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

Chapter 758 "A few words and a piece of paper are far more powerful than an army of a hundred thousand!"

The period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
Liu Che wiped the purple peach in his hand and took a bite.

“It’s the same old problem.”

"When the emperor made some major wrong decisions, it was either because of treacherous ministers, or because the emperor issued an edict of repentance to the heavens."

"But the emperor, who is ultimately responsible, will not be truly responsible for this."

Liu Che also threw a peach to little Liu Ju and said with a smile:

"Before the Ming Dynasty, there were prime ministers. The biggest advantage of having a prime minister was that the emperor could find someone to hold accountable."

"If something goes wrong, the prime minister can be dismissed."

“Without a chancellor, the emperor is both responsible and accountable.

"If something goes wrong, do you still expect the emperor to depose and punish you?"

"That's really overthinking."

“And the problem here is obvious.”

Through the changes in the Qing Dynasty, Liu Che saw a glimpse of other views beyond the barriers of the Central Plains.

"An overly autocratic and centralized system places too high demands on the emperor personally, making imperial politics highly accidental."

"Some prosperous times may occur when encountering some divine monarchs with strong personal talents, but it is inevitable that the system as a whole will have huge loopholes."

Xiao Liu was a little confused.

He held the peach in his hand, looking at his father with a look of interest in his face in a daze.

What vulnerability?
Is the emperor a loophole?

Liu Che ate a peach and thought about this unprecedented example.

Such a decision-making mechanism had to deal with a decision-maker like Daoguang.

The probability of making mistakes is extremely high.

Because Daoguang was facing unfamiliar enemies and completely new problems.

He had no ancestral rules to follow.

For a king who is trying to maintain the status quo, this is a catastrophic disaster.

……

【On July 8 (August 20), Daoguang sent two imperial edicts to Qishan.】

[The first edict instructed Qishan how to "control" the "foreigners."]

[1. Regarding the "injustice" committed by the British side, we will investigate each case one by one to win their hearts.]

[2. Regarding the cession of islands, the Qing dynasty was told that allowing the British to trade was a "favor" and that it should not "upend the established rules."]

【3. Regarding commercial debts, we told them that they should be settled by the merchants of both countries themselves.】

[4. Regarding the “price of goods”, they were informed that opium was a “prohibited item” and had been destroyed, so “no price could be asked for”.]

【However, Daoguang did not give any instructions on the two issues of equal diplomacy between China and Britain and compensation for military expenses. 】

[The second decree was for Qishan to announce to the British side, saying:

The great emperor rules the world and treats everyone equally, both at home and abroad. Any foreign vassal who comes to China to trade will be immediately investigated and punished if there is any injustice.

Last year, Lin Zexu and others banned opium, but they failed to respect the great justice and righteous intention, and were deceived and acted inappropriately.

The Great Emperor has long heard of the injustice you are seeking to redress, and he will certainly investigate it thoroughly and punish the perpetrator severely.

We have now sent an imperial commissioner to Guangdong to investigate the case impartially and will certainly be able to redress the injustice.

The commander-in-chief Yilu and others should return to the south immediately and wait for the handling of the case. 】

……

Song Dynasty: Zhezong Period
"No... where does he get his confidence from?"

Zhao Xu couldn't hold it in any longer, and pointed at the imperial edict in the sky and complained:

"Look at what he said."

"You have been deceived and misled, and you want to redress your injustice?"

"You were the one who pushed for the smoking ban!"

"Are you still looking for justice? You are looking for a scapegoat!"

"I will return to the south immediately and wait for the processing..."

Zhao Xu thought this was the most ridiculous sentence.

To put it another way, Northern Liao suddenly attacked at our doorstep.

Then he gave an order to the commander of the Northern Liao army: Go back to where you came from...

I don't think they will listen!

……

Ming Dynasty - Tianqi Period
"Good fellow... he looks even more familiar..."

Zhu Youxiao doesn't have to guess anymore.

The next step must be to deal with Lin Zexu!

Isn't this a scapegoat?

"In order to relieve the court from its predicament, even if we sacrifice a few ministers, let alone injustice, what would that count for?"

"You all think so, right?"

……

Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period
Daoguang is now very conflicted.

He couldn't guarantee that he would not do so in the future.

Because if the British army, defeated in the land battle, retreated to the sea and invaded from the north and south, the Qing Dynasty would have to deploy a long-term defense along the thousands of miles of coastline across the country.

This kind of war with no end in sight is exactly what I hope to avoid.

The expenditure on the campaign against Zhang Geer and other river works projects easily amounted to tens of millions of taels.

Due to the ancestral rule of "never increasing taxes", there was no way for him to improve his finances or find more sources of income.

And war is the most expensive thing in the world...

"This year, the national treasury has only 10.34 million taels of silver..."

Daoguang murmured.

The British army had strong ships and powerful artillery, and the Qing navy was no match for them. The only tactic the Qing army could use was to impose martial law in seven provinces and have counties and prefectures prepared.

However, this method of waiting for the enemy to attack cannot completely wipe out the enemy and capture the enemy leader in time.

