Some of the lower esquires joined the Taiping army to confront the governments of Qing dynasty but some of them pretended to join and become agent provocateurs in the Taiping army.

• 有的勾结土匪有时联合太平军对抗清政府，有时帮助清政府镇压太平军；有的迫于形式假意加入太平军，成为太平军内患。