S01E31 Taiping Rebellion: Zeng Guofan Starts Attacking

10/13/22 • 35 min

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In this episode, we go over the organization of Zeng Guofan's army and the first few years of his campaigns against the Taiping rebels.

We are following the book Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War by Stephen R. Platt for this episode.

Motivating the Army

Zeng Guofan's army recruited in Hunan had local loyalties, but not a strong attachment to the emperor. The soldiers were well paid to shore up their personal motivation to fight well and not steal from locals in areas they moved through.

Songs were composed to instruct soldiers in proper conduct on campaign. Because of the importance of local support to defeating the Taiping, it was critical to prevent soldiers from stealing from local people.

Zeng Guofan's Political Realities

Zeng Guofan had to deal with opposition from local elites, officials, and others. Whatever their reasons, his local opponents made his job extremely difficult to the point that he attempted suicide twice after big defeats.

Some victories helped Zeng Guofan silence some critics, but his work was an uphill battle on both the military and political sides of his mission.

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Also...

Please reach out at [email protected] and let me know what you think!

S01E31 Taiping Rebellion: Zeng Guofan Starts Attacking

In this episode, we go over the organization of Zeng Guofan's army and the first few years of his campaigns against the Taiping rebels.

We are following the book Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War by Stephen R. Platt for this episode.

Motivating the Army

Zeng Guofan's Political Realities

Some victories helped Zeng Guofan silence some critics, but his work was an uphill battle on both the military and political sides of his mission.

If You'd Like to Support the Podcast

Subscribe, share, leave a rating.
Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcast
Subscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/

Also...

Please reach out at [email protected] and let me know what you think!

Previous Episode

S01E30 Taiping Rebellion: Zeng Guofan Builds His Army

In this episode, we look at the process that Zeng Guofan went through to build his army. When he was in Hunan to mourn the death of his mother, in 1853 he accepted the mission from the emperor to take charge of military affairs in the province.

Ordinarily, the Han elements of the Qing army had a divided command structure to keep them from uniting against the Manchurian dynasty. Due to the extreme emergency situation, the emperor gave Zeng Guofan unified command authority.

Zeng Guofan was not a military man, but he set up a plan based on discipline and he insisted on "kill or be killed" approaches to training.

We draw upon Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War by Stephen R. Platt.

Including insights from The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alistair Smith.

If You'd Like to Support the Podcast

Subscribe, share, leave a rating.
Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcast
Subscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/

Also...

Please reach out at [email protected] and let me know what you think!

Next Episode

S01E32 Taiping Rebellion: Zeng Guofan Perfects His Strategy

In this episode, we see Zeng Guofan start to get a grip on the task of fighting the Taiping Rebellion. He has to balance between the political necessities of showing his troops that fighting far from home is a way to protect home and achieving strategic results for the emperor.

Zeng Guofan additionally is promoted to regular positions in the Qing hierarchy that give him control over competing regular army units and local militias and sources of supplies for his troops.

Old Chinese saying, “When the general is outside the capital, the ruler’s orders won’t be followed.” Zeng Guofan was following the emperor's big picture orders, but he tactfully declined to fulfill orders that took him off his main goal: capturing Nanjing.

Books Referenced in Today's Episode

The Army and Vietnam by Andrew Krepinevich

Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom by Stephen R. Platt

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