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

Chapter 784: The Ruined Old Summer Palace and the Death of Emperor Xianfeng
【If we take the international practices and norms prevailing at that time and today as the standard, the unequal treaties in the Treaty of Tianjin that most seriously harmed China's interests were the unilateral most-favored-nation treatment, consular jurisdiction, reduction of tariffs and ship notes, war reparations, etc.】

【Those that are less harmful to China’s interests include opening more trading ports and allowing foreigners to enter the mainland.】

[The lightest level of resident embassy in Beijing is when a foreign ambassador comes to Beijing to exchange (revise) a treaty or to establish an embassy in Beijing.]

【But in Xianfeng's mind, the situation was just the opposite. 】

[It was only because Britain and France wanted to avoid the recurrence of the "kneeling ceremony" problem that year that they specifically stated in the Tianjin Treaty that foreign envoys could follow Western etiquette.]

[That is to say, foreigners would not kneel three times and kowtow nine times when meeting Emperor Xianfeng.]

……

{I give up. Why is he still obsessed with the false etiquette of the Celestial Empire? Didn't his father get beaten for this? Why doesn't he learn his lesson?}

{At that time, Westerners believed that the three kneeling and nine kowtows ceremony to the Chinese emperor was an insult and a sign of a subservient vassal relationship, so they insisted on using the three bows ceremony that Western envoys used when meeting the monarch.}
{The three kneelings and nine kowtows are the etiquette for vassal envoys to meet the suzerain, but they are not the exclusive etiquette for vassal envoys to meet the suzerain.}
{It was the only official court ceremony during the Qing Dynasty. Not using it was considered disrespectful to the Chinese emperor.}
｛This kind of etiquette dispute can easily be seen as a minor issue today, but it was a very serious matter in the "Heavenly Kingdom" at that time, and it involved a political principle issue of right and wrong.｝
……

Qing Dynasty, Xianfeng Period
"Barbarians!"

Xianfeng certainly knew that Western ministers only bowed three times when meeting their monarchs.

But this is just the custom of the uneducated barbarians who do not know the difference between respect and inferiority and commit rebellion!
"You want me to face a foreign envoy who bowed three times and then stood to talk?"

"This is not only a blasphemy against me personally! It is also an insult to the Qing Dynasty!"

"If this happens, how can I face my ancestors?"

He patted his chest, coughed twice, and said angrily:

"If this incident is recorded in history books, won't it be infamous for eternity?"

"Even if those ministers who are well-read in the classics see this scene, what prestige will I have in the future?!"

"Cough! Cough!"

Xianfeng was so angry that he kept coughing.

……

Qing Dynasty, Guangxu Period
There was an uncertain look in Cixi's eyes.

The Qianqing Palace is also obscure.
"The emperor of China could never face a person who refused to kneel, no matter if he was Chinese or foreigner."

“That’s a violation of etiquette.”

"The collapse of rituals and music is a sign of the demise of a dynasty."

Guangxu suppressed his anger and said with a hint of reluctance:

"If we continue thinking in this way, we will find that an important part of the Celestial Empire's foreign policy is to close itself off from the outside world. Only when the door is closed can it brag boldly."

"The increase in treaty ports has already undermined the closure."

How could Cixi not hear Guangxu's dissatisfaction? She looked at him with a smile and said:

"Your Majesty, do you know how your ancestors came to power?"

Guangxu's face became a little stiff.

Cixi also turned cold and said:
"When foreigners travel to the interior, the Chinese and foreigners mix together and are difficult to control."

"Do you think the spread of those rebellious ideas will be good for the Aisin-Gioro family?!"

"Aren't there enough cases of collusion with foreign countries and conspiracy to rebel in history?!"

"You think I don't know what you've arranged?"

Guangxu was frightened, his face was frozen and he remained silent.

Cixi snorted coldly, stretching out her tone.

"Emperor Xianfeng was not swayed by personal feelings. He only considered the interests of the Qing Dynasty."

"The etiquette cannot be revoked!"

……

【The attitude of the foreigners made Emperor Xianfeng, who considered himself the "common ruler of the world", quite unhappy.】

[Why did Daoguang still not learn from the loss he suffered? 】

[First, the concepts from ancient times are difficult to adjust, and second, Xianfeng was a little spoiled. ]

[In the ten years after the end of the First Opium War, several small vassal states still came to Beijing to pay tribute. For example, Korea came almost every year, and Vietnam and Thailand came every now and then.]

