Chapter 7 Chapter 6 It's time to change the contract

At the beginning of June 1859, envoys from various countries flew back to mainland China one after another like migratory birds.It's time to renew the contract. Before that, Gui Liang and the others were the most nervous and frightened.What Elgin once promised was just a verbal wish, but seeing that spring and summer are coming, Elgin did not see him to fulfill his promise.How to explain to Emperor Xianfeng? In order to prevent envoys from entering Beijing to cause trouble, Gui Liang waited in Shanghai early.Just like a lonely watchman, he fantasizes that he can keep watch until Ergin returns, and say to him, our British Empire keeps what we say, and now I inform you by the order of His Majesty the King that we will no longer insist on sending personnel to the Beijing and Neihe have opened up trade!

However, Elgin did not come.It was the newly appointed British minister Bruce and the new French minister Bourblon. All new faces. Elgin was gone forever.It turned out that he was just joking, he was teasing Guiliang and also teasing Yishui. And the new envoy Bruce received an order from the British cabinet: don't take into account the Qing government's resistance to your appointment, and don't recognize any promises made in the past.You have to warn the Beijing government not to try to abolish the treaty, even one clause cannot be amended.The establishment of envoys in Beijing and inland river trade matters are in the final say of our British Empire, not your Qing government.In addition, the Qing government must be notified that before the envoys go to Beijing, they must do a good job of receiving them in Tianjin and Dagukou.In order to ensure the smooth progress of the contract renewal, you should have a sufficient naval force behind you.A grand celebration will be held in Beijing, that is, the ceremony of meeting the envoy when the contract is renewed.Except for contract renewal in Beijing, no proposals for any location will be accepted.If the Qing government proposes to jointly attack the Taiping Army, I hope you will consider it carefully, and you cannot act rashly without the support and guarantee of the allies...

Gui Liang and the others picked up Bruce and Bulbron in Shanghai, feeling as sad as autumn.Bruce did not recognize Elgin's promise at all, and when he questioned him closely, he showed a rascal attitude, saying that you should go to England and ask Mr. The thing about moving to another place... What's more serious is that the envoys ignored Gui Liang and others at all. They refused to negotiate in Shanghai, and asked the Chinese side to immediately prepare a negotiation venue in Beijing, arrange residences, and prepare transportation in accordance with the etiquette of a big country. There are several official sedan chairs for officials... A few days after the note was issued, he led the fleet to leave Shanghai and head for Tianjin.

On June 20, British Minister Bruce and French Minister Bourbron arrived at Dagukou.Behind the ministers, there are a fleet of 4 warships mainly British ships, 2 capital ships, 13 gunboats, and 1 French cruiser and 1 gunboat, with about 2,000 soldiers. At this time, John Hua, the new U.S. minister, also came to Dagukou under the escort of the U.S. cruiser Bao Hadanbao. On June 25, Bruce received a note from Hengfu, governor of Zhili, saying that the road from Baihe to Tianjin had been blocked, and Chinese officials were waiting for the envoys in Beitang, where all military facilities had been withdrawn, and they would guide them there. The envoys went to Beijing to change the contract... Bruce tore up the note, thinking it was a trap set by the Chinese.From the moment he set foot on the land of China, Bruce felt that there was a battle to be fought. Behind him was a unique armed force in the world. With this fleet, anyone would bow down to it.He said aggressively to the Chinese officials who came to the note, we are determined not to go to Beitang, we will go the way we want to go, we have the most powerful fleet in the world, we can go wherever we want!

At the same time, Herb, the commander of the British Navy, sent an ultimatum to the Qing army, declaring that the attack on Dagukou was about to begin. At 10 am on June 25, 1859, the fleet of the British and French allied forces began to attack the North and South Forts of Dagukou. Bruce sneered.Kiss said that taking Dagukou will not exceed the time since the last capture of Dagukou, and he will appear in the Forbidden City in Beijing as a victor. The battle began. The attacking British soldiers braved artillery fire to clear various obstacles in the river, then hit the iron chains on the water with warships, and then shelled the fort.

