Chapter 8 Chapter Seven Things Are Not Over

On August 30, Gui Liang rushed to Yangcun, Tianjin, and received a note from the British and French ambassadors. To open trade with the port, the army can withdraw from Tianjin only after the compensation and silver are paid in full.The above sections should be signed first, and then go to Beijing to change the contract after stamping and painting.Gui Liang asked to negotiate with Erjin, but Erjin refused to meet him, and only asked Bacharley to negotiate with him on behalf of him. Bacharley proposed that, in addition to the provisions stipulated in the Tianjin Treaty, the following content should be added:

Compensation of 8 million taels of silver for Britain and France; Tianjin immediately opened its port for trade; Britain and France each brought 1,000 guards to Beijing to exchange contracts; Prepare a mission residence in Beijing that is commensurate with the status of the Great Britain and France; Protect the Catholic Church; allow the export of Chinese laborers. The above clauses put Guiliang in a dilemma. This is the most taboo clause of the emperor, and he looked embarrassed.But facing the arrogant and arrogant Pacharley, he still agreed to everything. The British representative requested that the agreed terms be signed and pledged on September 7, and then Bacharley would bring some people to Beijing in advance to check the security along the way and the arrangement of the ambassador's residence.Gui Liang reluctantly agreed.However, Emperor Xianfeng refused.

Emperor Xianfeng said that the barbarians deceived others too much, and the terms set were really unacceptable.Compensation for military expenses is a huge amount of one million, and it will be difficult to raise money in two months.If you want to enter Beijing to change the contract, you must first withdraw the warship and cavalry from Haikou.Tianjin's trade is only allowed a few times a year, and it cannot be used by barbarians for a long time, let alone building houses here.Since the foreigners have no sincerity for peace, then prepare to fight, break with them completely, and fight a big war.So Xianfeng ordered Seng Gelinqin to prepare immediately and fight to the end with the British and French allied forces.

On the evening of September 7, Emperor Xianfeng issued a long Zhu Yu, confirming China's strategy for negotiating with the British and French allied forces, determined not to recognize the Tianjin Treaty and the new withdrawal, not to sign the peace treaty, vowing to fight the barbarian army, and saying that it would be based on the early fight, Taking advantage of the autumn and winter season, use my strengths to overcome the enemy's weaknesses. Emperor Xianfeng was suddenly full of heroism, insisting on personally leading the six armies to Tongzhou to fight against the sky.Later, Seng Gelinqin strongly dissuaded him from making the trip.

On September 11, the British and French allied forces invaded northward from Tianjin, and arrived at Hexiwu on September 13.At this time, Elgin received a note from Prince Yi Zaiyuan and Minister of the Ministry of War Mu Yin, saying that he should not go to Tongzhou and suffer from the fatigue of the pommel horse. He hoped that the army would return to Tianjin, and then hold talks between the two countries in Tianjin to resolve outstanding issues. On September 13, Zaiyuan sent another note to Erjin, saying that he fully accepted all the conditions, and hoped that the army would not cross Hexiwu, so as not to confront the Qing army.The British and French envoys can go to Tongzhou for talks under the unarmed escort of the small team to decide the content of the terms and go to the capital to exchange the contract.

Elgin originally wanted to go his own way, regardless of green or red, and talk about renewing the contract after capturing Beijing, but at this time his military supplies and ammunition equipment were not in place, and if war broke out at this time, if he was not prepared, accidents would happen. Pretending to agree and pretending to be willing to negotiate, he sent Bacharley, Witoma, Denorman, Anderson and the French to Tongzhou for talks. On September 14, the talks between the two sides ended.After an agreement, the British and French allied forces stopped advancing 5 miles south of Zhangjiawan, and Ergin was escorted by a 1,000-man guard to Tongzhou to sign the contract, and then went to Beijing to exchange the contract.

Zaiyuan and other Chinese ministers breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the war can be alleviated and the burning fire can be eliminated, some concessions are also necessary. He feels that he can repay the credit to Emperor Xianfeng.However, things are not so easy to solve. Elgin had no sincerity at all, he just adopted the tactic of delaying troops, and made plans after the arms supply was ready.Now that the ammunition had arrived and was ready, he immediately changed his countenance, and deliberately made some demands that were unacceptable to China, saying that he would go to Beijing to meet Emperor Xianfeng and hand over his credentials in person, and he demanded that everything be done according to British etiquette.

