List of Rebellions in China - Nien Rebellion

Nien Rebellion

The Nien Rebellion (Chinese: 捻軍起義; pinyin: niǎn jūn qǐ yì; Wade–Giles: nien-chün ch'i-yi; Western historians have traditionally used the Wade-Giles romanization "Nien", rather than Hanyu Pinyin "Nian") was a large armed uprising that took place in northern China from 1851 to 1868. The rebellion failed to topple the Qing Dynasty, but caused immense economic devastation and loss of life that became one of the major long-term factors in the collapse of the Qing regime.

The Nien movement was formed in the late 1840s by Zhang Luoxing/Zhang Lexing, and by 1851 numbered approximately 40,000. Unlike the Taiping Rebellion, though, the Nien initially had no clear goals or objectives aside from criticism of the Qing government. However, the Nien were provoked into taking direct action against the Imperial regime following a series of ecological disasters. In 1851, the Yellow River burst its banks, flooding hundreds of thousands of square miles and causing immense loss of life. The Qing government slowly began clearing up after the disaster, but were unable to provide effective aid as government finances had been drained during a recent war with Great Britain and the ongoing slaughter of the Taiping Rebellion. The damage created by the disaster had still not been repaired when, in 1855, the river burst its banks again, drowning thousands and devastating the fertile province of Jiangsu. At the time, the Qing government was trying to negotiate a deal with the European powers, and as state finances had been so severely depleted, the regime was unable to provide effective relief aid. This enraged the Nien movement, who blamed the Europeans for contributing to China's troubles, and increasingly viewed the Qing government as incompetent and cowardly in the face of the Western powers.

In 1855, Zhang Luoxing took direct action by launching attacks against government troops in central China. By the summer, the fast-moving Nien cavalry, well-trained and fully equipped with modern firearms, had cut the lines of communication between Beijing and the Qing armies fighting the Taiping rebels in the south. Qing forces were badly overstretched as rebellions broke out across China, allowing the Nien armies to conquer large tracts of land and gain control over economically vital areas. The Nien fortified their captured cities and used them as bases to launch cavalry attacks against Qing troops in the countryside, prompting local towns to fortify themselves against Nien raiding parties. This resulted in constant fighting which devastated the previously rich provinces of Jiangsu and Hunan.

In early 1856, the Qing government sent the Mongol General Sengge Rinchen, who had recently crushed a large Taiping army, to defeat the Nien. Senggelinqin's army captured several fortified cities and destroyed most of the Nien infantry, and killed Zhang Luoxing himself in an ambush. However, the Nien movement survived as Taiping commanders arrived to take control of the Nien forces, and the bulk of the Nien cavalry remained intact. Senggelinqin's infantry-based army could not stop the fast moving cavalry from devastating the countryside and launching surprise attacks on Imperial troops. In 1865, Senggelinqin and his bodyguards were ambushed by Nien troops and killed, depriving the government of its best military commander. The Qing regime sent General Zeng Guofan to take command of Imperial forces, providing him with modern artillery and weapons, purchased from the Europeans at extortionate prices. Zeng's army set about building canals and trenches to hem in the Nien cavalry - an effective but slow and expensive method. Zeng is removed from the post after Nien broke one of his defense fronts. General Li Hongzhang and General Zuo Zongtang are in charge of the suppression. In late 1866, Nien split into two, east Nien stayed in the central China and west Nien sneaked close to Beijing. By late 1867, Li's and Zuo's troops had recaptured most Nien territory, and in early 1868, the movement was crushed by the combined forces of the government's troops and the Ever Victorious Army.