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

Chapter 764: Five Tigers Defeat the Enemy: Wusong Falls
(The Opium War will be over tomorrow)
[On the ninth day after the fall of Dinghai, the British army recovered its strength after resting and launched an attack on Zhenhai as planned.]

[At dawn on August 10 (October 10), British warships sailed to the north bank of the Yongjiang River estuary and bombarded Zhaobao Mountain on the north bank of the Yongjiang River.]

[The British army repeated the same tactics at Zhaobaoshan.]

[When the British warships bombarded the Zhaobaoshan Fort, Yu Buyun, who was in command there, actually deserted his post and begged the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Yu Qian, to "send the Foreign Commissioner Chen Zhigang to the barbarian ship to temporarily detain them in the name of saving millions of lives", but was sternly rejected by Yu Qian.]

[The general's escape from the battlefield instantly destroyed the morale of the troops at Zhaobaoshan. The British army easily occupied Zhaobaoshan and then used cannons to attack Zhenhai City from a high position to cover the British army's siege.]

……

On the canopy.

In Zhenhai City.

Officials wearing hats and light armor looked at the endless artillery fire outside the city.

Bowing to the north with tears in my eyes.

Then he jumped into the pool.

……

[Yu Qian led his soldiers to fire artillery at the east gate of Zhenhai City to attack the enemy. This was the last line of defense for the Zhenhai defenders.]

[He swore on the battlefield that no matter how difficult the situation was, he would never leave Zhenhai, would not negotiate peace with the British army, and would live and die with Zhenhai.]

[But no matter how hard he fought with the defenders, he was powerless to save the situation. In the end, he could only face north and kowtow to the emperor to apologize, and then jumped into the Chenpan Pond to commit suicide. Along with him, there were also Zhenhai County Magistrate Li Xiangyang, Garrison Commander Wang Wanlong, Captain-General Wang Zongbin and Xie Tianpei, and External Commissioners Lin Geng and Wu Tingjiang who died for their country.]

【Yu Qian, as the Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Liangjiang, was the highest-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty who died in the Opium War at the age of 48. Yu Buyun was the highest-ranking general executed by the Qing court during the Opium War.】

……

{The Governor-General of Liangjiang, in today's terms, was a provincial official of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces, a senior official, and the commander of the Nanjing Military Region, a high-ranking official.}
{The ranks of military officers in the Green Camp of the Qing Dynasty were: Admiral, General, Deputy General, Lieutenant General, Guerrilla, Dusi, Garrison, Qianzong, and Bazong.}
{If the internationally accepted military rank system is applied, then admiral, general, and lieutenant general are equivalent to general officers.}
{In the Opium War, the highest British officers we killed were lieutenants, while a large number of our senior generals were killed, resulting in heavy losses.}
……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
"Historically, threats to the Central Plains dynasties have come from the Mongolian Plateau."

Yongzheng leaned on the armrest, turning the jade beads, staring at the sky and said in a deep voice:
"So we built the Great Wall to block them from breaking in. We never thought of sea defense because cavalry would not come from the sea."

"But these people just happened to come from the sea, invaded all the way north from Guangdong, and beat you without any chance of fighting back."

"Hongli, what do you think we should do in this situation?"

Hongli didn't know what to do either.

This is no longer a question of deploying troops.

"Looking at the British's marching route, their target should be Nanjing."

"Starting from Guangzhou, passing the southeast coast and entering the Yangtze River, we reached Nanjing. The imperial court had no choice but to surrender in humiliation."

Yongzheng's face turned black, and he suppressed his anger and said:
"I know!"

"I'm asking you what to do!"

Hongli looked bitter and shook his head slightly.

The seven southeastern provinces are the lifeline of the imperial court and the place where the Qing Dynasty’s wealth is most concentrated and the richest.

Once the British controlled the southeast coast, they intended to control the Yangtze River and cut off the grain transport.

How to fight if the court has no money?
There are no conditions to negotiate.