The request was naturally and expectedly rejected. Zaiyuan said that this was a major matter related to the state system, and it was impossible to allow it, and the two sides could not settle down.The peace talks broke down. On September 18, the face-changing Prince Yi Zaiyuan ordered Seng Gelinqin to capture 26 British and 13 legal persons including Bachari on their way back to the army, take them all as hostages, and send them to Prison Forest in Beijing. Prince Yi Zaiyuan reported to Emperor Xianfeng that Bacharley was a key figure in the Anglo-French coalition forces. As long as he was detained, the Anglo-French armies would fall into chaos.

This move of the Qing government just gave Elkin an excuse.He said to General Grant, who commanded the operation: The treachery of the Chinese freed us from any obligation to limit our advance, and the safety of Bacharley and the other prisoners was best sought by a forward action. Elgin also used the incident of the capture of Bacharley and his party to create public opinion in the coalition forces, saying how the Chinese did not keep their promises and how they threatened the British and French coalition forces by capturing envoys as hostages. He also said that those envoys were probably suffering. All kinds of brutal tortures are likely to be used on them. Therefore, Beijing must be crushed to avenge Bacharley and others.

Elgin's words worked.The notorious Gordon, who had just arrived in China, then a small captain in the Royal Engineers, heard the news in Tientsin, and wrote in his diary: It was reported that five of our officers, including Den Norman, who was traveling with me in Asia, had been captured by the Qing; Lord Elgin said that if they were ill-treated he would order the razing of Peking. Soldiers of the Anglo-French Allied Forces attacked Senggelinqin's garrison as if enchanted by Elgin and other upper-level figures.The Qing soldiers who fortified Zhangjiawan fought with the coalition forces soon, and retreated to the vicinity of the Bali Bridge. It was difficult to retreat, so they decided to defend the war.

