Chapter 28 The process of three summations

After the imperial envoy Qiying and Yiribu with the rank of seventh grade went south to Hangzhou, he was shocked by the corruption of the situation in Zhejiang, and immediately retreated from the position of "neither the solution to the silver nor the land" when he was in Beijing, regardless of Emperor Daoguang's "first suppress and then appease" Earnestly instruct, determined to "restrain". However, in this way, Qiying and Yilibu were in a dilemma of "fighting on both sides": the rebellious "Niyi" refused to "caress", and Emperor Daoguang, who was above Jiuzhong, was unwilling to bow his head. In short, the latter suppressed it with power.The non-wise Qiying Liu had no choice but to smile at the "devil" and grimace at his master.

As a result, the peace-seeking activities presided over by Qiying also experienced ups and downs, twists and turns, and experienced a strange process. On May 17, 1842, the British army who had just abandoned Ningbo and other places forced Zhapu. After hearing the news, Qiying was horrified and sent Yilibu there the next day without an order. , to show righteousness."When Yiribu arrived in Jiaxing, Zhapu was lost, so he sent Chen Zhigang, a foreign commissioner who had previously served as his traffic officer to the British, to send a note to the British side. Trade for peace.He doesn't seem to know that with the promise of Yang Fang and Yishan, Guangzhou's trade has resumed for a year.

The British plenipotentiary Pu Dingcha was in Hong Kong at this time. The army commander Guo Fu took a photo on May 21, praising Iribu for his kind treatment of British prisoners in the past, welcoming him to Zhapu and guaranteeing their safety, but he also claimed that it was not his job to negotiate. points", it must be reported to Pu Dingcha to "investigate and deal with".At the end of the note, it said: "If your country agrees to everything in accordance with the terms of the repeated documents, peace will be settled without difficulty." Iribu received this note, on the one hand, he was overjoyed, and the British side was willing to make peace; Among them, he really didn't know what the "document clause due to repetition" was.He didn't dare to go to Zhapu rashly, so he stated in his reply that since Pu Dingcha had to "investigate and deal with it", he would wait until Pu's note came and "deliberate and deal with it".

The British side immediately saw that Iribu did not understand his intentions. On May 26, the note issued jointly by Navy Commander Baga and Army Commander Guo Fu clearly announced the conditions for the truce negotiations: 1. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty must express that he is willing to follow the conditions in the previous letter from Palmerston to the Chinese Prime Minister and the note issued by Pu Dingcha in Zhejiang. 2. The negotiating representatives of the Qing party must be "a person appointed by the imperial court with full power." In addition, the British side also put forward a request for the release of British prisoners.

Due to the fall of Zhapu, the imperial envoy Qiying rushed to Jiaxing on May 23 to join Yiribu.At this time, the prevailing rumors that the British army was attacking Hangzhou to capture the prisoners of war made Yijing hurriedly sent the British prisoners to Jiaxing on the 27th to send Zhapu back to the British and preserve the provincial capital.Seeing this tough note, Qiying had no right to answer the two conditions of the British side and did not dare to answer them, let alone report them truthfully. In the folded sheet on the 29th, he specifically selected good words for Emperor Daoguang: Yilibu The dispatched Chen Zhigang met a "Yiren surnamed Guo" (Guo Shili) in Zhapu, "The chieftain was deeply grateful for the words of the oracle, and he only wanted to do business, and his words were still respectful."In order for Emperor Daoguang to approve their "restraint" strategy, Qiying painted a bright picture of the desperate situation they have fallen into.He also explained his countermeasures: "At this time of confrontation and tension, and the dilemma of fighting and defending, I dare not speak lightly to attack and suppress, nor dare to rely solely on restraints. I can only rely on calmness, do my best, and handle it according to the camera." Here What is the interpretation of the word "calm" in this book? Only God knows!