……

[On the third day after the British army captured Zhenhai, they entered Ningbo directly from Nanjiang. Ningbo was like an undefended city, so the British army "landed and looted, opened the city gates, and entered the deserted area."]

【Eastern Zhejiang lost Dinghai, Zhenhai, and Ningbo in succession. Emperor Daoguang, who once believed that "the barbarians would be pacified and the coastal defense could be withdrawn", changed from "appeasement" to "suppression". He dispatched troops from all over the country to Zhejiang to "pacify the rebellion" and appointed his nephew Yijing as General Yangwei to "supervise the troops to suppress the rebellion." 】

[As a result, Yijing still used delaying tactics, and the local officials and people were more afraid of Yijing than the British army.]

【According to the records of the time, "Yijing dispatched hundreds of soldiers from Beijing, led the imperial guards and other officials, set out from Beijing, and demanded along the way. After several weeks, he arrived in Jiangnan Province. From Jiangnan to Jiangsu, he heard that the barbarians were fierce and their guns were swift, so he stationed troops in Suzhou to find out the situation of the barbarians.】

[He had been in Suzhou for dozens of days, prostituted, drank, extorted money and took bribes. Every day, Wu County provided more than 80 banquets, which cost hundreds of yuan. If he was not satisfied, the guards and soldiers from Beijing would throw cups and plates, insult the county magistrate, and Wu County was strangled to death and vomited blood.]

……

{In fact, this is very strange. When Yijing was in Beijing, he reached a tacit understanding with Emperor Daoguang. Because he stayed in Jiangsu for two months, there were many criticisms, but Daoguang never urged him to rush to the war zone as soon as possible, showing a rare open-minded attitude of "not being controlled by remote control." }
……

Qing Dynasty, Guangxu Period
"After Emperor Yongzheng, the Qing court no longer created new titles for military commanders who led troops to war, but used old names from the previous dynasty."

Guangxu was talking to a concubine while playing chess:

"The seals were also returned by the commander-in-chief at that time. For example, Yishan's Jingni General was created in the 56th year of Kangxi and was used by Fu Ning'an when he was fighting against Tsewang Arabtan."

"The general Yangwei, who was awarded the title of Yijing, has a longer history. The name was created in the third year of Shunzhi when the Qing Dynasty just entered the Pass. It was used by Prince Deyu Duoduo when he conquered Mongolia and other tribes."

"Emperor Daoguang used the title of Yangwei twice, in the sixth year of Daoguang's reign, to suppress the rebellion of Zhang Geer and his son Yusup in Xinjiang, and in the tenth year of Daoguang's reign, to suppress the rebellion of Zhang Geer and his son Yusup in Xinjiang."

The concubine placed a white piece and said softly:
"The Emperor Daoguang once again used the seal of General Yangwei when facing the British. Was he hoping that this auspicious title of victory in battles would help the Qing army to gain prominence in the southeast, just as it did in the northwest in the past?"

Guangxu was obsessed with Heizi and remained silent.

After a moment he said:
"It is difficult for a royal family member to be of great use."

……

[The British army then captured Yuyao and then invaded Cixi.]

[As the battle line continued to lengthen, the British army ran out of manpower, so they stopped attacking and waited for reinforcements.]

[The Qing government had already mobilized 30,000 troops from all over the country to go to Zhejiang to join the suppression. However, during the half year when the British army was almost alone and waiting for help, the Qing army did not seize the opportunity to fight.]