On September 21, 1860, the Battle of Baliqiao broke out.Seng Gelinqin, Ruilin, and Shengbao, these prominent Manchu and Mongolian generals in the Qing Dynasty, also devoted their all to a decisive battle with the British and French allied forces.This is the elite army of Emperor Xianfeng, and they are the children of the Eight Banners who defend the family and the country.Behind them is the capital city, only 12 miles away, it seems that Emperor Xianfeng in the palace can hear the sound of Ming Di leading the bow and horses neighing.It is really impossible to retreat, there is no way out, and if we retreat again, the Qing Dynasty will be over.Therefore, Seng Gelinqin and others met the enemy in three ways, and launched a bloody battle with the invaders. Chinese cavalry has left a glorious page in world military history.From Genghis Khan to Nurhachi, before there were no internal combustion engines and no armored vehicles, the rapid maneuvering of the Mongolian cavalry became a difficult disease for the European army to treat.The square team of Mongolian horses can crush any beautiful formation composed of Germans, Slavs, Scots, etc., and those iron hooves with thick bowls will crush the denominations of their commanders.This combination of striking, punching, brute force, and speed made Europeans daunted.At that time, the European armies suffered a lot. The Mongolian horses were as sudden and fast as hallucinations. It was often reported that they were still hundreds of miles away and would take four or five days to arrive. As the dawn quietly surrounds you.For these windy Mongolian knights, horses are their world, their boats, their palaces, and at the same time their weapons.The cavalry rushed like a mountain torrent, rampant and unrestrained, but they were well-organized and well-organized when killing their opponents.Accurate clusters of arrows were fired from horseback tens of meters, or even hundreds of meters away. This was a long-range weapon at that time.It was issued by a professional archer with excellent physical strength. He held his bow like a moon and remained motionless during the march. This is the unique spirituality bestowed by God on the horse nation.When the iron cavalry charged to break through the barrier, there were those strong, tall and fat men with yellow faces. They were as dignified as soil and as hard as rocks, and they caused the enemy's formation to collapse.The real fighting season is for those killers who have a serene and stern attitude. They have small and arrogant eyes, with more white eyes and less black eyes. At the moment of battle, they are poignant and beautiful.They are tall and fat, with flexible waists and muscular arms. When they attack, they don't make any noise. They only rely on another type of fat, round-faced men on horseback to make a roaring sound, which is exciting. accompaniment.They almost attacked in time with the rhythm, the sword was swift and fierce, the shooting was simple and clear, without red tape, and the opponent rolled off the horse just like lightning flashed.The hardest thing is to be responsible for supplying the people who are in charge of interrogation and containment. Their horses are loaded with baggage, which is unbearable. There are ropes for binding people and iron hooks for stumbling people. A mature cavalry.When it rides the boundless autumn wind over the city and over the village, everything will become a lodging crop. This is Genghis Khan's cavalry.This is Nurhachi's cavalry.However, the golden age of the Mongolian cavalry has passed.Today, the cavalry, which has been galloping for nearly 2000, is in trouble today.The formation of the British and French allied forces has been set up, and Seng Gelinqin's cavalry is condescending and has formed a confrontation. The flag officer holding the command flag is watching the commander-in-chief Seng Gelinqin intently. , A cloud of smoke rose from behind the infantry of the coalition forces, and then a loud noise was heard, and the whole mountain was covered by artillery fire... For many years, nothing dared to break into the formation of horses, However, gunpowder smoke, thunderbolt and death shells broke in. Under its cover, hundreds of people and horses were thrown into the air. The cavalry of the Qing Dynasty.In just a quarter of an hour, the originally neat cavalry was completely defeated. It's not over yet. Allied infantry in neat formation rushed up.In front of them, there is military music playing, some foreigners are playing the Scottish organ, some are beating on tin snare drums, and some are waving their hands to beat the time. It seems that they are not fighting a war, but coming to marry a bride.The furious cavalry began to charge the coalition forces.Starting, accelerating, impacting... Just a few meters away from the foreign soldiers, a volley of guns rang out, galloping horses neighed and fell to the ground, and the knights were thrown several feet away. The infantry were bayoneted to death.Even more succinct is to simply kill with one shot. This scene repeats itself like a massacre. On September 21, 1860, at the Battle of Baliqiao, the British and French allied forces slaughtered tens of thousands of iron-blooded cavalrymen of the Qing Dynasty, and corpses lay everywhere in the suburbs of Jingdong... This is a massacre of an era for an era.This is the end of an era. The Battle of Baliqiao completely shattered the last hope of Emperor Xianfeng.He has no support, no spiritual sustenance.The Eight Banners and the Mongolian cavalry are no longer comparable to yesterday.He had to face the fact that during his ruling years, there was no supreme dignity, only endless humiliation. As long as the foreigners are still there, as long as they are not defeated, they will ride on the neck of the Celestial Dynasty Domineering.China's national gate has been truly opened this time, and it will be difficult to close it again... Emperor Xianfeng blamed Zaiyuan and Mu Yin for the messy situation, accused them of not judging the situation and handling the peace situation poorly, dismissed their positions as imperial envoys and plenipotentiaries, and appointed Prince Gong Yiqi as imperial envoys and plenipotentiaries. He stayed in Beijing and continued to seek peace. He fled to Rehe Palace with the concubine and relatives of the emperor. Yijin is the sixth younger brother of Emperor Xianfeng. He believes that neither the war nor the defense of Beijing has a future, and the only way out is to seek peace.After accepting the appointment, he immediately sent a note to Ergin, informing him that he had been appointed as a plenipotentiary minister, and he had something to say, and he should not take any more military actions. Elgin and Gero replied that China must release all the British and French detained, otherwise, the military operations would not be stopped, and even greater damage would be brought to Beijing.Seeing