Li Xiucheng (李秀成)

Overview

Li Xiucheng was a rebel Commander.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 1860 十年春
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 397, passage 160
AD 1857 to AD 1861 AD 1857-1861
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 388, passage 177
AD 1864 三年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 153
AD 1864 同治三年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 59
AD 1864 同治三年六月
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 432, passage 203
AD 1864 同治三年前後
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 423, passage 126

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AD 1863 同治二年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 411, passage 41; Draft History of Qing 415, passage 182; Draft History of Qing 431, passages 15, 63; Draft History of Qing 433, passage 165
AD 1863 同治二年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 115; Draft History of Qing 435, passages 65, 82
AD 1862 同治元年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 12; Draft History of Qing 431, passage 12; Draft History of Qing 432, passage 201; Draft History of Qing 433, passage 98
AD 1862 同治元年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passages 48, 111-112
AD 1862 同治元年十二月
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 225
AD 1860 咸豐十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 100
AD 1860 咸豐十年閏三月
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 405, passage 120
AD 1862 to AD 1863 大軍逼江寧
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passages 111, 115, 130
AD 1862 李秀成
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 405, passage 166
AD 1861 to AD 1862 當是時
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 405, passage 150

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Loyal King 忠王
AD 1860 十年春 · Held
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 397, passage 160
Loyal King 忠王
Held · rebel title (偽)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 12
Loyal King 忠王
Held
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 411, passage 41
Prince of Zhong 忠王
Held
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 82
Entered
Captivity
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 59

Places and affiliations

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 太平天國
Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 82
Polity Qing 清 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 388, passage 177
Polity Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 太平天國 · Relation Rebelled against Qing
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 433, passages 98, 165
Polity Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 太平天國 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 405, passages 120, 150, 166; Draft History of Qing 414, passage 12; Draft History of Qing 431, passages 12, 63, 100
Polity Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 太平天國 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 411, passage 41; Draft History of Qing 414, passages 48, 153; Draft History of Qing 432, passage 201
Polity Taiping 太平天國 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 397, passage 160

Events and relationships

Attacked with massed force
AD 1862 同治元年 · Military · Commander · At Yanxing 顏行 · With Liu Lianjie (劉連捷)
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 112
Attacked
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander · At Baodai Bridge 寶帶橋
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 415, passage 182
Besieged Changshu; later massed to relieve Suzhou
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 411, passages 41, 47, 51
Besieged with long encirclement
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander · At Wuwei 無為州 · With Liu Lianjie (劉連捷)
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 115
Besieged
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander · At Daqiaojiao 大橋角
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 63
Besieged
AD 1862 同治元年十二月 · Military · Commander · At Changshu 常熟
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 225

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Drove on hangzhou
AD 1860 十年春 · Military · Invader · At Hangzhou 杭州
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 397, passage 160
Failed to relieve Suzhou then escaped
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passages 82, 85
Feigned as government troops
AD 1864 三年 · Military · Commander · At Chaoyang Gate 朝陽門
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 153
Fled
AD 1864 同治三年六月 · Military · Commander · At Jiangning 江寧
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 432, passage 203
Fought
AD 1862 同治元年 · Military · Commander · At west of Shanghai 滬西
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 12
Held
AD 1860 咸豐十年 · Military · Commander · At Yi county 黟縣
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 100
Hid and was captured
AD 1864 同治三年 · Military · Fugitive · With Fusi (孚泗)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 59
Led relief and besieged main camp
Military · Reliever · At Jiangning 江寧
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 130
Marched from Suzhou to relieve Jiangning and sent detachments against Wuhu
AD 1862 同治元年 · Military · Commander · At Wuhu 蕪湖
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 433, passage 98
Marched to relieve
AD 1862 同治元年 · Military · Reliever · At Jiangning 江寧
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 48
Night sortie
AD 1864 三年 · Military · Commander · At Taiping Gate 太平門
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 153
Relief assault
Military · Commander · At Jiangning 江寧
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 12
Relieved Jiangning
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 405, passage 120
Relieved
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander · At Jiangyin 江陰
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 15
Threatened
AD 1863 同治二年 · Military · Commander · At Changshu 常熟
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 431, passage 15
Relation Ally of · Person Li Shixian (李世賢)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passage 112

