of Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi’s son (who rebelled against his own father), quickly swept across southern China, capturing key strongholds. The rebellion threatened to topple the young dynasty.
Panic spread through the Beijing court. Some officials, including Songgotu, urged the emperor to execute the advocates of the dissolution of feudatories policy to appease Wu. Kangxi, however, stood his ground. He refused to shift the blame, declaring that the decision to remove the feudatories was his alone. He adopted a strategy of “killing the ringleader while forgiving the accomplices.” He executed Wu’s son and grandson in Beijing to strike at Wu’s heart but offered amnesty to the other rebels if they surrendered.
VI. Victory and Reflection
Kangxi’s strategy worked. The coalition crumbled as Geng Jingzhong and Shang Zhixin surrendered, realizing that being a Qing prince was safer than being a rebel leader. Isolated and aging, Wu Sangui proclaimed himself emperor of a new “Zhou” dynasty but died of dysentery shortly after in 1678. His grandson, Wu Shifan, retreated to Yunnan and eventually committed suicide in 1681 as Qing forces closed in.
After eight years of brutal warfare, the rebellion was crushed. Kangxi executed the surrendered leaders Shang and Geng for their treachery. When his ministers proposed bestowing grand honorific titles upon him for this victory, Kangxi declined. He admitted that his decision to dismiss the feudatories had been somewhat hasty and acknowledged the suffering the war had inflicted on his people. Having secured his rule, the emperor turned his attention to another lingering threat across the sea: Zheng Jing in Taiwan.
Note
Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye)
The fourth Qing emperor, who took power at age 14. He cleverly arrested the powerful regent Oboi and suppressed the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, firmly consolidating imperial rule.
Oboi
One of the four regents appointed by Shunzhi. A tough, veteran Manchu general who dominated the court, defied the young emperor, and abused power. He was arrested by Kangxi’s wrestling guards in 1669.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang
Kangxi’s wise grandmother. She supported and advised Kangxi in his struggle against Oboi, stabilizing the early Qing court.
Songgotu
Son of regent Sonin, a trusted bodyguard of Kangxi. He helped organize the young guards who arrested Oboi.
Wu Sangui
The most powerful of the Three Feudatories. A former Ming general who defected to the Qing, then rebelled in 1673, claiming to “restore the Ming.” He died in 1678.
Shang Kexi & Geng Jingzhong
The other two feudatory kings. They ruled southern China and joined Wu’s rebellion, but later surrendered.
Mingju
An influential minister who supported Kangxi’s decision to abolish the Three Feudatories.
Suksaha, Sonin, Ebilun
The other three regents alongside Oboi. Suksaha was framed and executed by Oboi; Sonin was moderate; Ebilun was weak.
Regency System
When an emperor is too young to rule, trusted elders or ministers govern on his behalf. It often leads to power struggles.
Manchubuku (Manchu Wrestling)
A traditional Manchu martial art. Kangxi used it as cover to train loyal young guards to arrest Oboi.
Land Enclosure
A cruel Manchu policy of seizing farmland from Han people. Oboi revived it, causing public anger.
Three Feudatories
Three semi‑independent kingdoms in southern China ruled by defected Han generals. They controlled armies, taxes, and local government, threatening central authority.
Revolt of the Three Feudatories
A large‑scale rebellion (1673–1681) against the Qing. Kangxi defeated it and strengthened central control.
“Killing the ringleader while forgiving the accomplices”
Kangxi’s strategy: punish only the main rebel leaders and pardon followers, quickly breaking the rebel alliance.
Wrestling Trap to Arrest Oboi
A famous political trick: Kangxi pretended to be playful to lower Oboi’s guard, then used young guards to capture him in the palace.
Leave a Reply