that the British and French plenipotentiaries attached great importance to taking hostages, Yijin felt the importance of the foreigners captured earlier.He felt that this was the basis for his bargaining with Elgin.He deliberately said to the British: the peace negotiation has not yet been decided, and it is difficult to return it hastily.Your Excellency Elgin, please think carefully, don't use soldiers too much, otherwise, the tie will fail, and the foreigners who are detained may not be able to save their lives. Elgin pretended to return the hostages, but in fact he was waiting for supplies.In the battles of Zhangjiawan and Baliqiao, the coalition forces ran out of ammunition and still needed to be replenished again.So Elgin deliberately focused the discussion on the issue of the return of Bacharley and others. Unexpectedly, Yizhe didn't know the trick. Erjin bought time, and also found a bigger excuse for the bloodbath in Beijing in the future. Things go bad because of the hostage issue. Yi complained to Erjin that the foreigner hostages that he said casually were hard to save their lives. Before the Battle of Baliqiao, Zaiyuan ordered the arrest of Pachari and others, executed by Seng Gelinqin's troops.At that time, the negotiations broke down, and both sides were ready to fight to the death. As hostages, they seemed insignificant.In particular, some soldiers under escort, seeing the arrogance of the barbarians, couldn't help being angry, so they spread their anger on the hostages, and whipping and punishment happened from time to time.Later, the Qing army at Baliqiao was defeated and suffered heavy casualties. The escort officers and soldiers couldn't control their emotions, so they tortured several of them, and finally died. Regarding the death of hostages, Gordon once described: Poor Denorman, he once went to Asia with me, but now he has become a victim.It is said that their wrists were tied so tightly that their flesh was rotten. They died under extremely cruel torture. Parker also wrote in a letter to his family: The fate of our poor countrymen filled the army with righteous indignation.They were viciously murdered.Their hands and feet were tightly bound, and they stood in the open courtyard for three days and three nights, with very little food and whipping.A few fainted, and the ropes dug right into the flesh, causing festers—I can't write any more.We knew for sure that Lieutenants Anderson and Denorman were dead, two noble men, especially the latter, whom I knew well. Yichao was obviously unaware of the killing of the hostages.After he accepted the appointment, he had not had time to ask about the situation of the hostages.When he saw the foreigner's note and mentioned the hostages, he only casually said a few words. He never expected that the 26 Englishmen and 13 Frenchmen who were detained would really be impossible to return to Zhao. On September 25, Yijin received a note from Elkin again, saying that if the detained British and French were returned without harm within 3 days, Britain and France were willing to agree on the accepted agreement in Tongzhou. Sign and exchange the Treaty of Tianjin in Beijing. After the completion, the coalition forces can retreat to Tianjin and stay there until next spring.If the hostages cannot be returned, the coalition forces will attack Beijing. Yiqi replied: You can clearly inform the ambassador that the hostages are safe and sound, but since the peace negotiation failed, they cannot be released. On September 28, Elgin sent another note to Yisu, please pay attention to the prince. Tomorrow is the deadline for the return of the detained hostages. If they are not fully released, the attack on Beijing will begin. If Beijing is destroyed, the lives of the people will be destroyed. It is China's own fault. While the two sides were arguing and arguing with each other, secretly, the British and French allied forces were ready to attack Beijing. On October 5, the British and French allied forces sent troops to harass Deshengmen, Andingmen and other places.At this time, a piece of information said that Emperor Xianfeng was still stationed in the Old Summer Palace, so the coalition forces marched straight to the Old Summer Palace and surrounded it.The Old Summer Palace was originally a royal garden, with no defenses, only a few guards guarding it.When the allied forces attacked, despite the tenacious resistance of the defenders, they were finally defeated by the tiger and wolf division, and the Old Summer Palace soon fell. The construction of the Old Summer Palace began in the reign of Emperor Kangxi. After Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng generations, it took 150 years to finally build a garden of ten thousand gardens that integrates Chinese and Western cultures.There are more than 140 magnificent palaces and pavilions, more than 100 classic gardens, and there are also a variety of jewelry, jade, gold and silver ornaments, rare ancient books, rare cultural relics, calligraphy and paintings in the garden, which can be called the unparalleled human A cultural gem.A British officer who once attacked the Old Summer Palace said: It is hard for you to imagine how this garden looks like, nor can you imagine how horrible the French army would ravage this place.The palace where the emperor's dragon seat is located is all inlaid with exquisite bird wood sculptures.All kinds of large mirrors, clocks and music boxes containing puppets are displayed in the hall, as well as all kinds of exquisite porcelain, piles of multicolored silk and embroidery.The atmosphere of luxury and civilization here is exactly the same as what you saw in Windsor Palace.There were carved ivory screens, coral screens, a great deal of treasure, etc., and the French destroyed it all with such ferocity... They carried away a lot of silk in countless carts, but a lot remained.They also robbed a large number of books and documents from the imperial collection, including Bruce's ultimatum and the Qing emperor's refusal to meet the barbarians; in addition, there was a history of China recorded by the imperial collection that recorded events in the past two thousand years. After the Yuanmingyuan was occupied, it was immediately looted unprecedentedly.Even the French plenipotentiary Gross said bluntly that even a soldier has 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 or even a million francs in his pocket.For a regiment commander, the treasures and diamonds he grabbed were worth 800,000 francs. Finally, the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace to the ground.Hugo, a great French writer, once denounced this crime angrily. He said: Under the condition that the two victors divided up the loot, the Old Summer Palace was ravaged on a large scale.We Europeans are civilized people. In our eyes, the Chinese are barbarians, but look at what civilized people have done to barbarians!