 The rebels then moved on to capture the towns of Tangyi and then Liulin with ease, and from there they marched on to Linqing, a large and strategically important city.Before reaching Linqing, Wang Lun's rebels defeated Qing dynasty troops at every engagement, and rumor spread that the rebels practiced invulnerability magic.Many city officials of Linqing fled in terror before the White Lotus rebels arrived at the city on 11 October.