In November 1863, Li Xiucheng, who had already been defeated, was forced to evacuate in Suzhou, facing betrayal from his subordinates and admonishment from his brothers. Faced with such a situation, he did not hesitate to return to Tianjing.
Suzhou, as Li Xiu's cost department, is also an important base for his layout in the south of the Yangtze River. The loss of Suzhou meant the loss of the whole of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which was the financial and human backing on which Tianjing depended. Without these two important supporters, Tianjing could not hold on.
At that time, Li Xiucheng's cousin Li Shixian was stationed in Liyang. After seeing the situation clearly, he resolutely opposed his brother Li Xiucheng to support Suo Jing. He suggested that he take refuge in himself in order to continue his resistance to the Qing court, but Li Xiucheng was unwilling to give up his loyalty to Hong Xiuquan and politely rejected this offer.
Subsequently, Li Xiucheng ordered Li Shixian to go to Jiangxi to raise grain, and when he returned in the autumn, he would fight together. Although the choices of the two are different, their inner goal is the same - to fight for the cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom for life! Unfortunately, the lack of correct judgment of the senior leadership and the subsequent mistaken decision-making cut off the efforts of these two brothers, and led the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to its demise.
Just like the history of Western Liao, Yelu Dashi chose to retake the route under the attack of the Song and Jin coalition forces, and led a team of 200 people to the northwest to open up a new world. And the question we want to discuss today is whether Li Xiucheng will be able to create more glory and turn the tide of the war if he follows Li Shixian's advice and imitates Yelu Dashi's expeditionary strategy?
History tells us that it was through more than ten years of arduous struggle that Yelu Dashi finally became one of the great people who dominated the course of world history. So, if Li Xiucheng can really revise his decision, get rid of his burden, and step out of his comfort zone, does it also have the possibility of establishing a powerful dynasty like Western Liao. The answer, of course, is yes! Because the materials have shown that the Qing Dynasty was under pressure at this time, it provided a good opportunity for Li Xiucheng to turn around.