The situation changes. On May 28, the day before Qiying’s performance, the British army withdrew from Zhapu and went north to attack Wusong; on May 30, the day after Qiying’s performance, they received an order to bring the imperial envoy Guan Fang south to Guangzhou ( See previous section for details).The first round of summation activities hosted by Qiying had to end hastily. However, the British prisoners sent to Zhapu could not find a recipient, and Yiribu later sent them to Zhaobaoshan, Zhenhai, which was occupied by the British army.Even though Emperor Daoguang had expressly ordered to stop the "Jiu" activities, Yilibu still did not give up, and asked the British prisoner to bring a note: "The matter discussed is not difficult to negotiate. It is necessary to wait for the overall situation to come to an agreement, and then we will join forces with General Yang Wei Play with Liu Futai as the Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and then make a charter." This is a counter-proposal against the British side to approve the conditions before negotiating, but there is no answer to the qualifications of the negotiators.He also asked the British side to give a "palindrome" so that negotiations can start early.Not surprisingly, the British side, which was busy attacking Wusong, was not interested in Iribu's note, and Zhejiang officials who were afraid of holy wrath did not dare to report the truth in time.Only the released British prisoners took advantage of it.Since the British side gave 3 yuan to each of the Qing prisoners of war, the Qing side seemed to be quite "celestial" when they released the British prisoners of war. Name 30 yuan.

On May 25, 1842, Emperor Daoguang ordered Qiying to go south to Guangzhou. Seven days after the fall of Zhapu, he did not know the situation on the front line; Before the case, faced with the ferocity of the British army, the will began to waver. On June 4, Emperor Daoguang received a memorial from Qiying that he had lied about the situation of "Jimi", and ordered Qi to "suspend his departure" and stay in Hangzhou to assist in the defense. On June 5, according to Yijing's proposal, he instructed Qiying to specialize in the "detention" matters. On June 9, he received Yilibu and Guo Fu's first note from Yijing Jinjin (Yijing did not dare to report the second note from the British side), and awarded Yilibu the fourth-rank top-ranking title and acted as the deputy governor of Zhapu. , "Stationed and suppressed" in Hangzhou or Jiaxing.

On the way south to Guangzhou, Qiying received the order on June 4th on June 14th, rushed back overnight, and returned to Hangzhou four days later.After discussing with Yi Jing, he played separately on June 19.Qiying used a quiz, saying that if the British side proposed to interview him (or Yiribu), "the request should be granted."The real meaning of this sentence is to request approval for direct negotiations.Yijing put it more clearly, Yilibu "find out what is important, that is, handle everything in the nearest place."In other words, let Iribu choose the place for negotiations with the British side, regardless of his new local position.

The memorials of Qi and Yi indicated that they planned to go further than the scope approved by Emperor Daoguang, because they had faintly heard the sound of Wu Song's cannons; Emperor Daoguang was angry at the defeat of Wusong and Baoshan. Zhu criticized Qiying's memorial as "not allowed", and even ordered an attack on Yijing. As I mentioned in Chapter 3, the fastest communication speed in the Qing Dynasty at that time was "600 li expedited", so it took at least 12 days to make a round trip from Hangzhou to Beijing.The urgency of the military situation at the front no longer allowed Qi and Yi to sit and wait for orders, and Qi and Yi also took advantage of this time to act first, from Hangzhou to Jiaxing, Wangjiangjing to Kunshan, Jiangsu, chasing the British army all the way to make peace.

On June 20, the commanders of the British Sea and the Army received a note from Iribu requesting "sampling soldiers" in Shanghai (the exact date of issuance is unknown, but it should be before Qi and Yi's presentation on the 19th), and they immediately replied, repeating the previously proposed The truce was negotiated on two terms.It is worth noting that although the British side congratulated Iribu on his new position, it also emphasized the conditions of the "imperial minister", that is, denied Iribu's negotiating qualifications. Qiying saw the British side's reply photo and thought that his status as an "imperial envoy" met the British side's conditions, so he went out in person, jointly titled the photo with Yilibu, and offered to meet with the British side in Zhenhai, Zhejiang or Songjiang, Jiangsu.Qiying's approach is exactly the opposite of what he said in the memorial.

