Please check out this entire series-arc, re-written, expanded, & re-recorded as of Aug 2026:
- Ep. 306: Dead Men Tell No Tales: https://megaphone.link/ARML5251369441
- Ep. 307: Murders & Acquisitions, Mostly: https://megaphone.link/ARML6215286599
- Ep. 308: The Shadow State:

https://megaphone.link/ARML7890860851

Bottled up in Tung Chung Bay, subsisting for three weeks on caterpillars & boiled rice, the largest pirate fleet in the history of the world meets six Portuguese ships and the arithmetic that finishes it. What follows is the biggest criminal amnesty the world had yet seen, and a question very few pirates ever get to ask themselves: what does a cutthroat do with retirement?

Time Period Covered:

1809–1844 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Red Flag Confederation:

Zheng Yi Sao (AKA Ching Shih, née Shi Yang), Commander of the Red Flag Confederation [1775–1844]
Zhang Baozai (Cheung Po Tsai), Fleet Commander of the Red Flags, later Qing navy vice-commander at Penghu [1783–1822]
Guo Podai, Commander of the Black Flag Fleet [178?–181?]
Mei Ying, a captive of the Red Flag Fleet [d. 1809]

Qing Empire:

The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796–1820]
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Bailing (Zhang Bailing), Governor-General of Liangguang [1748–18??]
Sun Quanmou, Provincial Fleet Commander
Zhou Feixiong, physician of Macau
Wu Yaonan, government official [fl. 1810–1840]
Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Liangguang [1785–1850]

Portuguese Empire:

Miguel José de Arriaga Brum da Silveira, Ouvidor of Macau
Captain José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa, Commander of the Macau Flotilla
Gonçalves Carocha, pilot

British East India Company:

Richard Glasspoole, second mate of the Marquis of Ely [1788–1846]

Major Sources Cited:

Andrade, Tonio. The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History.

Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China.

Glasspoole, Richard. A Brief Narrative of My Captivity and Treatment Amongst the Ladrones (1809); see also Owen Rutter, ed., Mr Glasspoole and the Chinese Pirates (Golden Cockerel Press, 1935).
Leonard, Jane Kate. “Maritime China in Transition, 1750–1850,” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 2: The Ch’ing Dynasty to 1800.

Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810.

Van de Ven, Hans J. Breaking with the Past: The Maritime Customs Service and the Global Origins of Modernity in China.

Yuan Yonglun. Jing hai fen ji (靖海氛記, 1830), translated by Karl Friedrich Neumann as History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea, 1807–1810 (London, 1831).

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Li Xiucheng thinks the plan is pointless. He said so out loud, to his superiors… and lost. So of course, it’s him tasked with leading it out the gate. He is, after all, the Loyal King. And so 6,000 soldiers cross the river in the dark through the only path still open to them, every one of them clad in the uniform of a dead enemy. Nobody stops them. Nobody even looks twice. 150 miles southeast there's a city that has no idea they’re coming for it, and it’s not even the city they’re really after.

Time Period Covered:
1859 – 1860 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Hong Rengan, the Shield King, Gan Wang [1822–1864]
Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King, Zhong Wang [1823–1864]
Chen Yucheng, the Brave King, Ying Wang [1837–1862]
Li Shixian, later the Attending King, Shi Wang [1834–1865]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]

Qing Empire:
The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861, r. 1850–1861]
Zeng Guofan, founder and commander of the Hunan Army [1811–1872]
He Chun, Manchu general, commander of the Great Southern Camp [d. 1860]
Zhang Guoliang, general of the Great Southern Camp [1810–1860]
Dexing'e, commander of the northern camp

Major Works Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang, The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents
Platt, Stephen R., Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
Spence, Jonathan D., God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan

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A man disguised as a peddler stands on the bank of the Yangtze watching a British fleet go past, and tries to hitch a ride to Nanjing. He's been trying to reach the rebel capital for 6 years now, and this is the closest he's gotten. He’s told “no” … again. So he picks himself up once more and just keeps walking. He’ll get there eventually. And once he does, within three weeks he’ll be made the Shield King – the 2nd most powerful man in the Taiping

Time Period Covered:
1858–1859 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Hong Rengan, the Shield King [1822–1864]
Chen Yucheng, the Brave King [1837–1862]
Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King [1823–1864]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]

Great Britain:
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin [1811–1863]
Thomas Francis Wade, interpreter [1818–1895]

Missionaries & Observers:
Theodore Hamberg [1819–1854]
James Legge [1815–1897]
Karl Marx [1818–1883]

Great Qing:
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Magistrate Tan of Huangmei

Major Works Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and

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In the Heavenly capital of Nanjing, a government that’s now mostly murdered has to be restaffed… somehow. And so their old titles are simply dusted off and re-distributed who whoever’s still left standing. Meanwhile, the men out actually running the war have learned that there’s no use in waiting for the paperwork or permission… neither are coming. They hold their own conference, swear their own oath, and decide to prosecute the war on their own from here on out, regardless of what Nanjing might think about that arrangement.

