At the beginning of 1860, after the collapse of the Jiangnan camp and the improvement of the situation in Nanjing, the princes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom gathered to discuss future strategies. Hong Renji, Chen Yucheng, and Li Xiucheng reached a consensus: to pacify Su Chang within a month, and then march west to Wuchang to relieve the siege of Anqing. However, after setbacks, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng finally gave up attacking Wuchang
After some heated debate, the top leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reached a consensus and decided to settle the Suchang issue within a month, and then launched a plan to conquer Wuchang in the west to lift the siege of Anqing. Under the Nanjing decision, the generals of all walks of life fought according to the division of labor, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng went east, the battle broke out in Danyang, Zhang Guoliang was defeated, and Taiping Tian** set off a magnificent battle situation in the south of the Yangtze River.
When the main force of the Taiping Army was crusading eastward, Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan took the opportunity to counterattack and storm Anqing. Chen Yucheng successfully went from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, followed the Nanjing decision-making plan, attacked Anhui and Hubei to Jiangbei, and embarked on the journey of westward expedition to Wuchang. On the way, the Anhui Twist Army went south, and Chen Yucheng's strength increased greatly. At this critical moment, Chen Yucheng suddenly changed his battle plan, suspended the westward expedition, and joined forces with the Twist Army to send troops to Tongcheng, facing Duolonga and Li Xuyi of the Hunan Army, trying to break the outer defense line of the Hunan Army.
In the Battle of Trailer River, Chen Yucheng fought fiercely with the Hunan army head-on and stormed the military camp of the Hunan army. However, the Hunan army cut off the grain route, Duolong'a's troops attacked, and the Taiping army fell into a bitter battle, and Chen Yucheng had to abandon the plan to directly rescue Anqing. This defeat caused heavy losses to the elite of the Taiping army, wasting valuable time and achieving little results.
After suffering a setback, Chen Yucheng urged Li Xiucheng to send troops to the north and south to launch a westward expedition to Wuchang. Chen Yucheng rushed to Huoshan and quickly captured Huangzhou, and the battle situation was once very good. However, after staying in Huangzhou for a month, Chen Yucheng sent Lai Wenguang and others to lead cavalry to camp in Huangzhou, Anlu, and De'an, while he himself led the infantry back to Jixian Pass and confronted the Hunan army again.
Two months after Chen Yucheng's expedition, Li Xiucheng went west to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, recruiting troops and horses along the way, especially absorbing the participation of the rebel armies of Jiangxi and Hubei Tiandihui, and the strength of the Taiping army grew rapidly. Li Xiucheng arrived in Wuchang, but found that Chen Yucheng was not there, so he had to return to Jiangsu and Zhejiang in a hurry. On the way, the troops of Yiwang Shi Dakai marched from Guangxi to the north to join Li Xiucheng's army, and the strength of the Taiping army was greatly increased.
According to the Nanjing decision, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng should coordinate the attack on Wuchang from the north and south. However, in the end, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng failed to realize the siege plan, and although the Taiping army forwards arrived on the outskirts of Wuchang, they withdrew one after another after showing off. Why did Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng give up attacking Wuchang?Some people think that Chen Yucheng couldn't wait for Li Xiucheng's arrival, and Anqing was threatened, so he had to leave Hubei and rescue the base camp first. However, this view is difficult to justify, because Chen Yucheng left the cavalry in Hubei, and it was not easy to attack the Hunan army.
In the Battle of the Trailer River, Chen Yucheng failed to break through the Hunan army's defense line, and now he is marching west again, but leaving the cavalry in the rear, how can such a military force confront the Hunan army?Li Xiucheng was already on the way, Chen Yucheng could have taken the lead in attacking Wuchang, and then informed Li Xiucheng by letter to come quickly. However, Chen Yucheng did not take this action and returned to Anqing on his own, without taking the cavalry with him.
Chen Yucheng left Hubei, the Nanjing decision could not be implemented, and Li Xiucheng was in a difficult situation, which was also an important reason for giving up the attack on Wuchang. More importantly, why did Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng make the decision to give up?In my opinion, this was closely related to the change in the situation, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was reluctant to break with the Great Powers at that time, while the Great Powers clearly supported the Qing Dynasty.
When Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng destroyed the camp in Jiangnan, the Qing Dynasty was at war with the foreign powers, and Britain and France had not yet clearly supported either side and were still waiting and watching. This point was very clear to Hong Renji, and he met with the British minister many times during the Eastern Expedition to Su Chang, hoping to exchange for support. Li Xiucheng also adopted a similar strategy, trying to attack Shanghai during the Eastern Expedition to the Soviet Union, and said that as long as the foreign powers hoisted the yellow flag in the city, the Taiping army would only attack the Qing army.
However, the great powers favored the Qing Dynasty, supported the Qing army's defense, and even prevented the Taiping army from attacking the city. Li Xiucheng chose to return to Suzhou after suffering a setback, and soon reached a verbal agreement with the great powers that he would not attack Shanghai for a year, and at the same time hoped that the foreign powers would not send troops to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the two sides would keep their distance. Therefore, Li Xiucheng began his westward expedition and drew troops from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
The Nanjing decision integrated the plans of Hong Renji, Li Xiucheng, and Chen Yucheng, and they all had the same attitude towards the great powers, that is, not to provoke the great powers and avoid falling into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts. Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng gave up attacking Wuchang, which was closely related to the intervention of British ministers and other representatives of foreign powers. By this time, the Qing Dynasty had bowed to the Great Powers, who demanded that the Taiping Army stop the siege on the grounds of protecting the treaty ports from the flames of war, otherwise it might lead to unpleasant consequences.
From the point of view of military strength, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng could easily defeat the British army at the treaty port, but they could not afford the consequences of the intervention of the foreign powers. For example, the dispatch of troops by the great powers to Shanghai and attack Jiangsu and Zhejiang will put Li Xiucheng in a situation where he will be exposed to the enemy on his back. In the face of the powerful British navy, the Taiping army's transportation lines will be attacked, and Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng will have difficulty coping. Fighting on two fronts is a taboo for soldiers, and Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng did not dare to risk making this mistake.
In order to avoid a foreign power, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng had to quickly seize Wuchang, minimize the impact on trade, and end the battle before the foreign powers intervened. However, Wuchang, as the rear of the Hunan army, had a strong city and was difficult to attack the city, and the Taiping army lacked heavy **, and the naval army was almost zero. The Taiping army lacked sufficient strength to capture Wuchang in a short period of time, which meant that the Hunan army had enough time to consolidate the city, and the possibility of foreign powers intervening increased.
In general, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng gave up attacking Wuchang out of helplessness. The opponents of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were not only the Qing Dynasty, but also the great powers, and the situation faced by the Taiping army was extremely unfavorable and difficult to reverse. Their decision was not only an objective judgment of the situation at that time, but also a sober understanding of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's own strength.
The article profoundly explains the reasons why Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng gave up attacking Wuchang during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and shows the intricate situation of politics, military and diplomacy at that time through the analysis of historical background, military strategy and international factors.
First of all, the article starts from within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, describing the discussions and consensus of Hong Renji, Chen Yucheng, and Li Xiucheng under the Nanjing decision. The internal contradictions and complexities of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were highlighted after the Eastern Expedition to the Soviet Union, and the generals of various walks of life disagreed on the strategic plan. This internal inconsistency led to the tortuous development of the subsequent westward expedition to Wuchang.
Secondly, the article gives a detailed account of the performance of the Taiping Army in the Eastern Expedition to Suchang and Hubei. In particular, the description of the Battle of Trailer River vividly shows Chen Yucheng's decision on the battlefield and the disadvantage of the Taiping army in front of the Hunan army. This gives the reader a better understanding of the actual military plight of the Taiping Army.
The article further analyzes the external challenges faced by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, focusing mainly on the attention and intervention of the great powers in the situation. The Qing Dynasty capitulated in a war with the Great Powers, which began to support the Qing army, posing a threat to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. This diplomatic pressure made it necessary for the Taiping leadership to be more cautious in strategizing to avoid clashes with the great powers.
As for the reasons for abandoning the attack on Wuchang, the article puts forward multiple interpretations, including the factors of internal contradictions in the Taiping army and the consideration of the attitude of the foreign powers. Military generals such as Hong Renji, Chen Yucheng, and Li Xiucheng needed to take into account internal and external factors when making decisions in order to safeguard the overall interests of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The article believes that the abandonment of the attack on Wuchang was based on the comprehensive consideration of the changes in the situation at that time, diplomatic pressure, and internal contradictions.
Overall, based on a wealth of historical facts, the article presents readers with the complex reasons why Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng gave up attacking Wuchang during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom through nuanced narration and in-depth analysis. This comprehensive analysis provides readers with a better understanding of the political, military, and diplomatic contexts of the time, as well as insights into historical events.
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