Qiying's note was sent to the British side on June 27, and British plenipotentiary Pu Dingcha also rushed to Wusong from Hong Kong on this day.At this time, the British reinforcements arrived in large numbers, preparing to sail up the Yangtze River, and had no intention of negotiating at all.Pu Dingcha replied on the same day, saying that the war could not be ceased because Qiying did not have "full powers". In the history of the "Heavenly Dynasty", foreign negotiations were originally the exclusive power of the great emperor, and no courtiers were allowed to do so.Therefore, it was impossible to have a post with "full authority" at that time. I am afraid that people at that time did not even have the concept of "full authority".The first time Qiying came out in battle, he was given a heavy blow, but Yilibu still didn't give up. On July 4, he sent another note to Pu Dingcha, declaring that he and Qiying were "special ministers sent by the emperor" and were going to "wait for a lecture" in Suzhou. Settle matters".But when this note was sent to Wusong, the British army had already marched back to Zhenjiang. The bigger blow came from Beijing. Just when Qiying and Yilibu were rejected by Pu Dingcha, the memorial to Qiying quoted earlier was also approved, and the word "not allowed" took away the bridge for him to advance. On July 3, when Emperor Daoguang saw Qiying’s report and prepared to meet with the British side at the agreed place, he decreed: “No meeting with him”, “Only ask Chen Zhigang and others to go with the book”, “If you reply to the letter, there will be special Require all difficulties to promise events, that is, defend with Niu Jian wholeheartedly." On July 9, he received a memorial from Qiying reporting that Pu Dingcha refused to negotiate, and issued an order: . (The emphasis is marked by the citer) Niu Jian, governor of Liangjiang, saw that Emperor Daoguang still wanted to fight at this time, and he bluntly asked Emperor Qianlong to follow the precedent of Emperor Qianlong who could not send an edict to stop troops and allow tribute, and deal with the British "Jiu".Emperor Daoguang was furious when he saw this memorial that taught him a lesson. He believed that the treacherous Yilibu was the mastermind of these peace-seeking officials. On July 14, he ordered Yi to return to Zhapu to take up his post, and Qiying stayed in Jiangsu. Together with Niu Jian to prevent and suppress. The last time Emperor Daoguang ordered Qiying to leave Zhejiang, he took it back a few days later; this time he ordered Yiribu to leave Su, but the Sacred Heart wandered a day later. On July 15, 1842, Emperor Daoguang received a discount from Qiying, and the documents attached to the memorial aroused his interest. The full text is: , to five years.For this reason, our country ordered me, just because I lied to me, because my leader knocked on the gate and killed all the traitors, and the common people were not to be killed. Don't panic and run around, but you can still live in peace and cultivate without fear.If I plunder without authorization, all the people can kill them, and there is no crime.Within ten days, the commander-in-chief will rectify the three armies, then knock on the Beique, and go straight to the capital to speak on his own, so that the people will not be disturbed.Special reminder. (The emphasis is marked by the citer) According to Qiying's memorial, this document was pasted outside Baoshan County, but we can be sure today that it was a forgery, although the forger is not yet known.Pu Dingcha issued proclamations twice in Wusong, but the content and words were completely different.As far as this document itself is concerned, the term "generalissimo" is not used by the British side, and "Wu Xiami" is unknown. The more obvious evidence is that the British side will never refer to its Indian soldiers as "black soldiers". ghost". According to Qiying's analysis, this document shows that the British "love words are still obedient, and they are nothing more than business"; and Emperor Daoguang read the word "seeking peace", which can quite iron out his sensitive and fragile self-esteem, " Go straight to the capital and speak on your own." I am afraid that Emperor Daoguang's fear cannot but be aroused.Therefore, he issued a secret edict to Qiying, laying out strategies: ——Qiying sent Chen Zhigang to the British side, telling the other side that if the ship could be withdrawn to Guangdong to stop the troops, Qiying would protect the emperor. ——Hong Kong rewards the British side for stacking goods; Fujian and Zhejiang Haikou allow trade within the agreed time every year, but the British are not allowed to stay for a long time. ——The British side does not need to enter Beijing, and the above-mentioned conditions are played out by Qiying, "the decree is allowed to be carried out, and it is regarded as evidence." On the same day, in addition to this secret decree, Emperor Daoguang gave another