CHRONICLES OF CHINESE HISTORY华 夏 历 史 志

？–1664 CE

Dashun GeneralSouthern Ming CommanderLeader of Kui-Dong Thirteen Families

Hao Yaoqi

郝摇旗

Hao Yaoqi（?–1664 CE）, formally named Hao Yongzhong, was a native of Lingbao, Henan Province. He was a prominent military commander of the peasant Dashun army, an elite anti-Qing general of the Southern Ming dynasty, and a founding leader of the Kui-Dong Thirteen Families (Kui-Dong Shisanjia), enfeoffed as the Marquis of Nanping. Joining Li Zicheng's uprising in his youth, he earned the nickname Flag-Waving Hao (Hao Yaoqi) for…

？–1664 CESouthern Ming

PROFILE

Hao Yaoqi（?–1664 CE）, formally named Hao Yongzhong, was a native of Lingbao, Henan Province. He was a prominent military commander of the peasant Dashun army, an elite anti-Qing general of the Southern Ming dynasty, and a founding leader of the Kui-Dong Thirteen Families (Kui-Dong Shisanjia), enfeoffed as the Marquis of Nanping. Joining Li Zicheng's uprising in his youth, he earned the nickname Flag-Waving Hao (Hao Yaoqi) for his habit of charging enemy vanguards while brandishing massive battle banners. Following Li Zicheng's death in 1645 CE, he supported the strategic united front with Southern Ming, receiving the bestowed name Yongzhong from Emperor Longwu. Under Emperor Yongli, he waged active campaigns across Hunan and Guangxi, inflicting a major defeat on Qing armies under Prince Kong Youde at Quanzhou. Retreating into the rugged mountain borders between Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi in 1653 CE, he allied with Li Laiheng to establish the formidable Kui-Dong resistance network, holding out for over a decade. In 1664 CE, during the massive three-province Qing encirclement, he was besieged at Mount Huanglong in Fangxian, captured after exhausting all provisions, and executed with unyielding defiance.

Original Name
Hao Yongzhong
Identity
Dashun General, Southern Ming Commander, Leader of Kui-Dong Thirteen Families
Era
Ming-Qing Transition
Dynasty
Dashun Regime, Southern Ming
Nobility
Marquis of Nanping
Highest Office
Marquis of Nanping, Left Chief Military Commissioner, Provincial Military Commander
Major Offices
Standard Bearer, Brigade General, Commander-in-Chief, Marquis
Date of Birth
Unknown
Date of Death
1664 CE（the 3rd year of Kangxi）
Native Place
Lingbao, Henan

LIFE TIMELINE

Battle of Baofeng ｜ Fought in Li Zicheng's campaigns across Henan, earning the moniker Flag-Waving Hao for personal courage.
Alliance with Southern Ming ｜ Submitted to the Southern Ming following Li Zicheng's death, recruited by Du Yinxin and given the name Hao Yongzhong.
Victory at Quanzhou ｜ Crushed Qing armies under Kong Youde at Quanzhou and Yanguan, enfeoffed as Marquis of Nanping.
Foundation of Kui-Dong Armies ｜ Stationed garrisons across Fangxian, joining Li Laiheng to establish the Kui-Dong Thirteen Families.
Martyrdom at Mount Huanglong ｜ Confronted the multi-provincial Qing coordinated siege in Fangxian; captured on Mount Huanglong and executed.

BIOGRAPHY

Biography

Standard Bearer of the Dashun Army

Hao Yaoqi, originally named Hao Yongzhong, was born in Lingbao, Henan Province. He enlisted in Li Zicheng's peasant insurgent armies during the late Ming dynasty. Gifted with extraordinary stature, raw strength, and relentless ferocity in hand-to-hand combat, he was chosen as personal standard-bearer for the vanguard corps. In dozens of battles across Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang, he charged into defensive formations while waving high the great rebel banner, inspiring shock troops and acquiring the indelible moniker "Flag-Waving Hao." In 1643 CE, he led the vanguard assault that captured the fortress of Baofeng in Henan.

Alliance with Southern Ming and the Quanzhou Victory

Following the collapse of the Dashun regime in Beijing and Li Zicheng's death at Jiugong Mountain in 1645 CE, Hao Yaoqi led his division to link up with fellow Dashun commanders Li Jin and Gao Yigong in northern Hunan. Embracing Governor Du Yinxin's visionary policy of uniting against the Manchu Qing invasion, Hao pledged loyalty to the Southern Ming court. Emperor Longwu formally confirmed his allegiance, bestowing upon him the dignified name Yongzhong ("Ever Loyal") and commissioning him as a general. Under Emperor Yongli, Hao Yaoqi operated in Hunan and northern Guangxi. In the eleventh month of 1647 CE, Qing prince Kong Youde launched a major offensive against Quanzhou; Hao Yaoqi ambushed the Qing columns at Yanguan, killing over five thousand banner horsemen and retaking Quanzhou. For this critical victory, the Yongli Emperor enfeoffed him as Marquis of Nanping.

Tenacity in Kui-Dong and Final Martyrdom

In 1653 CE, as Qing armies reinforced the southern plains, Hao Yaoqi directed his columns northward into the formidable mountain barriers of Fangxian and Baokang in northwestern Hubei. Joining forces with Li Laiheng, Liu Tichun, and Yuan Zongdi, they established the celebrated "Kui-Dong Thirteen Families" resistance network, clearing mountain terraces, farming wasteland, and defying imperial garrisons for over a decade. In 1662 CE, after the fall of the Yongli Emperor in Yunnan, the Qing regent Oboi mobilized three imperial field armies under General Li Guoying to exterminate the last mountain enclaves. In the winter of 1663 CE, Qing forces breached outer outposts and besieged Hao Yaoqi on Mount Huanglong in Fangxian. After resisting continuous artillery barrages and running entirely out of ammunition and provisions, Hao Yaoqi was captured in early 1664 CE and executed, remaining defiantly unbowed to the end.

Major Activities

Leading Vanguard Breakthroughs for Dashun and Southern Ming

From his initial days as Li Zicheng's banner commander to frontline service under Southern Ming, Hao Yaoqi spearheaded decisive strikes, notably routing Kong Youde at Quanzhou.

Pillar of the Kui-Dong Mountain Resistance

For over eleven years (1653–1664 CE), Hao Yaoqi organized mountain logistics and guerrilla warfare in Fangxian, sustaining the longest-surviving anti-Qing base in central China.

Personal Relations

  • Sovereigns: Li Zicheng, Longwu Emperor, Yongli Emperor.
  • Dashun Comrades / Kui-Dong Allies: Li Laiheng, Liu Tichun, Yuan Zongdi, Dang Shousu.
  • Southern Ming Ministers: Du Yinxin, He Tengjiao.
  • Opponents: Kong Youde, Wu Sangui, Li Guoying.

Historical Assessment

  • Du Yinxin: Praised Hao Yaoqi as an indomitable shock commander who defended Ming territory with exceptional valor.
  • Draft History of Qing (Qing Shi Gao): Recorded that Hao Yongzhong held rugged mountainous redoubts for over ten years, requiring the concerted armies of three provinces to subdue.
  • Wang Fuzhi (Yongli Shilu): Commended his battlefield endurance and heroic martyrdom in defense of Chinese dynastic legitimacy.

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Bibliography

  • History of Ming (Ming Shi), Biography of He Tengjiao.
  • Draft History of Qing (Qing Shi Gao), Biography of Li Guoying.
  • Unofficial History of the Southern Borders (Nanjiang Yishi), vol. 20.
  • Veritable Records of the Yongli Reign (Yongli Shilu), Biography of Hao Yongzhong.