Chapter 539: The Little Qing Dynasty Is Shocked

In the governor's office, Ye Mingchen and Bai Gui were accepting the Wanmin Umbrellas sent by the people of Guangzhou City.

The two of them were ecstatic amidst the praises of the traveling merchant gentry, as if they were truly heroes who defended the Humen Fort and the city of Guangzhou.

"Shilang Liang is here too! God has blessed our city of Guangzhou! Shilang Liang will definitely come to the rescue of Guangzhou City to help us wipe out the British barbarians! What a shame! Shilang Liang cares about his hometown, he is affectionate and righteous, and he is worthy of our Guangzhou city. A hero of the government and a pillar of the imperial court!"

A declining businessman came forward enthusiastically and gave Liang Shaoqiong a top hat.

"Destroying the British barbarians will save Jiang Ningtiao's shame. That's a good idea! What next?"

Liang Shaoqiong stared at the declining businessman who came up to him with great interest.

With the opening of five ports, the decline of thirteen trades is an inevitable trend, but not all trades have declined.

The merchants who had the courage and courage to venture into California and the United States, such as Jardine House and Tongfu House, not only did not decline, but their business grew bigger and bigger, opening branches in other ports and even in the eastern United States.

Those who have declined are those who stick to their old ways and cannot survive after losing a monopoly franchise.

In the governor's office, Bai Gui and Ye Mingchen were given high hats. These people were the main ones inciting anti-British sentiment among the residents of Guangzhou.

Liang Shaoqiong also had a bad impression of the British. The Liang family's business in Nanyang often conflicted with the British, and there was a lot of friction between the two sides.

It's just that he still has reason, and he knows very well the consequences of rashly breaking out into a military conflict with Britain at this time.

Whether it is suppressing the barbarians, rejecting the barbarians, or extinguishing the shame of Jiang Ningtiao, timing and strategy must be paid attention to.

The Crimean War has just ended, and the two major European powers, Britain and France, are interested in getting involved in the Far East. If we expand the conflict with the British at this time, isn't it going to hurt the British?

"Of course it's to recover Hong Kong Island! Close the ports and keep foreigners out of the country! How can we, the Qing Dynasty, allow foreigners to come and go at will!" The merchant replied with great righteousness.

A group of declining merchants and squires all agreed.

"After I expel the British and foreigners, I will ask the court to close the other four ports and restore the old system before the 22nd year of Daoguang (1842). How about leaving only Guangzhou City for trade?" Liang Shaoqiong said coldly.

These people who can't eat grapes and don't want others to eat grapes, how can Xiao Jiujiu hide what they have in their hearts from Liang Shaoqiong.

They just want to go back to the era when they could do business with one another and make money with their eyes closed.

"That's good," the merchant said, shaking his head.

"Asshole! Resisting the British and rejecting the barbarians is a major military matter! How can we allow you to take advantage of the chaos to seek personal gain! Harm the country and harm the people! The turbulent public sentiment in Guangzhou City was instigated by you, right? What are your intentions?" Liang Shaoqiong pointed at Sang and scolded Huai.

To incite public sentiment, without the permission of Guangfu, to put it bluntly, even if the two governors nodded, even these businessmen would not dare to do it even if they had the courage to do so.

Ye Mingchen, Ye Mingchen, you are a selfish, mediocre and foolish official. In order to avoid seeing foreigners and to please your superiors, you will do anything.

Have you ever thought that once the city of Guangzhou is not defended, the entire people of Guangzhou will be buried with your career.

"Our army has just achieved a great victory, but here, Minister Liang is showing off his majesty as a British barbarian and destroying our Qing ambitions. I wonder if Minister Liang has such harmonious intentions?"

Ye Mingchen is a veteran in the officialdom. How could he not hear that Liang Shaoqiong was criticizing Sang and Huai? He turned back and said.

"A great victory?" Liang Shaoqiong asked.

"Has Ye Zhitai ever visited the Humen Fort Mountain? Do you know how many cannons are still available on the Humen Fort, and how many shells are in stock? How many officers and men are there in the navy, and how many warships can fight?! Do you know the situation on Hong Kong Island? Are the British troops gathering now? Will they make a comeback?"

