In early 1860, Chen Yucheng reinforced Taihu Lake, and Bao Chao, a famous general of the Xiang Army, was besieged at Xiaochiyi. Chen Yucheng concentrated his forces and focused on attacking Bao Chao's "Thunder Army", and the Taiping Army launched a continuous onslaught, but Bao Chao was unable to resist, and the "Thunder Army" suffered heavy casualties. Next, Duolong'a and Tang Xunfang led troops to reinforcements, and changed defenses with Bao Chao, allowing the "Thunder Army" to rest from the front line.
Even when Dolonga arrived, Chen Yucheng still suppressed the two of them and beat them, and the morale of the Taiping Army was high. Not surprisingly, the Thunder Army and Dorona's Eight Flags Horse Team will be crippled. Unfortunately, Chen Yucheng's opponent was Hu Linyi, the commander of the Xiang Army, whose ability to use troops was far from being comparable to Zeng Guofan. Wang Minyun evaluation: The merits of the Qing Dynasty Zhongxing, the first to promote Hu Linyi. "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" evaluation: Without Hu Linyi, Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang would be difficult to get ahead.
The battle plan for the Crusade was formulated by Hu Linyi and implemented by himself. When attacking Anhui from Hubei, Hu Linyi personally arrived at the front line to command, and Bao Chao, Duo Long'a, Li Xuyi, and Cheng Daji were all his generals. Bao Chao was beaten by Chen Yucheng, and the Taiping Army went all out to eliminate the "Thunder Army" and destroy the mobile forces of the Xiang Army.
Hu Linyi asked Bao Chao and Duolong'a to hold the camp and resist the Taiping Army with strong fortifications, and not to attack easily. Next, Hu Linyi drew soldiers and horses from wherever he went, and asked Jin Guochen and others to lead 10,000 elite soldiers to detour and attack the Taiping Army's grain transportation line and attack Chen Yucheng from behind. In addition, Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu were asked to lead the reinforcement of the marine division to ensure the stability of the supply of the Xiang Army in Taihu Lake.
Chen Yucheng attacked with the main force, but there were not many troops in the rear, and there was not enough grain to fight a protracted war, so he withdrew his troops. When the Taiping Army retreated, Hu Linyi commanded all the soldiers and horses to counterattack, and the Taiping Army failed to engage, losing more than 30,000 people and seriously injuring yuan qi. After Chen Yucheng withdrew, the Taihu generals also withdrew.
The Xiang army launched an attack from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Taiping army failed in repeated battles, and the "Jiangnan Battalion" of Hechun and Zhang Guoliang launched successive attacks on Tianjing. In early 1860, during the bloody battle between the Taiping Army and the Xiang Army at Taihu Lake, Hechun and Zhang Guoliang seized the fortresses of Jiuyuanzhou and Yuhuatai, surrounded the Tianjing regiment, and cut off the grain and grass inside and outside the city.
The Xiang army attacked upstream, the Eight Banners and Green Battalions of the "Jiangnan Camp" attacked Tianjing, and the Taiping Army was attacked on both sides and was in a passive situation. At the same time, facing the Xiang Army, the Eight Banners, and the Green Camp, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng could not do it. Since it is impossible to defeat the Xiang army in a short period of time, it is better to take the Eight Banners and the Green Camp and destroy the "Jiangnan Camp" first, then seize the economically rich Su Chang, and then turn around and collect the Xiang Army.
Taiping could not win the Xiang Army, there was no doubt about this. The Xiang army adopted the "turtle shell tactic", strictly guarded against death, and had the advantage of a marine division, and there were many elite troops, and the Taiping Army had little advantage. The "old brothers" of the two provinces can fight, but their numbers are small, they lack water divisions, and they do not have the capital to fight a protracted war and a war of attrition.
Since it was impossible to defeat the Xiang Army, the Taiping Army decided to adjust its offensive objectives and attack the Eight Banners and Green Camps stationed on the outskirts of Tianjing. The "Jiangnan Camp", mainly composed of eight banners and green battalions, with a strength of 70,000 troops, was the hope of the Xianfeng Emperor. In the eyes of the Xianfeng Emperor, the Xiang army was just "cannon fodder", and the Eight Banners and the Green Camp took Tianjing and enjoyed the fruits of victory.
