The Sino-French War

Tang Jingsong played an important role in the Sino-French War and during the period of undeclared hostilities that preceded it. In 1882 he was sent by the Qing government to Vietnam to assess the ability of the Vietnamese government to resist French expansion in Tonkin. During his stay he was able to persuade Liu Yongfu to take the field against the French with the Black Flag Army. Liu's intervention resulted in the French defeat in the Battle of Paper Bridge on 19 May 1883, in which the French commandant supérieur Henri Rivière was killed. In the wake of this disaster, Jules Ferry's government committed substantial military and naval forces to Tonkin.

Tang was the only senior Chinese commander to take part in the Sơn Tây Campaign (December 1883). Although Liu Yongfu and his Vietnamese and Chinese allies failed to hold Sơn Tây against the French, Tang's loyalty to Liu on that occasion was never forgotten by the Black Flag leader. In September 1884 Tang led the Yunnan Army down the Red River from Lào Cai to threaten the French post of Tuyên Quang, and Liu Yongfu took service with him as a subordinate general.

Although he ultimately failed to capture the French post, Tang's intelligent and methodical conduct of the Siege of Tuyên Quang was praised by many of his Chinese colleagues, including Zhang Zhidong, the Viceroy of Liangguang, and Cen Yuying (岑毓英), the Viceroy of Yun-Gui.

Captain Jean-François-Alphonse Lecomte, one of the more discerning officers of the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps, also paid tribute to the skill T'ang's army had shown in its siegecraft at Tuyên Quang:

The mandarins had directed the attack on Tuyen Quang in a very intelligent manner. Owing to the Moslem insurrection in Yunnan, an insurrection that had nearly engulfed the entire province and was only put down by Marshal Ma after several sieges, they were now experts in the art of siegecraft. Their troops were excellent, and although they were unable to capture the fortress, defended as it was by a handful of heroes and relieved in the very nick of time by Giovanninelli's brigade, this siege was nonetheless a glorious feat of arms for the Celestials and showed that when necessary they could rise to the occasion.

The Republic of Formosa

Tang succeeded Shao Youlian (邵友濂) as governor of Taiwan in 1894. Upon the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–95) he invited his old friend Liu Yongfu to assume command of Qing forces in southern Taiwan.

Following China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was ceded to Japan in April 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki. A number of Chinese officials in Taiwan decided to resist the Japanese, and proclaimed Taiwan an independent Republic of Formosa. Tang was inaugurated as the republic's president on May 25, 1895. The republic lasted no longer than the time it took the Japanese to invade and occupy Taiwan. The Japanese invaded northern Taiwan on May 29, 1895 and defeated Chinese forces at Keelung on 3 June.

When the news of the defeat at Keelung reached Taipei on 4 June, the republican leaders promptly abandoned ship. During the night of 4 June Tang Jingsong fled to Tamsui, and from there sailed for the mainland on the evening of 6 June aboard the steamship Arthur. His departure was delayed for a day because of disorder in Tamsui.

After Tang's flight, the republican forces continued to resist the Japanese in Taiwan under the leadership of Liu Yongfu. The republican forces were no match for the Japanese, however, and the republic eventually collapsed with the Japanese occupation of Tainan on 21 October 1895. Like Tang, Liu Yongfu also abandoned his soldiers and fled to the mainland to escape capture.

Death

Tang died in 1903 at his home in Guilin, at the age of 63.

生平

初入仕途

道光二十一年（1841年），唐景崧生于桂林府灌阳县一个书香之家。其父唐懋功，举人出身，但入仕无门，以课馆为业。唐景崧幼时家境贫寒，母亲早逝，与弟唐景崇、唐景崶三人均刻苦读书不倦。后来，唐懋功被桂林王姓富商聘为私塾教师，兄弟三人随同前往。咸丰十一年（1861年），唐景崧中式辛酉科广西乡试第一名举人（解元）。同治四年（1865年），考取乙丑科二甲第八名进士，选翰林院庶吉士，散馆改吏部主事，多年不得升迁。

请缨抗法

光绪八年（1882年），法国与越南发生冲突，河内和南定等地相继失陷。唐景崧主动请缨，自荐前往越南，招抚天地会首领刘永福及其黑旗军。朝廷降旨，令其听云贵总督岑毓英差遣。唐景崧先到广东，拜谒曾国荃，得到资助出关。次年到达越南保胜，会见刘永福，成功劝其内附，功赏四品卿衔。

光绪十年（1884年）中法战争时，唐景崧驻军兴化。北宁告急，岑毓英命其与刘永福救援。此后，奉张之洞之命募勇入关，编成四营，号「景字军」，迎战法军，挫敌锋芒，岑毓英赏识景崧才干，又拨潘德继之滇军听其指挥。唐景崧兵力日益雄厚，进军三江口。不久，法军进攻刘永福军吴凤典营，景崧驰骋援助，大获全胜。清军进逼宣光，会同桂军等，攻城数月。法军拼死抵抗，清军久攻不下。唐景崧担心后援被切断，于是退兵。继而朝廷下旨停战，唐景崧即带兵入关。因功赏花翎，赐号「霍伽春巴图鲁」，加二品秩，任福建台湾道。

经略台湾

光绪十三年（1887年），唐景崧正式到台任职。他颇好文事，聘请施士浩主讲海东书院，对庠生颇为礼遇。还修葺道台官署内旧有之斐亭，组成「斐亭吟社」，闲暇时邀请同僚、下属举行诗文酒会。