Time Period Covered:
1857–1858 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:

Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Chen Yucheng [1837–1862]
Li Xiucheng [1823–1864]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]
Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861]
Li Shixian [1834–1865]
Yang Fuqing
Wei Jun
Lin Qirong, commander of Jiujiang garrison [d. 1858]
Wu Dinggui, commander of Sanhe garrison

Great Qing:

The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Zeng Guofan [1811–1872]
Zeng Guohua [1822–1858]
Zeng Guobao
Hu Linyi [1812–1861]
Zhang Guoliang [1810–1860]
Hechun [d. 1860]
Dexing'e (Duxing'a)
Li Xubin [1818–1858]

Major Works Cited:
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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The Heavenly Kingdom, having recently killed kings three and four of its founding five – and misplaced the fifth – attempts to solve its acute leadership shortage. To that end, the Heavenly King turns to his own blood, promoting his brothers – both military novices – and handing supreme military authority to the upjumped royal harem-staffing administrator.
Meanwhile, up his own backwater Jiangxi creek, the one man of Great Qing capable of destroying the rebels is finally handed a paddle by his enemies’ infighting... and promptly goes home to bury his father.
Two governments, two indispensable men, and one season in which both of them simply choose to walk away.
Time Period Covered:
1856–1857 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]
Hong Renfa, the Peace King [d. 1864]
Hong Renda, the Blessings King [d. 1864]
Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861]
Chen Yucheng [1837–1862]
Li Xiucheng [1823–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, the East King [d. 1856]
Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856]

Nien
Zhang Luoxing, Lord of the Alliance [1811–1863]
Li Zhaoshou [d. 1881]

Qing
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Zeng Guofan [1811–1872]
Zeng Guohua [1822–1858]
Hu Linyi [1812–1861]

Major Works Cited:
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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The Taiping's greatest summer curdles into its bloodiest autumn. Two months after the East King demands to be crowned Hong Xiuquan's equal, three of his brother-kings converge on Nanjing with an army he never sees coming.
By dawn, the man who once spoke with the voice of God is a head on a pole in the street. Yet the purge doesn't end there: it swallows thousands, devours the men who ordered it, and costs the Heavenly Kingdom its foothold on the Yangtze before the year is out – all without a single Qing soldier's help.
Time Period Covered:
Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King [c. 1821–1856]
Wei Changhui, North King [d. 1856]
Qin Rigang, Yan King [1821–1856]
Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]
Xiao Chaogui, West King [d. 1852]
Feng Yunshan, South King [d. 1852]
Hu Yihuang, Yu King (deposed)

Qing Dynasty:
Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang/Hunan Army [1811–1872]
Xiang Rong, Nanjing S. siege camp commander Nanjing [d. 1856]
Tuoming'a, Yangzhou commander

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

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The Taiping Army is riding high. Having finally broken two massive, three-year-long sieges over the course of a single summer, ultimate victory seems within their grasp. Yet, that taste of triumph acts like blood in the water. The lifting of the sieges removes the one thing that had been holding this fractured movement together: sheer external pressure.

For three years, the East King has been rehearsing one demand: the same title as the Heavenly King. Absolute recognition, absolute parity - the promotion he believes he's duly owed. Now with the pressure off, he's willing to do anything to get it, even summon the voice of God Himself.
Time Period Covered:
Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE

Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]
Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856]
Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]
Xiao Chaogui, the West King [d. 1852]
Feng Yunshan, the South King [d. 1852]
Hu Yihuang, the deposed Yu King

Qing Dynasty:
Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]
Xiang Rong, Qing commander of the southern siege camp at Nanjing [d. 1856]
Tuoming'a, Manchu commander at Yangzhou

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

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Three months after the biggest win of his life, Zeng Guofan tries to drown himself.
Again.
His fleet gets ambushed, split in half, & set ablaze by a 23-year-old nobody bothered to worry about – right up until he became the guy everybody worried about. The reward for surviving all that? A "promotion" in-name only... with no province, no funds, no friends, and a bureaucracy that somehow finds the – time mid-civil-war – to mock him personally. He loses his flagship, his files, his seal of command, and even a friend. And all the while, a much bigger disaster is assembling itself in Nanjing, completely without his input...
Time Period Covered:Dec. 1854–Apr. 1856 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]
Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]
Lin Qirong, Taiping commander of Jiujiang
Luo Dagang, Taiping commander of Meijiazhou and Hukou

Qing Dynasty:
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]
Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855]
Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890]
Hu Linyi, Xiang Army commander, later Governor of Hubei
Chen Qimai, Governor of Jiangxi
Tao Enpei, Governor of Hubei [d. 1855]
Zuo Zongtang [1812–1885]

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

Audio Backing Courtesy of:
TabletopAudio
CLS Productions

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Zeng Guofan goes to war to defend a fixed universe – and nearly drowns proving how unfixed his own place in it actually is. Across a single year, Hunan's most unlikely general brutally finds out that he is indeed no warrior, and consequentially must rebuild a river fleet from nothing... all while the Taiping's own capital is spared only my a mix-up with the date. By December, the Yangtze has changed hands – and a nervous throne has just learned exactly how dangerous a loyal army, and the man who built it, can become... and exactly how briefly gratitude lasts.

Time Period Covered:

Feb. – Dec. 1854 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:

Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]

Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]

Wei Changhui, the North King [1823–1856]

Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]

Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]

Qing Dynasty:

The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]

Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]

Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855]

Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890]

Zhang Shoulin, aide who pulled Zeng Guofan from the Xiang River at Jinggang

Major Sources Cited:

Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.

Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

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While the Northern Expedition dies in the freezing mud of Shandong, the Taiping's second strike — the Western Expedition — turns its sights on the provinces they've already ridden through on the Yangtze, a kingdom to go with their new Heavenly Capital. But waiting for them in Hunan is a man unable to ride a horse, or command an army... who will nevertheless set about constructing their ultimate doom.
Time Period Covered:
May 1853 – February 1854 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Hu Yiguang, commander of the Anhui column, Western Expedition
Lai Hanying, commander of the Jiangxi column, Western Expedition
Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]
Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864]
Qing Dynasty:
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Jiang Zhongyuan, governor of Anhui [1812–1854]
Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]
Tang Jian, Neo-Confucian scholar and Zeng Guofan's mentor [1778–1861]

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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