The Eight Banners and Green Battalions had a large number of people, but their weaknesses were obvious and they were easier to deal with than the Xiang Army. First of all, the "Jiangnan Battalion" troops were scattered in Tianjing, Jiangbei, southern Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and other places, and there were not many troops directly attacking Tianjing. Secondly, there are many contradictions between Hechun and Zhang Guoliang, and they dismantle each other and cooperate with each other.
Moreover, the Xiang Army and the "Jiangnan Camp" were sworn enemies, and if Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng attacked the Eight Banners and the Green Camp with all their might, Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan would not go to the rescue. The reason is very simple, to help the Eight Banners and the Green Battalion, the Xiang Army can only play the substitute all the time, thankless, why bother? In addition, the Eight Banners are very weak in combat, and it is not difficult to defeat them.
In May 1860, Li Xiucheng, the King of Zhong, planned the battle plan of "encircling Wei and saving Zhao", and the soldiers attacked Jiangsu and Zhejiang in two ways. Li Xiucheng led 3,000 soldiers and horses to attack Hangzhou, and Li Shixian led 6,000 soldiers and horses to attack Huzhou. Chen Yucheng, Yang Fuqing, Liu Guanfang, Huang Wenjin, Gu Longxian, Lai Wenhong, and others moved closer to Tianjing from all over the world, and the "Jiangnan camp" was attacked on all sides and was overwhelmed.
The Taiping army attacked Jiangsu and Zhejiang, using the strategy of "encircling Wei and saving Zhao", and Hechun and Zhang Guoliang also knew it, but they could not help but divide their troops to rescue them. The reason is very simple, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are not only the supply base of grain and wages of the "Jiangnan Camp", but also an important financial and taxation base of the Qing Dynasty. Half of the annual tax revenue of the Qing Dynasty was provided by Jiangsu and Zhejiang. For Xianfeng, Jiangsu and Zhejiang cannot be lost, otherwise they will be severely punished.
He Chun and Zhang Guoliang divided their troops, sent Zhang Yuliang to lead 15,000 soldiers and horses to reinforce Hangzhou, and Sent Zheng Kuishi to lead 8,000 soldiers and horses to reinforce Huzhou, and the "Jiangnan Camp" was insufficient. When Li Xiucheng and Li Shixian learned that the "Jiangnan Camp" was divided, they immediately led their troops back, held a meeting with various princes in Jianping, and then attacked the "Jiangnan Camp" in five ways.
The Taiping Army attacked five ways, and the "Jiangnan Battalion" was insufficient in strength, and he and Chun and Zhang Guoliang could not resist. Li Xiucheng said in his self-report that the Taiping Army first defeated the Eight Banners horse team, and then attacked the "Han Army" Green Battalion, winning consecutive battles. The Eight Banners and the Green Camp were defeated, and Hechun and Zhang Guoliang fled, and Tianjing was able to break the siege.
Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng took advantage of the victory to pursue, and the Eight Banners and the Green Camp were powerless. Xianfeng was panicked and asked Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi to send troops to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to meet the Taiping Army. Who knows, the Xiang army did not move, resting in the area of Taihu Lake and Qianshan, paying no attention to the will of the imperial court.
Without the help of the Xiang Army, the Eight Banners and the Green Battalion were not opponents of the Taiping Army. In the Battle of Danyang, Zhang Guoliang fell into the water and died, and after the defeat of The Chunbing, he hanged himself. Then, the Taiping Army swept through Jiangsu and Zhejiang, capturing Suzhou and Changzhou, opening up a new situation. With the rich land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was able to continue to persist for 4 years.
The "Jiangnan Camp" was destroyed, the Taiping Army invaded Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the east, and the Eight Banners and Green Camps were defeated. To this end, the Xianfeng Emperor could only grant Zeng Guofan real power, making him the governor of Liangjiang, controlling the military and political affairs of the four provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, and becoming a feudal official, with more power than Hong Chengzu and Wu Sangui in that year.
After gaining real power, Zeng Guofan's Xiang army rested and ended, and then continued the Eastern Crusade. In September 1861, the Xiang Army captured Anqing. In July 1864, the Xiang Army conquered Tianjing and destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. To some extent, the Taiping Army destroyed the "Jiangnan Camp" and defeated the Eight Banners and Green Camps, so that the Xiang Army had the opportunity to seize Tianjing, otherwise it could only be a substitute and work for the Eight Banners.
Bibliography: History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom