Li Xubin
Li Xubin, courtesy name Di'an or Kehui, was a Chinese military general who lived in the Qing dynasty. He was a commander of the Xiang Army, a military force raised by the Qing government to help the imperial forces in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. His younger brother, Li Xuyi, was also a commander in the Xiang Army.
Born in Hunan province to a minor prosperous family, Li Xubin enlisted in the Hunan militia in 1852. Within four years, Li Xubin became a veteran combat leader with a reputation as an aggressive and resourceful officer. After leading the Xiang Army in a successful assault against the Taiping rebels' stronghold of Wuchang in December 1856, he repelled several rebel counterattacks by using tactics such as the construction of a series of water-filled trenches.
Advancing down the Yangtze Valley in early-1858, Li Xubin's forces occupied the surrounding area of Jiujiang before capturing the city on May 19. In an offensive to recapture Anhui province from the Taiping rebels, Li Xubin was eventually killed in action while leading an attack on the rebel-controlled Sanhe Town on November 16, 1858.
