Born to a peasant family in Guangxi around 1836, Chen Yucheng joined Taiping rebel forces during the March to the Yangtze in 1851.

15 years old at the time of his enlistment, Chen quickly rose through the ranks and in 1856, in the aftermath of the Tianjing incident, an internal power struggle within the Taiping leadership, he was promoted to a general.

After commanding a series of successful military operations west of Nanjing between 1856 and 1858, Chen was given the title of Prince Ying by the Taiping Kings in the following year.

Together with fellow Taiping General Li Xiucheng, Chen defended and released the capital during the siege of Nanjing in 1860.

In February 1861, Chen Yucheng led 100,000 troops in a preparation to attack Wuhan, leading one half of a pincer movement in an offensive against Imperial forces.