In the 20s of the last century, Xiangxi emerged Zhou Chaowu, Chen Quzhen, ** and other "Xiangxi Three Heroes", all of whom have legendary stories. Although he was hailed as the founding marshal of the Republic for his participation in the revolution, and Chen Quzhen was widely praised for becoming the king of Xiangxi and writing books, the glory of Zhou Chaowu is little known. However, in the early days of the late Qing Dynasty, Zhou Chaowu's reputation was the first of the three. Let's talk about this Xiangxi hero known as "Zhou Iron Whip" today.
Zhou Tiewhip, whose real name is Zhou Chaowu, was born in Dayong County, Hunan in the second year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. He was born into a poor peasant family, his mother died young, and his father supported the family by farming and renting land. Xiangxi society was chaotic, bandits were rampant, and officers and soldiers were tyrannical, so young children learned martial arts, and Zhou Chaowu was one of them. He has been fond of martial arts since he was a child, especially good at double swords, and his arm strength is outstanding, and he became famous in the local area when he was a teenager.
In the nineteenth year of Guangxu, Xiangxi suffered a major drought and food was cut off, but the eldest of the Zhou family, Duo Sigong, forced his father to pay rent, which caused the righteous indignation of Zhou Chaowu. He fled to Hubei after injuring people with a knife, met the boxer Ao Yunshan, and became his first apprentice. Later, he followed Dong Fuxiang to fight and made great achievements, and was promoted to the Guerrilla of Bulongji and Jiayuguan.
However, when the Wheel of Fortune shifted to the River Rebellion, his status rose significantly. In the uprising, Zhou Chaowu showed his heroic and fearless side, assassinating the rebel general and seizing his iron whip, which earned him the nickname "Zhou Iron Whip".
Later, Zhou Chaowu went through hardships and joined the Nanchang Uprising as a commander, but ultimately suffered defeat. In 1931, Chiang Kai-shek sent He Jian to encircle and suppress the revolutionary base in Xiangxi, hoping that Zhou Chaowu would return to help, but he could only serve as an adviser to the provincial government in the end. In 1932, he died of illness in Changsha.
Zhou Chaowu's life was once brilliant, but it was also full of setbacks. He was loyal to the revolution and righteous in the sky, but in the end he ended up alone, which is embarrassing. His story teaches us that when times change, heroes need to be cautious.