Zeng Guofan
Shi's battle of Hukou, Jiangxi, in 1855, was the most dramatic of Taiping's military victories. The Xiang marines (湘軍水師), led by Zeng Guofan, was considered the elite of Qing forces. Shi arrived on the battlefield in December, receiving command after Taiping had already suffered serious losses. Shi planned the battle meticulously, laying out airtight defenses and using small boats to continuously harass the enemy camps, then trapping the Qing's ships with secretly built dams and chopping the Xiang forces in half. Shi led a series of swift offenses securing decisive victories for Taiping, driving the Qing commander Zeng Guofan to attempt suicide, and later calling Shi "the most cunning and strong amongst the Taiping."