decree to Qiying, Niu Jian and others, repeating the old tune: "Encourage the soldiers and work together", "Should abide by the rules, and suppress when they should be suppressed. It is the most important thing to be intimidated and to weaken the morale of the army!" Emperor Daoguang made two arrangements here. Undoubtedly, the concession made by Emperor Daoguang was far from what the British asked, but what is interesting is that it was exactly the same as the concession that Qishan was about to make in Guangdong more than a year ago. On July 14, Qiying and Yilibu received an imperial decree from Emperor Daoguang in Suzhou to "dedicate themselves to suppressing and punishing them without hesitation".With the experience of the last time, this time I am determined to resist the order and not obey it.With the military defeated, they concluded that there was no alternative but to seek peace.Therefore, they blatantly posed a difficult problem for Emperor Daoguang, asking him to "order the court officials to quickly discuss good strategies" in the "dilemma of fighting and defending".What can Beijing do?They are clear in their hearts.At the same time, they intensified their activities to seek peace, rushing from Suzhou to the Zhenjiang area. On July 18, Pu Dingcha received a note from Yiribu who arrived late on July 4 on the warship on the Zhenjiang River; on July 21, the day when Zhenjiang started the war, he received a private letter from Qiying in his own name.These two documents, which only called for peace talks but did not make actual promises, naturally could not stop the British attack on Zhenjiang.Pu Dingcha replied to the photos separately, attaching the notice he issued in Wusong, and in the note to Qiying, he also announced that the British army was about to attack Nanjing, and asked him to prepare money for "redemption of the city". Pu Dingcha's announcement in Wusong contained nothing new, but it was an important document for Qiying and Yilibu.Because Pu summed up the main requirements of the British side into three points: 1. Compensation for cigarette prices and military expenses; 2. Equal diplomacy between the two countries; 3. Ceding the islands; .Qiying and Yilibu, who have never read Palmerston's letter to the Chinese prime minister, and who have never received a series of peace negotiation notes issued by Pudingcha in Guangdong and Zhejiang, will inevitably find that there is no mention of trade in it, and "commercial "It is also the only magic weapon in their hands to deal with the profit-loving "barbarians". The notice officially sent by Pu Dingcha is too different from the notice of the so-called "Generalissimo Wu Xiami" submitted by Qiying.Qiying did not dare to play, but hid herself.On the one hand, they are afraid of provoking holy wrath. On the other hand, they have not received the secret order from Emperor Daoguang. Their activities of violating the "suppression" order and seeking peace in private are themselves serious crimes. Because the British army blocked the Wenbao route from Guazhou to Zhenjiang, the secret edict of Emperor Daoguang did not reach Qiying until July 24.He hastily sent Chen Zhigang to the British side, and proposed in the note to hold talks with lower-level officials first.Pu Dingcha was obviously not satisfied with Qing's counter-offer, and in the reply, he only agreed to send personnel to negotiate the redemption of Nanjing. Although Qiying concealed Pudingcha's announcement, the three British demands were accidentally sent to Beijing through another channel. On July 17, the British army detained more than 300 civilian ships in the Guazhou area. Yizheng gentry donated his Tongzhi Yan Chongli (it is said to be a wealthy salt merchant) to go to the British ship to negotiate. The British army translated the Prussian missionary Guo Shili He was also given a copy of Pudingcha's notice.Yan Chongli handed over the announcement to Zhou Xu of Changzhen Road, and Zhou Xu reported the content to Niu Jian, the Governor of Liangjiang. Niu Jian forwarded this notice to Jiangning General De Zhubu for reading, and De Zhubu copied the notice and submitted it with the play. . Zhou Xu’s report submitted by Dezhu Bujin mainly talked about the rampant British army and the weakness of Zhenjiang’s defense.Emperor Daoguang, who had almost forgotten the content of Palmerston's letter to the Chinese prime minister, unexpectedly discovered three requirements from the British side. On July 26, he once again sent a secret message to Qiying and Yiribu (he ordered Yi to stay in Jiangsu two days ago): He also believes that "since the rebellion has come, it should be within my scope after this deduction and honesty." (The emphasis is marked by the citer) On the day when Emperor Daoguang issued this edict, he received Niu Jian's "Six Hundred Miles Expedited" report about the British besieging Zhenjiang, so he issued another decree: , that is, follow the right to handle