The defenders on the fort fought back bravely. Due to the hard training of the defenders and their familiarity with the terrain and features, as soon as the invader's ships appeared, they could calculate them accurately at a very fast speed. The artillery fire suppressed, but gradually gained the upper hand. This situation was not expected by the invading army.The artillery battle lasted until the afternoon, when the enemy couldn't hold on any longer, so they changed their tactics, hoisted a white flag, walked around behind the wounded ship pretending to be retreating, and bombarded the fort defenders again.The Marine Corps also took dozens of sampans to forcefully land on the South Fort, and the battle suddenly became fierce.

It was about five o'clock in the afternoon, when the tide was falling.A Marine sampan is stranded on a mudflat as it paddles toward the sea.This is a marine corps with more than 600 members. Now, they are crawling awkwardly like dung beetles. The mudflat is deep and soft. Because it is a river connecting the sea, it is not comparable to coastal beaches. It is difficult to move an inch. Even a very poor marksman will hit the target with a hundred shots.The poor marines died one by one under the shooting of Qing soldiers with poor weapons. The few British soldiers who survived fell down in the reeds and never dared to get up.These reeds did not help them much in the end, because the targets were killed one by one, and these reeds were later used as targets, hitting the enemies in the reeds until they cried.

Some British soldiers who came ashore were also suppressed by the artillery fire and bullets of the Qing army. They resisted on the beach, waiting for reinforcements and the arrival of the tide. In the early morning of the next day, the tide finally rose, and the British troops stranded on the mudflat began to retreat. The British army suffered a disastrous defeat! In this battle, more than 470 British soldiers were killed or injured, 2 were captured, 11 warships were sunk and injured, 3 sampans were captured, and a batch of weapons and ammunition were also seized.Herb, the commander of the British navy, was wounded and abandoned the ship in despair... The Chinese defenders won a complete victory.

Bruce's arrogance was thwarted, and he no longer asked to go to Beijing to change the contract. He left Tianjin with his tail between his legs and the French ambassador Bourbron, and fled back to Shanghai. When the news of Dagukou's defeat reached London, it caused an uproar throughout the UK.But there are still some supporters of Palmerston who took the opportunity to clamor for retaliation against China.The arrogance of this kind of revenge is getting stronger and stronger. With the fuel of the news media, Great Britain is like a red-eyed bull, pouring all its strength towards China.

In September 1859, the British cabinet held four consecutive meetings to discuss countermeasures, and finally decided that the Chinese government must agree to the terms of sending personnel to Beijing.If diplomacy fails, the use of force will continue. From March 1860, the British and French governments began to increase their troops in large numbers. By June 1860, the British and French allied forces concentrated as many as 157 warships, 361 British guns, 10,500 officers and soldiers, 6,300 French troops, and new mercenaries. Excluding. Most of the British officials in the Far East believed that Huwei, who had suppressed the border with this large army, should realize his long-cherished wish of occupying the Kowloon Peninsula.However, there are different opinions among the British on how to occupy Kowloon and what method to adopt. On February 11, 1860, a British official named Stebinzi said that it was inappropriate to take large-scale military operations in southern China.A direct armed occupation of Kowloon might lead to Chinese retaliation against British businessmen in Hong Kong or Guangzhou.In such a situation, Lend-Lease might be beneficial... But Bruce, Minister to China, strongly favored the military occupation of Kowloon.He said Her Majesty's Government had expressed a desire to cede part of the Kowloon peninsula.It was necessary to occupy this place in order to secure the port and maintain order among the inhabitants who lived along the coast of the mainland.Now, the Chinese government is forcing us to send more troops, but Hong Kong cannot properly resettle them, so we need to find a resettlement place, and we have already found this place, which is the Kowloon Peninsula area.

