Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Brother

In the Daoguang era, due to the British invasion and the completion of the plan to occupy Hong Kong, China was now lying on the side of the ocean like a big fish covered with bruises, and the blood poured out immediately caused more sea beasts to attack.Not only the United Kingdom, not only the United States, but also Russia, France and Germany, etc., they came in blood, tearing the land of China along the coastline like sharks. Emperor Daoguang's idea of ​​seeking peace by cede land was hit hard.He himself suffered from two-way blows from inside and outside, and his heart was full of pain.

One day in the winter of 1849, Emperor Daoguang received a secret report from Fujian, and the folks were copying such poems: The first "smoking ban" Can't do it, brother, the poisonous weeds spread all over Yingrong, how about the recent smoking ban, what about the criminal traffickers?How about sin?How about sin?The new example is illustrious, focusing on heavy subjects, and there is nothing else.Why does the king's government seek quick results, and don't let it go if it is relaxed?The people don't know the shame and Xi Yourong, and the Cypriots see Yang Qibo!Even if you don't ask about leaks, past and present, all the money will be wasted, Xi will be in Xianyang in March, and the mountains and rivers will be burned with a single lamp.If there is a chronic illness, what will be left for future generations?I can't do it, brother!

The second "Controlling Barbarians" Can't do it, brother, set up barbarians without rules, how many black ghosts have there been in the mainland in recent years?How much Bai Yi?How many red hairs?Buying land and building nests one after another, are they really going to fight against Hua Ji?The best policy is to control the enemy and defend the war, and only those who can defend and fight can make peace.That is to say, there is no one else to be stationed at the port if there is a trade and mutual market.The vassals are scattered, and the capitals and cities pass by, and the people and barbarians are prone to quarrels, so what a rush!Sangtu, don't wait for the rain to pour, brother if you can't do it!

These miscellaneous voices from the people have become more and more in recent days. Emperor Daoguang has learned to forbear, learned to go in the left ear and out the right ear, but he still kept these two songs in his heart. These two poems reminded him of two things he did, one was to ban smoking, and the other was to fight against barbarians.These are the two major things he has devoted himself to in recent years.Unexpectedly, both of these things have suffered disastrous failures.Just as these two poems say, smoking is banned, but in the end, poisonous weeds spread all over Hibiscus, and a single lamp is enough to burn mountains and rivers.Fight against the barbarians, but in the end there are so many black ghosts, so many white barbarians, so many red hairs, but more and more barbarians resist... Emperor Daoguang couldn't help feeling sad.

Daoguang's name is Hao Ning, a thin and short man.He has no stalwart body, no handsome appearance, no extraordinary wisdom.He neither has the perfect martial arts of Emperor Kangxi, nor the great talents of Emperor Qianlong. He is just an ordinary person who does things safely and prudently.The reason why he is the emperor is mainly because his luck is better than other princes.First of all, he has long been designated as the crown prince, and as the crown prince, his performance is really satisfactory.This was mainly due to an unexpected shipment that fulfilled him. One day in the autumn of 1813, a fine day at noon.In the teahouses and hotels outside the Forbidden City, many villagers who spoke a lot of local dialects suddenly poured in.The accent sounds like a vegetable farmer living in Nanyuan and Xishan.In such a season, it is usually time for them to harvest Chinese cabbage and radishes, but today they have the leisure to eat wine and meat in big bowls here.In addition to teahouses and wine shops, there are also many more small merchants and hawkers on the streets outside the imperial city than usual. They push trucks with loads and baskets, and sell snacks such as fried chestnuts, lanterns, persimmons, and radishes. He kept looking at the palace gate.Such suspicious actions did not attract the attention of the patrolling soldiers. The palace and the soldiers guarding it seemed to have fallen asleep in the warm autumn sun.

In fact, it was these villagers who really entered the dreamland.Their actual identities are indeed farmers near the capital.But they are going to rebel today. It was the first time for many villagers to approach the palace so closely, which made them somewhat confused.Before they came, they had already exerted a high level of imagination, but no one thought that the courtyard of the palace was so big and so high.These high walls with golden glazed tiles blocked everything in the palace, so the villagers were dejected and excited. They rebelled under the guidance of the Holy Mother of the West.They are a group of gossip believers, and the Holy Mother told the backbone of them in a dream, saying that the spirit of purging the demons is exhausted, so you can go do it at ease. When you take a nap, if you rush into the palace resolutely, you will catch them off guard, and you will win the world.The believers rushed to tell each other, and seriously conveyed the plot that appeared in the dream to other believers. After a long period of preparation, they invited wise men to speculate and calculate, and finally set an auspicious day for the zodiac, which must be on October 8. It can only be done at noon.The day of the uprising was decided in this way, because it was the time when the Virgin Mary took care of the locusts in person, and the believers believed in the success of the uprising.

The leader looked at the shadows of the trees, and when it was three o'clock in the afternoon, he uttered a cry, and the people who were eating and drinking in the teahouses threw down their wine glasses and rice bowls to the ground, and the peddlers who were selling miscellaneous goods took out the snow from under the sweet potatoes and green persimmons. With the knives and axes, people used white cloth to tighten their waists and abdomen, wrapped their heads in white cloth, shouted, and rushed towards the palace gate... Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate like a tide. The defenders at the east gate rushed out immediately and caught the villagers who came to attack the city. After choking the flow of people, they quickly retreated to the city and closed the thick gate.Only five or six strong men rushed in, but they were quickly hacked to death by the soldiers guarding the gate, blood spattered everywhere, and broken dreams were sprinkled on the blue-gray road in the palace.

