Chapter 15 Sanyilibu ceases war with Zhejiang

The second half of 1840 to the spring of 1841 must have been one of the most unusual periods in the life of Iribu, governor of Liangjiang.He fell into previously unheard-of situations. However, in the first days of this period, the official of the frontier, who was called the main force of the "surrender faction" (or the main peace faction, or the main "fu" faction) by later generations, was also the main "suppression" faction at the beginning. Yes, just like Emperor Daoguang and Qi Shan. On July 9, 1840, Yilibu, who had not been in office for a long time, obeyed the order to strictly prevent opium smuggling at sea. He had just investigated the situation in Haikou in Wusong and other places, inspected the battalion, and when he returned to Suzhou, he was greeted by Wu Ergong, the governor of Zhejiang Province. The counselor learned that there were "barbarian boats" cruising in the ocean of Zhejiang.The next day, according to a report from the two departments of Zhejiang Fan and Standard transferred by Yuqian, governor of Jiangsu, it was learned that there were more than 20 "splint barbarian boats" in Dinghai.His first reaction was exactly the same as that of the former Xu Daoguang Emperor, who believed that "it was obvious that because of the strict expulsion from Guangdong and Fujian provinces, he entered Zhejiang and Yang with ulterior motives."Although he didn't know that China and Britain were at war at this time, and he didn't even know who the "barbarian" of the country was, but it didn't affect his immediate return to Wusong Haikou on July 11, and made a countermeasure: if "the barbarian" "If you dare to break into the sea of ​​Jiangsu, you will seal off the port first, put an end to collusion (there is no need for the British army to blockade), and then show your military might and deport them.At the same time, he also flew to consult the generals and governors of the coastal provinces to report the military situation.

On July 13, Yilibu arrived in Wusong and joined Chen Huacheng, the admiral of Jiangnan who arrived earlier after hearing the news.The next day, we got another news from Zhejiang, saying that the "Yichuan" troops were divided into two groups, attacking Dinghai all the way, and sailing westward all the way, without knowing their purpose.Fearing that the "barbarian boats" sailing westward would invade Jiangsu, Yilibu immediately made a series of decisions: 1. Deploy a total of 10,000 defense troops in Baoshan (including Wusong), Shanghai, and Chongming, the key areas of coastal defense , in order to prepare for the battle; 2. 40,000 taels of silver were withdrawn from the two treasuries of Fan and Yun, and temporarily used as military expenses; 3. Ordered the chief envoy of Jiangsu to handle gunpowder and military funds, and the work period was sufficient; 4. Ordered Jiangsu to rectify the post Delivery, to ensure that memorials, edicts, and other documents and newspapers are unimpeded, so as to facilitate intelligence and command; 5. Sitting between Baoshan Mountain in Shanghai by yourself, conduct command nearby.Even so, he still did not have a full estimate of the situation, and stated in the memorial that once he received the news that Zhejiang "will be wiped out against the barbarians", he would immediately "withdraw his defense and rush to play".

On July 17, Yilibu won the Zhejiang Fuzhou Council again, knowing that Dinghai had fallen and Zhenhai was in danger.Seeing the seriousness of the situation, he expanded Jiangsu's defensive area. At the same time, according to his authority as governor of Liangjiang, he transferred 1,600 soldiers from Anhui, 450 soldiers from Cao, and 900 soldiers from Hebei to assist Haikou in Jiangsu; Stationed in the areas of Suzhou and Zhenjiang, as a reserve team; ordered Anhui to allocate 50,000 catties of gunpowder and lead pellets in stock each, and release them in Haikou, Jiangsu for backup.In addition, he heard that the "barbarian ships" were extremely large and the ships of the Jiangsu navy were too "low and small", so he ordered his subordinates to "seal up" dozens of large merchant ships from Fujian and Guangdong, so that they could be hired at any time to cooperate with the navy in combat.