Liang Shaoqiong's barrage of soul torture made Ye Mingchen furious. Ye Mingchen ordered his entourage to bring a stack of newspapers bought from Hong Kong Island and throw it on Liang Shaoqiong's face.

"Liang Shaoqiong! Don't think that you are the only one in the Qing Dynasty who understands barbarian affairs!"

Liang Shaoqiong briefly flipped through these Hong Kong newspapers. Except for the official "Hong Kong Gazette" on Hong Kong Island, which is mainly used to issue decrees of the British authorities, the content is relatively reliable and serious.

The rest of the newspapers were almost a riot, either publishing scandals involving some local celebrities and dignitaries, high-level officials of the East India Company, or reporting "new" news on uprisings in various colonies.

Liang Shaoqiong even read the "new" news about the British army's defeat in the Crimean battlefield in 1855 in a newspaper called the "South China Morning Post", which was really eye-opening.

According to the descriptions of these newspapers, the British Empire is now a colony beleaguered on all sides, the domestic economy is in decline, the domestic workers are either on strike or on the way to strike, and the parliamentarians are either quarreling or on the way to quarrel.

Liang Shaoqiong almost believed these half-truths, half-false and wantonly exaggerated news.

Liang Shaoqiong has been to the United States, and he knows to some extent the urinary behavior of some Western newspapers.

Is the situation in California good enough? There are still local newspapers that are not too concerned about the seriousness of the matter. In order to attract public attention and increase newspaper sales, they go against the authorities in every issue and use a magnifying glass to select scandalous reports.

It seems that Ye Mingchen's self-confidence, in addition to the tragic victory in the Battle of Humen, comes from the news that the British are dying every day.

"Is this what Ye Zhitai calls barbarian affairs?" Liang Shaoqiong almost laughed out loud at Ye Mingchen, this little cutie.

He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't laugh when he thought that such an innocent and lovely person like Ye Mingchen was a feudal official in the Qing Dynasty and the parent of tens of millions of people in Guangdong and Guangxi.

"This is the latest newspaper that I sent my confidants to Hong Kong Island to collect. Every move of the foreign barbarians in Hong Kong Island is under my control." Ye Mingchen was confident and looked complacent.

"In the opinion of Yiye Taitai, how should we deal with the Yingyi next?" Liang Shaoqiong sneered.

"One word, drag." Ye Mingchen stroked his beard.

"The internal affairs of the British and barbarians are full of ills, the people's livelihood is in ruins, they are fighting everywhere every year, and they are resorting to militarism. I have always heard that the powerful people in the capital are either committing adultery and raising concubines, or they are like Longyang disciples. These are the symptoms of the country's subjugation, and the British country is not far away from the day of subjugation. Far away.

Moreover, their attack on our Qing Dynasty was a long-distance expedition of thousands of miles. We only had to wait for the hard work until the British country was subjugated, and the barbarian soldiers would naturally retreat. "

What Ye Mingchen said was so reasonable and well-founded that Liang Shaoqiong was dumbfounded and eye-opening.

"Guangzhou Green Camp and the Eight Banners have been at peace for a long time. If the British army invades, how will Ye Zhitai respond?" Liang Shaoqiong was already discouraged and no longer had hope for Ye Mingchen.

He originally hoped that Ye Mingchen could use the remaining power of the Battle of Humen to negotiate peace with Wenxian, stabilize Wenxian first, and buy some time for him to mobilize troops, purchase weapons, and build defenses.

Unexpectedly, this Taiwanese master was immersed in the illusion that the British country could destroy itself without attacking.

"The people's support can be used!" Ye Mingchen said angrily.

"Public support?"

"Yes, people's hearts. There are more than a million people in Guangzhou City, and there are more than tens of millions of people in Guangdong and Guangxi. As long as the people of Guangzhou and Guangxi are united and united, even if everyone spits, they can drown the foreign soldiers."

“People’s hearts, like water and smoke, are often the most unreliable.

The British soldiers held foreign guns with bayonets in their hands. The foreign guns could pick on people and shoot hot metal bullets. They could also form formations and move. They also had foreign cannons and foreign ships for cover. They would not be stunned. Standing there waiting for you to spit.

How far can a foreign gun shoot? How far can your spit go?

