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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 420: Battle of Dagu

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    Early the next morning, Yi? led a group of people from the Lifan Academy and others to Dagukou in a mighty manner.  Yi He moved very quickly and arrived at Dagukou the next day. Sushun met Yi He at the Dagu town government office. Yi He immediately ordered Sushun to return to the capital and take charge.

    Sushun was naturally furious, but Yi? was the official envoy of this negotiation. Unless there was Xianfeng's will, Sushun had no choice but to listen to him. But how could there be Xianfeng's will at this moment?  Sushun didn't expect that Yi? would suddenly abandon him and go it alone, so he immediately packed up and returned to the capital.

    After Sushun left, Yi? immediately sent a note to the British and French ministers, agreeing to hold negotiations at the Dagu Town Government Office in three days.  The British and French ministers Baoling and Blomble responded immediately and agreed with Yi?'s suggestion.

    That night was destined to be another sleepless night. After Bao Ling and others drank the food and wine given by the Qing Emperor in a house outside Dagu Town, they sat around in the courtyard of the courtyard.  This house was originally owned by a salt merchant from Beijing and Tianjin, and was temporarily requisitioned by Sushun to accommodate the British and French ministers after they landed ashore.  It is said that the wine and food were prepared by the royal chef brought by Prince Gong, and the delicious Chinese feast made the British full of praise.

    Mai Huatuo looked at the rich and unusual delicacies, frowned and said: "Your Majesty the Governor, this Prince Gong may be our biggest opponent. Negotiations with him will be very difficult. I didn't expect that he would refuse us so strongly.  The request for negotiations in Beijing, and the reasons for rejection are very good. We indeed do not have a clause in the Jiangning Treaty that exchanges ambassadors to Beijing."

    Bao Ling muttered: "I know, but it's good to have this wise prince here. I hope he won't be like other Qing officials who don't know what diplomacy is. We are here for business interests, and the Congress doesn't want to see the 18th National Congress again."  Four or seven years of unhappiness, so we have to keep talking no matter how difficult it is. And let the Qing know how to fulfill the treaty and respect the British Empire!"

    Mai Huatuo knew what Bao Ling was talking about in 1847, so he nodded and said: "Yes, I remember that after the Jiangning Treaty was signed, the whole country was jubilant. The hot-headed energy made people feel frightened. The thought of having to fight with Jiangning  Thirty or even forty million people were doing business. Factories across the country were working overtime to produce goods, and as a result, sales were not as expected. The total trade volume with China in 1847 was only a mere two hundred dollars.  Thousands of pounds, many goods could not be sold, which caused the business crisis and many people went bankrupt."

    Bao Ling said: "So Congress and Prime Minister Mr. Palmerston blame this problem on the Qing Dynasty's trade barriers. They hope to increase treaty ports and cancel trade tariffs through the amendment of the treaty so that our goods can be sold more. What do you think?  Is this the problem?" Bao Ling did not mention the Nissan incident at all. It seemed that that incident had nothing to do with this negotiation, or perhaps the British anger had been vented during the bombardment of Guangzhou.

    Mai Huatuo shook his head and said: "Based on what I know about China. I think that apart from the inconvenience of trade, the main reason is that many Chinese people are not interested in our products. I remember that year there was a country bumpkin from Birmingham who actually got lucky.  It is ridiculous to sell a shipload of pianos to China. Selling pianos in a country where 90% of the population is illiterate, the consequences can be imagined. However, our trade dumping has been very successful in recent years, and open ports such as Guangzhou and Shanghai  The piles of cotton cloth and various commodities illustrate this point. All kinds of cloth account for more than half of our trade with China. But there is a very strange phenomenon. Shanghai is the territory of the Taiping Army, where are the sales of our other commodities?  The amount far exceeds that of opium. It is difficult to sell opium in Shanghai. But in Guangzhou, opium is very easy to sell. Now businessmen are gradually accustomed to selling opium to Guangzhou and selling other things to Shanghai."

    Bao Ling frowned and sighed: "This is not surprising. Opium is a commodity with huge profits. The Taiping Army banned smoking in the mainland. Chinese opium merchants in China did not dare to purchase from Shanghai. Only Guangzhou can purchase, so opium is in Guangzhou.  The sales volume is very good. And Shanghai is a more open and free trade paradise. Except for opium, all the goods you bring can have good sales volume. I am thinking that if the Qing Dynasty can also open several treaty ports in the north,  Will the situation be the same as in Shanghai?"

    After hearing this, Mai Huatuo also became thoughtful and remained silent for a long time.  Finally asked: "What about our opium trade?"

    Bao Ling smiled and said: "That is the trade of the East India Company. Both Congress and the Prime Minister hope that India can truly become the jewel in the Queen's crown, and do not want to see the example in America happen in India."

    Maihua Tuo knew that the American example that Pauling mentioned was the independence of the United States, although it was unlikely that an American example would appear in India.  However, the tendency of the East India Company to be somewhat independent in India is still unpleasant. Therefore, the British need to curb the East India Company, and the most direct and best way is to crack down on the East India Company's opium trade.

    "It is indeed time for the East India Company to hand over power. Their practices in India are very dangerous. Go??When I was in India, I felt like I was sitting in the crater of a volcano. The people there were very unfriendly.  "Maihua Tuo is telling the truth. Due to the oppression of the East India Company, the grievances have been very deep over the years.

    Bao Ling nodded slightly and said: "So, in this negotiation, the legalization of the opium trade is not what we must fight for, but is just a bargaining chip for price concessions."

    Maihuatuo laughed: "Yes, what we want is completely open trade with China."

