Yet timing was everything. Few people today remember that the China of the time had an ingrained idea of “seasonal emperors”, based on the elements. When a future emperor was born, he would be raised with the idea of fulfilling his elemental role.
Using my labels, the first in the series was the destroyer, or ‘water’, emperor, who would wipe out the old order. Traditionally, their reigns were noteworthy and killed many.
His successor was the creator emperor, who would build the new order from scratch, using traditional principals. Then his successor was the maintenance emperor, who would take all the new systems and make sure they functioned properly.
Then the last emperor was the decay emperor, who would withdraw most of the government into Beijing, and let the country fall apart. After his reign, the water emperor would wipe it all out so China could begin again.
When I said ingrained, it had meaning. If an emperor conformed to his assignment, the government acted efficiently and carried out his orders. But if he wavered and tried to go against his assigned purpose, nothing but confusion would happen.
The emperor at the time of Taiping was a decay emperor, the best time to try and overthrow the government. The very last emperor paved the way for the rise of Mao, who at some point must have become aware that everyone assumed he was the water emperor.
[Then the last emperor was the decay emperor, who would withdraw most of the government into Beijing, and let the country fall apart. ]