The plan to occupy the Kowloon Peninsula was postponed due to differences of opinion, and it was not put on the agenda again until Lieutenant General Clinton led a new army to Hong Kong. Lieutenant General Clinton agreed with Bruce, and his army landed in Tsim Sha Tsui not long after. At the same time, the Governor of Hong Kong, Pacharley, also pretended to send a note to the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Lao Chongguang, saying that this was because a large number of British troops were about to arrive in China, and Hong Kong had no place to properly accommodate these troops, so it had to temporarily occupy a part of the Kowloon Peninsula as a campsite.The British army must vigorously restore order on this deserted island and suppress lawless troublemakers.This is really a typical bandit logic. Originally, a large number of British troops came to avenge the defeat of Dagukou, and the Qing officials had to cooperate with them to provide them with a place to house the army. Troublesome people, trying to restore order on a deserted island is really a lot of nonsense.However, Governor Lao Chongguang of Guangdong and Guangxi did not say a word about the robber theory of the British and let them do what they did. On March 18, 1860, under the command of Clinton, the new commander of the Invasion Army, the 44th Regiment Task Force of the British Army forcibly occupied the headland of the Kowloon Peninsula, Tsim Sha Tsui.Immediately afterwards, new reinforcements arrived almost every day, and ships loaded with British and French soldiers sailed into the calm harbor of Kowloon one after another.These troops are preparing for the northward battle on Kowloon Island, including training newly recruited Sikh cavalry, testing the accuracy and power of a newly developed artillery, the Armstrong Cannon, and so on.The Kowloon Peninsula became the base camp of the British army. The Chinese side seemed to have little reaction to the British occupation of Kowloon. Except for the loud protests of the people who had lived on the island for generations, the Guangzhou side remained calm.On the contrary, the British themselves felt embarrassed, and the bandits were a little ashamed of China, a country of etiquette, for such generous courtesy. They conducted a series of consultations on the issue of leasing the Kowloon Peninsula. In mid-March, after many consultations, Pacharley, Clinton, and Robinson wrote a series of reasons for the invasion and occupation of the Kowloon Peninsula into a note and sent it to Lao Chongguang, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. The note said: In view of the fact that the Kowloon Peninsula has become a haunt of fugitives and robbers, this chaotic situation has affected the stability and security of the Hong Kong region, and also affected the interests of the United Kingdom in China.The British authorities in Hong Kong have repeatedly urged the Kowloon Division to inspect and remove these dangerous people, but to no avail.For the above reasons, the Chinese side should send officials and an army to drive out the bandits and criminals.If the Chinese side is inconvenient to take such measures, a boundary should be drawn and the land within the boundary should be ceded to the British government in the same way as Hong Kong was ceded, so that the latter can fully exercise its jurisdiction there.The British side is very sympathetic to the situation of the local officials, and knows that the cession cannot be arranged without a report to the court, but the peninsula can only be handed over by lease. Lao Chongguang replied the same day after receiving the note.He said that since the British army is temporarily leasing, and once the British army is stationed, the order and security there will be strengthened, so let them lease it! On March 21, Pachari and Lao Chongguang signed, stamped and exchanged documents on the lease of the Kowloon Peninsula.It took only 36 hours from confirming the lease agreement to completing the lease procedures. The lease stipulates that the Kowloon Peninsula is leased to the United Kingdom in the area south of the drawn boundary line (the boundary line starts from a point adjacent to the south of Kowloon Fort and ends at the northernmost tip of Stonecutters Island?), including Stonecutters Island. For this purpose, it is handed over to China every year The local authority rented 500 taels of silver. As long as the British government paid the rent in full and on time, the Chinese government could not ask for the return of the above-mentioned land. Until the local officials made a request to the Chinese supreme government and signed a permanent agreement with the emperor's authorization, the lease was still valid. This is actually