The most thrilling is Simon.About a hundred people rushed into the palace gate, and they were about to realize the plan of the Madonna, but the palace gate was still closed.A large number of guards in the palace were mobilized here to surround the insurgents.There are still rebels coming straight to Ouchi. Da Nei is the emperor's bedroom, and this is the forbidden area of ​​the forbidden area. When someone breaks into the palace, the well-trained guards immediately and resolutely intercept and kill them. The insurgents were clearly no match.They have long been dazzled by the majestic palaces and colorful buildings in the imperial city, as well as those screaming fairy-like concubines, who are flying around like chaotic clouds, giving people a very unreal feeling.In the fight of being divided and besieged, most of the rebels could not forget to recite the six-character mantra, because the Holy Mother in the dream said with confidence that the Qing Yao is the most vulnerable at three o'clock in the noon. As soon as the Our Lady's troops arrived, they fell on their knees and begged for mercy.

Apparently the Madonna's guarantee was off the mark, and the six-character mantra was useless.The insurgents were finally subdued one by one, and the few who disobeyed were forced to a corner and shot and killed by archers.However, there were still two or three disciples with high martial arts skills who broke through the encirclement and rushed into the palace. At this time, Hao Ning was reading a book in the study, and when he heard the noise, he immediately grabbed the shotgun hanging on the wall, loaded it, and rushed out the door.It just so happened that at this time two gossiping strong men had rushed into the hall, and seeing a low man in a yellow jacket running out, they rushed over with a loud cry and swung their knives to chop.Unexpectedly, the little man didn't panic, just when they were a few steps away from him, he shot twice and knocked them down to the ground.Before the two believers understood what was going on, they were trapped in their pockets and became captives in a daze.

This little guy is Hao Ning.His calm behavior was widely spread in the palace and society as a good story.Later, the good stories turned into legends, and the image of Hao Ning was appropriately magnified several times by the officials at the time, saying how stalwart his body was, how powerful his martial arts were, and how calm he was when he was about to change.It is a blessing for the Chinese nation that the Qing Dynasty is governed by such a person.This legend became public opinion propaganda for Haoning's ascension to the throne. He grew up smoothly in such legends and became the emperor of China very steadily.

In fact, the smallest uprising in Chinese history gave Hao Ning the greatest fear.At that time, he was not at a loss because he had the best shotgun in the world, which was a gift from the Europeans to the Celestial Dynasty, and it was powerful enough to shoot wild boars in the forest.Another point is that this is his survival instinct governing him to do this.Although the guards had already arrived from behind, the steel knife of the rebel was close at hand. Fortunately, he had a shotgun in his hand, otherwise he would have become a ghost under the knife.He was so scared.In broad daylight, there are gangsters breaking into the palace, it's like a thunder on the ground, and a thunderbolt on a sunny day.This shocked him deeply. He understood what happened to the so-called emperor. There was no stable throne in the world, his feet were unstable, and danger could happen at any time.This was the first seed of fear buried in his heart.Since Hao Ning ascended the throne in 1820, he has always acted conscientiously and cautiously.To be fair, it would be unfair to classify him as incompetent, or call him licentious.He is basically strict with himself, and he has done a lot of great things and even good things during his term of office.For example, suppressing the rebellion in Xinjiang, controlling the floods of the Yellow River, reforming salt and water, rectifying the administration of officials, vigorously advocating thrift and thrift and opposing extravagance and waste, etc., are also considered outstanding achievements.According to his personal efforts, if the country's fortunes are prosperous and the people's hearts support him, he may be described as a more accomplished monarch in the history books.However, the bad thing is that the fortune is not good, and it happened that when he was in power, the east was weakening and the westerly wind was getting stronger, which made people feel deep sympathy for him.It's hard to be an emperor in troubled times! Since the Manchus came to power, their system has been roughly the same as that of the Han emperors in the past, and the attention of the supreme ruler has always been internal.Although the Manchus came from the border areas, after occupying the whole country, they still kept their eyes on the people beyond the Great Wall like the Han emperors, especially the strike force from the tribal cavalry on the grassland.These ethnic minorities scattered in the grassy wasteland usually dormant like gravel in the mythical world of the northern west. Their periodic calm is actually waiting for the next high tide.They obey the king of the prairie or the king of the