[The awe these small countries felt for the Qing dynasty gave Xianfeng confidence, so he could not accept the loss of his "dignity as an emperor with all nations paying tribute to him."]

【So Xianfeng sent someone to tell the coalition: There is no problem with exchanging the treaty, but you must enter the capital according to the ceremony of tribute from vassal states! 】

[However, the defeated have no say, and the coalition forces rejected Xianfeng's request without a second thought: We will not accept any reception ceremony that degrades the envoy's status. To ensure this, we will send troops to accompany and protect them.]

……

Great Qin.

Ying Zheng began to think about something.

"Do you think Xianfeng's idea is correct?"

Liu Bang stroked his beard and looked at the sky without saying a word.

Ying Zheng waited for a long time but there was no response, so he turned his head and looked.

Okay, old loach is good at pretending to be stupid.

"Liu Bang..."

Liu Bang immediately lowered his head and said:
"If we follow the ancient saying, then the idea is correct."

"Since the emperor is the common ruler of the world, the status of countries like Britain and France cannot be higher than that of a county or a province in the Celestial Empire."

"So it is only natural that Guangdong Province is at war with Britain and France, and Jiangsu Province is on good terms with Britain and France."

"Even if it's the unequal terms such as the most-favored-nation treatment that were easily promised."

"It is also a favor bestowed by the emperor since ancient times to win over distant people."

"But your majesty, times have changed."

Ying Zheng listened quietly with his hands behind his back.

The attendants around him also consciously retreated away.

Liu Bang's eyes twitched, and he continued with gritted teeth:
"According to the relationship between the emperor and the princes, even if there were many heroes coexisting, they would definitely claim to be the orthodox and regard the other side as thieves... showing... the attitude that Han and thieves cannot coexist."

When Ying Zheng heard the word "Han", he subconsciously reached into his arms. It was only when he took out a pottery bottle that he realized what he had done.

He looked at the pottery bottle with a dark face and raised his hand.

The bottle drew a parabola and flew out of the palace wall.

Liu Bang pretended not to see and continued:

"Although there were envoys such as Su Qin, Zhang Yi, and Yan Ying, they were all engaged in diplomacy between princes and were temporarily sent to resolve crises."

"In other words, we have never had the concept of permanent envoys."

"Because I'm stationed in the other side's capital..."

"Um... there are only the Regent and other retired emperors... or... or..."

Liu Bang felt that after saying the last two words, he could say goodbye to this beautiful new world.

Ying Zheng knew very well what the last two words meant.

He pressed his hands against the palace wall, looking at the broken pottery bottles and scattered pills.

Two unspeakable words came out from between his teeth.

"Proton..."

And to what category do these foreign envoys who led troops to threaten the capital city belong?

……

【Xianfeng thought, since it doesn't work to talk it over, let's just do it secretly.】

[Without any hesitation, he immediately thought of Senggelinqin, the Khorchin Bordolegatai Prince who had helped him overcome the crisis and suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northern Expedition and had made great military achievements.]

[On May 1859, the ninth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (June 6, 25), the weather was fine, and British and French gunboats entered Dagukou from early morning.]

【Senggelinqin remembered the highest instructions of Emperor Xianfeng and made good use of the British and French coalition forces' underestimation of the enemy, geographical advantages and numerical advantages, and really beat the British and French in the Dagukou area of ​​Tianjin. As a result, the British and French coalition forces withdrew from Tianjin and waited for reinforcements.】

[In this battle, the Qing army sank three British and French gunboats, severely damaged three, and killed or wounded 484 invading troops.]

[This was the first victory of the Qing Dynasty in a foreign war since the Opium War.]

【The victory at Dagukou made Xianfeng very confident.】

On the third day of July in the ninth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (August 1859, 8), He Guiqing, the Governor-General of Liangjiang and Imperial Commissioner, was ordered to announce that the Sino-British and Sino-French Tianjin Treaties were “put to rest”. If Britain and France “regretted their decision to seek peace”, they could only sign a new treaty in accordance with the Sino-British Tianjin Treaty, and it could only be exchanged in Shanghai! 】

[Because the Sino-US Tianjin Treaty only opened two more ports (Tainan and Chaozhou), there was no opening of the Yangtze River, no inland travel, no compensation, and no minister stationed in Beijing. ]

【Xianfeng felt proud.】

……

{Xianfeng's limitations made him only care about the safety of his capital, and it didn't seem to matter whether the Qing Dynasty had more or less territory.}
{As long as Beijing is not invaded, he feels that the world is still his, and foreign invaders are like a secret admirer who is waiting for him.}
{When the person you like turns around casually, you will mistakenly think that he is looking at you, and have endless unrealistic fantasies...}
{Wake up! Your world has begun to be eroded! Any decision you make will make us, the future generations, recite one more unequal treaty when we study history!}

……

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang touched his chin, thoughtfully.