……

{You won't fight me for this? Go eat shit!}
{Because these more than 30,000 soldiers cannot be used for attack.}
{The situation at that time was that there were 2,000 reinforcement troops from Hubei, of which 1,000 were stationed in Hangzhou and 1,000 were stationed in Haining.}
{One of the 2,000 reinforcements from Jiangxi was defeated in Yuyao and was sent to Lihai and other places north of Cao'e River. Yijing thought the other 1,000 were not strong enough and ordered them to guard the granary.}
{Anhui reinforcements numbered 1,000, of which 600 were stationed in Hangzhou.}
{Two thousand reinforcement troops were sent from Shaanxi and Gansu, of which eight hundred were stationed at Zhapu.}
{1,000 soldiers from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu were assigned to carry guns and artillery, 200 of whom were stationed in Hangzhou.}
{After all these efforts, only 6,000 reinforcements from other provinces were left, and some of the strongest and bravest soldiers were deployed to defend various locations.}
{Even so, the remaining soldiers still could not be used for the attack.}
{After Yijing went from Hangzhou to the Cao'e River area, he set up camp in Dongguan Town, Shangyu County, west of the Cao'e River, and brought with him 1,000 reinforcements from Henan and 200 guns and artillery from Shanxi and other places.}
{This place is about 140 miles away from Ningbo, which is occupied by the British army. Yijing claimed that he could take care of both the front route (Ningbo, Zhenhai) and the rear route (Hangzhou).}
{Counselor Wen Wei set up a large camp at Changxi Ridge in the northwest of Cixi County, leading 800 Jiangning Bannermen, 400 Sichuan reinforcements, 400 Shanxi and other places with guns and artillery, and 400 Anhui reinforcements, a total of 2,000 people. This place is about 80 miles away from Zhenhai, and it is said to be the rear support for the troops attacking Zhenhai and Ningbo.}
{Although a large army of 30,000 was mobilized from various provinces, in fact, only 1,600 Sichuan soldiers (later used to attack Ningbo) and 1,200 Shaanxi-Gansu soldiers (later used to attack Zhenhai) were actually used for the attack. In addition, there were only hired soldiers and surplus soldiers whose numbers and qualities were unreliable.}
……

Big man.

Liu Bang took a quick look and immediately understood.

"You're quite thoughtful in saving your life."

"They are afraid before they fight, and they have no reforms to make them stronger. They hide themselves and shrink their heads, just trying to make a living."

"It is a great misfortune for the country."

“But it is also a great blessing for the country.”

Lü Zhi sat upright and sighed:

"I don't know when the person who will make contributions to the world will appear."

……

Tang Dynasty and Gaozong period
"What kind of design did he have for deploying his troops in such a weird way?"

Li Zhi couldn't understand.

As for dividing troops to guard Zhapu, Haining, Hangzhou and other places, it is relatively easy to understand.

If Yijing succeeded in attacking Ningbo, Zhenhai, Dinghai and other places, and the British army retreated to the sea, if the Qing army took advantage of the situation to attack Zhapu and other places, wouldn't it be a loss for the Qing army?
But why did he set up camp in Changxiling and Dongguan Town with more than half of the remaining 6,000 Qing troops?
After all, Changsun Wuji had learned some tactics and strategies from Li Shimin, and he stroked his beard and calculated for a while.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he said:
"He might be trying to save his life."

"The 1,200 men in the Dongguanzhen camp were only used for self-defense, while the 2,000 men in the Changxiling camp became a shield."

"If the Qing army's counterattack in eastern Zhejiang fails and the British army launches an offensive, he can take advantage of the Qing army's resistance at Changxi Ridge to buy time for his escape." Li Zhi: ...

……

[While the Qing army was delaying and the British army was waiting, history had entered the 1842nd year of Daoguang (), which was also the last year of the First Opium War.]

[On the 2th day of the first lunar month in the 10nd year of Daoguang’s reign (February ), Yijing and Minister of Counsellor Wen Wei dreamed in Jiaxing, Zhejiang that the British army had abandoned land and boarded ships, sailing out to sea, and that Ningbo and other three cities “had no trace of the barbarians”. Later, they sent people to investigate and found that the weapons were indeed being transported back to the ships, and they thought it was a “clearly auspicious omen.”]

[I went to Hangzhou and read the fortune at the Guandi Temple in West Lake, which is said to be the most effective. There is a sentence in it: "If you don't meet the tiger-headed man who calls you, who will protect your family and your safety?" ]

[Three days later, Sichuan reinforcements arrived from Dajinchuan. All soldiers wore tiger-skin hats, and they thought that “the victory will be here.”]