desert, as long as there is a whistle or just a hint, they will jump up and roll towards the agricultural areas within the Great Wall. Everything seems to be destined.This periodic looting has become the norm.The vast agricultural area dominated by plains is like a huge womb, and plunder is like a blood vessel attached to the end of the wall, always coming irresistibly and regularly.If the agricultural civilization is flourishing, enough to resist the harassment of the hunting tribes, the plundering may immediately turn into real menstrual blood excretion.For the people in the agricultural areas, this is just a fleeting pain. For the predators, even if they are defeated, it is nothing. They retreat to the desert wasteland, which was originally their hometown.Going back is for new savings, for new swelling of blood vessels. But there are often plots that cannot be dismissed. For example, the predator is really too powerful. There is a real king who can rule the mainland. It is irresistible. If you do not submit to him, your sorrow will be endless. It will helplessly make it implanted, a new fetus will appear, and a new empire will be born... The composition of this conception is quite complicated.Although it has the essence of nomadic tribes, it is nourished by the blood of agricultural civilization, and is finally cultivated by agricultural civilization and integrated by Han culture.It would be indistinguishable from the Imperial carriage that drove past.In the eyes of ethnic minorities in the border areas, it is still a strange object of plunder.Ebb and flow...generation after generation... This is the history of China, which constitutes the basic plot of the rise and fall of the past dynasties and the changes of the world. Hao Ning, as a descendant of the Manchus, has a clear track of his ancestors entering the mainland.Behind the Manchus, there will be countless nomadic tribes peeking at their necks, which will be a danger within danger.Therefore, before Haoning, the eyes of the empire had always been on the vast border defense lines in the west and north, and no one had experience facing the ocean. However, in the era when Hao Ning was in power, the sea appeared dangerous.The western powers floated from the sea and began to harass the Qing Empire with their developed industrial advantages, and showed unparalleled advantages of the times everywhere, which made Hao Ning very discouraged. Searching through the classics of governing the country first and pacifying the world, it seems that there is no good strategy to base on.Hao Ning used the ruling and contingency techniques he learned from his ancestors to deal with these pirates at sea, but he was already stretched and he felt powerless. In the winter of 1849, when Emperor Daoguang entrusted state affairs to Xianfeng, who was about to ascend the throne, with a sad mood on his sickbed, the resentful singing of "Smoke Ban" and "Yu Yi" echoed in his ears, and he choked up. , Weeping like rain, unable to control myself for a long time.Probably he thought of the difficulties of being a monarch, or of internal and external troubles, or of the pain of cutting off Hong Kong's skin... Emperor Daoguang never recovered. On February 15, 1850, Hao Ning let go and went west.Emperor Xianfeng ascended the throne. Xianfeng took over the mess from Daoguang, and since then began a new round of humiliation and troubles for himself and the country. The British cast their greedy eyes on Kowloon Island, which is very close to Hong Kong.The Kowloon Peninsula is located at the southern end of the mainland of Xin'an County. Its headland, Tsim Sha Tsui, is separated from the Central and Wan Chai of Hong Kong Island across the sea with a width of about 5 kilometers.Between the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island is a rare deep-water port in the world, with a width of 1.5-9.6 kilometers, a depth of 2-14.5 meters, and an area of ​​5,200 hectares, which can be used by giant ships to come and go freely.Surrounded by mountains, the harbor is shaped like a heavenly pool. The Lei Yue Mun at the east entrance is narrow, shielding the swells from the surge; the rapid water gate at the west entrance has Lantau Island and other islands to slow down the water potential, and the entire harbor has become a huge pocket shelter. Britain has long had ambitions for the Kowloon Peninsula. In 1841, Elliot asked Qishan to cede Kowloon.The British businessmen were even more coveted about Kowloon. They said: We believe that we have found a more suitable site for building a city than the current site of Hong Kong.For example, across the coast of Kowloon... The Governor of Hong Kong, Pu Dingcha, advocated a policy of silence on the Kowloon area.His main consideration is that he has just ceded and occupied Hong Kong, the area is not yet stable, and he is extending his hand to Kowloon. If the Chinese side is provoked, even though they have strong ships and guns in their hands, they will fight to the death. In that case, if Kowloon fails, Hong Kong may also If it's gone, let's adopt the strategy of taking it and taking it, and keeping it with it. I won't mention Kowloon for the time being, and I will discuss it later. The British government agreed with Pu Dingcha's strategy on the Kowloon issue. Therefore, in the first few years of the occupation of Hong Kong, the issue