That description of Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Rebellion, perhaps the second bloodies human conflict after WWII, was about as bad as describing Hitler’s commentaries on art as a way of describing his impact on the world.
Seriously, the Taiping Rebellion had almost 10 million combatants and an estimated 20-30 million dead. Mostly with swords, pikes, axes, and a few primitive cannon. It was said that after one of its great battles, there were so many dead people and horses that someone could walk over five square miles and never step on dirt or rock because of the bodies.
And it all began when missionaries gave an otherwise ordinary religious tract to a guy who was both insane and astoundingly charismatic. That and two of the four generals he chose happened to be competent.
Most Americans are unfamiliar with Taiping, because it overlapped the US Civil War.
[And it all began when missionaries gave an otherwise ordinary religious tract to a guy who was both insane and astoundingly charismatic. ]