eminent victorians-第46节

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but　now　I　would　not　wish　for　any　prettier　place。　I　have　got　a　

horse　and　gig；　and　Drew　and　myself　drive　all　about　the　country。　I



hope　my　dear　father　and　mother　think　of　eternal　things。。。　

Dearest　Augusta；　pray　for　me；　I　beg　of　you。'



He　was　twenty…one；　the　Crimean　War　broke　out；　and　before　the　year



was　over；　he　had　managed　to　get　himself　transferred　to　Balaclava。



During　the　siege　of　Sebastopol　he　behaved　with　conspicuous　

gallantry。　Upon　the　declaration　of　peace；　he　was　sent　to　

Bessarabia　to　assist　in　determining　the　frontier　between　Russia　

and　Turkey；　in　accordance　with　the　Treaty　of　Paris；　and　upon　this



duty　he　was　occupied　for　nearly　two　years。　Not　long　after　his　

return　home；　in　1860；　war　was　declared　upon　China。　Captain　Gordon



was　dispatched　to　the　scene　of　operations；　but　the　fighting　was　

over　before　he　arrived。　Nevertheless；　he　was　to　remain　for　the　

next　four　years　in　China；　where　he　was　to　lay　the　foundations　of　

extraordinary　renown。



Though　he　was　too　late　to　take　part　in　the　capture　of　the　Taku　

Forts；　he　was　in　time　to　witness　the　destruction　of　the　Summer　

Palace　at　Pekingthe　act　by　which　Lord　Elgin；　in　the　name　of　

European　civilisation；　took　vengeance　upon　the　barbarism　of　the　

East。



The　war　was　over；　but　the　British　Army　remained　in　the　country；　

until　the　payment　of　an　indemnity　by　the　Chinese　Government　was　

completed。　A　camp　was　formed　at　Tientsin；　and　Gordon　was　occupied



in　setting　up　huts　for　the　troops。　While　he　was　thus　engaged；　he　

had　a　slight　attack　of　smallpox。　'I　am　glad　to　say；'　he　told　his　

sister；　'that　this　disease　has　brought　me　back　to　my　Saviour；　and



I　trust　in　future　to　be　a　better　Christian　than　I　have　been　

hitherto。'