it.This matter is expected to be successful, and I will not control it remotely. (The emphasis is marked by the citer) The next day, July 27, Emperor Daoguang successively received memorials from Qiying, Niu Jian, Qi Shen and others, reporting the fall of Zhenjiang.Niu Jian, for the early approval of Emperor Daoguang's "Jiji", unexpectedly uttered "crazy words" in the memorial: This sentence was widely circulated in Jiangnan official circles, which obviously stimulated Emperor Daoguang.He decreed: . (The emphasis is marked by the citer) "Don't dawdle a little" is the favorite sentence of Emperor Daoguang in his decrees, even though he himself often "wanders".As we have seen before, 18 days ago, on July 9th, his decree to Qiying was "dedicated to the suppression and suppression without any hesitation"! However, after that, Emperor Daoguang never "wandered" again, and never had the idea of ​​"suppression".He finally understood that "suppression" was not enough.But he couldn't figure out what he asked Qiying and Yilibu to ask later: "When the Nibarians took over the battle, how could the barbarian soldiers with them be able to advance without retreating, so that Min is not afraid of death?" The flying cavalry carrying the yellow box of the imperial decree galloped southward at a speed of 600 miles a day, looking for Qiying who was in Wuxi at this time.When Qiying was frustrated in his negotiations with Pu Dingcha, on August 1 he received an order ordering him to "do it cheaply". Discuss and handle.As for the prospect of "Jiji", Qiying said in the memorial: If this official cliché is translated into today's colloquial language, it would be "Try it"! On July 10, 1842, in Tianjin, Zhang Xi, who was mentioned in the previous section and refused to go south with his master to stay at home to recuperate, welcomed guests from the south.He is Yilibu's special messenger, holding Yilibu's personal order in his hand, and let Zhang Xi go south quickly: Yilibu's letter is full of emotion, and Zhang Xi is even more moved when he hears that Yi has acted as the deputy governor of Zhapu, and is expected to replace the sick Liu Yunke as the acting governor of Zhejiang.Once the master is prosperous again, the slave can regain his glory.So he set off on the 13th and arrived in Wuxi on August 5th.Yilibu was very happy to see this capable domestic servant, and composed seven rhythms, one of which was: This seemingly extremely clever veteran actually compared Zhang Xi to Guan Zhong, Le Yi, Su Qin and Zhang Yi, which shows its weight. Zhang Xi came at the right time. Negotiations between Qiying, Yilibu and Pudingcha were still stuck on the word "full power".Although Qi and Yi explained: "there is no official name of a minister with full power in this dynasty, and any word that has the words "imperial minister" is the same as the word "quanquan" in your country, but Pu Dingcha disagrees with this. Niu Jian, governor of Liangjiang, was approaching the city of Nanjing because the British army conquered Zhenjiang. He sent a note to Pu Dingcha without asking for approval.However, the British side did not value this kind of note explaining the principles without actual promises, and was instead forced to pay a ransom of 3 million yuan.In view of the fact that Niu, who had the duty of defending the city, sent six notes to the British side in one go on August 4th and 5th, he agreed to pay 300,000 yuan first and another 300,000 yuan, and asked the British army to retreat.Unwilling to bargain, Pu Dingcha announced on the 5th that the Qing side would not redeem the city and would attack Nanjing immediately! At this time, Niujian No. 5 High School was on fire, so he sent Bian to Wuxi to ask Qiying and Yilibu to come to Nanjing quickly to solve the downturn; on the 6th, he sent another note to Pu Dingcha, and there was a wonderful passage in it: Fortunately, I invited the emperor to grant permission, and specially ordered General Qi and Yi Zhongtang to deal with the reconciliation and business affairs... But when peace was being negotiated, a large group of warships from your country suddenly arrived. It is an envoy. May I ask where is your country's trust?Where is righteousness? (The emphasis is marked by the citer) According to Niu Jian's logic, the situation of the peace talks was facilitated by him "three times risking his life to accuse Chen Zuo" (although no evidence of "three times" could be found in the file), and the British side did not take this into consideration and instead sent troops to attack its garrison. In Nanjing, this kind of water rushing straight into the Dragon King Temple is really unfaithful. In the middle of the night when Zhang Xi arrived, Niu Jian's servant broke into Qiying's boat.After discussing with Qi and Yi, they decided to send Zhang Xi who had just arrived first.Before leaving, Qiying sent a fifth-rank top hat, and promised Zhang Xi: "I will make it clear that I won't be wearing an empty