Xiang Army

Th Xiang Army was a standing army organized by Zeng Guofan from existing regional and village militia forces to contain the Taiping rebellion. The name is taken from the Hunan region where the Army was raised. The Army was financed through local nobles and gentry, as opposed to the centralized Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. Although it was raised specifically to address problems in Hunan, the Army formed the core of the new Qing military establishment, and as such, forever weakened the Manchu influence within the military. This devolution of centralized command is commonly pointed to as a major reason for the eventual downfall of the Qing dynasty and the emergence of regional warlordism in China during the first half of the twentieth century.

Taiping Rebellion

The Taiping rebellion started in December 1850 in Guangxi Province, growing after a series of small victories over the local Qing forces. The revolt rapidly spread northward. In March 1853, between 700,000 and 800,000 Taiping soldiers directed by commander-in-chief Yang Xiuqing took Nanjing, killing 30,000 Imperial soldiers and slaughtering thousands of civilians. The city became the movement's capital and was renamed ''Tianjing'', "Heavenly Capital". By this point the Heavenly Kingdom encompassed much of south and central China, centered on the Yangtze river valley. However, they continued in their attempts to expand northward, and sent two armies to take the upper Yangtze, while another two attempted to take the new Imperial capital, Beijing. The western drive met with some success, but the Beijing attack failed.

Zeng Guofan was tasked with limiting the rebellions' attempts to take control of Hunan. His lieutenants recovered the capital, Changsha, and then Zeng led the recapture of Wuchang and Hanyang, near Hankow, and was rewarded for his success by being appointed vice-president of the Board of War. His Army was so successful that the Qing leaders quickly started using it in place of their own troops, turning it into an Imperial force rather than the local force as it had been raised. In 1860 Zeng was called on to use the Xiang Army to clear Anhui, and was appointed Viceroy of Liangjiang . While Charles George Gordon and his "Ever-Victorious Army" were clearly the rebel heartland, Zeng took the opportunity to launch a campaign to retake Nanjing.

The entire area around the city had been cleared of rebel forces in a series of battles starting in June 1863. The battle for the city itself started on March 14 1864 when Zeng's forces attempted to force the city walls using ladders, but were beaten back. A second attempt used tunnels, but counter-digging and a second wall prevented a breakthrough. On July 3 the Xiang forces had their first victory, taking Dibao Castle. This position allowed them to dig new tunnels and pack them with explosives, intending to destroy the city walls. A counterattack failed, and on July 19 they were set off and a large portion of the wall collapsed. The city fell after a fierce three day battle.

After the city fell, the Xiang Army pillaged and robbed this city, killing 150,000 people and setting it on fire that lasted until July 26 1864. Zeng was promoted to Marquess Yiyong .

Governor-generals

Post Qing Dynasty from 1860 to 1890, over half of governor-generals in China were Xiang Army leaders. They had political power and could control Chinese policies.

Assassination

On 22 August 1870 the Viceroy of Liangjiang, Ma Xinyi was assassinated in Nanjing. His killer may never truly be known, but many historical rumours implicate the Empress Dowager Cixi. Many Chinese and Hong Kong dramas and movies have been produced upon this historical event.

Total soldiers

In 1860, Xiang Army power stood on top, totalling soldiers almost 360,000. The large, main group was led by Zeng Guofan commanding 130,000 troops. The Qing regular army, the Green Standard Army totaled about 2,300,000 . Taiping Rebellion total soldiers amount 1,800,000 .

Headquarters

*Headquarters were located in Qimen County Anhui originally, and after recovering Anqing in September 1861, it advanced and moved to Anqing for rounded attacks on Nanjing.

Salary

A Xiang Army soldier's salary was four ryō of silver every month. A Qing regular soldier's salary was just about 1.5 ryō silver per month.

Main leaders

Zeng Guofan

Zuo Zongtang

Zeng Guoquan

Luo Zenan

Peng Yulin

Hu Linyi

Vice leaders

Li Xubin

Li Xuyi

Bao Chao

Liu Rong

Liu Kunyi

Liu Changyou

Jiang Yili

Li Hongzhang

Disarmament and revolution

When the Huai Army deputy Xiang Army‘s political situation, Li Hongzhang began disarming the Xiang Army. As a result, in 1890, part of the Xiang Army incorporated into a gang and anti-government movement. The Xinhai Revolution exploded in 1911 and established the ROC.