In 1856, Feng, a lieutenant colonel, commanded a regiment stationed in northern Jiangsu during the Taiping Rebellion. He defeated rebel forces many times on their march across the Yangtze River toward the north and was promoted to lieutenant general in 1864. The war ended in 1871. In 1867, he established his base of command in Nanning, where he worked to fight bandits, rebels, the Hmong, and other groups threatening the Qing Empire in south China and northern Vietnam.