Wei Changhui and Qin Rigang assassinate Yang Xiuqing at Tianjing

Background. Yang Xiuqing was an organizer and commander-in-chief of the Taiping Rebellion. Taiping troops captured Nanjing, which became the capital of the Heavenly Kingdom in 1853. In August 1856, Yang defeated the government troops besieging the city. Shortly before seeking a title equivalent to Hong Xiuquan's, Yang dispatched Wei Changhui, Shi Dakai, and Qin Rigang to separate provinces, setting the stage for internal conflict.

The Purge. Wei Changhui, the North King, returned to Nanjing on September 1, 1856, with three thousand troops. He found that Qin Rigang had already arrived. Yang Xiuqing and his followers were slaughtered by Wei Changhui, Qin Rigang, and their troops on Hong Xiuquan's orders, marking a severe internal conflict in September and October 1856.

Consequences. The Taiping rebels were severely weakened by internal conflicts, including the attempted coup of September and October 1856, of which the Tianjing Incident was part, following the failure of the campaign against Beijing (1853–1855). Weakened, they were defeated by decentralised provincial armies such as the Xiang Army organised and commanded by Zeng Guofan.