光绪十七年（1891年），唐景崧升任台湾布政使，改驻台北。又时邀名士吟咏于官署，诗会时曾由海上运来数十盆牡丹，遂名为「牡丹诗社」，亦多作诗钟。光绪十九年（1893年），取历年唱稿，分门编辑，录佳作十卷，命名《诗畸》，为台湾诗钟选集之滥觞。作品1301联，律诗68首，另包括宦台及本省名士佳作，如施士浩、丘逢甲、汪春源、林启东及淡水举人黄宗鼎等56人之作品。唐景崧在台南及台北带动地方文风，有功于诗歌传播。此后，饬纂《台湾通志》，自任监督。

光绪二十年（1894年），日本在朝鲜寻衅，与清朝开战，甲午战争爆发。朝廷以台湾为东南重镇，命刘永福率兵至台防守。八月，唐景崧与到达的刘永福商议军事。九月，台湾巡抚邵友濂辞职，唐景崧署任台湾巡抚。一说邵友濂设法请调湖南巡抚；直到1895年5月7日才正式批准，这期间唐景崧暂代职务。上任伊始，即整饬军政，命刘永福镇守台南，栋军统领林朝栋镇守台中。

然而，光绪二十一年春，日军攻破澎湖，守将周振邦潜逃。清军节节败退，命李鸿章赴日议和。三月二十三日（1895年4月17日），李鸿章与日本首相伊藤博文签订《马关条约》，割让台湾。民众激愤，上书景崧：

五月初二（5月25日），士绅丘逢甲等拥立唐景崧为台湾民主国总统。唐景崧身著朝服而出，「遥拜宫阙方向谢罪，然后北面受任，大哭而入」，就任总统，刘永福为大将军，年号「永清」（代表著永远效忠清朝）。

五月初十（6月2日），清廷割台特使，李鸿章之子李经芳在台湾基隆外海的日本军舰上，正式与日本海军大将桦山资纪办理交割事宜。次日，日军攻陷基隆之后，唐景崧逃至沪尾（今淡水区）的德商得忌利士洋行（Douglas Lapraik & Co），后来与陈季同乘德国籍轮船鸭打号（Arthur）弃职逃亡至厦门。

晚年

唐景崧内渡中国本部后，清廷念其旧功而并未降罪，仅命其休致返乡，但声望从此一落千丈。唐景崧回桂林后重拾早年对戏剧的喜爱，创出广西的桂剧。光绪二十九年（1903年），卒于桂林，享年63岁。

家族

唐景崧之父唐懋功教子有方，同治至光绪初年，唐景崧、景崇和景崶三兄弟相继考中进士，且都选入翰林院，以「同胞三翰林」之誉荣耀一时。

唐景崧有运溥（字度周）、运涵（字佩驯）、运深（字晋端）、运泽（字葆厚）四子。

唐景崧孙女，运泽长女唐篔是史学家陈寅恪之妻。

佚事

• 虽然唐景崧、景崇、景崶联捷科第，唐懋功本人却屡次应会试不第，愤懑不已。由于翰林经常出任会试考官，每逢考期降至，唐懋功都会堵坐在家门前，不许儿子们前往，以免分到阅卷任务，导致自己作为考官亲父，需要回避而丧失应考机会。不久，朝廷以其子为官，下达封诰。按规定，荣膺封诰者，从此便不得再赴科举。唐懋功因此怒不可遏，手持大棍追打三个儿子，唐景崧兄弟仓皇逃出家门，又请乡人再三劝慰，唐懋功方才作罢。

• 胡适之父胡传曾任台东知州，台湾割让后内渡。1931年9月，胡适曾写过一首诗《题唐景崧先生遗墨》给陈寅恪：

:南天民主国，回首一伤神。

:黑虎今何在，黄龙亦已陈。

:几枝无用笔，半打有心人，

:毕竟天难补，滔滔四十春。

遗迹

唐景崧故居唐景崧故居位于今桂林市灌阳县新街镇江口村。故居为清代砖木穿斗式建筑，占地面积约410平方米，梁、枋、门等雕刻精美。现为灌阳县县级文物保护单位，近年来得到部分修缮。

唐景崧五美堂别墅遗址唐景崧五美堂别墅遗址在今桂林市榕湖旁，遗址尚存一面墙，上面的雕刻极其精美。遗址旁边立有他的塑像，有一石刻，上书「唐景崧（1841-1903），桂林灌阳人，清同治四年（1865年）进士，精通诗文音律。历任吏部候补主事、台湾布政使、台湾巡抚。中日甲午战争爆发后，清政府被迫签订《马关条约》割让台湾。唐景崧组织台湾军民抵抗日军侵台，基隆失守后回到桂林。在此建五美堂别墅，内有戏台、书房、藏书楼、花园。唐景崧晚年于此潜心研究戏剧，组织桂剧社团「桂林春班」，课徙授艺，亲自编写、修改剧本，改编了桂剧剧目40出，著有《看棋亭杂剧》，供戏班演出，是桂剧史上第一位剧作家和奠基人之一。桂剧由此逐步走向成熟，经后人不断改革发展，成为广西代表性剧种，并进入中国十大剧种行列。」五美堂别墅遗址的不远处，就是五美路。