misled the government forces into the belief that an unexpected number of Taipings had invested their positions, and they retreated (March 24, 1856) to Nanchang, making little or no resistance. Henceforth Nanchang was under martial law, and here Tsêng Kuo-fan was harassed for a long time until rescued by P'êng Yü-lin, Tsêng Kuo-ch'üan [qq. v.] and others. Shih Ta-k'ai was then entrusted by Hung Hsiu-ch'üan, the Celestial King, with all military operations on the upper course of the Yangtze, including Hupeh, Kiangsi and Anhwei.
But in 1856 a great internal dissension broke out among the Taiping leaders. The Eastern King, Yang Hsiu-ch'ing [q. v.], tried to usurp the throne of Hung Hsiu-ch'üan. The Western King, Wei Ch'ang-hui (see under Hung Hsiu-ch'üan), consulted with Shih Ta-k'ai to kill the usurper, but Wei went beyond the agreement and not only killed Yang (September 2 or 3, 1856) but murdered thousands of Yang's adherents and his relatives. Upon receiving this news, Shih hurried back from Hung-shan, Hupeh, to Nanking to admonish Wei to pay more heed to his religious principles and to refrain from further slaughter. Unexpectedly Wei plotted to murder Shih also. Apprised of this intention, Shih escaped from Nanking by being secretly lowered from the city wall but Wei murdered Shih's mother, his wife and children, and many of his adherents. So incensed was Shih that in revenge he attempted to concentrate all his forces in Kiangsi and Anhwei for an attack on Nanking. But before he could give effect to this plan Wei Ch'ang-hui was himself murdered by the Celestial King, his head being carried into the presence of Shih Ta-k'ai for verification. Thereupon Shih was recalled to Nanking, presumably to fill, as he deserved, the important place that Yang Hsiu-ch'ing had held. Though he was welcomed by all the officials at Court, the Celestial King, apprehensive of further murders, relieved him of his military power and even kept him from participating in important state affairs, which were then under the control of Hung's brothers. Uneasy over his treatment in the capital Shih, with an enormous number of followers, left the Taiping court, never to return, and set out for Szechwan, which he planned to develop as an independent state after the model of the ancient principality of Shu 蜀, one of the Three Kingdoms (221–280 A.D.). He hoped thus to avoid any contest of power with other Taiping leaders and to be free to spread Taiping doctrines in distant wreas to which others would not go.
Toward the close of 1856 Shih Ta-k'ai went from Nanking to Anking anticipating that Li Hsiu-ch'êng and Ch'ên Yü-ch'êng [qq. v.] would follow him, but they declined. Then he went through Fu-chou, Kiangsi, to relieve the distressed Taipings in Chi-an and Lin-chiang (1857). During his stay at Fu-chou he tried to revive the civil service examination, but many of the students had already fled the turmoil of war. Early in 1858 Tsêng Kuo-fan ordered Li Yüan-tu [q. v.] to write a long letter to Shih Ta-k'ai, urging him to join the Ch'ing government with promise of a high post. It is understood that Tsêng also personally corresponded with Shih. Though the latter responded politely, he addressed to Tsêng a long poem in which he freely expressed his hopes and desires and earnestly admonished Tsêng to cease aiding the Manchus. Shih expressed regret, too, that he had no chance to meet Tsêng since he was about to press his campaign in Chekiang. Shih took Sui-chang (May 4, 1858), Ch'u-chou (May 10) and other cities of Chekiang, and during his stay addressed a charming letter to the gentry of the province urging them to take a stand against the Manchus and to assert their loyalty to the Taiping cause. His troops penetrated to northernmost Fukien but were content to pass through as roving bandits without occupying cities. When Shih Ta-k'ai heard that many cities of Kiangsi were retaken by government forces he returned to that province and captured Nan-an (January 3, 1859). Failing in an attack on Kan-chou, he went to Hunan.
In Hunan Shih Ta-k'ai, in command of a great force, said to number 200,000 or 300,000 men, took Hsing-ning (March 15, 1859), I-chang (March 16), and also Ch'ên-chou and Kuei-yang. He met comparatively weak resistance because the Hunan Braves were then fighting the Taipings in other provinces. But the provincial governor, Lo Ping-chang [q. v.], alarmed by Shih's success; asked help from all possible sources, and before long some 40,000 men under the command of Li Hsü-i (see under Li Hsü-pin), Liu Ch'ang-yu [q. v.] and others came to the rescue. In the meantime Shih overran Hsin-t'ien and Ning-yüan and besieged Yung-chou (April 5–15, 1859) but without success. Then he encompassed Pao-ch'ing with a large force but as the government's relief armies came on the scene and as most of Shih's followers were natives of Kwangsi, and anxious to return home,
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