THE SPLIT What magic intersection of timing,fate,and providence can found our Earthly Paradise upon the rock?The homage demanded from the foreign visitors,and the excoriation of Emperor Xianfeng and all his followers as demon dogs and foxes,cannot hide the realities of boundaries that shift in response to the exigencies of war,and of a Heavenly Capital that turns in upon itself. The Taiping leadership has followed an ambitious strategy,which has worked only in part.To capture the Demon's Den of Peking city,they have dispatched in May 1853 a dedicated Taiping army of some seventy thousand veteran Guangxi men and new recruits on a northern march, but God has not blessed the enterprise.The Qing forces have kept them guessing with false intelligence reports designed to suggest the advance of huge Qing armies to the south,while their real troops and local militia forces mount spirited defenses of small towns,slowing the marchers unex- pectedly.The terrain of northern China is unfamiliar,and progress fur- ther hampered by the Qing government's appointment of a special officer whose only task is to keep all boats on the northern shore of the Yellow River as the Taiping troops approach,making it impossible for them to repeat the triumphs of their earlier 1852 campaigns on the Yangzi.Even
THE SPLIT What rnagic intcrscction of tiΠ `ing,幺tc,and providcncc can 允und our Earthly Paradisc upon thc rockP Thc homagc dcmandcd fron△ thc forcign visitors,and thc cxc° riation of Ernpcror Xian炙 ng and aⅡ his foll° wcrs as dcmon dogs and foxcs,cannot hidc thc rcahtics of boundarics that shift in rcsponsc to thc cxigcncics of war,and° f a Hcavcnly CapitaI that turns in upon itsclf Thc iΓaiping Icadcrship has folloⅥ `cd an ambitious stratcgy,、 vhich has 帑蕊黯弼铽1瑟:t∶ Ⅰc絮显踹:i拄r二;綮 i抵 thousand vctcran Guangx1mcn and nc、 v rccru1ts on a northcrn march, 虫招 but G°d has not blcsscd thc cntcrprisc.Thc Qing凡 rccs havc kcpt thcm gucssing with falsc intclligcncc rcports dcsigncd to suggcst thc advancc of hugC Qing armics to thc s° uth,whilc thcir rcal troops and locd miIitia Forccs mount spiritcd dcfcnscs ofsmall tols ns,slowing thc rnarchcrs uncx~ pcctcdly.∶ Γhc tcrrain of northcrn China is unF1】 rnⅡ iar,and progrcss ftlr~ thcr hampcrcd by thc Qing govCrnmcnt’ s appointmcnt of a spc0al o仔 1ccr whosc Only task is to kccp all boats on thc northcrn shofc of thc Ycllov/ Rivcr as thc Taiping troops approach,1naking it impossiblc for thcn△ t。 rcpcat thc triumphs of thcir carhcr1852campaigns on thc γ'angzi.1Evcn
THE SPLIT 211 when the Taiping troops do capture medium-sized cities,Qing command- ers have now been instructed to burn all their stocks of food and gunpow- der if the Taiping storm their walls-and though some are reluctant or too tardy to comply,those who do so reduce the chances of the Taiping resting and restocking their supplies.Forced much farther to the north- west than they have planned,the Taipings at last cross the Yellow River, but are caught unprepared by savage winter weather,which freezes many in their tracks or leaves them maimed from frostbite-"crawling on the snowy,icy ground with their legs benumbed"-for they are southerners, and not equipped with proper winter clothes.Reinforcements,sent to their aid,are also checked or turned back by local Qing forces,for the Taiping have not kept a main supply route from north to south open and defended at any point on the vast battlefield.? Astonishingly,by late October 1853 one of the thrusting Taiping col- umns pushes to within three miles of the outskirts of Tianjin,from which they might have opened up a path to nearby Peking,but they can get no farther.New Qing and local forces,including Mongol cavalry,are sent against them.Despite the initial enthusiasm of many local people for the Taiping message,and the military help of secret societies and the members of new rebel organizations like the Nian-who are also locked in struggle against their landlords and the government-the Taiping blunt their pop- ularity.Their search for food and clothing grows desperate,and the mas- sacre