"Why do we feel that this child is a bit of a tiger?"

"Who can tell us what he is so proud of?"

"Is it revenge? Or is it taking back the land that was taken away?"

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao looked at each other and shook their heads.

……

Ming Dynasty·Chongzhen period
Zhu Youjian could understand a little bit of Xianfeng's mentality.

The pressures from internal and external troubles have already made people exhausted.

He didn't know whether Xianfeng ever regretted becoming emperor.

But one thing is certain, if he were not an emperor, he would be more ordinary, which means he would be happier.

"Emperor..."

Anyone in the world can confide their sorrow to close friends, family members, and staff to relieve the inner pressure.

But not the emperor.

He could not reveal anything and had to rule the world with a calm demeanor.

I can only swallow all my sorrows along with some cold wine.

……

[When the news of the disastrous defeat of the Anglo-French coalition forces at Dagu reached Britain and France, both countries had a strong reaction.]

[From April 1860, the British and French allied forces arrived at the coast of China one after another. The British army had 4 warships, about land forces, and hired transport ships. The French army had warships and more than land forces.]

[In May, the British and French coalition forces had assembled. Seventy British warships entered Bohai, and 11,000 British soldiers were stationed in Dalian. Most of the French warships had entered Bohai, and more than 6,700 soldiers were stationed in Zhifu.]

[On the eighth day of the fifth month of the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (June 1860, 6), the British and French governments notified the European and American states that they had declared war on China.]

【Seeing the overwhelming strength of the Anglo-French coalition, Emperor Xianfeng softened his attitude immediately. He ordered the Governor-General of Zhili to convey a message to the British and French authorities, saying that "the great emperor should forgive the past" and that the British and French representatives could "enter Beijing from Beitang to exchange the treaty" and no longer talk about abolishing the treaty.】

[But now what the British and French want is no longer a treaty change, but a war.]

……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
Kangxi took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

"That's nothing he should be proud of!"

What's there to be proud of if you win unintentionally?
The military system, guns, and defense have not changed. How can the other party, who is well prepared, let you trick him again?

"Let's be lenient with the past..."

Even if they lose, the property is still theirs!

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
Yongzheng said nothing, looking at the sky with a gloomy face.

Hongli shrank back quietly, not afraid of his father's loud noise.

I’m afraid his father won’t say a word.

……

Qing Dynasty and Qianlong period
None of the civil and military officials in the court raised their heads.

Is there any need to speculate on this?

just wait.

Everyone secretly had a premonition in their hearts.

After the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.

One more thing was to be achieved in the Qing Dynasty.

……

On the canopy.

In the morning, the mist is dissipating.

South of Baliqiao, west of Tongzhou City.

The infantry formed three rows of battle lines, with the front row squatting, the middle row half crouching, and the back row standing.

The artillery is ready.

The muskets were also loaded.

On the opposite side, the Qing cavalry stretched for several miles from west to east and rushed towards the musket positions almost at the same time.

The artillery began to roar, and the ground-shrapnel shells exploded several miles away. The Qing cavalrymen near the impact points fell to the ground one after another, their horses' stomachs ripped open, and the cavalrymen's faces covered in blood.

But the cavalry continued to charge under the artillery fire, showing no signs of retreating.

People shouted and horses neighed, and they came roaring!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The infantry took turns firing in an orderly manner with extremely fierce firepower. After a volley of gunfire, the Qing cavalry rushing forward fell to the ground one after another.

Rows of artillery shells, trailing red flames, whistled towards the Qing army.

It exploded on the ground and started a raging fire.

The grass beneath the cavalry's feet suddenly turned into a sea of ​​fire.

……

[On June 1860, the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (August 8, 1), the British and French allied forces, with warships and land forces, set out from Dalian and Zhifu, avoiding the heavily defended Dagu and landing at Beitang, where the Qing army had not set up defenses.]

[In order to prevent the situation from escalating, Emperor Xianfeng ordered Senggelinqin, the garrison commander of Dagu, not to start a war first. As a result, Senggelinqin was unable to strike the enemy who had landed while they were still unstable.]

[In this way, the British and French forces encountered no resistance.]

