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太平天国运动是中国近代规模最大的农民起义之一，这场轰轰烈烈的革命持续了十四年之久，期间涌现出许多杰出的军事将领。随着太平天国的最终覆灭，这些将领们要么在战场上壮烈牺牲，要么被清军俘虏后遭受残酷的凌迟之刑。在生命的最后时刻，或许是为了应对敌人的威逼利诱，或许是为了争取一线生机，又或许是为了记录下自己波澜壮阔的一生，他们纷纷留下了珍贵的自述文献，这些文字如今已成为我们了解这段历史的重要窗口。
The Taiping Rebellion was one of the largest peasant uprisings in modern China, and this vigorous revolution lasted for fourteen years, during which many outstanding military generals emerged. With the final fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, these generals either died heroically on the battlefield or were captured by the Qing army and subjected to cruel punishment. In the last moments of their lives, perhaps in order to cope with the enemy’s coercion and temptation, or to fight for a glimmer of life, or perhaps to record their magnificent lives, they left behind precious self-reported documents, which have now become an important window for us to understand this period of history.

尽管这些将领们都未能逃脱被处决的命运，但从他们的自述中，我们得以窥见他们短暂而传奇的一生：从参加起义的初衷，到艰苦卓绝的战斗历程，再到面对死亡时的无畏气概。下面让我们详细探讨几位太平天国重要将领留下的自述文献。
Although none of these generals escaped the fate of being executed, from their self-reports, we can get a glimpse of their short and legendary lives: from the original intention of participating in the uprising, to the arduous battle, to the fearlessness in the face of death. Let’s take a closer look at the self-reported documents left by several important generals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

一、英王陈玉成的自述  1. The self-report of King Chen Yucheng of England

作为太平天国被俘将领中级别最高的人物之一，陈玉成在天京事变后与李秀成等人共同支撑着摇摇欲坠的太平天国政权。在安庆失守后，他节节败退，最终被叛徒苗沛霖出卖而被俘。陈玉成在自述中详细记述了自己的生平：我原籍广西梧州府藤县，自幼父母双亡，无兄弟姐妹。十四岁便追随洪秀全起义，从广西一路转战至南京。在太平天国内历任指挥、检点、丞相、成天豫等要职，最终受封英王，统领天朝羽林军……
As one of the highest-ranking figures among the captured generals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Chen Yucheng supported the crumbling Taiping Heavenly Kingdom regime with Li Xiucheng and others after the Tianjing Incident. After the fall of Anqing, he was defeated and finally betrayed and captured by the traitor Miao Peilin. Chen Yucheng described his life in detail in his self-report: I am originally from Teng County, Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi, and my parents have died since I was a child, and I have no brothers and sisters. At the age of fourteen, he followed Hong Xiuquan’s uprising and moved all the way from Guangxi to Nanjing. In the Taiping Heavenly Palace, he successively held important positions such as command, inspection, prime minister, and Cheng Tianyu, and was finally named King of England and commanded the Heavenly Dynasty Yulin Army……

陈玉成在自述中表现出令人敬佩的气节：若非胜保大帅，苗沛霖也不会归顺；若非中了苗沛霖的奸计，我也不会被擒。这或许就是天意吧。我对胜保大帅仰慕已久，今日得见，死而无憾。太平天国失去我一人，就等于失去半壁江山。我深受天朝厚恩，宁死不降。作为败军之将，我无颜苟活。只希望我麾下四千精锐将士能够保全。所有罪责我一人承担，与他人无关。
Chen Yucheng showed admirable integrity in his self-report: if it were not for Shengbao’s handsomeness, Miao Peilin would not have submitted; If I hadn’t fallen for Miao Peilin’s scheme, I wouldn’t have been captured. This may be God’s will. I have long admired the great leader of Shengbao, and today I have no regrets about seeing him. The loss of me alone in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is equivalent to losing half of the country. I am deeply favored by the Heavenly Dynasty and would rather die than surrender. As a defeated general, I have no face to live. I only hope that the four thousand elite soldiers under my command can be preserved. I bear all the blame alone, and it has nothing to do with others.

值得注意的是，这份自述中对清将胜保表现出异常的恭敬，这与民间传说中陈玉成痛斥胜保的形象大相径庭，成为历史研究中的一个谜团。
It is worth noting that this self-report shows unusual respect for the Qing general Shengbao, which is very different from the image of Chen Yucheng denouncing Shengbao in folklore, and has become a mystery in historical research.

二、忠王李秀成的自述  2. The self-report of King Li Xiucheng

李秀成的自述是所有太平天国将领自述篇幅最长、内容最详实的，洋洋洒洒数万言，完整记录了从金田起义到天京陷落的全过程。他系统总结了太平天国失败的十大原因，为后世研究提供了宝贵的第一手资料。
Li Xiucheng’s self-report is the longest and most detailed of all the generals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, with tens of thousands of words, completely recording the whole process from the Jintian Uprising to the fall of Tianjing. He systematically summarized the ten reasons for the failure of the Taiping Rebellion, providing valuable first-hand information for later generations to study.

