The reason why Shi Dakai chose to enter Xichuan was more out of an objective analysis of his own situation and the urgent need to find a base for himself. After leaving my original base camp, Shi Dakai's team has been fighting everywhere, without a fixed base for them to recuperate. The team's consumption was also relatively high. Without the blood transfusion support from the base camp, Shi Dakai's life after leaving was not easy, and the war was not as smooth as before, so what he needed most at this moment was a base to develop and strengthen his own strength.
From a geographical point of view, the Xichuan area is more conducive to establishing a foothold. First of all, the terrain of this place is mainly mountainous. Easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is very suitable for stationing troops and cultivating here. Secondly, the Xichuan area had relatively few wars at the time and had a relatively developed economy, especially agriculture. Establishing a base here would be conducive to hoarding grain and grass. Lay a solid foundation for the future. The third point has to do with people. Sichuan people have never been good at fighting, and it is easier to occupy than other places.
From an economic perspective, the Xichuan region has always been known as the Land of Abundance. Although it cannot be compared with the prosperous land south of the Yangtze River at that time, the situation is much better than many inland areas where wars are frequent. Shi Dakai chose this place for this reason. Here he can both station troops and raise people. When the time comes, he can take the opportunity to send troops across the country, thus completing the big goal of unifying China with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After leaving the base camp, Shi Dakai urgently needed to establish a base camp of his own.
Generally speaking, Shi Dakai was still a very capable general within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. However, Hong Xiuquan, the king of heaven, was too stupid and incompetent. It is also a helpless move to lead the troops away. Deep down in Shi Dakai's heart, he still wanted to use his own strength to restore the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to normal order as soon as possible from the chaos caused by the civil strife. Leaving Xichuan can be seen as extending the life of the decadent Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.