ABSTRACT
Xiao Chaogui, the Western King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, had been gravely wounded. Upon hearing this news, Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan momentarily turned pale. Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, bit his lip, his eyes cast downward. He was clenching his fists tightly. With knitted brow, Northern King Wei Changhui glanced over in the direction of the Eastern King. The Taipings had never, in fact, surrounded Changsha. Xiao Chaogui had tried to stage a surprise attack on the city, and thus had not brought a large number of troops with him. The first task for the fighting miners in the Taiping Army was not to dig tunnels and plant explosives, but to dig a grave for Xiao Chaogui, the Western King. The Taiping military force under the command of Xiao Chaogui numbered less than five thousand and fought the government's forces well for over a month, despite having lost their commander.
