The Flames of Heaven: Yang Xiuqing and His Era

The Artist of War

In 1851, the Jintian Uprising broke out, launching the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement.

If Hong Xiuquan was the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s “spiritual totem,” then Yang Xiuqing was the “absolute brain” of its war machine.

He couldn’t read? That didn’t matter. He had a photographic memory. After hearing a battle report or official document read aloud once, he could immediately grasp the overall situation and make precise judgments. From Guangxi to Hunan, from Wuchang to Nanjing, the Taiping army swept all before it, and nearly every strategic move bore Yang Xiuqing’s unmistakable mark.

Making Tianjing, or Nanjing, the capital was his masterstroke. Giving up on marching north to strike directly at the Qing court might have seemed cautious, but it allowed him to establish a secure base and confront the Qing across the north and south.

The Northern Expedition and Western Expedition were his two-pronged offensive. Though the Northern Expedition ultimately failed, it once shook Beijing and Tianjin, nearly forcing the Xianfeng Emperor to “flee north.” The Western Expedition secured the upper reaches of the Yangtze and shielded Tianjing.

He enforced strict military discipline, with laws as firm as mountains. The tactics he devised, such as the “Crab Formation” and the “Ground-Hugging Formation,” left the Qing army reeling. Under Yang Xiuqing’s command, the Taiping army reached the peak of its military career.

During this period, he was the true “uncrowned king” of Tianjing. He masterminded campaigns and handled affairs from dawn to dusk. The kingdom’s politics, military, and economy were all under his control. Even his Qing opponents had to admit, “He is quite familiar with the principles of battlefield maneuvers and the lay of the land.”

When power reaches its peak, danger is greatest too.

After making Tianjing the capital, Yang Xiuqing’s lust for power