Pacification of the T'ai-p'ing Rebellion

        In 1850, Hung Hsiu-ch'üan launched a rebellion against the Ch'ing dynasty from the southern province of Kwangsi. Bent on establishing what Hung termed the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace, the T'ai-p'ing Rebellion, as it is generally known in English, rapidly spread out of control, with the regular Green Standard and Banner forces unable to stabilize the situation. Acting on orders from the Ch'ing court, Tseng Kuo-fan gathered a special militia in Hunan that came to be known as the Hsiang army. The ensuing war between the Hsiang and T'ai-p'ing armies lasted many years before finally ending in 1864 with the capture of the T'ai-p'ing capital of T'ien-ching (Chin-ling) by Tseng Kuo-chüan (Tseng Kuo-fan's younger brother). This defeat brought the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace to its end.

        Reconquest of Chin-ling
       

        Tseng Kuo-chüan first laid siege to Chin-ling in 1862. In July of 1864, he captured the city by directing his army to dig tunnels under the city's fortifications, fill them with gunpowder, and blow up the city walls.

        Imperially Commissioned Strategy for the Suppression of the Yüeh Bandits, presented by I-hsin, et al., Imperial Household vermilion silk edition.
       

        Detailed report from Tseng Kuo-chüan and other commanders on the capture of Chin-ling by the Hsiang army. Dated to 1864.