of Kowloon was never mentioned. However, more than ten years later, the British in Hong Kong have been effectively controlled, and the topic of Kowloon has gradually emerged.A new opportunity has emerged. The fear that had always existed in the heart of Emperor Daoguang—the fear of anti-Qing associations like the Eight Diagrams Sect among the people finally came true in the second year after his death. Because of Emperor Daoguang's forbearing attitude towards foreigners, the continuous defeat of the Qing army against the barbarians, and the people's desperation after paying huge sums of money for the war, it finally led to the people's extreme disappointment and hatred for the Manchu government. People all over the country rose up one after another. A massive peasant uprising broke out. In 1851, the Taiping Army uprising led by Hong Xiuquan caused a sensation throughout the country. In 1853, Nanjing was captured and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was established. In July 1854, the Tiandihui Uprising broke out in Guangdong again. In just three or four months, the rebel army conquered more than 40 prefectures and counties.In addition, there were the Small Knife Society Uprising in Shanghai and the Nian Army Uprising in the Mainland, etc., which greatly shocked the rule of the Qing Dynasty and changed China's political structure. In 1853, British Minister Wen Han personally went to Nanjing to learn about the new regime of the Taiping Army.After careful investigation he came to the following conclusions: In fact, Huang’s new regime that could replace the Manchu Qing government had not yet been established. The British government should adopt a policy of strict neutrality towards the warring parties, and take necessary measures if British interests were directly violated. However, the British idea of ​​remaining neutral in order to succeed was soon shattered.First of all, in the face of the turbulent uprising army, local officials in the Qing Dynasty asked for help from Britain, the United States, France and other countries in order to protect their officials and territories. As long as they could repel the rebels, they could discuss any conditions.The favorable conditions made him very tempted.The second is that the two sides are fighting fiercely, the fish and the clams are fighting each other, and the fisherman benefits. This is a good time to make a fortune from China, and the opportunity should not be lost in vain.Based on the above considerations, countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States adopted a strategy of fighting first and then pulling, that is, first using force to subdue the Qing government to obtain more rights and interests, and then supporting the obedient Qing government to suppress the insurgents to consolidate their vested interests. Therefore, the second opium Thus began the war.Britain started its adventure under the banner of Treaty Amendment. After the "Nanjing Treaty" was signed, the ruling and opposition parties of the British Empire were shocked by it.Puding Chaweijia returned to his hometown at home and abroad. In order to welcome this hero who conquered the East, King Victoria of England held a grand reception at Buckingham Palace.Pu Dingcha can be described as a homecoming.Under the admiring eyes of the queen and the admiring praise of many ministers, he proudly said: under the attack of the invincible fleet of the holy queen, China is trembling.The gate of this ancient eastern empire has been opened, this is a new world, it has a very broad market.Even if all the Lancashire factories were added together, it would not be enough to supply the daily spare clothing needed by an average province of this country... Pottinger's words caused cheers after cheers.Through the spread of the news media, the whole of Britain boiled.The factory owners were even more ecstatic.During those days, Britain became a big factory that never sleeps all night. All kinds of industrial products specially prepared for China were poured out of the assembly line, and then shipped or transported directly to China... However, China ordered people disappointed. Self-sufficient China simply ignores sentimental Britain.Coarse clothes, jute oil lamps, and yellow mud huts still lead a happy life.The Chinese have lived like this for thousands of years, and they don’t feel bad. Even if it’s not good, it’s none of your business?Who wants you to be unreasonable?As a result, the people of the country tacitly launched a movement to boycott British goods, which completely wiped out the plan for British goods to occupy the Chinese market.Mitchell, the deputy governor of Hong Kong, said: China will never become a large market for Manchester, because the organization of the Chinese family economy can supply durable hand-woven cotton cloth, and its price is so low that British textiles will never be able to effectively compete with it. of. The disappointed British felt that China was too cheap, and they felt that the exploitation of China was not enough, so they began to brew new actions.They hope to further open the door of China and open new ports in China. Britain should freely immigrate anywhere in China and cancel the inland transshipment tax. The ambition of the British to occupy Kowloon is also brewing this time. Hall, the captain of HMS Calcutta, listed five reasons why Kowloon must be occupied: 1. With the rapid development of the Hong Kong colony, all the land near the sea has been occupied.As trade grew, many facilities were required at Kowloon trading houses and warehouses, which would be leased or sold as a source of revenue for the British Government. 