a permanent lease contract, and it is also the cheapest and most humiliating contract in the world. After the dream of leasing the Kowloon Peninsula came true, many British people themselves did not believe in such a good thing.Herbert, the British Secretary of War, said that the Chinese are really the strangest nation in the world!Some people who were originally skeptical about the lease, such as Robinson, were also overjoyed at this time. He praised the main decision maker Bacharley and said: When submitting the official report to the Duke of Newcastle, I must point out that we would like to thank you for this. Your shrewdness and tact in your negotiations.This is the best possible situation we are in now except for the cession...Pacharley boasted to his family that I have no doubt that the next step is to completely cede the Kowloon Peninsula to us . On March 24, 1860, an announcement in both Chinese and English appeared in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula: Now because the area around Tsim Sha Tsui is full of thieves and gangsters, which hinders the affairs of the UK, after the agreement of the Governor-General of the Guangdong and Guangxi Departments and the British official constitution, starting from the area near the south of Kowloon Fortress and the extreme north of Yang (Ang? Chuanzhou Island) Going south to Tsim Sha Tsui, the extreme south of Bingyang (Ang? Chuanzhou) is leased to the British to take charge of it. I am hereby commanded by the admiral to station in Tsim Sha Tsui, and I will protect the good people living here, and no more outsiders are allowed to mix in and live there. Therefore, this decree is issued to issue an announcement. This is to inform the local residents of Yangtsim Sha Tsui. If you are a peaceful and good citizen who has lived here for a long time, you may still operate as usual, and you should pay more attention to protection. All new arrivals are not Those who used to live in this place will not be allowed to stay in the future. Not to mention the bandits are not allowed to hang around as before, causing them to become a nest of thieves. If anyone hides without authorization, they will be found out and dealt with strictly. The southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula has been cheated and coaxed like this. Although it has not been approved by the Qing government or Emperor Xianfeng, the British have already regarded it as their own. One day in June 1860, Elgin came to China again.The news of Dagukou's defeat spread to Britain, and Ergin was impeached by some cabinet officials.Originally, he should have returned to his hometown in good clothes, and should have been rewarded with a promotion and a noble title, but the battle of Dagukou implicated him.Some people say that the so-called Sino-British Treaty of Tianjin is an insignificant treaty, and Elgin did not make any substantial contributions during his stay in China.He should go back to the East and reclaim his honor. In this way, Elgin went into battle again, and was once again appointed by the British government as a plenipotentiary special envoy to go to China to resolve the contract renewal and other issues by force. At this time, although the Kowloon Peninsula had been occupied, the news did not reach London.However, Kowloon has been designated by the cabinet government as an important place that must be occupied. Therefore, Foreign Minister Russell told Elgin, who was about to leave, that in any new treaty signed with China, he should try his best to make provisions for ceding the Kowloon Peninsula.According to the Colonial Secretary's suggestion on the Kowloon issue, during your stay in China, don't miss any favorable opportunity that may arise, and you must realize the cession of Kowloon. Elgin had some objections.Even if a new treaty needs to be negotiated, he said, it is doubtful whether it would be beneficial to insist on ceding territory as a condition of an agreement under such a directive.If the provision for cession only appeared in the Sino-British treaty, but not in the Sino-French treaty, this difference might arouse the resentment of the allies.If they all make similar demands, the idea of ​​ceding Kowloon is very likely to fail. What Elgin said was to remind decision makers that the burden on his shoulders was already heavy enough when he went to China this time. The issue of the renewal of the Tianjin Treaty has not been resolved, and the cession of Kowloon is newly mentioned. Can't complete the task.In addition, this is an alliance with France. If it unilaterally proposes to occupy Kowloon, it will be difficult for France to balance.In addition, Russia and the United States are also watching China, like real carnivores, China will be