The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 757 Daoguang's Change of Attitude

【Qishan, the governor-general of Zhili, was in favor of "suppression" at the beginning.】

[When Daoguang's order to all provinces to "take extra precautions" arrived on June 7 (July 22), Qishan immediately adopted three countermeasures.]

[First, generals with military achievements were appointed to command the small ports north of Tianjin and "secretly teach them defense strategies."]

[Second, he personally went to Tianjin Haikou to take command and ordered local officials to "secretly prepare fire attack equipment" and to use shore artillery and fire attack simultaneously.]

[Third, "officials gave weapons" to the villagers, "showed them rewards and punishments, and made them protect each other secretly"]

……

Ming Dynasty - Shenzong Period
Sitting on the chair, the little emperor frowned.

"Sir, is there any problem with this defensive strategy to defeat the enemy in Haikou?"

Zhang Juzheng, who was writing furiously at his desk opposite, looked up after hearing this, thought for a moment, and said softly:

"no problem."

"Use the stronghold of coastal artillery to resist the invading British warships and ships."

"This method of using coastal strongholds to resist foreign maritime invasions played a significant role in the coastal garrisons' fight against the Japanese pirates."

"In principle, no problem."

The little emperor nodded and raised his hand slightly to signal the prime minister in front of him to continue.

Zhang Juzheng said:

"But things change, and you can't apply the same thing to other things."

"The coastal defense posts of our Ming Dynasty are different from the artillery forts of the Qing army at this time."

"Our artillery coastal batteries are small-scale city defense fortifications, most of which are still far from the sea."

"Once there is an alarm, nearby residents will go in to defend themselves and wait for the army to rescue them."

"This can be seen from the construction of artillery batteries in Dinghai and other places."

"The Qing army's artillery forts were completely artillery positions, built in strategic locations near the sea, directly competing with enemy ships with artillery fire."

The little emperor understood it in an instant.

"What you mean, sir, is that the advantage of a ship is its maneuverability."

"They had the advantage at sea, while the Qing could have made full use of their land advantage to lure the enemy deeper into their territory."

"But we were weak against the enemy's strength, and mistakes were made in strategy and tactics."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and nodded slightly, but then sighed:
"The Opium War was the first time that the Central Plains saw the powerful ships and guns of overseas countries. It is understandable that the Qing army was completely unaware of their tactics."

"To know yourself and your enemy, you must first know the other party's existence."

The little emperor was silent for a while, then raised his head and said:

"Sir, I want to open the sea."

……

[On the seventh day of the seventh month (August 8), Qishan received another order from Emperor Daoguang ordering him to make preparations for both scenarios.]

[He also made some specific arrangements on how to suppress the rebellion.]

【But I am confused about how to give advice. 】

[In his memorial, he said: "I have found that the British are full of deceit. If they are only seeking trade, don't they know that the world is one family? They only need to seek trade in Guangdong. Why do they have to come all the way to Tianjin?"]

[“If you want to beg for mercy, why do you dare to occupy the city in Zhejiang?”]

[Britain "has revealed its intentions" and "must be on high alert"]

……

{Translation means, "I found that the British's behavior was full of tricks and fraud. They seemed to have come here specifically to seek trade. Don't these foreigners know that according to the teachings of the saints, the whole world is one family? They only need to conduct business exchanges in Guangdong. Why do they have to go all the way to Tianjin? If they want to beg for favors, how dare they occupy cities in Zhejiang?"}
{The British obviously have other intentions, and we must be prepared.}
{Silly...}
{You have already occupied the city, are you still dreaming of others begging for mercy... Is there any need for analysis...}
{You are working backwards from the results.}
{People at that time believed that foreign countries such as Britain and the United States were legally subjects and slaves of the Celestial Empire, so Britain's invasion was "a sign of rebellious intentions"}
……

[It was the day after Qishan received the imperial edict ordering him to accept the "report."]

[On July 8 (August 11), the British fleet arrived.]

[Qishan followed the order and sent guerrilla Luo Yingao to contact the captain of the British ship Wellington, Mathalon.]

【But what he received was not a "memorial", but a "consultation" from Yilu to Qishan. 】

【According to the official document procedures of the Qing Dynasty at that time, "Advisory Council" was a parallel document. 】

……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
"It's really...ridiculous..."

Kangxi felt a sense of fate that things were changing.

In the past he had even written letters mocking foreign monarchs.

And now his own descendants have also been attacked.

"Consultation meeting..."

The direct exchange of equal documents that this group of foreigners had longed for was finally realized outside Dagukou by means of gunboats.

However, these officials who had been in the Central Plains for a long time and were unfamiliar with the external system seemed to have not noticed the changes.

"Just like a group of frozen insects..."

Kangxi touched Jinlian, thoughtfully.

He originally wanted to promote "Qian Gang's arbitrary decision"

Now it seems...the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

"Increase production..."

Kangxi thought again of the task given by Jinlian.

Now it seems that this industry is not a matter of whether we want to complete it or not.

