关于太平天国时期上海战略地位的思考

透视历史,我们可以发现上海与太平天国有着一种内在的联系:上海因为太平天国的兴起而加速了城市繁荣和近代化的步伐;太平天国因为未尽全力进攻上海、占领上海,使上海成为中外武装势力积聚并发展壮大的根据地。在上海问题上,太平天国犯了两个严重错误:一是忽略了上海的经济地位,二是忽略了上海的战略地位。上海士绅一直视太平天国为劲敌,而太平天国领袖视上海为弹丸之地。中外武装势力从不被太平天国重视的上海"由下而上"逆向开始发力,兵锋直指江浙。曾国藩的湘军由上而下,李鸿章的淮军由下而上,太平天国在上下两股力量特别是来自上海力量的夹击下终于败亡。

Reflections on the Strategic Status of Shanghai During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

It shocked Shanghai when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom(1851-1864) made Nanjing the capital.Seizing the circumjacent area of Shanghai in its later phase,the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,however,never really occupied the city itself.A close study shows that there is an inner connection between Shanghai and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.While Shanghai sped up its prospering and modernizing pace due to the burgeoning of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,the latter left Shanghai as the base for the gathering and growing opposite forces home and abroad when it failed to strain every nerve to seize the town.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom made the serious mistake of disregarding the economic and strategic status of the town.The gentries in Shanghai viewed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as a formidable adversary while the leaders of the Kingdom believed the town to be unimportant.As a result,the armed forces home and abroad launched attacks with Shanghai as their base.Zeng Guofan's Xiang Force headed from the upper reaches to the lower reaches and Li Hongzhang's Huai Force moved from the opposite direction.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was eventually defeated under their converging attacks.