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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li. Li Xiucheng (Chinese: 李秀成; pinyin: Lǐ Xiùchéng; 1823 – August 7, 1864) was a military commander in the Taiping Rebellion. He was born in a poor peasant family. He was known as the Loyal King (忠王) at the end of his life. This honor was given because he refused the bribe of a Qing general officer to kill Hong Xiuquan who is the founder and leader of the rebellion. Generally, Li Xiucheng led Taiping forces to several victories. After he was capturing and interrogating at the third and final Battle in Nanjing,1864, he was executed by Zeng Guofan. Li was the most important military leader of the rebel forces by the end of the Taiping Rebellion.

Notable victories against the Qing military forces

The second rout of the Jiangnan Army Group: Jiangnan Army Group (江南大營) was an important Qing army barracks in Nanjing. Li Xiucheng led rebellion forces besieged the Army Group Jiangnan with an attempting to starve it out. Additionally, in the second encirclement, the Qing army commanded 200,000 soldiers to fight with Taiping forces from March 1858; however, they were finally routed by Li Xiucheng in May 1860. After that fighting, Li went on to occupy all of Jiangsu provinces except Shanghai.

Two attacks on Shanghai: Battle of Shanghai (1861) (the second time): The Battle of Shanghai is a main engagement for Taiping Rebellion occupying Shanghai from June 1861 to July 1862. There are three stages in the Battle of Shanghai, including first stage, middle stage and the last stage. The first stage is began by Li Rongfa who is a Taiping force, with an invasion of Pudong by 20,000 men, transported in thousands of boats. In the middle stage, on April 10, 1862, after Li Hongzhang governed Jiangsu, he led the Huai army began their counterattack on Shanghai. for the last stage, in September 1862, Taiping rebellion began their second attack in Shanghai. However, Qing government combined their army to fight with Taiping rebellion. Taiping Rebellion abandon to occupy Shanghai.

Escaped from Suzhou: Li Xiucheng's palace in Suzhou is the only one palace exists today from the Taiping Rebellion period. In July 1863, Li ordered his daughter's husband, Tan SauGuan, to take over control of Suzhou. But Li Hongzhang lead the Huai Army, which combined by the "Ever Victorious Army." "The "ever Victorious Army" was raised by an American named Frederick Townsend Ward and the army was placed under the command of Charles George Gordon. With the support of the "Ever Victorious Army", Li Hongzhang gained numerous victories leading to the surrender of Suzhou.

Determining battle: lead defend capital Nanjing

Chiang Donkey: The Chiang Donkey (蔣驢子) was a Taiping Rebellion force and he became Xiucheng's stable manager. Before the fall of Nanjing in 1864, Li Xiucheng took his wealth, such as treasure. Li Xiucheng gave his treasure to Chiang Donkey and asked Chiang to take it out of Nanjing quickly, and then waiting for Li Xiucheng somewhere. Chiang promised Li Xiucheng and transport the treasure by 20 horses and cows car, but Li was executed at last. Thus, Chiang Donkey owned the treasure and became rich in Nanjing after the civil war. Writing: In Zhong Prince Li Xiucheng Describes Himself (《忠王李秀成自述》), the autobiographical account Li Xiucheng's life before his execution (Pseudohistory saying Li was suicide and admitted by Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan gave Li a sword because he respected Li. Li Hongzhang read this describes which written in Zhong Prince Li Xiucheng Describes Himself and then he praised Li Xiucheng was a hero on a letter to Zeng).

Li's sword: When Li withdrew from Suzhou, his sword—the symbol of his power—was given to his young brother Li Shixian. Li Shixian took this sword, but he lost sword and he was captured by Charles George Gordon in Liyang. When Charles George Gordon came back to the UK with Li's sword, he gave it to Queen Victoria's cousin, the chief commander of the military of Duke of Cambridge. and then he gave the sword to his brother's daughter. On August 30, 1961, a professor of history at the University of London discovered this sword. He was very excited and certain that the sword had belonged to the great revolutionary Li Xiucheng. In 1981, this sword was returned to China and it is currently stored in the National Museum of China now.