2. In order to protect Britain's growing interests in the Far East, it is necessary to expand and increase the naval base. 3. Hong Kong Island could not provide enough camping grounds for the British troops coming to China. 4. During the typhoon season, the villages in Tsim Sha Tsui become haunts and hiding places for Hong Kong refugees.They may use small boats full of flammable materials to attack ships.In order to avoid the above-mentioned situation, Kowloon must be occupied, and the shipyard, supply station, naval hospital and commander's residence should all be built there. 5. If Britain misses the opportunity, the United States or other countries may build ship repair yards in Kowloon or Stonecutters Island, park warships, and point their artillery at Hong Kong. British Foreign Secretary Malmesbury secretly ordered Envoy Elgin to China to say: Once the opportunity arises, we should try our best to seize the Kowloon Cape and Stonecutters Island from the Chinese government, at least the Kowloon Cape. Elgin understood this instruction by heart.He said he would get it done during his tenure.Based on the above reasons, the British deliberately played the banner of revising the treaty. In fact, the drunkard's intention was not to drink, but to care about the mountains and rivers. The so-called revision of the covenant is fundamentally absurd.The Sino-British "Nanjing Treaty" is a political treaty with no deadline, and naturally there is no statutory method for amendment.The Sino-British "Humen Treaty" is a commercial treaty, although the most-favored-nation treatment was given to the UK, there is still no deadline for revision.The British rummaged through the classics, and finally found this passage in Article 34 of the Sino-US "Wangxia Treaty": Once the peace treaty is negotiated, the two countries should abide by it, and should not change it lightly; when the situation is different, all trade and sea terms may be slightly modified. After twelve years, the two countries should send personnel to make fair decisions. Article 35 of the Sino-French Treaty of Whampoa also states: In the future, if the emperor of Great France should implement the terms of the constitution, the year and month of the constitution should be exchanged, and the number of 12 years should be counted before negotiating with China. This makes the British feel like a treasure.Since the U.S. and France can revise the treaty after twelve years, of course we can revise the treaty, and we are the first to sign a contract with the Chinese. If the twelve-year deadline has come, we should start implementing the treaty revision plan immediately. Although the wishful thinking of the British was absurd and shameful, they still had the government cabinet issue an order to the special envoy in China ordering him to request the Chinese government to revise the treaty. In April 1854, the British Minister to China Bao Ling, the French Minister to China Bourblon, and the American Minister to China Mai Lian went to Guangzhou and wrote a letter to Ye Mingchen, the imperial envoy of the Qing government who was in charge of diplomatic affairs and the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, requesting amendments to the treaty. . Britain, France, and the United States are temporarily united because of their common demands for aggression and unanimous rights and interests of aggression, just like three scoundrels gathered together to embolden each other, they joined hands to deal with China.The British minister proposed to open the whole territory of China to trade, legalize the opium trade, abolish the sub-import tax on imported and exported goods, and solve problems such as the stationing of ministers in Beijing; the American minister proposed to conduct trade in any port cities and harbors in the Yangtze River Basin and its tributaries.Americans could trade, preach, and live in any area in the interior, and freely rent and build buildings; the French ministers also raised demands for trade and tax exemptions, and asked the Qing government to release French missionaries who had illegally sneaked into Shaanxi to engage in activities other than missionary work. Ye Mingchen found it difficult to handle after receiving letters from Britain, France and the United States requesting amendments to the treaty.Although he is a minister, the Three Kingdoms request to amend the treaty is too great, and he has no right to express his opinion.Furthermore, the revision of the contract is really a bandit theory. Even if it is forwarded to the emperor, it may arouse Xianfeng's anger. I am afraid that if he does not even check such a strong and unreasonable request, the emperor will blame him, which will also be unbearable. After much deliberation, there is no good plan. One day, Ye Mingchen was bored in his study trying to figure out how to deal with it. His family member Hu Qing came to offer advice and said, Master, please rest assured, won’t it be over if you play a game of hide-and-seek with foreigners?When he came to look for the lord, the