top for nothing like last time." A year ago, Yilibu gave a sixth-rank top Top wear. At noon on August 7, Zhang Xi rushed to Niu Jian's government office, and saw that he was in a hurry for the British army to attack the city that day.Zhang Xi, who had quite a bit of Western knowledge, calculated that it was Sunday, and it should be a day for Christians to worship, so he hurriedly comforted Niu Jian.Niu Jian, who was skeptical, asked about Yilibu's itinerary, and hurriedly sent another note to the British side, telling Yilibu that he would arrive tomorrow, and wanted to use Yilibu's reputation for being kind to prisoners of war to stop the sound of British siege artillery. Yilibu arrived in Nanjing on August 8, and immediately sent Zhang Xi to the British fleet. Since Iribu sent Chen Zhigang to Zhapu in May 1842, China and Britain have negotiated for nearly three months.Judging from the content of the existing notes between the two parties, it seems that there has been no communication.On the one hand, this is due to the Chinese proficiency of the British translators, which makes the British documents often not express their meaning; Bian verbally recounted it, and these military positions with little culture seemed to be difficult to overcome this responsibility.Zhang Xi, who is extremely sharp in mind and articulation, has a different scene as soon as he appears on the stage.The Diary of Fuyi written by him is the most detailed and vivid Chinese account of the Nanjing Treaty negotiations, so that Mr. Deng Siyu, a well-known expert on modern Chinese history in the United States, specially translated it into English and published it. The Yilibu note that Zhang Xi brought with him contained nothing new.After reading it, Ma Ruhan began to ask: "It's all empty talk, so what's the use of it?" But the British side knew that Zhang Xi was Yilibu's confidant, so the conversation between the two sides was "from Chen to You" (that is, from 7 to 9 in the morning to the afternoon). 5-7 o'clock), Pu Dingcha, Ma Ruhan, and Robert Dan were all present.The details of the talks can be found in Zhang Xi's "Fu Yi Diary", which shines when the debate is conducted amidst laughter and cursing.Dramatic scenes appeared frequently, and Zhang Xi's rhetoric was not inferior to Su Qin and Zhang Yi.However, the more perfect the record, the more historians wonder how much boasting it has mixed in. According to Zhang Xi, he asked the British side for the "Palindrome" when he was leaving, but the British side said that it was too late to prepare it that day and asked someone to come and pick it up the next day.That night, when Zhang Xi returned to Nanjing, all the horses and carriages were gone, and Yi and Niu "neither made a decision."The next day, August 9th, Yiribu sent Bian to fetch the Huiwen, and Niu Jian increased the amount promised to redeem the city from 600,000 to 1 million. The messenger sent by Yi and Niu did not return that day, and when Shengeng returned on August 10, he brought a shocking news: the British army would attack the city tomorrow.The city of Nanjing suddenly became chaotic.Yi and Niu urgently ordered Zhang Xi to go to negotiate again, but Zhang Xi refused to obey his order "for fear that empty talk back and forth would not be able to help", and insisted on sending another cadre.Perhaps Zhang Xi's move made Yi and Niu completely submit.Yilibu handed Zhang Xi two notes.The first title is: The second clear commitment: At the same time as these two notes were issued, there was also an edict from Emperor Daoguang to allow him to "do things cheaply". Judging from Yiribu's title, it is nothing to do with imperial envoy and headpin Dingdai. It was Sipin Dingdai who acted as the deputy governor of Zhapu, but he omitted the word "deputy".But this is still a small matter.The edict he sent to Pu Dingcha was pieced together from the text of the two edicts of Emperor Daoguang, and some of the meanings were not in the edict! Niu Jian also sent someone to send a note, which said: "All the inexhaustible words will be narrated by the committee member." According to Zhang Xi, what he asked people to "narrate" was "promised to redeem the city." Three million gold!" This night, the officials in Nanjing may not be able to sleep.Zhang Xi and his party left the city at Choushi (1-3 o'clock) on August 11, arrived at the riverside at Yinshi (3-5 o'clock), and hurried to Pudingcha's ship.It seems that Yilibu's note finally met the British requirements and agreed to negotiate; while Pu Dingcha's note to Niu Jian was like a reassurance: "The theory of redemption of the city can be ignored." When Zhang Xi returned to Nanjing, Qiying had already arrived.According to the agreement with the British side, on August 12, Qiying and Yiribu sent Zhang Xi and Ta Fenbu (Zuo Ling brought by Qi from Shengjing) to the British ship for negotiations.Qi and Yi's note said: As a result, a domestic servant who was not "temporarily