When Dinghai fell, Emperor Daoguang was furious: Zhejiang's water and land forces were abandoned. It goes without saying that a mere clown dared to be so rampant. The minister of civil and military affairs was so confused that he was like a puppet. How could he just be pampered and live in a comfortable life? Wu'er Gong'e and Zhu Tingbiao will be dismissed from their posts immediately and will stay in their posts temporarily to take advantage of their sins for meritorious service. Qishan, the governor of Zhili, said that if the barbarian ship came to Tianjin to seek trade, he would definitely not be able to report it according to the situation, and he would prepare for war and suppress it. Deng Tingjie, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, rushed to help Dinghai. Lin Zexu cut off trade externally, but it was not cut off. He also investigated and violated the law internally, but it was not clean. It was just empty words and prevarication. Not only did it have no reality, but it created many waves. I think about it and I am very angry. Let's see what words you have to say to me! After many edicts were issued, Emperor Daoguang was still uneasy and quickly sent detailed inspections to various places.
At the end of July 1840, detailed reports came one after another. In Jiangsu, no one paid attention to training. The navy was extremely small and its military skills were particularly sparse. It was even more weak than Zhejiang. In Shandong, thousands of kilograms of cannon have not yet been practiced, and they have been hastily tested and fired, but they are too many to handle. In Zhili, the coastal forts are in disrepair, and most of the old iron cannons are rusty and damaged, making many unusable. In Tianjin, there are 200 troops in Haikou and 600 in the city. In Liaoning, the coastal defense is extremely empty. There are no cannons in Shanhaiguan and Lushun has only 600 soldiers and 100 sailors. To the east of Lushun, there are not many soldiers and almost no defenses.
After Emperor Daoguang saw it, his heart trembled and he was speechless for a long time.
Mu Zhang looked at the Emperor and said, "Harmony will benefit both sides."
Emperor Daoguang said: "Quickly report Qishan, just like a barbarian ship sailing to Tianjin Haikou. If there is no unruly behavior, there is no need to rush and shoot. If there is anything to report, regardless of the Chinese characters, the original report will be submitted."
In Guangzhou, when Shimi learned that Bomai had captured Dinghai, he was itching and full of provocation.
Lin Zexu had already prepared. Inside and outside Humen, three thousand officers and soldiers were watching eagerly. On the walls of Macau, one thousand three hundred soldiers were sharpening their swords. In Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Chung Mountain, eight hundred officers and soldiers were waiting in formation. Seeing this, Shimi did not dare to attack rashly. He only captured ten salt ships outside the Pearl River Estuary, killing some of the resisting helmsmen and wounding some of the sailors who turned against them.
Then Xu Yi was filled with anger and issued a notice to kill the barbarians: The British barbarians are very cunning, and they use opium to harm the lives of our people and defraud the mainland's assets. Our people should also share the hatred and anger. This governor makes an appointment with you: if the British and foreign warships enter the inland river, I promise to kill them all with swords. Anyone who kills a white barbarian will be rewarded with one hundred foreign silver dollars, and anyone who kills a black barbarian will be rewarded with fifty foreign silver dollars.
A heavy reward must be rewarded by a brave man. Soon after Xu ordered it, the army and people of Macao worked together to capture the British man Winterson Staunton alive.
Shimi knocked at the gate and asked for his release. Lin Zexu refused. Shimi was furious and attacked the gate fort.
The Guanzha Fort is backed by Fragrant Mountain and faces Macau. If you occupy this position, you can use Macau to frighten Fragrant Mountain and peek into the Humen. Zexu also knew how important it was and ordered to strictly observe it.
The fort defenders fired back, but the range was not enough to damage the ship. After an hour of fierce fighting, the defenders suffered many casualties. General Bo Qishan and guard Chen Hongguang were wounded. Smith captured the Guanzha fort, raised the British flag, and burned the Qing army's camp.
Zexu was indignant and said: "Inside and outside the gate, we carefully checked that there were more than two thousand civil and military officers and soldiers, and they were not short. The hateful people are those who wear strong armor and are strong-armed. It is just the thought of abandoning the armor and dragging the soldiers. I will definitely kill one or two of them for favor. Yu Jun."
After the battle at Guanzhao, Shimi declared: "If we don't let people go, we will attack Humen."
The officers and soldiers of Humen were frightened and asked for reinforcements. Guan Tianpei also called back the main ship and defended Humen.