lord left a message and said where he was going. The foreigners can't see you, so they can't make any demands. It's not an exaggeration to be ignorant. This way, you can deal with both the foreigners and the emperor. Isn't it the best of both worlds? As soon as Ye Mingchen heard some truth, he made a plan in his heart, no matter how foreigners come to ask for an interview, they can't meet these devils.However, it is not yet possible for foreigners to discover the joints. The subordinates should try to be as submissive as possible, and put them in the clouds with a smile on their faces. According to the plan, the three foreign envoys were sent around.When Bao Ling and the other three came to the governor's mansion to ask for an audience, Hu Qing said humbly that the master had something to say, and he wanted to meet the three ministers a long time ago, but because the military affairs of the provinces are busy these days, there is no time to watch the sundial. Time, I personally went to visit the adults at the residences of the ministers... Bao Ling and the three had no choice but to return angrily.In this way, several months passed. The envoys of the three countries had to go separately to find Chinese officials to meet with them.American Minister Mai Lian went north to Shanghai to find Yiliang, Governor of Liangjiang.Although Yiliang met with Mailian, he said that he could not convey what Xiuyue said.He once again pushed the conflict to Ye Mingchen, saying that regarding external affairs, the emperor had ordered Ye Gong to handle them, and he could not exceed his authority. In desperation, the envoys of the three countries gathered in Guangzhou again and sent a joint note to Ye Mingchen, requesting to be summoned.Ye Mingchen felt that he couldn't delay this time, but he still didn't come forward in person.He appointed Zhang Zongke, the magistrate, and Chen Yizhi, the magistrate, to negotiate with the three ministers on his behalf. As soon as Zhang Zongke saw the ministers, he conveyed Ye Mingchen's opinion. He said that he should have attended the meeting with Governor Ye in person, but Mr. Ye is a practical person. Like the three ministers who asked to revise the contract, he was really helpless.In the heavenly dynasty, the emperor is superior and his ministers are inferior, and the whole world is the king's land. Everything is decided by the emperor, and the ministers can only abide by the agreement.The implication is that he can't decide, so let the three envoys make another plan. The three envoys had been looking for Ye Mingchen since April. Seeing that half a year had passed, they finally got such a reply, and they were very angry.They hated Ye Mingchen to the core, but it was just anger in their hearts.After discussing for a long time, I feel that Guangzhou can't stay any longer, and I should go north to find someone who can solve the problem.So the envoys of the three countries came to Shanghai together. Since Mailian had experience in dealing with Yiliang, they felt that Shanghai would become a city suitable for the West. However, this time it was Jierhanga, governor of Jiangsu, who received them.At that time, the Jiangsu area was the hinterland of the Taiping Revolution, and Nanjing was its center.As the governor of this area, Gilhanga lives in a corner of Shanghai, full of hatred for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in his heart.As for the foreigners, they are nothing but rootless storms and rain showers that can be forecasted. Although they are powerful, the past is past, and they cannot stay in China forever.To choose the lesser of the two evils, we should unite with the foreigners and use the power of the foreigners to destroy the main enemy. As Gilhanga, he greeted the envoys of the three countries almost with anticipation.Between cups and cups, British Minister Bao Ling once again proposed the amendment of the treaty.Bao Ling's words embarrass Gilhanga. There is a price to be paid for borrowing the power of foreigners.For example, the amendment of the treaty, the treaty with foreigners, is humiliating and unequal in itself, and now we have to continue to add inequality. If we agree, won’t the Chinese people damage their own backbone?Besides, such a big matter is something that the emperor Lao Tzu can decide. He can only report to the court the strategy of uniting the barbarians and breaking the bandits, and there is really nothing else he can do. Therefore, the envoys of the three countries continued to march north after gaining the sympathy of Jierhanga in Shanghai. At this time, it was already late autumn. The warships of the envoys of the three countries arrived at Dagukou. The news that the Westerners had arrived in Jinmen again spread to the capital, and Emperor Xianfeng was taken aback when he heard about it.He immediately issued an order to the officials, must break their arrogance, put an end to their sophistry, and never promise easily. Wen Qian, the envoy of the Salt Government, and General Bing of Tianjin Town were appointed to meet with the envoys of the three countries.Like the officials in the past, the two blocked the conversation before the ministers proposed to revise the agreement.They told the envoys that we did not have the full powers of the emperor's appointment, nor did we have the right to negotiate. We just came to listen to