On The Jiangnan Camp Of Qing's Troops

The peasants' uprising of Tai ping Heavenly Kingdom led by HONG Xiu-quan broke out in 1851. Two years later, Nianjing was chosen as the capital of the Kingdom and renamed as Tianjing, which symbolized the confrontation between the Qing Dynasty and Tai ping Heavenly Kingdom. In order to eradicate the uprising, the Qing government set up Jiangnan Military Camp and Jiangbei Military Camp. Based on the discussion of the organization of the Jiangnan Military Camp and the battle against Tai ping armies, the present thesis analyzed the process that the Qing government suppressed the Tai ping revolution with military forces, uncovering the changeable period of history in Tai ping revolution, presenting the alternation of the late Qing's military institution, providing a clue for understanding the historical events in the Qing Dynasty. The whole thesis is composed of seven chapters.The first chapter is the introduction of Jiangnan Military Camp, which discusses its construction, development, withering and function in military affairs.The second chapter probes into the battles between Jiangnan Camp and the Tai ping army, concerning the organization and process of some major battles, analyzing the strategies and tactics that the Qing government used to suppress Tai ping army.Chapter three addresses the logistic support, payment and rewarding of Jiangnan Miliatry Camp, analyzing the inevitable appearance of the Lijin (taxation) system and the acute financial difficulty that Tai ping revolution brought to the Qing government.Chapter four posts the unique elements in the withering of Jiangnan Camp based on an analysis of the captains and generals in the camp.Chapter five makes a comparison between Jiannan and Jiangbei Military Camp, discussing the Qing government's strategy against Tai ping army, the "clamp-shaped" offensive to the capital of Tai ping Heavenly Kingdom and its failure.Chapter six discusses the relationship between Jiangnan Military Camp and Xiang Army, presenting varied perspectives for the analysis of the historical influence of Jiangnan Military Camp.Chapter seven concludes with the historic significance and influence of Jiangnan Military Camp.