Battle of Anqing

the spring of 1861, the Tianjing authorities decided to mobilize a large army from the north and south of the Yangtze River to directly attack the enemy who besieged Anqing. In late April, Chen Yucheng led more than ten thousand main men to return to Anqing Jixian Pass from Huangzhou in eastern Hubei Province, approaching the besieged Hunan Army. On May 1, Hong Rengan, the leader of Tianjing, Lin Shaozhang, the king of Zhang, and Wu Ruxiao, the former general of the army, led more than 20000 troops to Xin'andu, Hengshanpu and Liantan, near Tongcheng, with a battalion of 15 kilometers. They planned to go to the periphery of Anqing to meet with Chen Yucheng and try to solve the siege of Anqing. On the 2nd, Hong Rengan and others retreated from Tongcheng after being intercepted by Dolong Abe. The main general of Dingnan, Huang Wenjin, led an army of seven or eight thousand people from Wuhu to help. Together with Lin Shaozhang's army, he gathered more than 20000 Nien troops. On the 6th, he attacked the enemy troops in Xinandou and Tuihe River again, defeated them for Dolong Abe, retreated to Tianlin Villa, and retreated to Kong Town. At that time, Chen Yucheng learned that Bao Chao, the Qing army commander, and Cheng Daji, together with more than ten thousand troops, were going to Jixian Pass, so he left thousands of elite soldiers, including Liu Yaolin, the leader of Jingdong, to guard the fourth base, including Chigang Ridge, and withdrew to Tongcheng on the 19th with 5000 or 6000 people. On the 23rd, Chen Yucheng met with Hong Rengan, Lin Shaozhang, Huang Wenjin and other troops in Tongcheng, and attacked the enemy of the Trailer River in different ways. The Xiang army was defeated and their assistance was blocked. The bases of the Taiping Army in Chigang Ridge were also attacked by Bao Chao and Cheng Daji successively because of their isolation. Liu Yaolin and thousands of his subordinates all died.

The Anqing Taiping Army has been surrounded for nearly a year, and the grain bombs will be destroyed. The Tianjing authorities decided to transfer the auxiliary king Yang Fuqing from southern Anhui to rescue. Yang Fuqing's troops set out from Ningguo (now Xuancheng) in late July. After crossing the river, they went from Wuwei to Tongcheng. Together with Chen Yucheng's army, they went west, bypassing Shucheng, Huoshan, Yingshan (now Hubei), and Susong to Taihu Lake. On August 7, the Taiping Army marched eastward from Taihu Lake, by way of Xiaochiyi, Sanqiaotou (now north of Huaining) and other places, and directly attacked the rear of the encircled division of the Hunan Army; At the same time, six or seven thousand troops of Lin Shaozhang and Wu Ruxiao attacked the Trailer River from the west; Five or six thousand of Huang Wenjin's men went south from Lvting Posthouse to support Chen Yucheng and Yang Fuqing's troops. From August 21 to 24, 40000 and 50000 troops of Chen Yucheng and Yang Fuqing entered the Jixian Pass and camped in more than 40 places around the pass, Maoling and Shilipu. The defenders in the city also lined up around the west gate. From 25th to 28th, the Taiping Army stormed the back trenches of the Hunan Army on more than 10 routes. They attacked one after another bravely. They took turns to attack more than 10 times. They once broke through the first layer of trenches, but the Hunan Army eventually beat them back, killing more than 3000 people. From August 28 to September 2, the Taiping Army organized another night attack, but failed. When the grain in the city was exhausted, the Hunan army took the opportunity to attack fiercely. In the early morning of the 5th day, the Hunan army bombed and collapsed the northern city of Anqing, and all armies swarmed over the trench. Anqing fell. Ye Yunlai, Wu Dingcai and more than 10000 defenders would rather die than surrender, or die in battle, or throw themselves into the river, and die a martyr.

The Taiping Army saved Anqing by directly attacking the enemy who besieged Anqing without first clearing up the periphery. It was just in line with the plan of the Hunan Army to encircle the city and fight for help. As a result, it was repeatedly frustrated and Anqing was not guaranteed. After the fall of Anqing, Tianjing lost its western barrier, and the Hunan army took advantage of the situation to build a foothold and move eastward to Tianjing.