the opinions of the envoys so that we could report back to the emperor. The three envoys came to Dagukou full of hope, but unexpectedly encountered the high wall built by Chinese officials.It's just that this high wall is soft, invisible, and has both temperature and elasticity.In front of this wall, the three messengers were completely disappointed.The water surface of the Baihe River in Dagukou has frozen, just like the mood of the envoys.A year was wasted like this. The warships turned around and went south, they will return to the south to escape the winter, and try to revise the agreement next spring. Two years have passed.The envoys got nothing in China. All that was gained was anger and shared recognition.That is, we must continue to use power and use strong ships and guns. Only in this way can we smash down that disgusting high wall and achieve the goal of revising the contract. There are two pieces of rice, which became an excuse for Britain, France and other countries to resort to force against China. Since the Pope of Rome sent St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary of the Catholic Order, to the east to preach in 1541, missionaries from Western countries have followed one after another and scattered in various Asian countries for missionary activities. Saint Francis Xavier first preached in Japan and arrived in Guangdong, China in October 1552.He was the first western missionary to reach China.Xavier died of illness on a small island called Shangchuan off the coast of Guangdong before he could carry out his activities. Although the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci came later than Xavier, he was much luckier than Xavier. He finally came to Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, wearing a Confucian uniform. He was summoned and gifted by Emperor Wanli. To live in the Neiciwu, all the necessities are provided by the imperial court. Every April, silver rice is awarded, which is about six to eight gold shields per month, which is enough for the needs of the priests. Since then, as the westerly wind strengthened, more and more missionaries flooded into China.Along with the gunboats invaded by the great powers, the missionaries also played a disgraceful role. In the 1850s, the French Second Empire ruled by Louis Bonaparte set its sights on China after the Crimean War.One of their main methods is to use Catholicism to expand their colonial power in China. It was against this background that missionary Ma Lai came to China.Ma Lai is a very restless person.According to historical records, he was originally a farmer in a remote province away from Paris. He was driven away by the villagers for molesting women and had no means of living, so he went to other places to join the church.Later, he was guided by the tentacles of French expansion and came to China with personal ambitions. He is a handsome handsome man with the appearance of today's French movie star Alain Delon.His handsome appearance helped him, and soon he established himself somewhere in Guangdong, and attracted many poor and stupid farmers. One day in 1853, Ma Lai illegally sneaked into Xilin County, Guangxi to preach.He still had success.His eloquence is as outstanding as his appearance.Because of Ma Laifu and the Catholic Church in Xilin County, the previous concept of the emperor as the sky and the emperor as the guideline of the ministers has been challenged.Many poor people flocked into the church in Marais, and the state was quite vigorous. In Xilin County, there was a man named Ah Cai, who was from a poor family and was often bullied by rich people.After listening to Marais's sermon, he felt that God was very close to him, and God didn't care whether he was rich or poor.God did not reject him because he was poor.He was very moved.After being moved, he decided to dedicate everything to the Lord.He donated all his property and land to the Catholic Church, so he gained the trust of Marais and appointed him as the head of the local church. Ah Cai is a stubborn person by nature, and with the sudden expansion of church members, his bad nature also began to show.It seems that there is no reason why the rich family bullied him.On a street in A Caitong Village, there is a big family named Chen, who has thousands of hectares of fertile land and dozens of servants.The Chen family has a girl named Qinglian, who looks like a flower and jade.It is impossible for a girl to see her face if she doesn't leave the door without going two doors.Just because the girl is lively by nature and loves to swing in the back garden, her silver bell-like laughter swayed all over the ground and sky.Laughter is as sweet as honey, and naturally there are colorful butterflies flying. The butterfly is Ah Cai.It's just that he is a gray butterfly.Ah Cai's home is close to the backyard of the Chen family.When the laughter came, Ah Cai couldn't hold back his loneliness, so he climbed up his old elm tree to visit secretly. It didn't matter, but he was stunned by the girl's beauty. A Caishao also studied in a private school for several years and is proficient in writing.Just because of my poor family, I stopped thinking about climbing up.But I still need to read the manuscripts of idle books, so I often have dreams like the oil seller monopolizing the oiran. The swing is swinging every day, and the laughter