They also destroyed bridges as they passed them to delay pursuit, recruiting the boatmen along with their boats to check the advance of the Qing forces.

[3][page needed] Upon reaching the banks of the Yangtze River, they moved swiftly east downstream, instead of at once attacking the strongly walled and massively guarded city of Wuchang.

The Taiping leaders in a surprise maneuver sent their troops to the north shore and to seize the two wealthy but poorly defended commercial towns of Hanyang and Hankou, which were taken by the end of December.

After capturing these two towns, the Taipings constructed two huge floating bridges by linking boats together across the Yangtze, so they could attack Wuchang on its weaker northern face.

ordered his garrison to burn all the homes outside the Wuchang city walls to give them clearer fields of fire.