Wu Sangui Proclaims Himself Emperor

Timeline

1. 1673–1674Kunming · YunnanWu Sangui killed Yunnan governor Zhu Guozhi at Kunming, formally rising in rebellion against the Qing; he issued a proclamation denouncing the Qing, styling himself 'Grand Marshal of All the Realm's Forces for Recruitment and Punishment,' and taking 'opposing the Qing and restoring the Ming' as his rallying cry. He swiftly gained control of Yunnan and Guizhou and marched eastward.
2. 1674Hengzhou · HunanWu Sangui held an enthronement ceremony at Hengzhou, proclaiming the state of 'Great Zhou,' adopting the era name Zhaowu, declaring himself emperor, establishing a full bureaucracy, and enfeoffing his sons and generals. The imperial proclamation meant his political goal shifted from restoring the Ming to establishing himself as emperor, forming a formal regime-level opposition to the Qing court.
3. 1674–1676Yuezhou · HunanAfter rising in rebellion, Wu Sangui led the Zhou army northward, taking Changde, Lizhou, and other places in succession, their spearhead aimed at Yuezhou. The Qing army held Yuezhou's formidable natural defenses; the Zhou army besieged it in vain, its strategic offensive faltered, and the Hunan front turned into a prolonged stalemate, the Zhou regime unable to break through the Yangtze defensive line.