Where is the mysterious treasure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom hidden?
During the glory days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the depths of the Tianwang Mansion in Nanjing hid a number of amazing treasures. However, when this powerful dynasty came to an end, the Hunan army rushed into Tianjing, and they dug three feet into the ground and burned the whole city, but they never found any trace of these treasures. According to the system of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there was indeed a sacred treasury for storing treasures. So what exactly did this treasure go?Is it still waiting to be discovered in some hidden corner?
In July 1864, Tianjing City was besieged by the Hunan army for three years. In these long years, there was no supply in Tianjing, and there were many contradictions within the Taiping army. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was once prosperous, has now become a battle for trapped beasts. Hong Xiuquan died of illness, and the fate of the Taiping Army was already sealed a month ago.
On July 19, Zeng Guoquan gave an order, and the red-eyed Hunan army broke through the Tianjing defense line like a wolf. In order to ask for military salaries, they plundered the Taiping army in the city and resisted stubbornly, but they were finally defeated due to the disparity in strength. In less than a day, the Hunan army invaded Tianjing in the evening, and without stopping too much, they rushed straight to Hong Xiuquan's Tianwang Mansion to pursue the legendary Taiping Heavenly Kingdom treasury.
In the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the sacred treasury system came into being, and the people were deprived of their private property, and all property, treasures, and land had to be handed over to the sacred treasury. After the capital was set in Tianjing, Hong Xiuquan implemented this system to the extreme. According to Zhang Jigeng, the Qing Dynasty who infiltrated the Taiping Army, there were 18 million taels when the Holy Treasury was first built. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ruled for 14 years, it occupied a large area of land and conquered many cities, and the value of these treasures is incalculable.
However, after the Hunan army broke into the Heavenly King's Mansion, there was no trace of the treasure. Although they dug three feet into Jinling but still found nothing, Zeng Guoquan tortured the loyal king Li Xiucheng, but Li Xiucheng insisted that there was no silver in the treasury and no gold or silver in the house. As a result, countless speculations have arisen about the whereabouts of the treasures of the Holy Treasury.
Some people believe that the treasure has been privately swallowed by the Hunan army. When Zeng Guofan's wife returned to Hunan from Nanjing, more than 200 ships needed to transport her belongings. According to the "Diary of a Neng Jing Jushi" by Zhao Liewen, a staff member of Zeng Guofan, some people believe that the Hunan army did not find the treasure but intercepted it halfway. The servants beside Li Xiucheng were full of gold and silver treasures, worth about hundreds of thousands of taels**. These speculations may be reasonable, and there is a high probability that the treasure has been divided by the Hunan army. Some people squandered it after being laid off, causing wealth to flow back into the market. But there are also some people who use the money to build roads, bridges, schools, and even send their offspring abroad for further study. The actions of these people undoubtedly promoted changes in Chinese society at that time. However, the true whereabouts of the treasures of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom remain a mystery to this day.