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 397, passage 160; Draft History of Qing 414, passage 112
Value historical
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 414, passages 48, 153

References in the histories

Search passages

History

30 passages

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 388Volume 388 Biographies 175: Gui Liang, Rui Lin Son: Huai Tabu, Guan Wen, Wen Yu · 1 passage

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時大軍圍安慶急，陳玉成、李秀成先後分兵犯湖北境，冀掣動局勢，遣將迭破之，所陷諸郡縣皆复。 While the main army pressed Anqing, Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng sent columns into Hubei to relieve the pressure. Guan Wen's generals defeated them repeatedly and recovered every fallen county.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 397Volume 397 Biographies 184: Lu Jianying, Yang Wending, Qing Lin, Chong Lun, He Guiqing · 1 passage

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偽忠王李秀成乃謀竄浙，分大軍之勢，由安徽廣德徑趣杭州。 The rebel Loyal King Li Xiucheng planned to slip into Zhejiang and divide the main force; from Guangde in Anhui he drove straight on Hangzhou.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 405Volume 405 Biographies 192: Ceng Guofan · 3 passages

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李秀成大會群賊建平，分道援江寧，江南大營复潰，常州、蘇州相繼失，咸豐十年閏三月也。 Li Xiucheng gathered the rebel hosts at Jianping and sent columns to relieve Jiangning; the Great Camp of Jiangnan collapsed again, and Changzhou and Suzhou fell in turn—it was the intercalary third month of the tenth year of Xianfeng.

當是時，偽天王洪秀全僭號踞金陵，偽忠王李秀成等犯蘇、滬，偽侍王李世賢等陷浙杭，偽輔王楊輔清等屯寧國，偽康王汪海洋窺江西，偽英王陳玉成屯廬州，捻首苗霈霖出入潁、壽，與玉成合，圖竄山東、河南，眾皆號數十萬。 At that time the false Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan held Jinling in regal pretension; the false Loyal King Li Xiucheng and others attacked Suzhou and Shanghai; the false Attendant King Li Shixian and others seized Zhejiang and Hangzhou; the false Assistant King Yang Fuqing and others held Ningguo; the false King of Kang Wang Haiyang watched Jiangxi; the false Brave King Chen Yucheng held Luzhou; Nian chief Miao Peilin moved in and out of Ying and Shou, cooperating with Yucheng and plotting to break into Shandong and Henan—all claiming forces in the hundreds of thousands.

時洪秀全被圍久，召李秀成蘇州，李世賢浙江，悉眾來援，號六十萬，圍雨花台軍。 At this time Hong Xiuquan, long besieged, summoned Li Xiucheng from Suzhou and Li Shixian from Zhejiang; they came with all their forces, claiming six hundred thousand men, and besieged the army at Yuhuatai.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 411Volume 411 Biographies 198: Li Hongzhang · 3 passages

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偽忠王李秀成悉眾圍常熟，江陰援賊复陷福山。 The rebel Loyal King Li Xiucheng mustered his full strength to besiege Changshu, and rebel reinforcements from Jiangyin retook Fukushan.

李秀成糾合偽納王郜雲官等水陸十萬，偪大橋角而營，鶴章擊之，敗走，九月，复集，連營互進。 Li Xiucheng rallied the rebel Prince of Na, Gao Yunguan, and others—one hundred thousand men on land and water—and pitched camp pressing Daqiaojiao. Hezhang attacked and drove them off; in the ninth month they gathered again and advanced camp by camp.