If Ye Zhitai thinks that he can stop thousands of professional soldiers with his passion and the flesh and blood of millions of civilians, then what use is the Green Camp and the Eight Banners? What is the use of your supervisory camp?

Having said this, I will pretend that Liang has never been here. Farewell. "

After speaking, Liang Shaoqiong turned around and left.

"Have you not seen what happened in Sanyuanli in the 21st year of Daoguang's reign?" Ye Mingchen retorted.

"I am a Cantonese, don't I know! The Pingying regiment composed of tens of thousands of Cantonese people from 103 Township in Sanyuanli took advantage of the right time and place to besiege hundreds of British troops. What was the result? Do you know that in order to kill 4 British soldiers? Soldier, how many villagers did we die?" Liang Shaoqiong stopped and asked sadly.

"Where were those Green Camp Eight Banners and all the princes in Guangzhou who were living on salary at that time?"

Ye Mingchen chased after him, grabbed Liang Shaoqiong's sleeve, and lowered his voice: "Shilang Liang, you and I are both Han officials and officials of the same dynasty, why do you want to tear down Ye's platform and embarrass Ye!

The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the 21st year of Daoguang's reign was Qiying! It's Manchen! The Manchus and the foreigners made false promises and even negotiated and signed a peace agreement privately. No matter how bad the mess they left for the Han officials to clean up, the most the Holy Emperor would do was cut off their rank and reprimand them! They have a way out, but we Hanchen have no way out!

We Han ministers can only be tough towards foreigners and show our loyalty to the Holy One and our loyalty to the country! "

Ye Mingchen constantly emphasized that he was a Han minister, emphasized that the Manchus and Han ministers were different, and emphasized his own difficulties.

"Ye Zhitai, is this how you want to be an official? Is this why you don't have contact with foreigners?" Liang Shaoqiong sneered.

"Qiying has been the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi for eight years, but he has not allowed foreigners to step into Guangzhou! If foreigners are allowed to step into Guangzhou during my term, what will the civil and military officials of the court think of me? Have you ever thought about it?!"

"Qiying at least still dealt with the British consul and stabilized the consul's mood. There was no major chaos during his tenure. What about you, Ye Zhitai?"

After the opening of the five ports, the four ports of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai allowed British people to enter the city to do business without major problems. Only the Guangzhou authorities were determined not to allow the British to enter the city and only allowed the British to trade outside the city.

This incident was an important reason why the British provoked the second drug war: at that time, the British regarded entering Guangzhou as an important sign of whether they had truly entered China.

In this way, it is not difficult to understand why the Alor Bay incident happened in Guangzhou and not at the other four ports.

The other four ports had previously suffered from Guangzhou's monopoly on foreign trade franchises. To do foreign trade business, they had to go to Guangzhou and go through the 13th Bank, a middleman, and had to be exploited by Guangzhou merchants and local officials.

After the opening of the ports, the merchants and local officials of the four newly opened ports were also happy to see the new sources of revenue opened up, and did not worry too much about whether to allow foreigners to enter the city.

Guangzhou is the only one of the five ports whose interests have been seriously damaged. Not allowing foreigners to enter the city to do business is not just a simple matter of face, nor is it simply a matter of Guangzhou people's hatred of the invaders.

Wouldn't it bring disgrace to the Qing government if foreigners from Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningxia and Shanghai could come and go freely? Why is Guangzhou so special?

During the Fuzhou Drug War, except for Fuzhou, which was not occupied by the British army, the remaining four trading ports were all occupied between 1841 and 1842. The British invaders did no less evil at these four ports than in Guangzhou.

Therefore, trying to use the hatred of the people of Guangzhou towards the British invaders cannot explain why the Guangzhou authorities did not allow the British to enter the city.

The Guangzhou authorities did not allow the British to enter Guangzhou. Even the Consulate General was not allowed to enter Guangzhou and could only be set up in Hong Kong. There were many reasons.

First, Guangzhou is the only remaining treaty port for a long time. The largest number of foreigners come to Guangzhou to do business, and it is adjacent to Hong Kong Island. The problem of difficult management does exist objectively.

Secondly, Guangzhou merchants tried to restore trade and regain the monopoly of foreign trade privileges by putting pressure on foreigners and showing their loyalty to the court.