    ¡­¡­

    The negotiations that started three days later were very difficult. From the beginning, the two sides argued over the murder of the priest and the Nissan incident.  The Manchus believed that the two priests ignored the dissuasion of local officials and insisted on going deep into Guangxi to preach, so they were harmed by the ignorant people of the day. Moreover, the murderer had been punished, and there was an explanation for the murder.  But the French believe that the priest represents God, and the Orientals have insulted God.

    In the Nissan incident, the British believed that the destruction of the British flag by the Qing sailors was an act of war, while Yi? retorted and said that the British fleet's bombardment of Guangzhou City was also an act of war.  The two sides could not stop arguing, and the confrontation lasted for three days.

    Diplomatic negotiations are always carried out in quarrels and compromises. In the end, Yi? made a concession and compensated Britain and France for a total of 150,000 taels of silver. This was considered understanding of the matter, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty would not apologize for the two incidents.  Britain and France finally compromised. They didn't care about the Qing's apology at all. They bombarded Guangzhou and responded to the Qing with artillery fire.

    "Then there will be more difficult negotiations to amend the treaty. The ultimate goal that Britain and France want to achieve through this incident is to amend the treaty, so the negotiation to amend the treaty is the real thing.  The conditions proposed by Britain and France were indeed similar to what Xingzhen had guessed, including opening up the country, legalizing the opium trade, sending envoys to Beijing, etc.  Yi? knew that Xianfeng would not agree to any of these terms, so he patiently dealt with and tested them.

    The more complex and difficult negotiations continued intermittently for more than a month.  The two sides gradually began to reach their respective limits through repeated quarrels, trials and compromises. Especially after Yi? and Lei Tingchang in the mission proposed bulk purchases of cement, fertilizer and other materials, Britain and France saw the dawn of their interests.

    Unfortunately, just before an agreement was reached, an unexpected event happened.  On this day, after the two ministers negotiated with Yi? and others in the government office as usual, they took a carriage to return to their residence, but were assassinated at the gate of the government office.  A Qing man committed suicide with a gunpowder bag and attacked the convoy. Bao Ling and Blomble were injured.  Two British sailors escorting the mission were killed and five wounded.

    This serious assassination incident caused the British and French missions to return to the fleet parked in the outer sea that night. The note was also very tough, requiring the Qing Dynasty to give the two countries a satisfactory answer, otherwise war would begin in three days.

    "Yi? Like an ant on a hot pot, I don't know who is causing damage."  The perpetrator had been blown up beyond recognition, and nothing could be found at all. However, the British and French ministers were attacked on their own territory, and the Qing could not escape their involvement.  In the end, Yi? had no choice but to ask for an order: war or peace?

    ?? Known in history as the First Battle of Dagukou.

    But what is surprising is that the Qing Dynasty actually won the first battle of Dagukou.  After hearing the news that the Taiping Army had landed in Dalian a year ago, the horrified Xianfeng ordered Seng Gelinqin, who commanded the troops in the north, to strengthen the defenses at Dagukou. He did not want to wake up and hear that the Taiping Army had landed at Dagukou.  news.

    Senggelinqin, who was ordered to prepare for defense, immediately reorganized the army, added a division at Dagu Haikou, and built new defense facilities based on the existing forts and camps.  Three forts were built on each side of the north and south banks, with a total of 60 artillery pieces, including two 12,000-pound steel cannons.  There are 9 large steel cannons weighing 10,000 kilograms, 2 steel cannons weighing 5,000 kilograms, and 23 Western iron cannons.  Embankments were built around all the forts, trenches were dug outside the embankments and wooden piles were erected.  Three river barrage chains were also set up in Haikou, iron bars were installed, and wooden fences were installed.  Connected into a giant raft and enhanced camouflage.  In order to strengthen the defense of the flanks, a fort was renovated in the Beitang area, and the number of artillery pieces was increased to 24.  Troops were also set up to defend the camp city north of Beitang.  Thirteen new forts were built near Shuanggang, more than 30 miles east of Tianjin, and 81 large and small steel cannons under 1,200 kilograms were installed, which greatly strengthened the defense in depth. The defenders at Dagukou and local regiment training reached an astonishing level.  More than 20,000 people.

    Historically, these defense facilities were supposed to appear after the Qing Dynasty failed in the first Battle of Dagukou, but Xiao Yungui flapped his butterfly wings and launched a Dalian landing, so these things appeared in advance, and the result was that the pride itself  The large British and French fleet suffered a lot.

    This battle was the greatest victory achieved by the Qing army since the First Opium War.  A total of 4 enemy ships were sunk, 6 were seriously damaged (completely lost their combat effectiveness), 2 were captured, 426 British soldiers were killed and 14 French soldiers were killed and wounded, and 1 British and French soldier were captured. The deputy commander of the British fleet, Major General Hopper, was  ?Hurt.  The Qing army lost 38 people. Shi Rongchun, the governor of Zhili, and Long Ruyuan, the deputy general of Dagu Association, died heroically in the battle.

    The failure of the coalition forces was that they underestimated the enemy. After the commander of the leading fleet, Major General He Bo, "thought he had a sure chance of victory" after breaking into the river mouth.  Seng Gelinqin also made a more in-depth comment on this battle: "The reason why the Yiyi were defeated this time was because they were proud and deceived the enemy. The intention was that the forts and fortresses were easily accessible, and the water battle was defeated, followed by the infantry. It was the Yiyi who did not believe it.  China dares to fight."  The Qing army was prepared and unprepared, and launched a sudden attack within the artillery range, focusing on attacking the enemy's flagship, causing its command to fail and fall into chaos, thus achieving a great victory.  However, because the Qing army did not have modern ships with fast speed and strong firepower, they were unable to pursue the victory and expand the results, and had to allow them to withdraw from the theater safely.

    No one expected this situation. The British and French fleets had to withdraw to Shanghai first, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which had won the victory, was even more confused.
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