Curiously　enough　a　similar　circumstance　had；　more　than　twenty　

years　earlier；　brought　about　a　singular　succession　of　events　

which　were　now　upon　the　point　of　opening　the　way　to　Gordon's　

first　great　adventure。　In　1837；　a　village　schoolmaster　near　

Canton　had　been　attacked　by　illness；　and；　as　in　the　case　of　

Gordon；　illness　had　been　followed　by　a　religious　revulsion。　Hong…

Siu…Tsuen　for　such　was　his　name　saw　visions；　went　into　

ecstasies；　and　entered　into　relations　with　the　Deity。　Shortly　

afterwards；　he　fell　in　with　a　Methodist　missionary　from　America；　

who　instructed　him　in　the　Christian　religion。　The　new　doctrine；　

working　upon　the　mystical　ferment　already　in　Hong's　mind；　

produced　a　remarkable　result。　He　was；　he　declared；　the　prophet　of



God；　he　was　more　he　was　the　Son　of　God；　he　was　Tien　Wang；　the　

Celestial　King；　he　was　the　younger　brother　of　Jesus。　



The　times　were　propitious；　and　proselytes　soon　gathered　around

him。　

Having　conceived　a　grudge　against　the　Government；　owing　to　his

failure　

in　an　examination；　Hong　gave　a　political　turn　to　his　teaching；　

which　soon　developed　into　a　propaganda　of　rebellion　against　the　

rule　of　the　Manchus　and　the　Mandarins。　The　authorities　took　

fright；　attempted　to　suppress　Hong　by　force；　and　failed。　The　

movement　spread。　By　1850　the　rebels　were　overrunning　the　populous



and　flourishing　delta　of　the　Yangtse　Kiang；　and　had　become　a　

formidable　force。　In　1853　they　captured　Nankin；　which　was　

henceforth　their　capital。　The　Tien　Wang；　established　himself　in　a



splendid　palace；　and　proclaimed　his　new　evangel。　His　theogony　

included　the　wife　of　God；　or　the　celestial　Mother；　the　wife　of　

Jesus；　or　the　celestial　daughter…in…law；　and　a　sister　of　Jesus；　

whom　he　married　to　one　of　his　lieutenants；　who　thus　became　the　

celestial　son…in…law；　the　Holy　Ghost；　however；　was　eliminated。　



His　mission　was　to　root　out　Demons　and　Manchus　from　the　face　of　

the　earth；　and　to　establish　Taiping；　the　reign　of　eternal　peace。　

In　the　meantime；　retiring　into　the　depths　of　his　palace；　he　left　

the　further　conduct　of　earthly　operations　to　his　lieutenants；　

upon　whom　he　bestowed　the　title　of　'Wangs'　（kings）；　while　he　

himself；　surrounded　by　thirty　wives　and　one　hundred　concubines；　

devoted　his　energies　to　the　spiritual　side　of　his　mission。　The　

Taiping　Rebellion；　as　it　came　to　be　called；　had　now　reached　its　

furthest　extent。　The　rebels　were　even　able　to　occupy；　for　more　

than　a　year；　the　semi…European　city　of　Shanghai。　



But　then　the　tide　turned。　The　latent　forces　of　theEmpire

gradually　

asserted　themselves。　The　rebels　lost　ground；　their　armies　were

defeated；　

and　in　1859　Nankin　itself　was　besieged；　and　the　Celestial　King

trembled　

in　his　palace。　The　end　seemed　to　be　at　hand；　when　there　was　a

sudden　

twist　of　Fortune's　wheel。　The　war　of　860；　the　invasion　of　China

by　

European　armies；　their　march　into　the　interior；　and　their

occupation　of　

Peking；　not　only　saved　the　rebels　from　destruction；　but　allowed

them　to　

recover　the　greater　part　of　what　they　had　lost。　Once　more　they　

seized　upon　the　provinces　of　the　delta；　once　more　they　menaced　

Shanghai。　It　was　clear　that　the　Imperial　army　was　incompetent；　

and　the　Shanghai　merchants　determined　to　provide　for　their　own　

safety　as　best　they　could。　They　accordingly　got　together　a　body　

of　troops；　partly　Chinese　and　partly　European；　and　under　European



officers；　to　which　they　entrusted　the　defence　of　the　town。　This　

small　force；　which；　after　a　few　preliminary　successes；　received　

from　the　Chinese　Government　the　title　of　the　'Ever　Victorious　

Army'；　was　able　to　hold　the　rebels　at　bay；　but　it　could　do　no　

more。　



For　two　years　Shanghai　was　in　constant　danger。　The　Taipings；

steadily　

growing　in　power；　were　spreading　destruction　far　and　wide。　The

Ever　

Victorious　Army　was　the　only　force　capable　of　opposing　them；　and

the　

Ever　Victorious　Army　was　defeated　more　often　than　not。　Its　first

European　

leader　had　been　killed；　his　successor　quarrelled　with　the　Chinese



Governor；　Li　Hung　Chang；　and　was　dismissed。　At　last　it　was

determined　to　

ask　the　General　at　the　head　of　the　British　Army　of　Occupation　for

the　loan　

of　an　officer　to　command　the　force。　The　English；　who　had　been　at

first　

inclined　to　favour　the　Taipings；　on　religious　grounds；　were　now　

convinced；　on　practical　grounds；　of　the　necessity　of　suppressing　

them。　It　was　in　these　circumstances　that；　early　in　1863；　the　

command　of　the　Ever　Victorious　Army　was　offered　to　Gordon。　He　

accepted　it；　received　the　title　of　General　from　the　Chinese　

authorities；　and　entered　forthwith　upon　his　new　task。　He　was　just



thirty。



In　eighteen　months；　he　told　Li　Hung　Chang；　the　business　would　be　

finished；　and　he　was　as　good　as　his　word。　The　difficulties　before



him　were　very　great。　A　vast　tract　of　country　was　in　the　

possession　of　the　rebels　an　area；　at　the　lowest　estimate；　of　

14；000　square　miles　with　a　population　of　20；000；000。　For　

centuries　this　low…lying　plain　of　the　Yangtse　delta；　rich　in　silk



and　tea；　fertilised　by　elaborate　irrigation；　and　covered　with　

great　walled　cities；　had　been　one　of　the　most　flourishing　

districts　in　China。　Though　it　was　now　being　rapidly　ruined　by　the



depredations　of　the　Taipings；　its　strategic　strength　was　

obviously　enormous。　Gordon；　however；　with　the　eye　of　a　born　

general；　perceived　that　he　could　convert　the　very　feature　of　the　

country　which；　on　the　face　of　it；　most　favoured　an　army　on　the　

defence　its　complicated　geographical　system　of　interlacing

roads　

and　waterways；　canals；　lakes　and　rivers　into　a　means　of　

offensive　warfare。　The　force　at　his　disposal　was　small；　but　it　

was　mobile。　He　had　a　passion　for　map…making；　and　had　already；　in　

his　leisure　hours；　made　a　careful　survey　of　the　country　round　

Shanghai；　he　was　thus　able　to　execute　a　series　of　manoeuvres　

which　proved　fatal　to　the　enemy。　By　swift　marches　and　counter…

marches；　by　sudden　attacks　and　surprises；　above　all　by　the　

dispatch　of　armed　steamboats　up　the　circuitous　waterways　into　

positions　from　which　they　could　fall　upon　the　enemy　in　reverse；　

he　was　able　gradually　to　force　back　the　rebels；　to　cut　them　off　

piecemeal　in　the　field；　and　to　seize　upon　their　cities。　



But；　brilliant　as　these　operations　were；　Gordon's　military　genius



showed　itself　no　less　unmistakably　in　other　directions。　The　Ever　

Victorious　Army；　recruited　from　the　riff…raff　of　Shanghai；　was　an



ill…disciplined；　ill…organised　body　of　about　three　thousand　men；　

constantly　on　the　verge　of　mutiny；　supporting　itself　on　plunder；　

and；　at　the　slightest　provocation；　melting　into　thin　air。　Gordon；



by　sheer　force　of　character；　established　over　this　incoherent　

mass　of　ruffians　an　extraordinary　ascendancy。　He　drilled　them　

with　rigid　severity；　he　put　them　into　a　uniform；　armed　them　

systematically；　substituted　pay　for　loot；　and　was　even　able；　at　

last；　to　introduce　regulations　of　a　sanitary　kind。　There　were　

some　terrible　scenes；　in　which　the　General；　alone；　faced　the　

whole　furious　army；　and　quelled　scenes　of　rage；　desperation；　

towering　courage；　and　summary　execution。　Eventually　he　attained　

an