Instead of directly attacking Wuchang, the commanders of the rebel army decided to first take the undefended commercial towns of Hanyang and Hankou. The Taiping forces built two floating bridges by linking boats together over the Yangtze River to connect these towns, with Wuchang on its northern side, where the defence was weaker.

The governor of the Hubei province, who resided in the capital of Wuchang, ordered all houses outside of the city walls to be destroyed in order for the gunners to have a clear path to fire. In addition, he promised that all citizens of Wuchang would receive a bounty for Taiping heads, namely twenty pieces of silver for a head with long hair, as that would represent a rebel veteran, and ten pieces of silver for the shorthaired rebels because that would signify newer recruits. However, the citizens were angered by the destruction of their homes and showed sympathy for the Taiping rebels. The city was besieged for twenty days. The Qing forces within the city blocked the gates with the earth and debris of the destroyed houses, and they created listening posts along the city walls to pinpoint the tunnelling that would breach the city. Their measures proved to be ineffective, though, as Wuchang fell on January 12th, 1853. After taking over Wuchang, the Taiping rebels decided not to march directly to Beijing as they had heard rumours of a large Qing army to the north. Instead, they opted to go east along the Yangtze River and take over Nanjing, where they would set up a base for further actions in northern China. However, Wuchang was recaptured by the imperial forces in 1854. It would soon be lost once again. The Qing army would regain control of the city again on December 19th, 1856, this time permanently.