Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast Episode 257 - The Taiping Rebellion Part 2: Working in the Dog Blood Factory
Apr 24, 2023
Exploring the bizarre gunpowder ingredients used by rebels in the Taiping Rebellion, brutal working conditions in a dog blood factory, unconventional tactics like bribing pirates for protection, and the rebel leader's evolution into a police state ruler.
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Divine Authority Became Arbitrary Power
- Hong Xiuquan ruled by arbitrary divine claims and numerology to justify decisions and enforce obedience.
- This created paranoia and brutal punishments that hardened into an internal police force.
Improvised Gunpowder From Dog Blood
- Cut off from supplies, the Taipings produced gunpowder by boiling saltpeter with booze, dog blood, and horse manure.
- The mixture was unstable but sometimes worked, allowing muskets, cannons, and bombs to function.
Explosive Rear-Guard And Ambush Success
- Retreating Taipings rigged cities and roads with mines and homemade bombs, then lit a city to cover their escape.
- Their ambush on a mountain road wiped out over 5,000 government troops.