But whether we can still be ahead of the version!
The world's number one becomes the world's number two?
Do not agree!
……

[Yiluo's "Consultative Meeting" stated the circumstances of Xiamen and Dinghai's refusal to accept the letters, claiming that such actions "resulted in the injustice being unable to be heard", and asked Qishan to send someone to the British ship within six days to receive the "official document of the Great Britain's note"]

[The words "grievances" and "receipts" are consistent with the provisions of Daoguang's edict that "there is indeed no rebellious situation", but there is no corresponding provision in the edict to send people on board to receive "notes". ]

Qishan felt unsure and did not dare to act on his own, so he immediately submitted a memorial to ask for permission.

【Daoguang approved it on July 8 (August 13).】

……

Qing Dynasty and Qianlong period
Qianlong's face darkened again.

He glanced at the civil and military officials in the court and forced himself to suppress the urge to curse.

Judging from Daoguang's every move, he was already revealing a soothing attitude.

It's simply a horror of slipping the world!

They were all beaten to their doorsteps!
What are you massaging?
You hit! ...

The angry Qianlong glanced at Heshen who was as quiet as a chicken.

Suddenly I thought of blind spots.

money……

Qianlong suddenly calmed down.

Sometimes whether to fight or not does not depend on the emperor.

It depends on the national treasury. …

【On July 8 (August 15), Qishan changed the "edict" that the Qing Dynasty had been accustomed to using. 】

【“Reply” to “Commander-in-Chief Yi of England” means sending someone to receive the “official document”. 】

[In the "reply", he asked: "Is it your king's memorial to the great emperor, or is it your king's official document to the ministers of the court?"]

[It was then agreed to respond to the British "note" within ten days and to request that the British ships not sail in.]

……

Tang Dynasty and Emperor Gaozu's period
Li Yuan felt a headache after seeing this.

“Sometimes, looking at things from God’s perspective, it’s really infuriating!”

Li Shimin stroked his beard and said helplessly:

"The Qing Dynasty is a perfect example of what it means to be isolated from the world for too long."

"Just like the people in Taoyuan, they don't know the world."

……

【July 8 (August 17)】

【Bai Hanzhang, who pretended to be a garrison commander, retrieved the letter from Foreign Minister Palmerston to the Chinese Prime Minister. Qishan immediately submitted it to the emperor.】

【The fact that he received the letter also allowed Qishan to see the strength of the British army with his own eyes.】

[In the memorial attached to Palmerston's note, Qishan mentioned that he "dared not relax his defense", but he emphasized more the difficulties that the continuous heavy rains brought to the troop movement.]

[It was also said that the water in the Haikou area was "several feet deep" and that the soldiers could only be arranged to stay there after the rain stopped.]

[In the attached film, Qishan also described in detail the styles of the British warships and ships, implying that it was difficult to defeat the enemy.]

……

{For details, please see Volume 2 of "Archives and Historical Materials of the Opium War", pages 289-292.}
{So, the vague and chaotic "Taixi" in my mind has been materialized into concrete and real "flame ships" and other weapons, right?}
｛Although he did not give in in his memorial, people today can still understand his hidden intentions when reading it.｝
{In fact, Britain at that time did not fully understand China.}
{Just as they thought that blocking the seaports would force the Qing Dynasty to submit based on their own national conditions, Foreign Secretary Palmerston's official document also mistakenly designated the recipient as the Chinese Prime Minister.}
{This made it difficult for the Qing court to decide who should be in charge of foreign affairs and the exchange of documents with other countries. This situation did not improve until the establishment of the Zongli Yamen.}
{This is more in line with the reality. At the beginning, the two sides did not understand each other and the situation was unclear, so they fought and made peace at the same time. When they saw the gap between the enemy and us clearly, they adopted a more determined strategy.}
……

Qing Dynasty, Xianfeng Period
When Xianfeng saw the words "Prime Minister of various countries' government offices", he almost coughed his lungs out!
Is this progress?
This is a shame!

Xianfeng was so angry that he almost gritted his teeth.

"It's just about managing the vassal states, there's no diplomacy involved."

They are nothing but barbarians...barbarians!

Xianfeng slowly closed his eyes.

The great Celestial Empire was forced to change its system by a group of barbarians...

……

[Since the Qing Dynasty did not have a prime minister, and there was no institution or official responsible for modern diplomatic affairs, the Palmerston Note was submitted by Qishan and directly reviewed by Emperor Daoguang.]

[On July 8 (August 19), Emperor Daoguang received this nearly -word note, but did not issue it that day. Instead, he kept it for one day as an exception and issued it the next day.]

[Whether he consulted military affairs during this period is unknown, but he reviewed other memorials and issued no less than nine edicts, ranging from fortifications in Lushun to commending civilian women, as recorded in the Veritable Records.]

【It can be seen that Daoguang was busy with many official duties and could not concentrate. 】

[Thus, although he claimed to have "read through" the Palmerston Note, given his time and work, he could not have devoted himself to studying it.]

[But in just these two short days, his intention changed completely, a full 180 degrees, from "suppressing" to "pacifying".]