The war would drag on indefinitely.

"Can't advance, can't retreat..."

Daoguang discovered in despair that even if he knew the future, he could do nothing.

……

[On July 8 (August 22), Qishan received two imperial edicts from Emperor Daoguang, which indicated that he was determined to "pacify" the country. He immediately sent people to find the British fleet that was cruising in the Shanhaiguan area and informed them that the emperor had issued an "edict of grace" and asked them to "come quickly to listen to the announcement."]

[In the following twenty days, he exchanged 10 notes with the British side, and on August 8 (August 30) he had a direct interview with Elliot and Elliot in a tent on Dagu Beach.]

【Qishan openly "frankly admitted that the British were mistreated" and promised to redress the grievances and punish Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen. 】

【Elliot insisted on terms such as compensation, ceding islands, and equal courtesy between officials of both sides. Qishan said he would reply after reporting to the emperor.】

[On August 9 (September 11), Qishan sent a note to Yilu, urging him to return to Guangdong and wait for the imperial envoy to handle everything. There must be a solution.]

[Two days later, the British army actually agreed.]

【The reason why Yilu and Elliot agreed to go south was because the negotiations that lasted for more than a month had yielded no results, and they didn’t know when this baseless drift on the sea would end.】

[We are not familiar with the military situation and geography of the north, and we feel unsure if we attack rashly.]

[What's more, the monsoon is about to pass, and the northern winter ocean is frozen, which will bring inconvenience to the movement of ships. ]

【In addition, there was an epidemic in the army and the weather was about to turn cold, so it was not suitable for the ships to stay in the northern ports for a long time, so they agreed to return to Guangzhou for negotiations.】

【On August 15 (th), the British army set sail and headed south.】

[On August 9 (September 17), Emperor Daoguang ordered Qishan to go to Guangdong as an imperial commissioner to investigate the matter. He ordered the governors along the coast not to open guns to British ships and ordered Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangsu and other coastal provinces to dismiss soldiers to "cut down on waste."]

【On September 10 (October 3), Emperor Daoguang dismissed Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen from their posts and investigated them for "poor management" and "harming the country and the people."】

【On September 10 (October 13), the British army returned south as ordered.】

[Daoguang wrote with great pride: "A few words and a piece of paper are far more powerful than an army of 100,000 men"]

[On October 11 (November 20), British troops arrived in Macau.]…

Ming Dynasty Yongle Period
Zhu Di looked at Daoguang's smug look and felt inexplicably moved.

"The great emperor governs all nations..."

In traditional Chinese political terminology, the meaning of "fu" is roughly equivalent to "he", but there are important and subtle differences between them.

"Fu" and "jimi" can be used interchangeably.

It refers to the central court's use of compromise methods to achieve peace with local rebels and ethnic groups or countries in surrounding areas.

The result is nothing more than making some concessions to those who are "comforted" and promoting them to higher positions.

It has an active position from top to bottom, and also means the submission of the one being "caressed" to the one who "caresses".

There is a difference in status between those who "caress" and those who are "caressed".

Just like the Tang Dynasty could use appeasement to its neighboring countries.

But the Song Dynasty could only use peace with its neighboring countries.

"This, like suppression, is two important means used alternately by emperors."

Zhu Di said to Zhu Zhanji:

"Generally speaking, when you can fight and win, use suppression; when you cannot fight and win, use appeasement."

"When suppressing, order the general to send out troops to attack and defeat them."

"When using a governor, they often change horses, put the blame on the responsible officials, who are actually scapegoats, and announce the emperor's new grace so that things can return to normal."

"Throughout history, there are many examples and experiences of suppression and appeasement, and Emperor Daoguang also knew how to apply them in detail."

"Your father actually understands this best."

Zhu Di didn't know what he was thinking about, and suddenly laughed:

"According to Confucian theory, the emperor is the common ruler of the world, and he should redress the grievances of foreign vassals who have been wronged, so as to show his justice and fairness."

"According to the Qing Dynasty's perception at the time, Britain was a foreign country. If it was not for its ambition to conquer the Central Plains, it would be difficult to destroy it for the time being. Making some concessions and declaring the great emperor's great "favor" would be an appropriate solution."

"From this we can see that Daoguang's policy of pacification at this time was still based on the ancestral laws and regulations."

Zhu Zhanji frowned, crossed his arms and said:

"But this is all Daoguang's wishful thinking."

"The British wanted China to surrender, but Emperor Daoguang wanted the British to surrender... This..."

Zhu Di brushed off the dead leaves that had fallen on him and said calmly:

"This seems absurd, but Daoguang and Qishan, who decided on the plan and implemented it, felt it was reasonable and logical."

"So, this isn't over yet."

"Because the British don't want any comfort."

……

【On November 11 (November 29), Qishan arrived in Guangzhou.】

[On the same day, Elliot resigned due to illness and returned to the United Kingdom. He was replaced by Elliot as the British plenipotentiary representative, and Boehm took over as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force in China.]

[Qishan declared on his way to Guangdong: "Nowadays, when handling foreign affairs, we should focus on Rouyuan instead of Weiyuan."]

