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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The Taiping Army commits to one of its most audacious acts yet – an assault on the Qing throne itself, a thousand miles north in Beijing. To reach it, it will launch its great Northern Campaign: a single spear-throw that, if its aim holds true, might end the entire war before the teeth of winter bite down.
Time Period Covered:
May 1853 – March 1855 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Lin Fengxiang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]
Li Kaifang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]
Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864]

Qing Dynasty:
The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]
Prince Senggelinqin [c. 1811–1865]
Other:
Theodore Hamberg, Swedish missionary, Hong Kong; author of the first European account of the Taiping [1819–1854]

Major Sources Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.
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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Finally pooled and stilled at Nanjing, in the afterglow of victory, the Taiping reflect on what they’ve become, and what they’ve yet to accomplish. In the cold light of the morning after, though, dreams do not equal result, nor clouds a working constitution. And as the world begins to take note and come knocking, the question hanging over it all remains: what will come next?

Time Period Covered:
Spring–Summer 1853 CE

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Xiao Chaogui, West King, signing from beyond the grave [d. 1852]
Fu Shanxiang, first & only female zhuangyuan of the examination [fl. 1853; dates uncertain]
Lin Fengxiang, general of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]; The Women's Army of the Heavenly Kingdom [org. 1851]
Qing Dynasty:
Zeng Guofan, Confucian official, founder of the Xiang (Hunan) Army [1811–1872]
Great Britain:
Sir George Bonham, Governor of Hong Kong & plenipotentiary to China [1803–1863]
Thomas Taylor Meadows, consular interpreter [1815–1868]
Cmdr. Edmund Gardiner Fishbourne, HMS Hermes [1811–1887]
Abroad:
Karl Marx, correspondent, New-York Daily Tribune [1818–1883]

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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The Heavenly Host arrives at last before the walls of the South Capital. What follows is not a battle so much as a verdict – rendered in powder, fire, and seven days of smoke and blood. A city is taken, renamed, and remade in the image of a kingdom the likes of which the world has never seen before. This is the story of the Becoming that finally arrived; of the current that finally found its place to pool... and what it cost to stop.

Time Period Covered:
Mar. 1853 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]

Qing Dynasty:
The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861]
The Nanjing Manchu Garrison [est. 1645; d. 1853]

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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The Heavenly Host marches north out of Hunan. Ahead of them lies the spine of China itself – the mighty Yangtze; maker and breaker of dynasties. The trading capitals strung along its southern bank glimmer like beads on a thread. They have and continue to transform, to build a fleet, a state. Now they will find out what it’s all been leading toward. This is the story of the Kingdom In Motion, and the river that carried it east.

Time Period Covered:
Nov. 1852 – Mar. 1853

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]
Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [1823–1864]

Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861]
Chang Liangji, Governor of Hubei
Qian Jiang, the jiansheng from Zhejiang who pitched reform and walked

Major Sources Cited:
Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.

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The Heavenly Host has arrived at the great provincial capital of Hunan - Changsha. The mighty bastion that will prove to be the first city on the long march north that simply refuses to fall. For two months in late 1852, the largest army the Taiping has yet fielded throws everything it knows at these walls... but the city endures. This is the story of the underground war fought by nameless men in the dark

Time Period Covered:

Oct. – Dec. 1852

Major Historical Figures:

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:

Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]

Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]

Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]

Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]

Qing Dynasty:

Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867]

Zeng Guofan, Commissioner of Local Defence for Hunan [1811–1872]

Major Sources Cited:

Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

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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The army that marches north out of Quanzhou in June 1852 is not the same one that left Jintian 18 months prior. It has left its prime architect in an unmarked grave, massacred the city that killed him, and crossed into the unknown territory of Hunan. At Daozhou, for the first time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom starts speaking to Empire at large, calls upon brotherhood to honor their blood-oaths, & dares name the emperor himself a demon. It's beginning to get real, and all roads - it seems - lead toward Changsha...

Time Period Covered:
June – October 1852

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]
Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856]
Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]

Qing Dynasty:
Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867]

Other:
Lan Chengzun, Yao tribesman, White Lotus chieftain [fl. 1836]
Lei Zaihao, Yao chieftain [fl. 1847]
Li Yuanfa, Han Triad rebel leader [fl. 1849]

Major Sources Cited:
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
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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The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been proclaimed — but proclamations don't feed armies. As such, its Divine Host will enjoy all of 11 days before sheer arithmetic forces them back onto the road. What follows is eight months of movement through the hills and river valleys of Guangxi: not quite a military campaign, not quite a refugee march. When they finally stop, it will be inside the walls of a city called Yong'an - "Eternal Peace." There, for the first time, the blueprint of the kingdom they have been promising can at last be seen in outline. Kings will be named, & time itself will be reordered... But the walls keep closing in, and ahead - always ahead - is the only path left.

Time Period Covered:
Jan. 1851 – June 1852

Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:
Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Feng Yunshan, South King, Architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]
Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]
Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856]
Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]
Luo Dagang, pirate-turned-general [fl. 1851–1853]

Qing Dynasty:
Saishangga, Imperial Commissioner [fl. 1851–1852]
Xiang Rong, Qing General [d. 1856]
Ulantai, Qing General [d. 1852]

Major Sources Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection.
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
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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The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain managed to survive their first test — but now the world itself seems dead-set on finishing the job. When unprecedented rains lead to flooding, famine, and pestilence across southern China, the last institutions holding things together collapse, leaving those on the margins to their own survival.

Until, that is, the divine summons of the Second Son of God calls them — one and all — to the village of Jintian, a bold maneuver that will force a response from the Qing dynasty itself.
Time Period Covered:
1849-1851 CE

Major Historical Figures:
God-Worshippers/Taiping:
Hong Xiuquan, prophet, Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]
Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]
Lo Daguo, Triad chief, Taiping recruit [fl. 1850–1851]
Qing Dynasty:
Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850]
Ikedanbu, Manchu Colonel [d. January 1, 1851]

Major Sources Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10
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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The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain, under the dual leadership of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, had gone from being a quirky, backwater oddity... to, by 1847, a real local headache. When they get bold enough to deface a local temple, the law finally takes action to end their machinations. Yet they emerge from this early crucible unbroken... harder, better, faster, stronger... and even weirder than they went in.

Time Period Covered:
1847–1849

Major Historical Figures:
Hong Xiuquan, prophet and Heavenly King [1814–1864]
Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]
Wang Zuoxin, local licentiate and militia leader [fl. 1847]
Lu Liu, God-Worshipper [d. 1848]
Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]
Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]
Qiying, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi [1787–1858]

Major Sources Cited:
Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10
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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