On the Reasons for the Failure of the Northern Expedition of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Abstract

In 1853, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officially established its capital in Nanjing, in order to expand the revolution throughout the country, completely defeat the Qing government, and establish a national political power, it successively carried out major strategic military operations such as the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition. However, the highly anticipated Northern Expedition stopped at Tianjin and ultimately failed, leaving a tragic scene in the history of the Taiping Rebellion, which made future generations lament. The main reason for this is due to the mistakes in the military strategic guidance of the Taiping Army and the insufficient logistical support for food and other supplies caused by the deepening of the Northern Expedition. The Northern Expedition is certainly worthy of recognition, but its experiences and less