[So, he selected the "four o'clock in the morning of the 1842th day of the first lunar month in the 3nd year of Daoguang's reign, that is, the Jiayin hour of the Renyin year, the Wuyin day, the Wuyin month, the Jiayin hour, from 10 to 3 a.m. on March 5, ) as the time of attack, and appointed Duan Yongfu, the general of Anyi Town in Guizhou who was born in the Year of the Tiger, as the main general to attack Ningbo, so that he could "defeat the enemy with five tigers"! ]

[On the 29th day of the first lunar month, he divided his troops into three groups and attacked Dinghai, Zhenhai and Ningbo where the British were stationed. However, the intelligence of his secret order was obtained by the enemy. He originally wanted to launch a surprise attack, but was counterattacked by the British army. His troops were "repelled by enemy artillery and were defeated." Yijing fled to Hangzhou in a panic and never dared to fight again. ]

……

{This is similar to the Northern Song Dynasty hiring a group of shamans to ward off the enemy when it was about to fall.}
{The same character as Yongzheng.}
{The fourth-generation grandson of Yongzheng?}
……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
"boom!"

The celadon fragments were scattered all over the ground.

Kangxi was furious!

"Go and call the fourth one to me!"

"besides!"

He looked at the cowering eunuch and gnashed his teeth and said:

"Go to his house and take away his Three Mysterious Classics and Four Classics and Buddhist scriptures!"

"Burn them all for me!"

"Don't keep any of them!"

Kangxi couldn't control the bastards in the imperial palace.

But he can cure that bastard's ancestors!
"What a stinky habit!"

……

[On March 5 (May 7), the British army withdrew from Ningbo, leaving a small number of troops to defend Zhenhai and Dinghai, while the main force sailed to the mouth of the Yangtze River.]

[On the eighth day of the fourth month (May 5), the British army attacked Zhapu, an important coastal defense town in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The next day, the British army landed in three columns and encountered stubborn resistance from the Qing army.]

[Zuoling Longfu led 200 to 300 people to defend the Tianzun Temple on the outskirts of the city. Despite the disparity in numbers and inferior weapons, they stubbornly repelled the enemy's four attacks.]

[The British army set fire to the place, but the defenders persisted in fighting in the flames, and most of them died heroically. Zhapu then fell.]

[Despite this, the price paid by the British army in capturing Zhapu was far greater than that paid in Xiamen, Dinghai and Zhenhai, with nine people killed and 55 injured, ranking third among all the battles in the Opium War.]

……

Ming Dynasty - Tianqi Period
Zhu Youxiao watched as some Qing troops in the sky relied solely on the walls of the house and used light weapons to put up a tenacious resistance, killing generals and others in the British army.

Until the temple was razed to the ground by British artillery.

We also saw that most of the Qing troops fled during the battle, while the Eight Banners officers and soldiers stationed in Zhapu fought desperately.

The final scene is a tragic act of the whole family committing suicide.

"They can't escape, and they have nowhere to escape."

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but think of the local soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who resisted when the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass.

He suddenly realized.

It turns out that the Manchus have already taken root in this land.

This is also where their home and their family begin to emerge.

It was only then that he began to feel something real.

The Ming Dynasty is really gone.

……

[After resting in Zhapu for ten days, the British troops boarded their ships and sailed north on April 5 (May 28).]

[At this time, the British government dispatched reinforcements from India, and the British Expeditionary Force increased sharply to 19,000 people. It then expanded its armed invasion of China and invaded the Yangtze River estuary from the Yongjiang River estuary.]

【Wusong is located at the point where the Huangpu River flows into the Yangtze River. It is the gateway to Shanghai and the first barrier of the Yangtze River defense. Baoshan County is only two miles away from the west bank of Wusongkou and faces the Yangtze River.】

[Since Ili Bu heard the alarm and led his troops to set up defenses in June of the 20th year of Daoguang's reign, Wusong has always been the focus of Jiangsu's coastal defense.]

[The highest military and political leader of Jiangsu, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Niu Jian, was in charge here personally and gave direct command.]

[Chen Huacheng, the admiral of Jiangnan, insisted on living in a tent next to the artillery fort, ready to fight at any time.]