Zexu said: "This is a topic borrowed from Humen, but it is actually a challenge to Guanzhao. How can we tolerate such arrogance? Defense is important, but taking the initiative to seize opportunities to engage in confrontation and defeat the enemy's edge is also a must. This is the way to fight. I order to mobilize all the division ships, choose a suitable place on the Lingding Ocean, and surround and destroy one or two barbarian ships."
Yiliang said: "My emperor ordered, "You should still show calmness and don't act arrogantly."
Then Xu sighed and said: "My emperor, I still focus on the level of calmness. However, if I want to be calm and he is not calm, it will be difficult to stay calm. In the current situation, we can only use this one move to achieve a victory in Nanyang. Open the blocked chest and ears.”
Guan Tianpei followed Xu's orders, and the division ships were sent out, and they searched for several days. Finally, they found a British ship on the sea surface of the alum stone, and they were ready to surround and bombard them. Three British ships heard the news and came to help. The artillery battle between the two sides reached black, and the British ships retreated.
On August 11, Yilu led the main force of the fleet to arrive at Dagukou, Tianjin. Captain Matalun of the Wellesley sent a note to Qishan: drop a letter ashore and go ashore for shopping. Qi Shan did not dare to make his own opinions, so he reported to Emperor Daoguang: Yi Chuan Duo was attacked by Guangdong. The reason for his humiliation was that he had no way to reach heaven to listen. Is it possible for me to contact you?
Emperor Daoguang ordered it.
Qishan then sent garrison Bai Hanzhang to board the ship to pay homage to the barbarians. Yilu felt a little relieved when he saw Hanzhang's good intentions. He was completely different from the officials in Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang.
Hanzhang fully revealed the direct governor Qishan's favorable impression of the British and his desire for peace.
Yilu was so excited that he immediately released his goodwill and quickly drove away from Dagukou for six days to wait for the Qing emperor's reply.
Qi Shan submitted the British official document and reported to the Emperor: This barbarian ship has strong guns and powerful guns. It has three levels of cabins. Each level has more than a hundred cannons, and there are cannons in the front and rear of each level. Each cannon is about seven or eight thousand kilograms. . There is no wind or tide, and you can fly with the current and against it. Nowadays, barbarians are allowed to roam the sea lanes, and dangerous places are occupied by barbarians. Our navy can no longer enter the sea to compete, and it has been repulsed this year, and it can still come back next year. Once the border provocation is started, the troops will not be released. And for years of defense, teachers are not paid for free. Today, the barbarian boats are retreating and looking for a place to cool off. Their intention is not to induce the officials to withdraw their defenses, but to find another dock. We must take extra precautions.
Emperor Daoguang read the official documents between the British and the foreigners and realized that the foreigners only demanded trade compensation, trade, and island settlement. Xi said: "Yi Zhi's plan to trade, also known as redress of grievances, is my opportunity to deal with it." Immediately issued an order to Qi Shan Xiao Yi Lv: Lin Zexu and others inspected and banned opium last year, but failed to uphold the righteousness of the Grand Duke, and were deceived by others. , improper measures. The great emperor has long heard of the injustice that I am asking for, and he must investigate it in detail, investigate and deal with it impartially, and punish his crime severely. He will definitely be able to redress grievances on his behalf. The commander-in-chief Yilu and others will return to Chaonan immediately and wait for the matter to be handled.
Wan Qixin, the head of the Ministry of Punishment, wrote: "I said in the preface: If the barbarians complain about Lin and Deng's affairs, if they are investigated and handled according to the constraints, then the former superintendent will handle it, and he will be overly responsible. If he holds both ends, and there will be more cunning, then it will be counterintuitive. , get rid of what you fear. What I heard today is that it is more than just holding the two ends of the yin, it is just full of cunning. All the complaints he made are untrue, and they are clearly counter-intuitive.
Emperor Daoguang disagreed and scolded: "How can a few words reach the wolf soldiers in the city?" He also ordered Qishan: adapt to changes, do not lose the national integrity, and do not start provocations. With specific guidance, one must convince his or her heart before the solution can be successful.
Qi Shan understood this and gave the barbarians chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep as a great reward. They also set up two tents on the south bank of Dagokou, one for negotiation and the other for living. Yilu forced Qishan to accept terms such as trade indemnity and land cession. Qi Shan only responded: "Reign the governor of Guangdong in order to avenge his injustice." Yilu threatened to fight, while Qishan asked to wait for the memorial to be heard and then replied.