賊陷江寧、蘇、杭為三大窟，而蘇則其脊膂也，故李秀成百計援之。 The rebels had made Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou their three great strongholds, and Suzhou was the backbone among them; Li Xiucheng therefore strained every means to relieve it.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 414Volume 414 Biographies 201: Li Chendian, Xiao Fusi, Zhu Hongzhang, Liu Lianjie, Peng Yuju, Zhang Shiri, Wu Weishou, Zhu Nangui, Luo Fengyuan, Li Xianghe, Xiao Qingyan, Wu Zongguo · 7 passages

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軍中疫作，李秀成大舉來援，逼壘鏖戰，國荃督陣，砲傷頰，臣典與副將倪桂節力衛之，桂節陣亡。 When plague swept the army, Li Xiucheng marched up in strength; the rebels pressed the encampment in bitter fighting. Guoquan commanded from the front and took a shell wound to the cheek; Chendian and Deputy Commander Ni Guijie fought hard to shield him, and Guijie fell on the field.

李秀成來援，分黨趨江心洲截運道，孚泗等逆擊敗之。 Li Xiucheng marched to the rescue; rebel columns moved on Jiangxin Isle to sever the supply line, and Fusi counterattacked and drove them off.

李秀成匿民舍，孚泗索獲之，並擒洪仁達。 Li Xiucheng hid in a private house; Fusi tracked him down and took him, along with Hong Renda.

連捷軍屯顏行，李秀成、李世賢糾大眾來攻，以炸砲破營壁，連捷築橫牆拒之，常乘賊懈夜出破賊壘。 Lianjie's troops were at Yanxing when Li Xiucheng and Li Shixian mustered a huge force; shellfire breached the camp wall, but Lianjie threw up a cross-wall to hold the line and repeatedly exploited rebel lapses to raid their forts by night.

二年，李秀成困以長圍，軍糧垂盡，彭玉麟勸突圍出，連捷誓死守。 In the second year Li Xiucheng tightened a long siege around them until provisions nearly ran out; Peng Yulin urged a breakout, but Lianjie vowed to hold to the last.

李秀成率眾來援，大營被圍。 Li Xiucheng marched up with a large relief force, and the main camp was surrounded.

方開掘龍膊子地道，李秀成夜自太平門突出來犯，又詐為官軍，別從朝陽門東隅出，偪營縱火，詩日偕諸將力戰卻之。 While the Longbozi tunnel was still being dug, Li Xiucheng burst out of Taiping Gate by night; he also sent men disguised as imperial troops from the east side of Chaoyang Gate to press the camp and set it ablaze, but Shiri and the other commanders fought them off.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 415Volume 415 Biographies 202: Huang Yisheng, Ding Yifang, Wang Ji, Wu Jiabang, Li Chengmou, Li Chaobin, Jiang Fushan, Liu Peiyuan · 2 passages

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賊酋李秀成率眾七八萬奪寶帶橋，朝斌會陸師合擊，血戰挫之，賊始退。 Li Xiucheng led seventy or eighty thousand men to seize Baodai Bridge; Chaobin and the land columns bloodily checked them until the rebels drew off.

會克五龍橋賊壘，分攻葑門、閶門，晝夜轟擊，李秀成先逸，餘黨以城降。 He took the Wulong Bridge fort, split his force against Jiangmen and Changmen, shelled day and night; Xiucheng fled first and the rest surrendered the city.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 423Volume 423 Biographies 210: Zong Jichen, Yin Gengyun, Wang Zheng, Mu Jixianga, You Baichuan, Shen Huai · 1 passage

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金陵賊窟雖計於三四月間可拔，而丹陽與常州犄角，百戰悍賊如李秀成等，麇集死守。 Jinling might fall within three or four months, but Danyang and Changzhou supported each other, and veterans like Li Xiucheng massed there for a last stand.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 431Volume 431 Biographies 218: Guo Songlin, Li Changle, Yang Dingxun, Tang Diankui, Tang Dingkui, Teng Siwu, Luo Guozhong · 5 passages

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同治元年，李鴻章率淮軍八千赴上海，松林從，與偽忠王李秀成偽慕王譚紹光大戰滬西，破賊眾十萬。 In 1862 Li Hongzhang led eight thousand Huai Army men to Shanghai, and Songlin went with him. West of the city he fought the rebel Loyal King Li Xiucheng and the rebel Prince Mu Tan Shaoguang and routed a rebel host of one hundred thousand.