【The defense system of Wusong is comparable to that of Xiamen and Dinghai. 】

[On April 1842, the 6nd year of Daoguang's reign (June 8, ), the British army arrived at Jigu Reef outside the Yangtze River estuary. The fleet had eight warships, six armed ships, and fourteen transport ships, transporting about land forces.]

[On the early morning of April 6 (June 16), the British army attacked Wusong. The fleet was divided into a main fleet and a light fleet, and the main attack direction was the Qing army positions on the west bank of Wusongkou.]

[After noon, British transport ships carrying army troops landed on the west bank of Wusong, and then divided the troops into two groups. One group attacked the Tutang front line on the west bank of Wusong defended by Chen Huacheng, and the other group attacked Baoshan County defended by Niu Jian.]

【Since Niu Jian had retreated in advance, the British army occupied Baoshan without firing a single shot. 】

[In this battle, two British soldiers were killed and 25 were injured. The Qing army lost 88 people including Chen Huacheng.]

……

{Many works that record the Opium War attribute the failure of the Battle of Wusong to the escape of Niu Jian, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Wang Zhiyuan, the General of Xuzhou Town.}
{The origin of this statement can be traced back to the influence of "Daoguang's Records of the Expedition and Conquest of Foreign Ships", "Chinese and Western Chronicles" and "Records of the Barbarian Invasion".}
{These works all claim that Chen Huacheng won the first battle, sank the enemy ship, and killed and wounded the British. If it were not for the escape of Niu Jian and Wang Zhiyuan, the battle would have had a great chance of winning.}
{This statement is likely to be derived from Niu Jian’s own false report of “first victory and then defeat” after the war.}
{Because from the actual course of the battle, the Qing army was in a disadvantageous position from beginning to end and had no chance of winning.}
{All the above works claim that the British army's frontal attack was unsuccessful, so they attacked Xiaoshabei, which was defended by Wang Zhiyuan.}
｛The British army did have a plan to break through from Xiaoshabei before the war, but because the long mudflats there hindered landing, they abandoned this plan.｝
{The "Chronicle of China and the West" states that the British army landed at the East Fort and attacked westward, which further confuses the geographical location. The East Fort, located on the east bank of the Huangpu River, has no land connection with the Tutang on the west bank.}
{However, Niu Jian was stationed in Baoshan County. After the battle started, he led his troops out of the south gate to reinforce Chen Huacheng. When he arrived at the parade ground (very close to Chen Huacheng's command position), he was suddenly bombarded by British warships, and "more than ten soldiers were killed." He immediately fled to Baoshan County and then to Jiading.}
{From the analysis of the course of the battle, although Niu Jian's desertion could not change the situation at the Tutang front, he also gave up the opportunity for the commander to launch a counterattack against the enemy's landing sailors.}
{It is a foregone conclusion that he will desert the battlefield.}
……

Datang.

Li Shimin could probably understand how later generations spread the message.

"But it doesn't mean that as long as everyone is a gentleman and a loyal minister who is not afraid of death, we can always be invincible."

"Strength doesn't lie. Facing an opponent with overwhelming power and advantages, it's not shameful to admit that you can't beat him."

Li Shimin slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked at the sky and recalled:
"What we need to do is to be brave after knowing shame, learn from our opponents and surpass them, rather than being stubborn and entangled in the issue of loyalty and treachery."

"We cannot find solutions to problems in systems, technology, etc. at the level of personal morality."

“This is going in the opposite direction.”

"Useless work."

……

After the fall of Wusongkou, the British army immediately captured Baoshan and Shanghai. After six days in Shanghai, they extorted a ransom of 500,000 silver coins and left two warships to blockade Wusongkou.

[The main force was organized into an advance fleet and five columns, with a total of twelve warships, ten steamships, fifty-one troop carriers and transport ships, and four army brigades with nearly seven thousand men]

[On May 7 (July 5), we sailed up the Yangtze River and headed straight for Zhenjiang.]

(End of this chapter)