of all one town's civilian population sends a wave of fear ahead of them.3 Swiftly though the Taiping can build defensive redoubts,for they are veterans at this kind of warfare-throwing up earthworks,digging ditches,and crisscrossing open ground with foxholes in a single day of frenzied work-the Qing are learning to encircle these encirclements, recruiting thousands of local laborers from the farming population to build a solid ring around the Taiping forces.By May 1854,with the rem- nants of the Taiping vanguard forces thus encircled,the Qing commander orders a long ditch built to divert the waters of the Grand Canal to a dried-out riverbed that flows near the Taiping fortified position.The work takes a month,but slowly as the water enters its new channel the Taiping camp turns to mud,and then to a lake;the soldiers can neither sleep nor cook,their gunpowder is waterlogged and useless,and as they climb onto roofs,cling to ladders,or float on homemade rafts,the Qing troops pick them off in groups and execute them.So,ingloriously,die the warriors after fighting and marching over a one-year period for close to two thousand miles. Had the northern campaign had full call on all Taiping resources,per-
THE SPLIT 211 、ˉhcn thc Taiping troops do capturc mcdium-sizcd citics,Qing commandcrs haⅤ c n0、 V bccn instructcd t° burn aⅡ thcir stocks of food and gunpov/- dcr if thc Taiping storlll thcir、 vaⅡ s——and though somc arc rcluCtant or too tardy to comply,thosc、 vho do so rcducc thc chanccs of thc Taiping rcsting and rcstocking thcir supphcs,Forccd much farthcr to thc north一 、Vcst than thcy havc planncd,thc Taipings at last cross thc Iˇ 'cllow Rivcr, but arc caught unprcparcd by savagc lovintcr wcathcr,which frcczcs rnany in thcir tracks or lcavcs thcn△ 1nairncd fron1frOstbitc— —‘‘craWling on thc snowy,icy ground、 vith thcir lcgs bcnumbcd” ——for thcy arc southcrncrs, and not cquippcd with propcr 、vintcr clothcs Rcinforccmcnts, scnt to thcir aid,arc als° chcckcd or turncd back by local Qing forcss, for thc Taiping havc n° t kcpt a rnain supply r° utc from north to south opcn and dcfcndcd at any point on thc vast battlcficld.2 Astonishingly,by latc Octobcr 1853onc of thc thrusting Taiping columns pushcs tli,witllln thrcc milcs ofthc outskirts of Th殉 in,from whch thcy might havc opcncd up a path to ncarby Pcking,but thcy can gct no ±arthcr。 Ncw Qing and local forccs,induding Mongol cavalfy,arc scnt against thCm Dcspitc thc initial cnthusias1m° f rnany local pcoplc for thc Taiping1ncssagc,and thc rnⅡ itary hclp ofsccrct socictiCs and thc rncmbcrs 。f ncw rcbcl organizations likc thc Nian-— who arc als° lockcd in strugglc against thcir landlords and thc govcrnmcnt— —thc冖Γaiping blunt thcir p° pularity.Thcir scarch for food and clothing grows dcspcratc,and thc1nassaclc of all onc toWn’ s civⅡ ian population scnds a、 vavc of fcar ahcad of tllcm,3 SwiRly though thc Taiping can buⅡ d dcfcnsivc rcdoubts,for thcy arc Ⅴctcrans at this kind of warfarc__throˇ Ving up carth、 vorks, digging ditchcs, and crisscrossing opcn ground lxfith f0xho1cs in a singlc day of △cnzicd work_thc Qing arC lCarning to cnordc thcsc cnordcmcns, rccruiting thousands of local laborcrs froΠ 1 thc farllaing population to bund a s。 hd ring around thc Taiping forccs By Ⅳ【ay1854,with thc rcⅡ⒈ nants ofthc Taiping vanguard凡 rccs tllus cncirclcd,thc Qing commandcr °rdcrs a long ditch buⅡ t to divcrt thc watcrs of thc Grand Canal to a dricd一 out riVcrbcd that noxx/s ncar thc Taiping forti丘 cd position。 tΓ hc 、vork takcs a month,but slowly as thc、 vatcr cntcrs its ncw channcl thc Taiping camp turns to mud,and thcn to a lakc;thc soIdicrs can ncithcr slccp n° r cook,thcir gunpowdcr is watcrloggcd and usclcss,and as thcy dimb onto rooFs,ding to laddcrs,or noat on h。 mcmadc raRs,tbc Qing troops pick thclll offin groups and cxccutc thcm,So,ingloriously,dic thc 、varriors aftcr f1ghting and marching ovcr a onc-ycar pcriod for closc to two thousand lllilcs,4 Had thc northcrn campaign had full call on all'Γ aiping rcsourccs,pcr一