在自述中，李秀成对太平天国早期领导人有着生动描述：东王杨秀清原本居住在平隘山，自加入拜上帝会后，突然变得无所不知，仿佛天意造就的奇才。他还提到：西王萧朝贵作为洪秀全的妹夫，作战勇猛，总是冲锋在前。
In his self-report, Li Xiucheng has a vivid description of the early leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Yang Xiuqing, the King of the East, originally lived in Pingai Mountain, and since joining the God Worship Society, he suddenly became omniscient, like a wizard created by providence. He also mentioned: As Hong Xiuquan’s brother-in-law, Xiao Chaogui, the King of the West, fought bravely and always charged forward.

据传李秀成自述中原本包含策反曾国藩的内容，但在后世流传过程中遭到删改，如今已无法得见原貌。
It is rumored that Li Xiucheng’s self-report originally contained the content of rebelling against Zeng Guofan, but it was deleted in the process of circulation in later generations, and now it can no longer be seen in its original form.

三、干王洪仁玕的自述  3. The self-report of the king Hong Renxuan

作为洪秀全的堂弟，洪仁玕在金田起义后为躲避清军追捕，曾流亡香港七年之久。后来辗转来到天京，受到重用。天京陷落后，他护送幼主洪天贵福突围，最终在江西石城被俘。狱中得见李秀成自述后，他愤而逐条批驳。洪仁玕共留下三份供词，详细记述了自己的革命历程：
As Hong Xiuquan’s cousin, Hong Renxuan was in exile in Hong Kong for seven years in order to avoid the pursuit of the Qing army after the Jintian Uprising. Later, he came to Tianjing and was reused. After the fall of Tianjing, he escorted the young lord Hong Tianguifu to break through, and was finally captured in Shicheng, Jiangxi. After seeing Li Xiucheng’s self-report in prison, he angrily refuted it one by one. Hong Renxuan left a total of three confessions, detailing his revolutionary process:

我在香港流亡期间，曾到东莞行医占卜一年，又在上海教书两年。听闻堂兄洪秀全已在南京建都，心想他既已打下基业，我理应前往辅佐……今年天王因援军不至，命我外出求援。不料天王驾崩，天京陷落。所幸幼主天资聪颖，我读一行书的功夫他能读三行。从湖州突围时还有十二三万人马，到石城时仅剩万余，其中广东兵两三千，其他都四散落落了。我始终寸步不离地守护幼主，被擒后就不知其下落了……我已竭尽全力，但求速死。
During my exile in Hong Kong, I went to Dongguan to practice medicine and divination for one year, and taught in Shanghai for two years. I heard that my cousin Hong Xiuquan had built the capital in Nanjing, and I thought that since he had laid the foundation, I should go to assist…… This year, the king ordered me to go out for help because reinforcements did not come. Unexpectedly, the king died and Tianjing fell. Fortunately, the young lord is talented and intelligent, and he can read three lines of my reading skills. There were still 120,000 to 30,000 horses when they broke through from Huzhou, and only more than 10,000 remained when they arrived in Shicheng, of which two or three thousand Guangdong soldiers were scattered. I always guarded the young master every step of the way, and after I was captured, I didn’t know his whereabouts…… I have done my best, but I want to die quickly.

四、昭王黄文英与恤王洪仁政的自述  4. The self-report of King Zhao Huang Wenying and King Xu Hong Renzheng

黄文英在自述中提到，他十三岁就随堂兄黄文金在平南县参加起义，并透露太平天国后期封王多达两千七百余位。恤王洪仁政则讲述了自己参加革命的缘由：原本务农为生，因在贵县亲戚家的米店帮工，金田起义爆发后受洪秀全邀请共打江山。
Huang Wenying mentioned in his self-report that he participated in the uprising in Pingnan County with his cousin Huang Wenjin at the age of thirteen, and revealed that there were more than 2,700 kings in the late Taiping Rebellion. King Xu Hong Renzheng told the reason why he participated in the revolution: he originally worked as a farmer for a living, but because he helped in the rice shop of a relative’s house in Guixian County, he was invited by Hong Xiuquan to fight the country after the outbreak of the Jintian Uprising.

五、幼天王洪天贵福的自述  5. The self-report of the young king Hong Tianguifu

在众多自述中，幼天王洪天贵福的供词最受后世非议：  Among the many self-statements, the confession of the young king Hong Tianguifu was the most criticized by later generations:

我本名洪天贵，几年前父王让我加上’福’字。现年十六岁，父王有八十八位后妃，我乃第二位赖氏所出。九岁时就给我配了四位妻子，从此不得与母亲姊妹相见……四月十九日父王驾崩，二十四日众臣拥我继位……打江山都是父王所为，与我无关。登基后朝政都由干王、忠王处理。广东不是好地方，我不愿回去，只求随唐老爷去湖南读书考取功名。
My real name is Hong Tiangui, and a few years ago my father asked me to add the word ‘Fu’. Now sixteen years old, my father has eighty-eight concubines, and I am the second Lai clan. When I was nine years old, I was given four wives, and I was never allowed to see my mother and sisters again…… On April 19th, my father passed away, and on the 24th, the ministers supported me to succeed to the throne…… Fighting the country is all done by my father, and it has nothing to do with me. After ascending the throne, the government was handled by King Gan and King Zhong. Guangdong is not a good place, I don’t want to go back, I just want to go to Hunan with Master Tang to study and get fame.

这些用生命写就的文字，不仅记录了个人的命运轨迹，更折射出一个时代的动荡与变迁。透过这些自述，我们得以触摸到那些早已远去的灵魂，感受他们在历史洪流中的挣扎与抉择。