Military Career
In the late 1850s, Nie was in the service of Yuan Jiasan (the father of Yuan Shikai) against rebel forces in the Nien Rebellion, under whom he was commissioned as a lieutenant and then in the Huai Army in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, at the end of which he was promoted to general.
During the Sino-French War of 1885, Nie was sent with reinforcements to Taiwan, where he participated in combat operations against the French. After the war, he was sent to Lushunkou, where he was assigned to command the newly-constructed base for the Beiyang fleet. During this time, he came into contact with numerous foreign military advisors hired by Beiyang commander Li Hongzhang. After the success of Chine’s first imperial naval review in 1891, he was reassigned to command troops in Tianjin. During this period, he was active in suppressive various minor revolts against the Qing Dynasty, from which he was awarded the title of taiyuan (brigadier general) in 1892.
In 1893, at the request of Li Hongzhang, Nie conducted an inspection tour of the Manchirian borders with Russia and Korea, with the aim of planning strategies for potential combat operations.
Read more about this topic: Nie Shicheng
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