[On the fifth day of July (August 8), the British and French allied forces attacked the Shifeng Fort located west of the main fort on the north bank of Dagu. The defenders fought hard for two hours, but most of them died in the battle, and the Zhili Admiral Le Shan, who was commanding the battle, was killed in the battle.]

【Senggelinqin hurriedly led his troops to evacuate Dagu and retreat to Tongzhou around Tianjin. In this way, after three years of operation, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were spent, and the Dagu Fort with hundreds of cannons fell into the hands of the enemy. After the British and French forces occupied Dagu, they entered the undefended Tianjin City on the seventh day (23rd).】

【On July 9 (September 8), the British and French allied forces advanced towards Beijing.】

【Xianfeng hurriedly sent a "plenipotentiary", that is, an imperial envoy who "acted at his own discretion", Prince Yi Zaiyuan, to Tongzhou to negotiate with the British and French forces.】

[Two days after the talks began, news suddenly came out that Senggelinqin and the British and French allied forces had fought again in Zhangjiawan. As a result, Senggelinqin was defeated and retreated to Baliqiao, south of Tongzhou.]

[On the seventh day of the eighth month (September 9), news came that Senggelinqin had been defeated at Baliqiao. After that, the Qing army was unable to fight again.]

[The British and French allied forces approached the Forbidden City. ]

[That evening, Emperor Xianfeng summoned his trusted ministers to discuss matters in the Old Summer Palace.]

【Two countermeasures were decided at the imperial meeting: First, Emperor Xianfeng would take refuge in Rehe, which was called "Northern Hunting".】

【2. Prince Gong Yixin stayed in Beijing and had full authority to handle British and French affairs.】

【On the eighth day of the eighth month (September 9), Xianfeng left Beijing and the Old Summer Palace. 】

……

Datang.

Li Shimin thought of Li Longji again and again.

He stood up and paced back and forth.

Everyone looked at it in confusion.

……

Tang Xuanzong Period
Li Longji felt a chill run down his spine.

He held Yang Guifei tightly in his arms.

"Sanlang, be gentle!"

……

Song Dynasty Xiaozong Period
Zhao Shen's face turned dark when he saw the word "Beishu".

"If you want to escape, just say you want to escape. What's the point of hunting in the north?"

And do you have to use the word "Northern Hunting"? !
Can't you change the word?
"Barbarians."

……

Ming Dynasty Yongle Period
Zhu Di said nothing.

Zhu Zhanji also said nothing.

"Ugh……"

The old man looked up to the sky and sighed.

"How come there is such a bastard like Zhu Qizhen?"

……

Later Jin.

"Fuck you, you son of a bitch, Kitakuri!"

The words "Northern Hunt" directly ignited Nurhaci's anger.

He drew the sword from his waist and chopped at the table in front of him.

"North Hunt! North Hunt! Hunt your mother's head!"

……

Qing Dynasty - Taizong Period
Huang Taiji felt dizzy.

"Chongzhen didn't even move south..."

Bumbutai quickly supported him.

Huang Taiji stared at the ground with his eyes wide open, muttering to himself:

"What a shame... What a shame..."

……

[On August 1860, the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (October 10, 6), the British and French allied forces defeated the Qing army led by Senggelinqin again outside Andingmen and Deshengmen in Beijing. A part of the French army rushed into the Old Summer Palace and began to loot. Yi Xin and others fled to Wanshou Mountain.]

【On August 10 (October 10), the commanders of the British and French allied forces sent a note to Yi Xin, asking him to surrender Anding Gate within three days, otherwise they would break through the city gate. The Qing officials had no choice but to do so.】

[At noon on August 1860 (October 10, 13), Beijing's Anding Gate was opened to the British and French forces, and the invading army marched into Beijing in formation.]

[This city gate, which was first built in the Ming Dynasty, was originally the way for the royal army to go to war. At this time, it was officially handed over to the British and French allied forces for "guarding". Beijing has completely fallen under the military control of the British and French allied forces.]

【After the French army broke into the Old Summer Palace and looted it on October 10, the jealous British army also entered the garden the next day to join in the looting. The splendid oriental garden suddenly became a world of robbers.】

……

The emperors looked at the sky in silence.

Look at the royal garden covering an area of ​​more than 5,000 acres and with more than 100 Chinese and Western landscapes, it is like a dreamland.

A large group of people of all colors and styles swarmed over it in a noisy manner.

They pounced on a pile of priceless treasures.

They shouted in all kinds of incomprehensible languages, scrambled for the lead, wrestled with each other, stumbled, fell down and got up again.

