Jiang observed the train of rebel troops carrying their heavy loads. It had been three days since they had fled Tianjing, the capitol city of their Heavenly Kingdom. Their king had died of poisoning and the army thrown into chaos.

Jiang's commander, Li Xiucheng had ordered all the riches of the palace treasury to be moved out of the city so that it would not fall in the hands of the Qing.

It had not been easy breaking through the siege lines. They had only managed to slip a thousand men through by disguising themselves as Qing soldiers. God was on their side and it was wealth blessed by him that they were guarding. They had done well to hide from the enemy patrolling the land, moving only under cover of darkness, and keeping a close watch of their surroundings at all times. With God's blessing the treasure would make it to safety and they could start anew, perhaps rejoin the rest of the Taiping forces to rebuild the Heavenly Kingdom.

Guang, one of Jian's best warriors ran up to him. "Sir, some of the men cannot go on. Sharp pain in the legs. If we forced them to walk they would be screaming the whole way."

"We will have to steal a cart from some village or traveler then," said Jiang. "We cannot leave behind a single coin. This is the wealth our king had accumulated in the name of God. Find us a safe place to rest."

Jiang signaled for the men to stop and sat down on a nearby stone. He listened to the sound of crickets chirping in the night and sighed. It was likely they were the only ones who managed to get out of the city. There were still small pockets of Taiping rebels spread out across China but they had lost their center of power with the fall of Tianjing. The heir to the Heavenly Throne was likely captured and killed as well. He had sent some back to the city to see if they could retrieve the body of the Heavenly King.

Jiang balled his hands into fists. So long as he lived the rebellion was not over. The Manchurian scum would face the wrath of heaven soon enough and even their victory at Tianjing was a Pyrrhic one. The Qing had suffered considerable losses throughout the land and the economy had taken a hit from the uprising and deaths of countless peasants. Jiang knew that the Qing could never recover from such a blow. The Heavenly Kingdom may have fallen, but the Qing dynasty would soon follow. They had left their mark and the fight was far from over.