worn" by the imperial court official, acted as an official representative of a big country in diplomatic negotiations in major events! Seeing this, Pu Dingcha ordered his secretary, Major Ma Gong, and Chinese translator Ma Ruhan to be the British negotiators.According to Ma Ruhan's proposal, because the weather was too hot (you can imagine the heat of Nanjing in mid-August), the negotiation venue was moved to Jinghai Temple in Xiaguan, outside Nanjing, at noon that day. Zhang Xi, as a negotiator, ordered the cleaning of the monastery, arranged the venue, dispatched waiting personnel, promptly reported the situation to the Daxian in the city, and even summoned the local guards to inform the residents that they should not flee in panic after seeing these barbarian people with nose augmentation and sunken eyes. He is very agile and straightforward, which really shows the true qualities of his servants, but when Ma Gong, Ma Ruhan and others went to Jinghai Temple to post posts, meet them, sit down, and finish a whole set of etiquette procedures, he seemed to be just a servant. famous listeners.Ma Ruhan finished explaining the terms of the peace agreement one by one. Fearing that Zhang Xi would not remember clearly, he unfolded a pen and paper and opened it in detail. On the Qing side's copy; 2. Negotiations continued at noon the next day, when Zhang Xi was required to bring the imperial envoy's opinions on the terms of the peace talks and the original copy of Emperor Daoguang's decree to "act cheaply". Ma Ruhan listed eight conditions for the British side, including compensation, land cession, five-port trade, abolition of hong kong, and parallel diplomacy.These are government affairs that Zhang Xi has never heard of or knows little about.In Zhang Xi's diary, the condition of the British side seems to be only a compensation of 30 million yuan (he can only understand this one), so he used the skills of a domestic servant to greatly reduce the price to 21 million yuan. ten thousand yuan.But we can't find the corresponding price reduction of 9 million yuan in the British records. After the negotiation, Zhang Xi went back to report.Qiying was flattered by the gift of asking him to set up a seat in the backyard.After explaining the negotiation situation in detail, he handed over the "three major papers" requested by the British side to Qi, Yi, and Niu.Unexpectedly, the three constitutions were not even read, and passed on to the ministers, and the ministers looked at a few lines, saying that it was "obstructed and difficult to implement", and shelved it. On August 13, Qiying and others sent Zhang Xi to negotiate again, but there was no formal reply to the British request.Zhang Xi asked the British side to ask for the "three major papers" so that they could be returned to the British side, but he didn't know that the aides went out to visit the guests but did not return.With empty hands, Zhang Xi went to Jinghai Temple nervously.Accompanying him were not only Tafenbu, but also five people sent by Niu Jian and Yilibu.These little officials usually just spread the word and serve tea in the official hall, but this time they were sent to Zhechong Zunzu so that they could be recommended for future performances. The negotiations on this day can be imagined.Although Zhang Xi falsely claimed that the imperial envoys were "considering the British conditions one by one" and the original imperial decree was sent to General Yangwei, the British were furious and accused the Qing of having no intention of making peace, and wanted to send Shouchun soldiers to start the war.Under pressure from the British side, Zhang Xi revealed his true colors: This official representative of the Qing Dynasty still identified himself as a chapbian who "passed on and off".According to Zhang Xi’s diary, after discussing with Ma Gong, Ma Ruhan announced at the end of the negotiation: This is undoubtedly an ultimatum. Zhang Xi reported this split to Qi, Yi, and Niu. The three constitutions were horrified. They immediately called for the aides, checked out the conditions of the British side, and decided to "approve everything." Only the payment deadline and before the British army occupied Zhoushan. , Zhaobaoshan, and Gulangyu expressed their objections and asked for further discussion. It's as simple as that.Things that were originally very complicated were all over in one night. That night, the insiders in Liangjiang Governor's Office were very busy.At Zishi (11-1 o'clock), Zhang Xi hurried out of the city, at Choushi (1-3 o'clock) he rushed to Jiangkou, and at Yinshi (3-5 o'clock) he arrived at Yingjian.All of this is in order to catch up with the "daybreak".The British side received the note from Qi, Yi, and Niu agreeing to the British request, the imperial decree from Emperor Daoguang authorizing Qi and Yi to "act cheaply" (God knows how it was forged), and the Niu Jian explaining that the mobilization of soldiers in Shouchun