Jintian Uprising - Subsequent Clashes

Subsequent Clashes

As the rebels moved southeastward, Tiandihui rebels totaling more than 2,000 led by Luo Dagang (羅大綱) and Su Sanniang (蘇三娘) joined Hong Xiuquan. In the meantime, Qing official Li Xingyuan (李星沅) ordered Xiang Rong to lead 2,000 men to attack the rebels with an additional support force of 1,000 from Guizhou. On the 18th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1851, Xiang Rong was joined by other imperial armies led by Li Nengchen (李能臣) and Zhou Fengqi and they attacked Dahuangjiangkou simultaneously from east to west. However they entered minefields set up by the rebels and fell into an ambush, sustaining several hundred casualties. The government forces were forced to stop their offensive and adopt a siege tactic instead.

The rebels withdrew under the cover of darkness on the night of the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1851 to East Village (東鄉), Wuxuan County. The imperial troops gave chase but fell into an ambush again. Both sides reached a stalemate near Sanli Dyke (三里圩). On the 23rd day, Hong Xiuquan declared himself the "Heavenly King" (天王) in East Village. On the 3rd day of the 4th lunar month of 1851, Guangxi governor Zhou Tianjue (周天爵) and Xiang Rong rallied over 6,000 troops to attack East Village but were driven back by the rebels. After suffering continual defeats, Li Xingyuan died on the 12th day of the 5th lunar month. Four days later, the rebels broke out of the siege and advanced towards Xiangzhou (象州). Qing forces pursued them while the newly deployed 1,000 strong imperial army from Guangzhou led by General Wulantai (烏蘭泰) was stationed at Liangshan Village (梁山村). Xiang Rong's force was deployed to Jie Ridge (界嶺) to block the rebels' route to the north.

At the battle of Du'ao Ridge (獨鰲嶺; located north of Liangshan Village), Wulantai's army was badly mauled by rebel forces. However, as the government forces possessed a geographical advantage, they were able to deflect attempts by the rebels to break out of the encirclement. By the seventh lunar month of 1851, the rebels were forced to withdraw from Xiangzhou to their original base at Mount Zijing (紫荊山), Guiping. Although the rebels' northward expedition plan failed to materialize, they did succeed in attracting huge numbers of the lower class to join them and obtained a large amount of supplies. This marked the beginning of the Taiping Rebellion.