{{Short description|Military campaign of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Western Expedition | width = | partof = Taiping Rebellion | image = | caption = | date = May 19, 1853 – March 1856 | place = China | coordinates = | map_type = | map_relief = | latitude = | longitude = | map_size = | map_marksize = | map_caption = | map_label = | territory = Taiping occupies most of Anhui and Jiangxi, but fail to retake Hunan and Hubei | result = Taiping victory | status = | combatants_header = | combatant1 = 22px|border Qing dynasty | combatant2 = Taiping Heavenly Kingdom | combatant3 = | commander1 = {{plainlist}} * 22px|border Jiang Zhongyuan{{KIA}} {{endplainlist}} | commander2 = {{plainlist}} * Hu Yiguang * Lai Hanying * Zeng Tianyang * Wei Jun * Shi Zhenxiang {{endplainlist}} | commander3 = | units1 = | units2 = | units3 = | strength1 = | strength2 = | strength3 = | casualties1 = | casualties2 = | casualties3 = | notes = | campaignbox = }} {{Campaignbox Taiping Rebellion}}
The '''Western Expedition''' ({{zh|t=太平天國西征}}) was a campaign by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom against the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion.
==Planning== The Western Expedition was conceived by Yang Xiuqing shortly after the fall of Nanjing.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 93 (1966)</ref> It was intended to march along the Yangtze River and ultimately meet with the concurrent Northern Expedition in Sichuan.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 93 (1966)</ref> The Taiping believed that such a pincer movement could capture all of western and northern China.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 93 (1966)</ref> It was also intended to, in conjunction with the Northern Expedition, relieve pressure on the Taiping's holdings caused by the Qing's formation of the Northern and Southern Fronts.<ref>Maochun Yu, The Taiping Rebellion: A Military Assessment of Revolution and Counterrevolution, printed in A Military History of China 138 (David A. Graff & Robin Higham eds., 2002)</ref>
==Execution== The Western Expedition left Nanjing on May 19, 1853.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> Less than a month later, it recaptured the city of Anqing on June 10, 1853.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> At that point, the expedition split into three separate armies.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> The first army, led by Hu Yiguang, traveled north to conquer Anhui.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> The second, led by Lai Hanying, traveled south to conquer Jiangxi. The third, led by Zeng Tianyang, attacked a number of cities south of the Yangtze.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> Hu Yinguang successfully captured Luzhou (modern Hefei, Anhui) the government's new capital of Anhui, on January 14, 1854.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> In doing so, Hu defeated a small force led by Jiang Zhongyuan, who subsequently committed suicide.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> Lai was less successful, as he was unable to take Nanchang, Jiangxi's capital.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> Lai was replaced by Wei Jun and Shi Zhenxiang, who moved into Hubei and Hunan, ultimately capturing Xiangtan on April 24, 1854.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> The Western Expedition succeeded in capturing Pengze, Hukou, and Jiujiang.{{when|date=August 2018}}<ref>Maochun Yu, The Taiping Rebellion: A Military Assessment of Revolution and Counterrevolution, printed in A Military History of China 138 (David A. Graff & Robin Higham eds., 2002)</ref> It also defeated Zeng Guofan in battle, leading him to attempt suicide on two separate occasions.<ref>Maochun Yu, The Taiping Rebellion: A Military Assessment of Revolution and Counterrevolution, printed in A Military History of China 138 (David A. Graff & Robin Higham eds., 2002)</ref> The Western Expedition ended in March 1856 when it was recalled to Nanjing to reinforce the besieged city.<ref>Maochun Yu, The Taiping Rebellion: A Military Assessment of Revolution and Counterrevolution, printed in A Military History of China 138 (David A. Graff & Robin Higham eds., 2002)</ref>
==Analysis== The Western Expedition had limited success.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> Although a number of key cities within a fertile recruiting ground had fallen, the Western Expedition was ultimately unable to capture the whole of western China or the upper Yangtze.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref> The Taiping's original, rapid drive transformed into a push-and-pull struggle, which provided the Qing with time to recover and build-up new armies with new leaders who ultimately doomed the rebellion.<ref>Franz H. Michael, The Taiping Rebellion: History 95 (1966)</ref>
In 1856 Shi Dakai launches a second western expedition destined for Sichuan. This other campaign also fails when he surrenders in 1863.
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
Category:Taiping Rebellion Category:19th century in China