parate
dynasty. Yet the capture of Nanking was put off until the last act of
all. These sapient leaders, whose military knowledge was antiquated,
acted with an indifference to the most obvious considerations, that
would have been ludicrous if it had not been a further injury to a
suffering people. In 1858 their apathy was such that it not merely
saved Nanking but played the whole game into the hands of Chung Wang.

That chief succeeded in collecting a small force, with which he at
once began to harass Tseng's army. By transferring his army rapidly
from one side of the river to the other, he succeeded in supplying his
deficiency in numbers; but with all his activity he could make no
impression on the mass of his opponents. He even got the worst of it
in several skirmishes, but by a supreme effort he succeeded in
overpowering the Imperial force north of the river at Poukou, and thus
relieved the pressure on Nanking. But this was only momentary, and
after a doubtful and wearisome campaign throughout the year 1859, the
situation again became one of great gravity for the besieged Taepings
who were now confined to Nanking and a few other towns in the Yangtse
valley.

In this extremity Chung Wang conceived a fresh plan for extricating
his cause from the difficulties that beset it. By January 1860 all
Chung Wang's arrangements were completed. He distributed considerable
sums of money among his men to put them in good humour, and then set
forth. His first movements were directed to misleading his enemy as to
his real object, and having succeeded in this he marched as rapidly as
possible towards the important harbour of Hangchow, in the bay of the
same name, south of Shanghai. On 19th March he succeeded in capturing
the Chinese city, but the Tartar portion held out, and a relieving
army compelled Chung Wang to retire. What seemed an unredeemed
calamity proved a stroke of good fortune, for the Imperialists had
sent their best troops to pursue him, and thus materially weakened the
force before Nanking. Chung Wang saw his chance, and while the
Imperialists were rejoicing in Hangchow at its recovery, he hastened
back by forced marches, and fell upon the besieging army. In the
desperate engagement that followed 5000 Imperialists were slain, and
the remainder were driven ignominiously from the field. Thus, at the
blackest moment of their fortunes, did Chung Wang succeed in
delivering his kinsmen who had so long been shut up in Nankin