This can be gleaned from the fact that every time anti-foreign sentiment among the people in Guangzhou rises, there are shadows of businessmen and government officials.

In the Qing Dynasty, gathering a crowd was a serious crime.

In a big city like Guangzhou, under the nose of the government offices, local people dared to frequently organize rallies of tens of thousands of people and even burned down the Guangzhou prefect’s office. The Guangzhou authorities did not hold them accountable. This phenomenon was not seen until the Qing Dynasty. Very rare.

There is only one reason that can explain this incredible phenomenon, and that is that the Guangzhou people's rally was acquiesced by the Manchu and Qing Guangzhou authorities, and even directly manipulated to support the conflict between the local people and the British.

To put it bluntly, it means risking the lives of the people of Guangzhou to reduce the wealth of merchants and protect the careers of local bureaucrats.

The third reason is the local magistrate.

Qiying, Xu Guangjin, Ye Mingchen, Bai Gui and other frontier officials allowed the situation to get out of control for their own personal gain and to keep their support, gradually dragging a routine diplomatic matter into a high-level diplomatic issue until the situation was completely out of control, directly detonating the second... Drug war.

Qiying was the first Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and Minister of Commerce after the First Drug War. The issue of foreigners entering Guangzhou was a landmine laid during Qiying's tenure.

During his tenure, Qiying took great pains to prevent foreigners from entering Guangzhou City and allowing foreigners to continue to do business in the Thirteen Banks outside the city.

From the first British Consul General in China, Pu Dinghua, to the second British Consul General in China, Davis, they just let Qiying play around. The issue of entering the city was not resolved until Qiying resigned.

Every time the British Consul General asked to enter the city, Qiying incited the anti-British sentiments of Guangzhou residents and organized tens of thousands of citizens to patrol day and night with great fanfare to resist the British from entering the city.

Then Qiying went to the British consul to complain and play the emotional card: It's not that I won't let you enter Guangzhou, but it's for your own good. For the personal safety of your people, it's inappropriate to enter the city now.

If you insist on entering the city now, I won't stop you. Even the angry Guangzhou people in the city will chop you up. I am the only person in the court who can say a few good words to you foreigners. If you force me to quit and replace me with a governor who is more difficult to communicate with, it will be you British who will suffer.

Finally, Qiying promised the British consul that he would wait for a year and a half next time and wait for the public complaints to subside before letting you enter the city.

As a result, from 1844 to 1848, when the British were transferred back to the capital, the issue of entering the city was still not resolved. Qiying really gave the two British consuls a small shock to the Qing Dynasty.

However, Qiying was not entirely deceiving the British consul. Qiying at least told the truth, that is, among the governors of the Qing Dynasty, Qiying was indeed more diligent in dealing with foreigners and easier to talk to.

The two governors who succeeded Qiying, Xu Guangjin and Ye Mingchen, were more cautious in their contacts with foreigners than Qiying because they were both Han ministers. It also made the next British Consul General Wenxian experience the shock from the Qing officialdom.

Qiying will at least deceive the British and appease their emotions. However, Xu Guangjin and Ye Mingchen were too lazy to even meet foreigners, especially Ye Mingchen. From the time when he served as governor to when he was promoted to governor, no British had ever seen him.

Whenever Xu Guangjin and Ye Mingchen encountered British requests to enter the city, they used their same tactics to incite the emotions of the people in Guangzhou.

Previously, because Britain was busy with the Crimean War, its national strength could not afford to open another Far East battlefield. Therefore, Wenxian was helpless against the almost rogue behavior of Xu Guangjin and Ye Mingchen.

Now that the Crimean War is over, the British are finally free to solve what they see as the Far East problem, swaggering their warships into the Pearl River Estuary and attacking the city of Guangzhou.

"Manchu ministers and Han ministers cannot be generalized! Qiying is a Manchu. Let alone one British godson, even if he recognizes ten! One hundred! One thousand British godsons! Even the Holy Emperor will not suspect that he has second thoughts!

I am a Han Chinese. If I go out of the city today to meet with Parkes, in a few days, the evidence of my impeachment will appear on the Holy Emperor's court! By then, I, Ye Mingchen, won’t be able to explain it clearly even if I have a hundred mouths!