Cursing, swearing, and shouting, each took away his own spoils.

Some soldiers carried the Queen's red lacquer box on their heads.

Some soldiers had half their bodies wrapped in brocade and silk.

Some soldiers put rubies, sapphires, pearls and pieces of crystal in their pockets, shirts, hats, and even wore pearl necklaces on their chests.

Another group of people, holding various table clocks and wall clocks in their hands, left in a hurry.

The engineers brought their axes and broke into pieces the furniture, then took out the jewels.

There were crowds everywhere, rushing to the pavilions, the palaces, the pagodas, the study rooms...

And the end of the picture.

Dozens of plumes of smoke rose from the garden.

The Old Summer Palace became a sea of ​​fire.

The raging fire lasted for three days.

People as far away as the capital could see the black smoke rising into the sky from the northwest.

The sky is dim, the sun and moon are dim.

……

[On the fifth day of the ninth month of the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (October 1860, 10), hundreds of soldiers from the First Division of the British Army set fire to the garden according to Elgin’s order.]

[The sea of ​​fire lasted for three days, and the dust and sparks were blown into the city by the wind, casting a layer of dust on the history of our nation.]

【Everything that could be snatched was snatched. Everything that could be burned was burned.】

[Only the stone pillars that could not be broken or burned remain today. ]

【The once magnificent Old Summer Palace has now become a ruin. 】

……

{I've been to the Old Summer Palace. There were crowds of people there, most of them gathered around the ruins of the Western Building to take pictures. The country is ruined but the mountains and rivers remain. The city is covered with grass and trees in spring.}

{But I prefer to go to the Chinese garden area that best reflects the characteristics of the Old Summer Palace, which has no traces left today but is said to be still clear in aerial photos.}
{The wind blows gently, and the rocks and withered grass also exude a sense of desolation in the summer.}
{It has only been a hundred years, and the world has changed dramatically.}
{The garden belonged to the emperor. After the fire, people from the surrounding area went to pick up the gold fragments. It was obvious that they were more happy than sad.}
{No matter how gorgeous the jewels and exquisite the antiques are, they cannot cover up the collapse of the prosperous times. The people's hearts are no longer there, and the Qing Dynasty should also perish. The only pitiful ones are the grassroots people.}
{The ruined Old Summer Palace is the most vivid history.}
……

[On September 1860, the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (October 10, 24), Yi Xin came to the Qing Dynasty's Ministry of Rites in Beijing and signed the Sino-British Supplementary Treaty (also known as the Sino-British Beijing Treaty) with the British envoy Elgin, and exchanged the instruments of ratification of the Sino-British Tianjin Treaty.]

[The next day, the same scene was played out again in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites. Yi Xin and the French envoy Gros signed the Sino-French Supplementary Treaty (also known as the Sino-French Beijing Treaty) and exchanged the instruments of ratification of the Sino-French Tianjin Treaty.]

[It was stipulated that Tianjin would be opened as a trading port, Kowloon would be ceded to "British Hong Kong", French missionaries would be allowed to purchase land in mainland China, and the compensation to Britain and France would be increased to 800 million taels of silver each.]

[On September 1860, the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (November 11, 4), the Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Beijing with Russia, ceding more than square kilometers of territory east of the Wusuli River to Russia.]

【Later, through boundary demarcation negotiations, Russia forcibly occupied more than 400,000 square kilometers of land in northwest China. Russia became the biggest beneficiary of the Second Opium War, occupying a total of 1.44 million square kilometers of Chinese land.】

[On July 1861, the 8th year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (August 22, ), amidst the humiliation and fear of losing sovereignty and humiliating the country, Emperor Xianfeng died of illness in Rehe.]

【He died at the age of 31.】

Would the emperors of all dynasties feel touched when they saw the destruction of the Old Summer Palace?
My answer is it’s hard to say.

The trend of textual research officially started in the Qing Dynasty. Because of the literary inquisition, scholars were not allowed to speak much so they could only focus their energy on textual research.

Looking at the history books of past dynasties, there is nothing special about the destruction of "ancient monuments" in the early and late years of dynasties.

After all, when it comes to destroying historical sites, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom far surpassed the Allied Forces and those who came after it.

In their eyes, a garden is just a garden.
If I have to say what I feel, it can only be that foreigners have invaded, which is a great shame. It is a loss of face.

But there is another problem here. It is difficult to say whether the emperors of previous dynasties recognized the Qing Dynasty.

It’s better not to delve into some things.



(End of this chapter)