is getting brighter every day.Ah Cai's heart was like a fire, and the fire was unstoppable. One day, A Cai, who was obsessed with ghosts, jumped from the old elm tree to the wall to see Qinglian. Qinglian, who was flying in the air, suddenly saw A Cai on the swing. He immediately pulled Ah Cai off the wall and beat him up. Now, Ah Cai has become the leader of the church, and everyone in a radius of tens of miles knows Ah Cai, and Ah Cai has become a big shot. Ah Cai, who has joined the religion, still can't forget Alian. Although the Chen family has a higher opinion of Ah Cai than before, Ah Cai is still unbalanced.One day, Ah Cai came to Chen's house on the grounds that Ma Lai wanted to preach. He said that he wanted to use the back garden of his house because of the large number of congregants.Although the back garden of Chen's family is large, there are thousands of believers gathered nearby. Wouldn't it be necessary to trample the courtyard to the ground?Chen Jiajian disagreed. Ah Cai didn't care whether the Chen family agreed or not.He still informed the Catholics in three townships and five miles to make an appointment to gather at Chen's house and listen to Ma Lai's sermon. On the day of the sermon, believers gathered in front of the Chen family compound, more and more gathered, and the faces of the servants were all pale with fright. When the sun was high, Ma Lai came down to the door of Chen's house surrounded by A Cai and other religious leaders. A Cai ordered his men to knock on the door.The answer is no. Ma Lai asked Ah Cai angrily, and Ah Cai replied pretending to be puzzled, saying that he had already made an agreement with the Chen family, and they agreed, so how could they change their minds? Isn't this playing tricks on us? The believers were very angry, and someone in the crowd yelled: "He won't drive, let's beat him to hell!"Dozens of burly men rushed up, found a tree stump, lifted it and slammed into the door shouting.Seeing that the door was about to be smashed open, all the servants guarding the courtyard came up to protect the door. When they were about to lose their hold, one of the servants fired a gun to the sky in a panic, indicating that this was the only matchlock newly bought by the Chen family.The gunshots tore through the noisy noise, and people were shocked at once. 撞门的教徒们被枪声凝固成泥像，良久，一个名叫六子的教徒口吐白沫，一头栽在地上。他是心脏病发作而死。但当时人们认为他是被大院内射出的子弹击中而死。 马赖毕竟是见过大世面的人，见到教徒扑地而死，他便振臂一呼，红眼的人们便在神甫的导引下向陈家大院展开更加猛烈的攻击。 大门撞开了。 院墙也被推倒了。 陈家大院在教民们的呼喊声中一片片坍塌了。失去控制的人流早已忘记了什么教义，攻破陈家大院后立时就转化为真正意义上的抢劫。 结果，陈家大院的财产被抢劫一空。 阿财如愿以偿。他趁乱逼迫青莲跟他到教堂，在教堂后的一间库房里，他狼一般扑倒了青莲…… 1856年2月，马赖神甫和阿财等25名不法教徒被新上任的西林知县张鸣凤逮捕，马赖和阿财等被判处死刑，枭首示众。 法国人在马赖被杀水件上大做文章，企图将此事弄大，成为向中国进行武力要挟的借口。1856年9月21日，法外长瓦尔斯基曾向英驻法国大使考莱说：法国已下定决心要从这次残忍的凶杀事件中得到充分补偿。如果法代办谈判失败，而且他手头没有足够的兵力的话，就打算从本土派一支远征军去中国。 恰在这时，在广州黄埔，又发生了第二件涉外事件—— 1856年10月8日，广东水师巡逻至长岛附近，发现一艘行迹可疑的船只停泊在那里。这是只绿色外壳的划艇，名字叫亚罗号。 说它可疑，是因为近日海面上出现了海盗船，它们杀人越货，手段极其残忍。有生还者在向官府举报时曾描述过一艘绿外壳的海盗船，其领头的船长是外国人。 亚罗号刚刚停泊，就被水师船只围住。兵丁们上船搜查，受到了该船爱尔兰人船长的阻挠。爱尔兰船长气势汹汹地指着悬挂在船上的英国国旗大声抗议，不让兵丁们上船。 兵丁们没有理会洋人舰长的阻挠，搜出了许多做案工具和身份极不相称的金银财宝。水师军官当即下令逮捕了12名中国水手和那个不可一世的爱尔兰船长。 这艘船的船主是中国人，水手也是中国人。为了便于向香港地方当局领取通航证，才雇了那个爱尔兰人。该船虽然在香港注册登记过，但到水发之时船籍登记证已经期满11天，它应该是一个中国船。广东水师在中国海面扣获亚罗号和逮捕该船水手和那个倒霉的爱尔兰船长，完全是中国自己的诉情，本不应该掀起什么波澜的。 但是，无从寻衅的英国人却为此大做文章。英国驻广州领巴夏礼闻讯后，兴奋异常，立即向公使包令汇报，他终于抓住了修改条约的一个机会，这就是利用亚罗号船员被捕件，向中国发难。 在包令的赞赏声中，巴夏礼粉墨登场了。他装着气极败坏的样子跑到广东水师，大发雷霆，声明亚罗号船是英国船只，中国方面无权捕人。他要求立即释放爱尔兰船长和12名水手，如果它们确实有罪的话，也应该由他按英国法律定罪审判，你们不应该捕人。 巴夏礼还凭着英国人富有的幻想和浪漫的性情，虚构一个英国国旗受到中国水师侮辱的情节，声泪俱下地通牒两广总督叶名琛：你们中国水师违反中英《虎门条约》第九款，水师兵勇无端侮辱英国国旗，希望你们立即停止此类卞件，送回被捕人员并向大英帝国公开赔礼道歉。 叶名琛又一次被卷进了冰冷的激流中。叶名琛长得高大壮硕，大脸方额，很有富态模样。为人还算忠厚，性情还算温和，做十分圆通。以他个人品质和性情，在那样的时代里是会官运亨通无有大碍的，偏偏是这恼人的涉外饵件，不时搅乱他的人生布局，时时啪负品尝着人世不测的凶险滋味，而最终导致他魂丧异国的厄运。 接到巴夏礼的照会，叶名琛非常恼怒。洋鬼子欺人太甚，亚罗号纯系中国船只，空口无凭，有文约为证。船上水手均系中国人，经查确有海盗。该英国国旗受辱，有什么根据？你们英国人在我们大清国土上横行霸道，岂不是对我们大清龙旗的侮辱？ 于是叶名琛很强硬地复照说明了原由，并不理会英人的威胁。巴夏礼需要叶名琛的强硬，因为这样可以使战争打起来。 1856年10月12日，巴夏礼再一次向叶名琛提出三项强硬要求： 1.有礼貌地归还被捕水手； 2.书面道歉； 3.担保以后尊重英国国旗。 以上三条限48小时之内答复。 叶名琛回复说，12名水手中有3名涉嫌海盗重案，不能送回，其余9名都可送回。叶名深仍严词烁烁，不让洋人，提醒英使不要忘记这是在中国，船主为中国人，理应受到中国法律的惩办。 巴夏礼并不是要什么中国水手，而是借故发难，见叶名琛没有归还全部水手，便说这9名水手他也拒绝接受，要不就全部送回。要不就一个也不要…… 10月21日，巴夏礼又重新提出上述要求，限叶名琛24小时内送还12名水手，否则将动角英国海军。 叶名琛说，可以让一小步，将9名水手改为10名送还。巴夏礼说，还是那句老话，非将12名水手送回，否则将动武不贷。 10月22日，叶名琛为了平息啦端，忍气吞声将12名水手送回。 巴夏礼见叶名琛做了让步，心中有些失望，他鸡蛋里挑骨头地说，你们派下等的官员来送还水手，这是对我大英国的不恭，也是你叶总督的失职。我拒绝接受。你们想送还也不行了，我们大英帝国的炮舰已经开始行动了。 至此，第二次鸦片战争拉开序幕。 叶名琛曾被历史的灰尘掩埋，若不是撰写香港百年这篇文章，这个海上苏武式的人物很难引起笔者和众人的注意。但是，叶名琛确实是个人物。 1857年12月12日，叶名琛又一次接到英法两国公使的最后通牒。通牒上说，为准备和北京政府谈判，英法联军将进入广州。英法联军将有计划地占领沿江炮台和一些要塞，如果你们不答应，我们就征服你们。 英法公使嚣张的气焰着实令人气愤，叶名琛的心火嘭一下烧广起来，他拍案而起，令手下起草了回复的信函。信中说，世间万物均有秩序，不可乱来。人要明理，国要懂法，是谓文明。你们动辄诉诸武力，强占别国领土，这是文明国家所为吗？你们有什么睑面在别人的国家耀武扬威，妄提什么进城权？你们打了人杀了人侵犯了别人，回过头来还要受欺辱者给你们提供赔偿费，这有公理吗？至于说马赖神甫受审和爱尔兰船长被扣，纯属中国政府官员职责内！你们凭什么妄加干涉？广州局势如此混乱，民不聊生，均是因你们洋人所为，我们的损失该谁赔偿？ 叶公的信函使英法公使们面面相觑。比起别的中国官员，叶名琛的孤傲是他们早有所闻的。但以弱国强吏，又这样铮铮傲骨，真令人不解。 去年秋天，当英军寻衅攻击广州沿江炮台并将要打到广州城时，英人以为叶名琛会被吓破胆子，会唯命是从，不料，叶名琛反而更加强硬。连包令也不得不承认叶公的坚硬态度，他说，虽然我们不断地向这位总督大人施加压力，但到目前为止，他仍不为所动。对待这种不可雕琢的愚顽之辈，可真没有办法。 英法联军对广州的进攻因为国内的原因而暂时放弃。作为英国，当亚罗战卞的消息传回本土时，英国内阁政府多数人并不同意这场战争。这种修约的理由太牵强和卑劣了，作为发动这场战争的领导者们普遍感到下作和脸红。支持战争的巴麦尊在议院处于下风，他陷入非常孤立的境地。但是，巴麦尊以强硬的手段来对付议会，以解攻议会来缓解自己孤立的局面。He succeeded.巴麦尊内阁重新改选，这使他获得了多数议员一刚刚取而代之的新议员们的支持。内阁最终决定对中闰采取第二次军淇行动，以达到修约的目的。 为了确保战争的胜利，英国不仅要联合法国，还要联合美闰。美国在独立战争中曾和英国结怨，要想在此如上联手有相当大的难度。所幸是美国驻华公使巴驾对联合惩治中国热情甚大，他对包令说，凡关系到我们修约负宜，我完全赞成。在他的指令下，美国海军也曾参与了去年进攻广州的行动。 但是美国政府并不热心这场战争，不久，巴驾就被召回美国。英国虽费尽九牛二虎之力游说美国政府，也没有说动美国的既定方略。