conquered, for them, such delicious fat meat, they will not share it without their hands.Elgin did not want other countries to share China.There is a question of strategy here, to get Kowloon quietly, without being too ostentatious, and without arousing unreasonable thoughts from other countries. All in all, Elgin believes that the time to seize Kowloon is not yet ripe.Elgin's opinion attracted the attention of the king, and when he left, Russell sent a letter to Elgin on behalf of the queen, asking him to act accordingly.He said: There is no doubt that access to the Kowloon peninsula would provide great convenience for the preservation of Her Majesty's Hong Kong colony's interests.But if this becomes a precedent for other countries to claim corresponding privileges elsewhere, the price of such convenience will be too high.Even the mode of détente suggested by Your Excellency, which might lead to Kowloon, would meet with the same objections.So all I can say to Your Excellency is that the Queen's Government is happy to take ownership of the Kowloon peninsula, but it is up to you to decide what is the best course of action; if you think this may lead to claims, it will be detrimental to China , would be of no benefit to British interests, and the attempt might even be avoided entirely. In a word, the affairs of Kowloon are entrusted to you. When and how to do them are all up to you, Erjin. This is the entrustment of the queen's government to Ergin. Ergin came to China again with the dual tasks of contract renewal and occupation of Kowloon. Elgin was appointed only in the spring of 1860, and it was already summer when he came to China.At this time, the news of the lease of Kowloon had reached London, and Ergin also learned the news when he arrived in Hong Kong.Therefore, Foreign Secretary Russell immediately changed his tactics and secretly ordered Elgin to say: Her Majesty's Government has been informed that Mr Parker has secured for her a perpetual lease of the Kowloon peninsula from the Chinese authorities.Despite the immediate benefits of the lease, after all considerations, Her Majesty's Government believes that they should obtain the complete cession of the Kowloon Peninsula, which is very satisfactory.For this reason, I order Your Excellency to do our best to achieve this goal.The territory was only a small bullet in total, and the reasons for its acquisition were so obvious that this cession did not necessarily provide France with an excuse to claim Zhoushan, or other places on the Chinese coast. In this way, it is no longer easy for Ergin to shirk the Kowloon issue.However, he knew in his heart that the primary issue was not the issue of Kowloon, nor the issue of contract renewal, nor was it the issue of fearing that countries such as France, Russia, and the United States would get a share of the pie. The important issue was how to fight the war against China. If you are scared, all problems will be solved.Elgin came to China and brought the cloud of war to China.A war inevitably came. At the end of June, Elgin came to Shanghai and gathered with the French plenipotentiary Gross, the American minister John Hua, and the Russian minister Ignatiev, preparing to go north to change the contract with arms. Xianfeng Emperor Yining had long received the news that the Anglo-French coalition forces had exchanged their armies.In the note sent by the British to the Military Aircraft Department, four conditions were put forward: 1. A fullest and satisfactory apology for the actions of the Taku Fort. 2. To exchange instruments of ratification of the treaty in Beijing, for which the envoys had to go to Tianjin by their own ships. 3. The Treaty of Tianjin shall be fully implemented, especially with regard to the payment of compensation. 4. Compensation for subsequent incidents. After Yi Ning listened to the report from the Military Aircraft Department, Long Yan was furious.The battle of Dagukou defeated the British and French allied forces and fled, which proved that our Chinese dynasty is actually very powerful.Don't think that our patience and tolerance are easy to deceive. When we reach a certain limit, we will speak decisive words, as evidenced by the battle in Dagukou.You British people are more confident when you lose a battle than when you win a battle. How can there be such a reason in the world?Angrily, Yi Tun ordered the officials of the southern provinces and the governor of Zhili to tell the ministers of various countries that if they sincerely exchanged the contract, they would go to Beijing as required, instead of taking a military ship, and only take escorts to Beijing from Beitang.When renewing the contract, please follow the example of the American minister to renew the contract, and