[And the reason why the decision is so important and the change is so easy. 】

[This is different from Qishan who saw the British army’s “strong ships and powerful guns” and thought he was no match for them.]

[The reason why Daoguang had the intention to "pacify" the country was due to the translation problem of Palmerston's note.]

……

A Chinese translation and an English manuscript were posted on the ceiling.

"Because the officials have disturbed our own people living in China and insulted the dignity of the British nation, the British monarch has dispatched naval and land divisions to the Chinese seas to ask the emperor to redress the injustice."

……

[Compared with the English, “demand from the Emperor satisfaction and redress” was originally “demand from the Emperor satisfaction and redress”. ]

[If directly translated into modern Chinese, it should be "demand compensation and correction from the emperor." ]

[In addition, the document also translates “correction” as “justice”, “protest” as “report”, “compensation” as “relief”, and “demand” as “requirement” in many places. ]

【It is a mystery that such an important document is translated in this way. 】

……

Great Sui.

"Of course it can be translated truthfully."

Yang Jian looked at the nonsense for a while, rubbed his brows, and said helplessly:
"But how can we translate something truthfully for the emperor to see?"

"Isn't that disrespectful?"

"And who dares to say they are not afraid of guilt by association?"

"Only when it is translated like this can it be shown to the emperor. He will be happy after reading it, and if he is happy, the ministers will be happy too."

"Otherwise, who can take the blame for the emperor's wrath?"

……

[In addition to this note, Daoguang also received the words in the Yi Lu "Consultation" submitted by Qishan, "so that the grievances could not be made known" and Qishan's memorial that the British officers' "reasons for their grievances could not be heard by the emperor."]

【All these factors made the British side's behavior appear "submissive and respectful" in Daoguang's eyes.】

【As it should be, these “humble” sentences were quite pleasing to the emperor of the “Heavenly Kingdom.”】

【From this, Emperor Daoguang regarded the enemy who led troops to threaten him as a "wronged" foreign vassal who came to "file a complaint with the emperor."】

[From the Palmerston Note, the first three-fifths of the note was an accusation against Lin Zexu's anti-opium campaign in Guangdong, and the five demands were only put forward later.]

【1. Compensation for the price of the goods (referring to the burned opium).】

【2. China and Britain have equal diplomacy. 】

【3. Cession of islands.】

【4. Compensation for business debts.】

[5. Compensation for military expenses.]

[If we use traditional Chinese documents such as "Anti-traitor Proclamations" as a reference, Palmerston's note would not seem so righteous.]

【According to Daoguang and Qishan, who were not familiar with Western diplomatic terms, the accusations against Lin were “seeking justice” and the subsequent requests were “begging for mercy.”】

【Since Daoguang did not and could not spend much time studying the Palmerston Note, and because of the "Heavenly Kingdom" concept in his mind, he could not grasp the point.】

[He was deeply impressed by the British accusations against Lin Zexu and intended to "vindicate" him.]

【As for the various demands of the British side, I felt that they were absurd and unreasonable, and I thought it would not be difficult to refute them in a stern manner. Moreover, the great emperor had the power to "show favor" or "withhold favor" to foreign vassals.】

……

{Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister, the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties directly governed the country.}
{After Yongzheng changed the title to a memorial, the cabinet's "vote" was also cancelled. The emperor did not rely on others to handle all government affairs.}
{To use an inappropriate analogy, the head of state and head of government.}
{Although there were officials such as Grand Secretaries and Grand Councillors, who were also called "Prime Ministers" by people at the time, they only drafted imperial edicts according to the emperor's wishes, which was roughly equivalent to the secretarial team in the government today.}
{Every day, the memorials from various places were presented in their original seals by the Memorial Office. After the emperor opened the seals and reviewed them, he sent them to the military council. The military council ministers drafted the imperial edicts based on the emperor's comments or oral instructions, and the emperor issued them after reviewing them.}
{There are two points worth noting here.}
{First, except for the occasional question-answering by the military ministers, all decisions were made by the emperor himself, without being restricted by any individual or institution. Of course, they were also indirectly restricted by the "ancestral system" and Confucian classics.}
{Second, the memorials received each day were generally issued on the same day, and decisions were made accordingly, very quickly.}
{To make decisions on all matters of government within a short period of time with one's wisdom requires not only great talent and vision, but also carefulness and meticulousness.}
{In addition, sufficient physical strength and energy are also very important.}
{According to archives, we know that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty had to review memorials of tens of thousands of words every day and make a series of corresponding decisions. The slightest omission would lead to a big mistake.}
{This unprecedentedly highly centralized system put forward almost godlike requirements for the selection of the emperor, which completely lost its rationality.}
{It is difficult for the court to make decisions based on specific analysis and rational discussion, and they often follow the monarch's momentary feelings, although this centralized approach may be more efficient under the control of a truly wise monarch.}
{However, at this time, Emperor Daoguang of the Kingdom of Bing was a man of ordinary talent.}
……

I know these chapters are a bit long.

But it’s boring to just write about things that are well-known.

The next chapter will speed up the progress.



(End of this chapter)