The Taiping northern campaign of 1853-1855.In the summer of 1853,after Nanjing was consoli- dated as the Heavenly capital,Hong Xiuquan sent an army north to seize the Qing dynasty's capital of Peking.By October,the Taiping army of around thirty thousand men reached the suburbs of Tianjin,less than seventy miles from their goal,but here they were checked by the Qing forces and slowly driven back.After vainly fighting to hold a succession of towns,the Taiping northern army made a last stand in the Grand Canal city of Lianzhen,where they held out during an eight-month siege until they were annihilated in March 1855
形 召%勿9冫Pg/,o/rD纟//a幽 9,,P夕 /g/9o/F⒏ 土 Z855,In tllc sttmmcr of18s3,aRcr Na"ing was co“ didatcd as thc Hcavcnly capital,Hong Xiuquan scnt an army north to sciz幂 thc Qing dynasty’ s capital of Pcking By Oct。bcr,thc Taiping army of around thirty thousand mcn rcachcd thc suburbs of Tianjin,lcss than scvcnty milcs± r° m thcir goal,but hcrc thcy wcrc chcckcd by thc Qing fol-cCs and slowly drivcn back Ancr vaillly丘 ghting to hold a succcssion of towns,thc Taiping northcrn army madc a last stand in thc Grand CanaI city of Lianzhcn,whcrc thcy hcld°ut during an cight m°nth sicgc until thcy wcrc annih⒒ atcd in Ⅸ汪arch1855
These four illustrations are from a series of ten,probably commissioned from a local artist by he grateful merchants of Tianjin as a gift to the victorious Qing commander,General Sengge- nqin.The pictures show the Taiping being burned and driven out of two towns,until Seng- lingin surrounds their last bastion of Lianzhen with a ring of earthern walls and gun em- lacements.In the last illustration,the defeated Taiping general Lin Fengxiang is shown kneel- ng before Senggelingin,whose supply trains,camels,cavalry horses,and gun positions are all dearly delineated.Lin was subsequently executed.Credit:Harvard-Yenching Library,Harvard niversity
Γ△csc four illustrations arc from a scrics of tcn,probably com∏ 1issioncd fr° lla a local artist by ∷gratcltll mcrchants of Tianjin as a gi± t to thc victorious Qing commandcr,Gcncral scnggc- ∴qin Thc picturcs shoⅥ/thc Taiping bcing burncd and drivcn c、 ut of tⅥ `o toⅥ `ns,until scngˉ =[∶ inqin surrounds thcir last bastion of Lianzhcn with a ring of carthcrn walls and gun c1u- 「三CCmCnts In thc last illustration,thc dcfcatcd Taiping gcncral Lin Fcngxiang is shoxx/n knccl- ˉ:bcforc scnggchnqin,Ⅵ /hosc supply trains,camcls,cavalry horscs,and gun positions arc all ∵=ady dchncatcd Lin was subscqucndy cxccutcd C`饣 'frJ H￠ `v夕`〃 一γⅠF″ '/,//2gL'彡 昭V1H窃'〃 〃`` ~ ∵`z′'`‘`'y
216 GOD'S CHINESE SON haps it might have succeeded,and the criminals'province been renamed. But it is matched by a parallel campaign to the west,planned and executed on a similar scale;swiftly,also,this western campaign splits into two,as part of the army fights for a strategic base in Anhui province,on the northern shore of the Yangzi River,while the other part moves upriver to recapture Wuchang city,and extend the Taiping river and supply lines to China's southern hinterland.This Wuchang campaign then subdivides, as one group of Taiping armies regains,loses,and recaptures yet again the city of Wuchang,while others push southward into Hunan,seeking once more to seize Changsha.This Hunan campaign splits in its turn,as General Shi Dakai swings south to attack Jiangxi province,southwest of the Heavenly Capital. Some of these campaigns succeed and some do not:Changsha cannot be taken,nor can Hunan be held,for the gentry of Hunan have learned in full measure how to recruit,train,and pay militia armies,while Zeng Guofan,a Confucian scholar-bureaucrat at home to mourn his parents, joins forces with the reinstated governor Luo Bingzhang,and by integra- ting their land and naval forces slowly build a formidable fighting force. Wuchang,however,is recaptured by the Taiping general Chen Yucheng, aged eighteen at the time,nephew to a senior Taiping veteran but already a brilliant military strategist.The city becomes their inland base,easy of access up the Yangzi River from the Heavenly Capital.6 In Anhui province,the battles swirl