don't cause trouble again. The U.S. envoy's exchange of contracts refers to the fact that the U.S. envoy did not retreat with the Anglo-French allied forces after the British and French allied forces fled to Takukou last time.American Minister John Wah is a cunning fellow.Seeing the defeat of the British and French allied forces, he pretended to be very submissive and sent a note to Beijing, saying that the Americans were different from the British and French, and that he had come to China to seek friendship and peace, not to fight.Therefore, he is willing to enter Beijing from Beitang in accordance with the instructions of the Beijing government.In order to prove his sincerity, he rewrote the date of the note to June 24, before the Battle of Dagukou, explaining that the United States did not issue such a note because of the defeat of the British and French allied forces, and that the nature of the Americans is peaceful and kind. .John Wah's trick worked.He received special courtesy from the Qing government, and sent him rice, chicken, duck, fish, etc., a special product of Tianjin, and guided him to enter Beijing from Beitang. On July 20, John Hua and his entourage of 30 people left Beitang, took a cart to Beicang, then took a boat to Tongzhou, and then took a cart to the apartment that had been prepared for him in the capital.Hua Yuehan watched the beautiful scenery of the suburbs of Beijing and Tianjin along the way, and he couldn't help feeling a little regretful in his complacency.He originally insisted on taking a sedan chair, which is the kind of 16-carrying sedan chair that dignitaries sit on.When he was in Tianjin, in order to enter Beijing, he specially had two sedan chairs prepared, one green and one blue.He envied the look of Chinese officials sitting on the sedan chair, and felt that it represented a kind of nobility and elegance, a kind of majesty in the true sense.However, his idea was attacked. The officials of the Qing Dynasty told him that in a remote place like Beitang, it was impossible to hire the professional bearers he needed.If it is a Chinese official, he has to give up his plan to sit in a sedan chair.As for being in the capital city, at the feet of the emperor, especially to meet the emperor, civil and military officials of the Manchu dynasty had to walk after entering the palace, and there was no need to sit in a sedan chair.So John Hua had to give up the idea of ​​sitting in a sedan chair. Before meeting the emperor, envoys should kowtow according to Chinese etiquette.This made John Hua feel embarrassed, and he resolutely rejected this kind of etiquette, saying that he could only bow to the emperor.The two sides can't stop arguing.In the end, Hua Yuehan gave up his plan to be summoned by the emperor, and with the permission of Emperor Xianfeng, he returned to Beitang and exchanged the contract with Hengfu, the governor of Zhili. Emperor Xianfeng thought, since the American envoys can renew the contract according to the Qing Dynasty's request, why can't you British and French?If you still want to use force, come on, my beloved general Seng Gelinqin once defeated you at Dagukou, and he will give you a heavy blow again, if you don’t believe me, come here! Emperor Xianfeng pinned his hopes on Seng Gelinqin and loved the Prince Horqin very much, but Seng Gelinqin was not ready for war. After the victory in the battle of Dagukou, the Qing army was really excited for a while.The coalition forces of Britain and France can also be defeated, and steel monsters like small towns can also be sunk, and the mighty foreign soldiers can also howl like ghosts and wolves. The existing equipment and weapons of the Qing army can also scare foreigners, which is of course gratifying and encouraging.In those days, Dagukou and Tianjin City were full of drunken soldiers and military officers who had sex with women. Even those who were least close to the officers and soldiers smiled when they saw them. Does anyone have a little patriotism! I don't know who said this, but the foreign devils were scared of being beaten by the Qing Dynasty, and since then, they never dared to come again.This remark made everyone happy, especially those officers and soldiers of the Qing army, who were sweeter than honey.When these words kept flashing like chanting sutras, the garrison at Dagukou, without exception, firmly believed that the foreign devils were really afraid to come. In fact, although Dagukou was not occupied by the British and French allied forces, it was still riddled with holes. Most of the north and south fortresses collapsed, most of the fortifications on both sides of the strait were destroyed, and the north pond was not fortified. We should hurry up and complete the construction before