Governor of Guangdong and Guangdong, Minister of Commerce and Industry! It’s not a job for humans! If you do well, it's your responsibility. If you don't do well, the heads of my family, Ye Mingchen, will be blamed here! "

Ye Mingchen expressed his difficulties.

He is a Han minister. For a long time, the reason why he has been unwilling to have direct contact with foreigners can be traced back to one reason: he suspected that the person in the imperial palace in the capital city suspected him of having second thoughts.

Therefore, Ye Mingchen chose to draw a clear line with foreigners and have a tough attitude towards foreigners in order to show his loyalty to the emperor and show to the outside world that he was a good slave of the Aisin Gioro family.

"Ye Zhitai will be your good minister."

For people like Ye Mingchen, Liang Shaoqiong had nothing to say. No matter how much he said, it would be a waste of words.

"Ye Zhi Tai! Bai Fu Tai!"

Hong Mingxiang knelt down to Ye Mingchen and Bai Gui and begged.

"The foreigners have asked for prisoner exchanges several times. Now that the city of Guangzhou is employing people, I hope that Ye Zhitai and Bai Futai will take the initiative to exchange prisoners with the foreigners for the sake of their brothers in the Navy defending the territory!"

Hong Mingxiang's naval elite mainly came from his hometown of Nan'ao County and the surrounding counties. After the Battle of Humen, Parkes sent people to negotiate with the Guangzhou authorities many times, hoping to exchange prisoners.

The stronger the British army's willingness to exchange prisoners, the more Ye Mingchen and others believed that there must be big fish among these British prisoners and they were unwilling to exchange prisoners with the British.

In the end, the British army even only asked for the release of 52 British prisoners of England and Scotland. In return, they would release all 213 prisoners of the Guangdong Navy.

Wenxian thought, my request is so low, 52 prisoners for 213 prisoners, you have made a profit, now you should be willing to exchange?

Wenxian's biggest dereliction of duty during his tenure as British Consul General in China was to deal with the Guangzhou authorities with the behavioral logic of the British.

The bureaucrats of the Guangzhou authorities have different brain circuits from normal people. Faced with such a request for prisoner exchange, the Guangzhou authorities still refused without hesitation.

Wenhan couldn't deal with the various strange behaviors of the Guangzhou authorities.

"Bold! Exchanging prisoners is a signal to the foreigners to negotiate peace! Hong Mingxiang! If you discuss this matter again, you will blame Ye for being ruthless!" Ye Mingchen scolded.

For his own future and to take care of the public sentiment in Guangzhou City that has been incited, Ye Mingchen will never exchange prisoners with foreigners.

Not to mention that these 213 prisoners are from the navy, even if they are his standard-bearers in the Du Biao Battalion, he will not exchange them.

If he exchanges prisoners with foreigners privately, how will the court and the emperor look at him? How will they look at him when they currently regard the British as enemies?

Ye Mingchen also has to maintain his image of being tough on foreigners. There is no room for compromise on the exchange of prisoners.

"Ye Zhitai! These 213 navy brothers are all gunners of the Humen Fort and sailors of the steamship! The gunners of the Humen Fort are not fully equipped now! Behind the Humen Fort is Guangzhou City!" Hong Mingxiang shouted hoarsely.

Hong Mingxiang did not exchange prisoners with the British completely out of selfishness.

There were also considerations for Guangzhou's defense. Most of the navy officers and soldiers captured by the British were gunners and crew members on steamships from the Humen Fort.

The number of qualified gunners and steamship crew members in the Guangdong Navy was not large.

Without enough gunners and shells, the shore defense guns on the Humen Fort were just decorations no matter how sharp they were.

Once the Humen Fort was lost, Guangzhou would be open to the British.

"If the gunners are gone, we'll practice again! There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this matter!" Ye Mingchen stopped Hong Mingxiang.

"Ye Zhitai" Hong Mingxiang was already in tears.

"General Hong, there is no point in talking more, let's go."

Liang Shaoqiong sneered, pulled up Hong Mingxiang, who was kneeling on the ground, and left the governor's office, Guangzhou City, and returned to Xiangshan.