town was a In the note before the peace negotiation, I received Niu Jian's order to withdraw the soldiers from Shouchun (marked 800 Li urgently), and I received the imperial decree from Emperor Daoguang ordering Niu Jian and Ying to "do it properly".In addition, Zhang Xi also brought a message that the imperial envoy appointed another senior member to wait for "deliberation" at Jinghai Temple. Negotiations since then have been uneventful. On the morning of August 14, the former Jilin Vice Dutong, the fourth-class bodyguard Xianling, the Jiangning chief envoy, and the Jiangsu inspector Huang Entong resumed negotiations with the British representatives Ma Gong and Ma Ruhan.The former protagonist Zhang Xi just stood aside at this moment, not daring to speak. On August 15, negotiations continued.Qiying and others gave another step in the note, no longer raising the payment deadline, and only asked the British side to return Zhoushan, Zhaobaoshan and Gulangyu after the opening of the five ports.This request was not accepted.The Anglo-Saxons don't see things that way.Since the Qing party agreed to pay compensation, the unpaid part is a debt, and if it is a debt, it must be mortgaged!However, they also made a symbolic concession, changing the three garrisons to two, and removed Zhaobao Mountain outside Zhenhai City, which was not suitable for defense. However, contrary to the calm on the negotiating table, there was a little disturbance outside the negotiating field. On August 15, the representative of the British side sent a note from Pu Dingcha to Niu Jian, which began by saying: This is equivalent to saying that the so-called ultimatum is just Zhang Xi's bluff. We don't know whether Pu Dingcha didn't know the truth or deliberately lied, but we can be sure that Zhang Xi is innocent.On the one hand, Zhang Xi didn't understand English, and there were 6 other people, including Tu Fenbu, who were traveling with him, so they couldn't do anything at all.On the other hand, Grannille G. Loch, a British naval officer who participated in the negotiations, also stated in his memoirs: However, when Qiying and others saw Pudingcha's note, they were like swallowing flies.As a direct result, Yiribu notified Zhang Xi to withdraw from the negotiations without specifying the reason.Until the British army withdrew from the Yangtze River, Yiribu explained that Qiying let him avoid it because he had a "stern look on his face, and he was afraid of trouble." Zhang Xi immediately retorted, saying that Qiying was out of jealousy: Zhang Xi's reaction was direct.He is used to associating everything with fame and fortune, associating slaves with masters.The heart of a villain and the words of a villain can be seen from this. Zhang Xi retreated from the core to outside the circle, and the negotiation itself has come to an end. We can make a timetable: On August 16, the British side proposed a draft treaty based on the results of the previous two days of talks. On the 17th, the British side handed over the draft treaty to the Qing side. On the 19th, the two sides met again.Xianling and Huang Entong accepted the British explanation of the treaty. On the 20th, Qiying, Yilibu, and Niu Jian boarded the British flagship Gaohuali and paid a courtesy visit. On the 24th, Pu Dingcha and his entourage went to Jinghai Temple for a courtesy return. On the 26th, which was also the most critical day, Pu Dingcha and others entered Nanjing City and went to the examination shed in Shangjiang County to formally hand over the text of the treaty, that is, the two sides made the final decision.Although Qiying and others complained, they accepted the treaty.A British officer present wrote: In order to make the British army leave quickly, Qiying also proposed to sign immediately, but the British side refused.They didn't want to be in such a hurry, but held a grand ceremony to celebrate their victory. In this way, everything in Nanjing has been settled, leaving only the other end-Beijing. After Qiying arrived in Nanjing, he reported the negotiation situation to Emperor Daoguang four times on August 13, 14, 17, and 26.The reading of these memorials is not so much a request for orders, but a polite way of conveying the British threat. On August 22, Emperor Daoguang received Qiying's memorial on the 17th, and Zhu commented: On August 31, Emperor Daoguang received the memorial from Qiying on the 26th, and decreed: This edict did not reach Nanjing until September 7.But before that, on August 29, on the British ship Gaohuali on the Nanjing River, Qiying and Yilibu had stamped the customs on the treaty and signed it with their own handwriting. The treaty was signed. Nanjing was preserved. The British army withdrew. The war is over. All this made the British side very satisfied.At the end of his memoirs, an officer of the British Army wrote a triumphant sentence in capital letters: CHINA HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY A WOMAN.