next spring. Prepare for new battles. It's a pity that the Qing army was hit by that sentence. Since the foreign devils were scared of being beaten, what was the rush to repair the fort? Although Seng Gelinqin had fought battles for a long time, he rarely fought against foreigners.This Mongolian general once commanded the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and also participated in many battles to conquer alien races in the frontier, with more victories and fewer defeats. He was a very prominent military figure in the Qing court at that time and held actual military power.But he also seemed unfamiliar with foreign soldiers.In the battle of Dagukou, there were many reasons for the victory. In addition to adequate preparation and morale against the enemy, the weather is also a very important factor.But this does not mean that Seng Gelinqin will win every battle. Deep down in his heart, he still does not want to fight foreigners, because even though he is used to cavalry raids and swords and swords, he is not used to bombardment, rowing guns and fighting. Annoying snare drum. However, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had very high expectations for him. The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty admired and respected him, and everyone embraced the music of the gods.He hadn't yet allowed the emperor to peek into his deepest fears.He wants to give the emperor some support and hope. But he still hopes to appease and guide the foreigners, so that the British and French troops who were originally tigers and wolves will sit down and talk peacefully.Therefore, he did not urge the army to prepare for war, nor did he strengthen combat training. The main work he did was to instigate the Russians and Americans to do Chinese mediation work when the British and French troops attacked. The new Russian Minister Ignatiev is also a man who is good at making money. His pro-China purpose is the same as that of the American Minister John Hua.So Seng Gelinqin had a heated fight with them.He sent his men to send many gifts and food to the American and Russian envoys, and continued to entertain them, hoping that it would have an effect on them, which would shake the determination of the British and French allied forces to fight, soften the hand holding the butcher's knife, and make 1860 a special event. New year of peace.However, Seng Gelinqin's wish came true again. On August 1, the dark British and French fleets occupied Beitang with almost no decent resistance.Tianjin and Beijing are in a hurry again.Facing the powerful enemy, the Qing soldiers turned pale with fright. Before the British and French allied forces occupied Beitang, American Minister John Hua reminded Seng Gelinqin that the British and French troops planned to occupy Beitang first, and then copy the back road of Dagu, so he must be careful and take strict precautions.John Hua probably expressed his return to Seng Gelinqin for his hospitality over the past few months. Perhaps it is because he has the complex psychology unique to Americans, so he accurately foretells what will happen. But Seng Gelinqin did not attract attention.Beitang was undefended. Beitang fell into the hands of the British and French troops so easily.But Seng Gelinqin still pinned his hopes on the peace talks.In order not to irritate the enemy, and not create side effects, if Seng Gelinqin's army sees the British and French troops in Beitang going out of the village, they should not take the initiative to attack and let them do what they want.If foreigners want to copy the Dagu Fort, if they have to attack, they should not kill too many foreigners, just drive them back, so as to show the magnanimity and kindness of the Qing Empire and make them feel ashamed. Elgin's revenge army soon shattered Seng Gelinqin's dream. On August 14, the British and French troops were divided into two groups, one to attack Xinhe and the other to attack Junliangcheng.Seng Gelinqin sent his most elite cavalry to fight back. Although the soldiers fought hard and were extremely brave, but in front of foreign guns and cannons, in front of a strange era, the three thousand knights were less than a meal, and almost all of them were heartbroken. ... Seng Gelinqin was covered from head to toe by icy water. He was unable to stop the foreigners' attack, so he had to choose the ancient escape tactics to avoid the foreigners' sharp edge. On August 23, he fled to Zhangjiawan, about 10 miles south of Tongzhou. . After the British and French troops occupied Dagukou, they occupied Tianjin on August 24.Knowing that Tianjin was occupied, Emperor Xianfeng hastily appointed Guiliang and Hengfu as imperial envoys to negotiate peace with the British and French allied forces.