Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/472

Rh trolled all important affairs and permitted many corrupt practices. Li submitted a memorial advocating enforcement of the laws against bribery, the bestowal of proper rewards and punishments, the reduction of taxes, and more reliance on the able Assistant King, Shih Ta-k'ai. The Celestial King, irritated by the memorial, deprived Li of his ranks which, however, were soon restored to him. Li was made chief civil administrator, but before long the military situation made it necessary for him to leave Nanking to combat government troops. Before leaving the capital he appointed Lin Shao-chang 林紹璋 (d. 1861), later designated Chang Wang 章王 or Prince Chang, to assist Mêng Tê-ên in the hope of curtailing the latter's rising influence.

Thereafter Li Hsiu-ch'êng was occupied in the active defense of the Taiping capital, Nanking. The reorganized imperialists under the command of Ho-ch'un and Chang Kuo-liang (see under ) who had conquered Chü-jung (July 16, 1857) and Chinkiang (December 27, 1857) both in Kiangsu, marched on Nanking. Li rushed to Wu-hu with a detachment of 5,000 soldiers and then marched northeast and captured Ch'üan-chiao (May 10, 1858), Ch'u-chou (May 11), and Lai-an (May 13) in the hope of relieving the peril to Nanking. As Li's forces were inadequate, he retired to Ch'üan-chiao leaving a garrison at Ch'u-chou under Li Chao-shou 李昭壽 (original ming 兆受, later changed to 世忠), a native of Ku-shih, Honan, and a Nien Bandit chief, who had joined the Taipings. After a military conference of all their leaders the Taipings defeated the government forces at Pukow opposite Nanking. From Pukow Li Hsiu-ch'êng led a detachment eastward and took Yangchow (October 9, 1858) while Ch'ên Yü-ch'êng led another brigade northward and took Liu-ho, Kiangsu (October 24, 1858). But simultaneously pursued the Taipings from T'ung-ch'êng (October 13, 1858) and ShuCh'êng (October 24) to San-ho-chên, a strategic town, south of Lu-chou, Anhwei. Li Hsiu-ch'êng and Ch'ên Yü-ch'êng hastened to San-ho-chên with all speed and after severe fighting delivered the government forces a crushing blow—causing Li Hsü-pin to die on the battlefield (November 15, 1858). Thus the Taiping positions in Anhwei and Nanking were again secure.

By an unexpected turn of events Li Hsiu-ch'êng was made Chung Wang 忠王 or Loyal Prince in 1859. In November of the year 1858 Li Chao-shou had treacherously turned over the cities of Ch'u-chou and Lai-an to the Manchus. Li Hsiu-ch'êng then wrote him a letter, dated December 6, 1858, begging him to return to the Taiping cause. Li Chao-shou not only ignored the invitation but in an official dispatch (1859) urged Li Hsiu-ch'êng to join the Ch'ing government—at the same time twitting him because Ch'ên Yü-ch'êng had been made a prince while Li Hsiu-ch'êng was then only a general. It happened that Li Chao-shou's dispatch was reported to the Celestial King who decided that instead of punishing Li Hsiu-ch'êng for corresponding with the enemy he would make him Chung Wang, allowing him to retain his post as generalissimo of the Taiping kingdom. These honors were conferred upon him to encourage him to further effort.

Thanks to Li Hsiu-ch'êng's tactics, Pukow was recovered in November 1859 and Hangchow was occupied from March 19 to 23, 1860. The imperialists, unaware of the strategy being used against them, dispatched relief forces to Hangchow, with the result that their main troops outside of Nanking were conclusively defeated (May 1860) and the imperial commandem, Ho-ch'un and Chang Kuo-liang lost their lives. This so disheartened the government troops in Kiangsu and Chekiang, that Li Hsiu-ch'êng was able also to take Changchow (May 24, 1860) and Soochow (June 2). At the fall of Soochow Li did all he could to prevent unnecessary destruction. He ordered his soldiers to refrain from killing the inhabitants or their cattle or from destroying their homes. Violators were punished with death and peace was soon restored to the city.

After he had taken Soochow, Li Hsiu-ch'êng is said to have been asked by disaffected imperialists in correspondence with him and by some Westerners living in Shanghai to attack that city. He set out with this objective in mind and established his headquarters (August 18, 1860) near the Catholic Cathedral at Zikawei about 18 li southwest of Shanghai. His forces destroyed many barracks of government troops 9 li from Shanghai, and then attacked the west, south and north gates of the city. But hindered by inclement weather, they could not make a speedy entrance. Contrary to Li's expectations the Western powers, jealous of their trade, decided to help the Ch'ing government. The traitors who had corresponded with Li were beheaded and the assault of the Taipings was repulsed by the imperialists, aided by the American adventurer, Frederick T. Ward (see under ), who was in command of a nondescript but 460