for years around the strategic city of Luzhou,held for a time by another gentry leader,Jiang Zhongyuan, hero of Suoyi ford,promoted for his valor to be Anhui governor.The Taiping seize the city at last,having developed a new strategy of digging double tunnels one above the other,and lining them with explosives attached to time-spaced fuses.After the first explodes,the Qing defenders rush to mend the gaping holes,and are just completing their repairs as the second explosives fire,killing the wall menders and reopening a gap- ing hole through which the Taiping charge.Jiang commits suicide.But though the Taiping hold Luzhou stubbornly for twenty-two months,until November 1855,they are at last starved out,betrayed,and stormed.?In Jiangxi province,Shi Dakai links up his forces with tens of thousands of Triad Society troops who have been fighting for possession of Canton city and,though failing in that endeavor,have escaped northward up the river Gan.Uniting these various armies,and receiving clear support from the local people,Shi makes most of the province a center of Taiping govern- ment and a rich source of food supplies,save for a small circle of land around the city of Nanchang on Poyang Lake,where Zeng Guofan,sent
216 GOD’ s CHINEsE SON hsps it rnight havc succccdcd,and thc crirninals’ provincc bccn rcnamcd, Butitis rnatchcd by a parallcl campaign t。 thc wcst,planncd and cxccutcd on a sirnⅡ ar scaIc;sⅥ /i丘ly,also,this、 vcstcrn campaign sphts into two,as part of thc ar1η y nghts for a stratcgic basc in Anhui pr° vincc, on thc northcrn shorc of thc Yangzi Rivcr,xx/hilc thc° thcr part Iuovcs uprivcr to rccapturc Wuchang city,and cxtcnd thc Taiping rivcr and supply lincs to China’ s southcrn hintcrland.This Wuchang campaign thcn subdividcs, as onc group of Taiping ar∏1ics rcgains,l° scs,and rCcapturcs yct again thc city of Wuchang,whⅡc Othcrs push sOuth、 vard into Hunan,sccking oncc1η orc to scizc Changsha。 This Hunan campaign sphts in its turn,as Gcncral Shi Dakai swings south to attack Jiangxi provincc,southwcst of thc Hcavcnly Capita1. Somc of thcsc campaigns succccd and somc do not∶ Changsha cann° t bc takcn,n° r can Hunan bc hcld,f° r thc gcntry of Hunan havc lcarncd in full lucasurc ho、 v to rCCruit,train,and pay l△ lilitia arlllics,、 vhⅡ C ZCng Guofan, a Confucian scholar~burcaucrat at homc to mourn his parcnts, joins forccs with thc rcinstatcd govcrn。 r Luo Bingzhang,and by intcgratlng thcir land and naval forccs slowly buⅡ d a forn1idablc fighting forcc.5 、、厂uchang,howcvcr,is rccapturcd by thc Taiping gcncral Chcn、 'uchcng, agcd cightccn at thc tirnc,ncphc、 ^/to a scnior∶Γaiping vctcran but alrcady a brⅡ hant rn"itary stratcgist,Thc city bccomcs thcir inland basc,casy of acccss up thc Yangzi Rivcr frolll thc Hcavcnly Capita1.6 In Anhui provincc,thc batdcs s、 ⌒`irl for ycars around thc stratcgic city of Luzhou,hcld for a tirnc by anothcr gcntry lcadcr,Jiang Zh° ngyuan, hcro of Suoyi ford,promotcd f° r his valor to bc Anhui govcrnor, Thc Taiping scizc thc city at last,having dcvclopcd a ncw stratcgy of digging doublc tunncls Onc abovc thc Othcr, and hning thcm vxrith cxplosivcs attachcd to timc-spaccd fLlscs.A± tcr thc nrst cxplodcs,thc Qing dcfcndcrs rush to mcnd thc gaping holcs,and arc just complcting thcir rcpairs as thc sccond cxplosivcs firc,knhng thc、 vaⅡ mcndcrs and rcopcning a gaping holc through which thc Taiping chargc.Jiang co∏ 1111its suicidc,But though thc'Γaiping hold Luzhou stubbornly for tⅥ/cnty-two rnonths,until Novcmbcr 1855,thcy arc at Iast starVcd out,bctraycd,and stormcd.7In Jiangxi pr。 vincc,Shi Dakai links up his forccs、 vith tcns of thousands of △ ′riad Socicty trOops、vho havc bccn nghting fc)r posscssi° n of Canton city and,though faⅡ ing in that cndcavor,havc cscapcd north、vard up thc rivcr Gan,Uniting thcsc various arla,ics,and rccciving clcar support from thc local pcoplc,Shi rnakcs n10st ofthc provincc a ccntcr of∶Γaiping govcrnmcnt and a rich sOurcc of food supphcs,savc for a small circlc°f land around thc city of Nanchang on Poyang Lakc,、 vhcrc Zcng CTu° 免n,scnt