Pingpanji 平叛記

Pingpanji 平叛記 "The pacification of the rebels" is an account on the rebellion of Kong Youde 孔有德 (d. 1652) in Shandong during the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644). The book was written by Mao Bin 毛霦 (mid-17th cent.), courtesy name Jingshi 荆石, and printed in 1717.

In 1631 the contingent under the military commander Li Yingyuan 李應元 in Dengzhou 登州 rose in rebellion in Wuqiao 吳橋 and incited Kong Youde to join. They conquered a substantial part of the province. The court thereupon sent out Vice Minister of War (bingbu shilang 兵部侍郎) Liu Yulie 劉宇烈 (jinshi degree 1607) to suppress the revolt, but he was defeated at the Shahe River 沙河, and the inspecting censor (xunfu duyushi 巡撫都御史) Xu Congzhi 徐從治 (1574-1634) died.

Kong Youde thereupon feigned surrendering and captured the inspecting censor of Deng-Lai 登萊, Xie Lian 謝璉 (d. 1632). Only two months later Zhu Dadian 朱大典 (1581-1646) for the first time defeated the rebels and retook Laizhou 萊州 and besieged Dengzhou 登州. Only in the next spring commander Chen Hongfan 陳洪範 took Dengzhou, and Kong Youde fled to Liaodong, defecting to the young Manchu empire.

The book by Mao Bin is not a fully genuine compilation but mainly pieced together from other sources on the rebellion, like Shishiji 視師紀, Dongzhengji 東征紀 and Weichengji 圍城紀, but is nevertheless arranged like a chronicle. An appendix quotes from various writers who discussed the events of the revolt. The book is a valuable addition to better known official sources.

It is included in the series Zhonggo fanglüe congshu 中國方略叢書 and Zhongguo yeshi jicheng 中國野史集成.