On July 31, Yilibu received an order from Emperor Daoguang to send thousands of water diverters to aid Zhejiang, and he drew 2,000 of the only 2,900 offshore sailors in Jiangsu to prepare and follow orders at any time. On August 12, Yilibu received an imperial edict from Emperor Daoguang to send him to Zhejiang to preside over military affairs. He took only a few people with him and set off on the same day.On the way, because of Emperor Daoguang's strategy of attacking Dinghai, he gave a memorial to talk about his strategy of recovering the lost ground: either set up more suspicious soldiers, or secretly dispatch spies, or attack the area where he was divided first, or go straight to the place where he gathered.It can be seen from this that although his strategy has not been finalized, his self-confidence is not lacking in firmness.The only difficulty he felt at that time was the warships needed for crossing the sea, but he felt that the problem was not difficult to solve.When he was in Jiangsu, he had thought about hiring merchant ships, and this time he heard that Zhejiang had already hired ships.Even if these hired ships are "difficult to use", they only need to quickly "build a few more" before they can "serve for attack".

On August 23, Yiribu arrived in Ningbo. From the experience of the first month or so, we can see that Yiribu's attitude is no different from that of any Qing official, who only insisted on "suppression"; The more capable temperament of Qing officials.Once the information is obtained, countermeasures are formed immediately, and the report is made immediately, neatly and comprehensively.He was the first official in the Qing Dynasty to mobilize troops from other provinces without an order or an order. taking decisive measures.Not to mention, in terms of troop deployment, in addition to the original troop stationed along the coast, he called for a total of 10,900 troopers from the three provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi, and the two superintendents of Caohe in a short period of time to reinforce Haikou in Jiangsu.Its number exceeds that of any coastal province.

All that Yilibu has done shows that he is worthy of being a capable person that Emperor Daoguang relies on. However, after arriving at the front line in Zhejiang, Yiribu changed.The original confidence dissipates like a cloud in the sun, and the original experience is all useless due to different situations. The scheming Yiribu encountered new problems. Yilibu, a native of Manchuria Xianghuangqi, whose family background can be traced back to Xianzu Takshi (Nurhachi's father), was called "Jueluo" according to the Qing Dynasty system, and was also called "red belt" because he could wear a red belt. In the Qing Dynasty, he could be regarded as a person of noble blood.Another extraordinary advantage of him is that he was born in a professional class, and he was a second-class Jinshi. This is not common among Manchus, and he can be called an outstanding one.He originally worked for the Imperial College. In 1812, he was released to Yunnan and served as a local official such as Tongsan, and was promoted step by step. In 1819, because the Burmese rebels who entered the country were arrested and handed over to the Burmese government to "prosecute by themselves" to ensure the security of the border, it was first paid attention by the central government. In 1821, he was favored by Emperor Daoguang for suppressing the rebellion of local ethnic minorities, and then entered a period of high official career. , Governor of Shaanxi, and Governor of Shandong.Moved seven times in four years.Although the steps have not fallen, but the speed is extremely fast, and often the old chair is not warmed up, and the new job is beckoning again.

For Yiribu, the mainland is a circle of officials, not a place for him to make a name for himself, and the frontier seems to be more suitable for him to display his skills. In October 1825, just after the 100th day of Yilibuding's father's worry, Emperor Daoguang ordered him to act as the governor of Yunnan in accordance with the rules of the bannermen, and Ding You changed to a real professor after his term expired. In 1835, moved to the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. In 1838, he was awarded the co-organizer bachelor degree, and was the second person (the other was Qi Shan) to receive this honor among Xinjiang officials at that time. In 1839, he was rewarded with double-eyed feathers.

Yunnan is an area inhabited by ethnic minorities.Since Emperor Yongzheng reformed the land and returned it to the natives, it was directly governed by the Qing government, but troubles often occurred.For the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, the official vacancies here belonged to the four categories of "complex", "yao", "chong" and "difficult", and more powerful ministers were placed.Yiribu usually maintains a lenient government in order to reduce conflicts, but once a rebellion occurs, it will be relentless and forceful to quickly stop the spread.That is the so-called lenient and fierce mutual aid.During his tenure, Yunnan showed rare stability and tranquility, which was very in line with Emperor Daoguang's wishes, and he praised Youxu many times.The heaviest punishment he received was actually when he asked to participate in the suppression of the Kashgar rebellion in 1830, but was severely reprimanded by Emperor Daoguang, and the result was "dismissed and retained".

Three-quarters of Yiribu's official career was spent in Yunnan.The long-term frontier experience of "the sky is high and the emperor is far away" has cultivated his resolute character, capable style of work, and also cultivated his strong self-confidence. However, this time is not that time, and this "barbarian" is not another "barbarian" (at that time, the Qing government often referred to the ethnic minorities in the frontier as "barbarians").Carrying strong ships and sharp guns floating over the sea to the east "