李秀成合水陸數十萬援江陰，犯常熟，劉銘傳謀乘賊未定擊之。 Li Xiucheng gathered several hundred thousand land and river forces to relieve Jiangyin and menaced Changshu. Liu Mingchuan proposed hitting them before they were fully in position.

李秀成圍大橋角營，從松林往援，奪其舟，賊退走，盡平梅村諸壘。 Li Xiucheng besieged the camp at Daqiaojiao. Changle went with Songlin to relieve it, seized the rebel boats, and drove them off until every fort around Meicun was cleared.

李秀成踞黟縣，鼎勳擊賊城下，奪門入，大軍繼之，復其城。 Li Xiucheng held Yi county. Dingxun assaulted the walls, forced the gate, and broke in; the main force followed and the city was retaken.

十二月，李秀成等以眾數万自蘇州來攻，連營十餘裡。 In the twelfth month Li Xiucheng marched from Suzhou with tens of thousands of men and pitched a line of camps more than ten li long.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 432Volume 432 Biographies 219: Xiao Qijiang, Zhang Yunlan, Tang Xunfang, Jiang Ningxue, Chen Shi, Li Yuandu · 2 passages

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同治元年，從國荃攻江寧，建議先並力九洑洲，斷江北接濟，先後會諸軍擊走李秀成、李世賢援眾。 In 1862 he followed Guoquan in the assault on Nanjing, urged that they first concentrate on Jiufu Isle to sever supplies from north of the river, and helped drive off the relief columns of Li Xiucheng and Li Shixian.

三年六月，克江寧，湜入旱西門，遇李秀成率死黨出走，逆擊反奔，尋為他軍所擒，以按察使記名。 In the sixth month of 1864 Nanjing fell; Shi entered Hanxi Gate, met Li Xiucheng fleeing with his hard core, turned and drove them back, and Li was soon taken by another column; Shi was placed on the list for provincial surveillance commissioner.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 433Volume 433 Biographies 220: Jin Guochen, Huang Chunxi, Wu Kunxiu, Kang Guoqi, Li Hezhang Younger Brother: Zhao Qing, Wu Yulan · 2 passages

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同治元年，李秀成自蘇州援江寧，分犯蕪湖，會軍擊卻之，又會克金保圩、高淳、溧水及溧陽、東壩各要隘，遣散降眾數萬。 In the first year of Tongzhi Li Xiucheng marched from Suzhou to relieve Jiangning and sent detachments against Wuhu; Kunxiu joined the allied force and beat them back, then helped capture Jinbaowei, Gaochun, Lishui, and the key positions at Liyang and Dongba, and released tens of thousands of surrendered men.

進攻無錫，踞賊黃子隆死守，李秀成屢來援； He advanced on Wuxi, where the rebel Huang Zilong held the city to the death while Li Xiucheng came repeatedly to relieve it;

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 435Volume 435 Biographies 222: Hua Er, Lei Bo Lei Dong, Fa Er Di Fu, Ge Deng, Ri Yi Ge, De Ke Bei, He De, Bo Li · 3 passages

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偽忠王李秀成聞警赴援，屢敗； The Taiping Prince of Zhong, Li Xiucheng, hurried to relieve the city and was beaten back again and again;

乃與學啟乘單舸會雲官等於洋澄湖，令斬秀成、紹光以獻，學啟與誓，戈登證之。 He and Xueqi then took a small boat to meet Yunguan and the others on Yangcheng Lake, demanding the heads of Xiucheng and Shaoguang as the price of surrender; Xueqi swore the pact and Gordon witnessed it.

未幾，秀成遁，雲官殺紹光，開齊門迎降，賞頭等功牌、銀幣，並犒其軍。 Xiucheng soon escaped; Yunguan killed Shaoguang, opened the Qi Gate to the besiegers, and was rewarded with a first-class merit plaque, silver, and a feast for his troops.