alternatehistory.com

Despite the defeat of the North Expedition in Beijing, the few shattered remains of the North Expedition headed South and merged with another rebellion against the Qing. The Nian Rebellion located in Northern China was fueled by a mix of Qing failures, recent natural disasters, and preoccupation with the Taiping. The Nian were a mix of peasants, army deserters, and criminals largely focused on plundering the better off. A coalition of these rebels found leadership under a man called Zhang Lexing in 1855, under whom they would begin to take increasing actions against the Qing government. The Nian grow in number encouraged by the capture of Bejing, swelling in size with a total of 10 armies numbering 30,000 to 50,000 men. These forces would launch hit and run tactics against Qing bogging down units that could be have been used against Taping and other rebels along with cutting off Qing communications.

Further to the South, The Western Expedition unlike it's northern counterpart would see more permanent success for the nascent Heavenly Kingdom. Pushing from the capital of Nanjing in mid May of 1853 to secure the Yangtze River. The Taiping faced heavily resistance in this endeavor from Xiang Army . This army was created from local militia and led by a Han Qing official called Zeng Guofan, a brilliant general halting the Taiping for near a year and a half in the province of Hunan. Following defeats in January and February of 1855, Zeng Guofan would commit suicide[1] leaving the door opened for the Taiping to secure the Yangtze river up to the city of Yibin in the following two years despite a partial recall to defend the capital in of March 1856. With the Taiping taking control of most of the Yangtze river, the remained Qing forces in Southern China now cut off from the North weathered away with the various rebellions in Southern China expanding.

[1] Attempted but failed