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.EvenTHE 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