On September 4, 1840, Emperor Daoguang issued an edict, ordering Qishan to adapt to the situation and allow trade to offset the price of cigarettes as a condition for retreating. Qishan meets Yilu again: If it is agreed to return to the south, an imperial envoy will come to Guangdong for further talks, which will surely restore the king to your commander-in-chief, and the humiliation of the former consul will be cleared up.
It was already autumn, the weather was getting colder, and an epidemic broke out in Dingjun. Yilu thought about it again and again, and agreed to return to Guangdong. Note to Qishan: If you don't fire cannons along the coast, I will never cause trouble. Due to the listed terms, there was no clear reply, and since they had to wait until they returned to Guangdong to await investigation, the Dinghai warships could not be withdrawn. Qi Shan agreed one by one.
The barbarian ship returned south. Emperor Daoguang said happily: "Qi Shan only spoke a few words about the army that defeated hundreds of thousands of people. He wrote Qi Shan's works and became an imperial envoy. He quickly came to Beijing to ask for instructions and went to Guangdong to investigate and deal with the incident. I quickly conveyed my order to the governors of the coastal provinces, and the Yi ships passed by. , no need to open the guns.”
Mu Zhangada said: "Guang Governor Lin Zexu Jin said that he wants to go abroad to suppress the barbarians."
Emperor Daoguang said angrily: "The Yi people are familiar with water warfare. Since the governor turned inward and said it was not worth fighting on the sea, why did he want to go abroad to suppress it this time? It is self-contradictory. Apparently because the Yi soldiers were harassing Fujian and Zhejiang, Then we sailed north to Tianjin. We were afraid that the poor management of eastern Guangdong would be blamed on the governor, so we did this on purpose to gain ground first. The so-called attempt to cover up the enemy's situation can be called a military force."
After Emperor Daoguang said this, he immediately issued an order: Due to the opium smoke poisoning the sea, Lin Zexu was specially sent to Haikou, Guangdong to investigate and deal with Deng Tingjie. The mainland will be cleared in the first stage, the source will be cut off, and it will be handled properly anywhere and at any time. However, since the investigation, the internal annihilation of people and illegal crimes has not been eliminated, and the source of external trafficking has not been cut off. Even this year, British and foreign ships cruised along the coast, and provinces such as Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhili, and Shengjing were recruited one after another, and the troops were taxed and paid. This was all due to the poor management of Lin Zexu and others. Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhu came to Beijing to listen to the ministry's discussion.
When Lin Zexu accepted the order, he did not dare not be in awe of the power of heaven, but it was a matter of fundamental importance, so he risked his life to tell the story again: more than a year after coming to Guangdong, opium has not been completely eradicated, so he hopes to punish the criminals severely to serve as a warning to incompetence. But opium is more harmful than wild beasts, and even Yao and Shun had to drive it away today. If it is said that the coming of the barbarian soldiers was caused by the ban on smoking, then those who brought opium into the interior had already harbored evil intentions, and the importance of doing so at this time and at a later date must be distinguished. Knowing that foreigners have an insatiable nature, they can take one step after another. If the power cannot be overcome, there will be no danger of disaster, and other countries will follow suit, so we must not ignore it. The rebels harassed Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sulu, and Jin, but they could only be stopped with thunderous force. For this plan, the silver from the barbarians can be used to defend against the barbarians. Purchase cannons and build ships. The cannons must be extremely profitable and the ships must be extremely strong. This person is of great benefit to the country. Even though he donates a lot of money, he does not dare to feel sorry for himself.
When Emperor Daoguang heard the report, he said angrily: "This is nonsense and abominable! Quickly pass on my edict: I sent Lin Zexu and Deng Tingjie to investigate and deal with opium in Guangdong for more than two years. Not only did they not wipe out the roots, they also sent the barbarians to Kinki to file a complaint. What's going on! We have issued an edict to declare the governor and others' mishandling of the country's sick people. According to the order, the governor and others will be dismissed from their posts. They deserve the blame. Lin Zexu and Deng Tingji are both in charge of the ministry. Dismissal was discussed. Lin Zexu immediately turned back, and Deng Tingzhen also left for Guangdong quickly to prepare for questioning by the commission."
