Early life

Born in the Guiping district of Guangxi, Qin was a miner by trade, but had studied the military arts. He began following Hong Xiuquan in the early days of the God Worshipper movement and was counted among Hong's most trusted friends.

Leadership in the Taiping Rebellion

Qin was entrusted with key military assignments by Hong Xiuquan and eventually became a marquis of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and its fourth most senior military officer, behind only Yang Xiuqing, Wei Changhui, and Shi Dakai. in 1854, Hong Xiuquan elevated him to the status of king, but this honor was subsequently revoked by Yang Xiuqing.

• Battle of Nanjing (1853): occupied Nanjing with Yang Xiuqing

• Occupied Wuhan (1855)

• Killed governor Jeer Hungar (1856)

The Jiangnan Daying were a military force employed twice by the Qing government to encircle Nanjing. The first time, 80,000 soldiers encircled Nanjing in March 1853, led by Qin Rigang and Li Xiucheng. In May 1856, he defeated forces under Imperial Commissioner Xiang Rong, forcing him to commit suicide.

Tianjing Incident and Death

Qin was executed, along with Wei Changhui, during the Tianjing Incident, a major internal conflict within the Taiping Rebellion. While consolidating power, Yang Xiuqing had sought to humiliate Qin, going so far as to threat him with imprisonment and enslavement for alleged failures in fulfilling his duties. Shortly before seeking a title commiserate with Hong Xiuquan's, Yang dispatched Qin, Shi Dakai, and Wei Changhui to separate provinces. Hong, viewing Yang's request as treasonous, alerted the three generals to return at once. Qin arrived in Nanjing before the other two generals and was joined by Wei and his three thousand troops on September 1, 1856. In consultation with Hong Xiuquan and his allies, the two generals decided not to wait for Shi Dakai's arrival. Instead, they and their troops immediately stormed Yang's palace and slew him before he could escape. They then slaughtered his family and followers within the palace, despite having agreed with Hong that only Yang was to die. At this point, six thousand of Yang's followers remained in Nanjing. Hong and his generals agreed to set a trap for those men. Hong pretended to arrest Qin and Wei Changhui for their actions and invited Yang's followers to watch as the two were beaten. Once the majority of Yang's followers were inside, the beatings ceased and Yang's followers were imprisoned inside the halls from which they were watching the beatings. The next morning, they were all systemically slaughtered. Killings of Yang's followers continued for three additional months.

Shi Dakai finally reached Nanjing in October and blamed Wei for the excessive bloodshed. Wei in turn suggested that Shi may be a traitor Having been warned that he could be assassinated next, Shi fled Nanjing, leaving the same day he arrived. That night, Wei and Qin Rigang stormed Shi's mansion and slaughtered his family and retinue. Shi then consolidated an army of 100,000 and demanded the heads of Wei and Qin. Qin was directed by Wei to block Shi's advance, while Wei plotted the imprisonment of Hong Xiquan. Hong Xiuquan was able to preempt those plans, however, and had his bodyguards kill Wei. Qin was lured back and killed shortly thereafter.

生平

秦日綱在早年加入拜上帝會，1851年參加金田起義，永安建制時任天官正丞相。1853年秦被封頂天侯，代翼王石達開駐安慶。次年5月封燕王，率軍援救北伐軍，至舒城折回。因武昌、漢陽失守，秦到田家鎮督師，12月被湘軍擊破，退回安徽。

約20萬滿族人被秦日綱的太平軍殺死在天京。

1855年秦日綱在廣濟擊敗湖廣總督楊霈，攻克武昌、漢陽。

1856年3月，秦日綱率軍援鎮江，4月陷揚州（同月被清軍奪回），6月初擊敗清江蘇巡撫吉爾杭阿軍，吉爾杭阿陣亡（一說自殺）。秦日綱隨後參與一破江南大營之役，7月圍丹陽受挫，降為頂天燕。

1856年9月發生「天京事變」，秦日綱受天王洪秀全密旨，與北王韋昌輝誅殺東王楊秀清，可是其後秦卻聯同北王繼續濫殺東王餘下部屬及其家人，更被迫追隨北王血洗翼王府。翼王石達開逃出天京後，北王派秦日綱帶兵追捕，秦日綱見天京以外的太平軍大多支持翼王，只好放棄追捕，改為攻擊清軍。北王韋昌輝被殺後，在翼王要求下，秦日綱最後仍被天王處死，並革除爵位。

雜項

陳可辛導演的電影「投名狀」（The Warlords）有描述秦日綱北伐至舒城的戰爭場面。