[“The British are powerful and cannot be China’s possible enemy”]

【After arriving in Guangzhou, he strongly opposed Lin Zexu's actions: dismissing the water warriors, dismantling the coastal defense fortifications, reducing the number of warships, dismissing the generals who had made contributions in the anti-British struggle, and regarded the people of Guangdong as "traitors."】

[Negotiations with the United Kingdom followed.]

……

On the canopy.

The British sat opposite the Qing officials.

An interpreter whispered into the official's ear:

"Sir, this treaty is inconsistent with the previous "Letter to the Chinese Prime Minister."

The official remained expressionless and just said:

"Tell me exactly what you want."

The translator picked up the paper on the table, glanced at the British man opposite him, put the paper up to block his view, pointed at the words on it and said to the official:
"First, they asked us to open Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Shanghai and Ningbo as treaty ports."

"Second, the British government could station officials at various trading ports to have direct contact with Qing officials."

"Third, cede the coastal islands."

"Fourth, compensation for the burned opium."

"Fifth, we must abolish the merchant system and compensate the merchants for their debts."

"Sixth, compensation for military expenses."

"Seventh, unpaid compensation will bear interest at an annual rate of 5%."

"Eighth, after the treaty is ratified by His Majesty, they will lift the blockade of the coast. And they will withdraw only after all the indemnities are paid."

"Ninth, the treaty shall be written in English and Chinese in duplicate, and the interpretation of the text shall be based on the English version."

"Tenth, the treaty shall be ratified by the monarchs of both parties within the prescribed period."

"Sir, the first, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth items are not included in the "Letter to the Prime Minister of China"."

……

[At the beginning of the negotiations, Qishan agreed to pay 5 million taels of silver as compensation for the price of tobacco, and politely rejected all other demands from the British side.]

【Under the British pressure, he made some concessions. 】

[1. The price of tobacco increased to six million taels.]

[2. "Plead for the Emperor's grace" to open another port outside Guangzhou, but only allow trading on the ship, not living on land. ]

[The British were not satisfied with this condition.]

【And Daoguang was also dissatisfied with the British attitude. 】

[December 1840, 12 (December 25, )]

[Daoguang received Qishan's first batch of memorials on the Guangdong negotiations (sent on November 12 and December 7), and his attitude had changed. He immediately ordered Qishan to prepare for the suppression.]

[On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month (December 12), Emperor Daoguang received Qishan’s second batch of memorials regarding the Guangdong negotiations (sent on November 30 and December 12), and believed that the negotiations had reached a dead end and were hopeless, so he issued an order to "take the opportunity to attack and suppress, and do not show weakness"]

[On the same day, Daoguang feared that Guangdong might not have enough troops, so he ordered Sichuan, Hunan, and Guizhou to prepare 4,000 troops, waiting for Qishan's dispatch.]

【道光二十年十二月十四（1841年1月6日）道光帝收到琦善关于广东谈判的第三批奏折（十一月二十六·12月19日发），大为光火，下了一道不留任何余地的严旨：

The demands of the rebels are excessive and their behavior is rebellious. They cannot be reasoned with, so they should be severely punished... If the rebels send me letters again, I will not accept them, and I will not send anyone to reason with them again... I have made up my mind and will not waver. 】

[At the same time, he also ordered the use of Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen, who had been dismissed and were awaiting punishment in Guangzhou, to assist Qishan in "properly handling the matter."]

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
Yongzheng had a sullen face but said nothing.

It’s precisely because I can’t say anything that I feel even more suffocated!
Was there anything wrong with Daoguang’s actions?

This is certainly correct based on past historical experience.

Even Qishan's practice of making representations on behalf of others in various matters was not wrong.

But the fact is that it is moving in an unknown direction.

At the end of the day…

"I misjudged current events..."

These people didn't want trade from the beginning.

But raise the flag of autonomy!

……

【On the other hand, Qishan and Elliot had been engaged in a lawsuit for more than a month, with a total of 15 letters of correspondence between the two sides. 】

On the tenth day of the twelfth month of the twentieth year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang (January 1841, 1), Qishan sent a note to Elliot, refuting his territorial demands and pointing out that:

"The Celestial Empire has allowed foreigners to trade, which is already a special favor from the Great Emperor. There is absolutely no reason to give them more land. This minister has also been notified by the Ministry of Justice, and according to the letter from your envoys, it has been stated that they will no longer ask for land. Why do you now say that you will give me a place to stay?"]

【Seeing that Qishan refused to submit, Elliot decided to resort to force. 】

【On December 1841, the 1th year of Daoguang’s reign (January 5, ), Elliot and Bette Midge issued an ultimatum to Qishan, declaring that they would start a war with China from that day on.】

【“According to the Art of War”】

[At 1841:1 a.m. on December 7, the th year of Daoguang’s reign (January , ), the British army simultaneously launched an attack on the positions on both sides of Shajiao and Dajiao, the first gate of the Humen Fortress.]

Women's Day, I wish all my female friends a happy holiday!
(By the way, do I have any female book friends?)


(End of this chapter)