Qing Dynasty Secret History

Chapter 64
It is said that Chen Huacheng ordered to fire the cannon, and the first cannon hit the British gunpowder ship.Turn into a life reward of 50 taels of silver.The cannon was rewarded, and the bombardment became more and more vigorous. All the cannons were hit, and the shells were all hit. There was only a loud noise, and the gunpowder ship exploded and sank to the bottom of the sea.The soldiers on the stage cheered thunderously, calling the emperor of the Qing Dynasty to be as blessed as the sky!Joy here, anger there.Three warships with trunks and masts sailed straight up with their drums firing.Huacheng personally fired the bombardment, the sound of the cannons shook the ground, and the sky was covered with gunpowder smoke.

At this time, the warships were all made of wood, and they were all Aiba, so they couldn't handle the guns.The person who punished the driver, soaring to avoid it, has already been pierced in all directions, forming a honeycomb appearance.The first one couldn't bear it and sank into the sea.Of the latter two, one smashed the steam boiler, and the other smashed the vane, and they all sank to the bottom of the water, with only a little mast exposed on the sea.It is estimated that three to five hundred British soldiers on the three ships were injured.The warships outside the belt did not dare to enter again, turned the rudder and turned back, and gradually retreated.Hua Chengxi celebrated with his forehead, and said to the left and right: "The British soldiers have retreated, Wu Song can be fine. I never thought that such a powerful enemy would be shot away by us after a few shots."

Everyone said in unison: "This is the great blessing of the emperor, and the stratagem of the army."

After hearing this, Hua Cheng was overjoyed.Suddenly it was reported that the British soldiers had come out of Xiaoshabei and attacked the East Fort.Then it was reported to the Niuzhitai Supervisor to respond, and they had arrived at the school grounds, raised the battalion soldiers, cheered enthusiastically, and said: "We have the reinforcements, who are we afraid of!

"

Seeing the high morale, Huacheng was very happy, and was about to supervise the front enemy, when he suddenly saw a soldier, staggered to him, and reported, "It's not good, Marshal Niu is gone, Xuzhou's soldiers are routed, and the British soldiers have died." landed."

Then it was reported that the East Fort had fallen.Turn into busy passing orders, called the West Fort guards, to resist with all their strength, if there is a mistake, the military law will be followed.On the one hand, he personally led the soldiers to rescue the East Paotai.Suddenly encountered a deserter, and reported: "Marshal Niu was queuing at the teaching ground, and he was going to come to meet him. Unexpectedly, the British ship flew artillery, and the bullets rained down. The Xuzhou soldiers were the first to collapse. There are eight hundred rattan soldiers, protecting Marshal Niu.

He ran away desperately and escaped danger.Marshal Niu was really timid, so he put on his top hat and coat for a soldier, and pretended to be a soldier himself, and the soldier sat upside down in a big green wool sedan chair, pretending to be the commander.It's really cheap for him, so lucky to be a half-day coach. "

Hua Cheng said anxiously: "It's okay not to talk about such trivial matters. How is the overall situation now?
"The deserter said: "I heard that foreigners attacked the West Fort, and Master Wei is starting a war. "

It turned into a urging soldier to advance, and after a while, when he got close, he heard the sound of guns and cannons in front of him, like drums urging flowers and firecrackers in the dying years, don't be too excited.Hua Cheng said: "That's great, let's take a step forward."

Before the words were finished, the sound of gunfire suddenly stopped silently.Hua Cheng was shocked and paled, almost fell to the ground on the horse, asked left and right what happened, and Hua Cheng said: "The West Fort has fallen, our troops have all fled."

Everyone still didn't believe it, and then Meteor explored the horse and reported that the foreign soldiers killed the West Fort, guarding Wei Yinfu, Qian Zongqian Jinyu, Xu Lin, Xu Pangui, General Gong Lingyuan, and Foreign Committee Xu Dahua, all died in battle at the same time, and the West Fort fell.Hua Cheng sighed and said: "The success of the success is lost in a day, and it is all in the hands of Marshal Niu."

Sui Xiang left and right said: "If I don't take back these two forts today, I, Chen Huacheng, will not live.

"Everyone on the left and right were weeping. As they urged their horses to move forward, they were now approaching the Eastern Fort. On the platform, they saw the British flag fluttering in the wind, as if they were complacent. Chen Huacheng was so angry that his canthus burst, and he called :"kill!kill!kill! "

With two whips, the horse sailed like the wind.The British soldiers on the stage looked at each other clearly, and shot in the cold.

The marble was faster than anything else, and he fell off the horse with his heart in his heart, and he didn't look at it, and went to Guiren.Yao Yan, the foreign committee member, shouted loudly: "Junmen died for the country, we should avenge him, and anyone who is interested will follow me."

The 80 personal soldiers, agitated by loyalty and anger, shouted in unison: "I would rather die in battle!
"The wind is galloping like clouds, and they are rushing forward. The guns on the stage are fired in unison, and the guns below are also attacked. The closer and closer, the flesh is thinner and the attack is upward. Both armies abandon their guns and fight fiercely with short soldiers. This time The fierce battle lasted for more than an hour. The sky was sad and the earth was miserable, and the sun was dark. Yao Yan’s dictionary included eighty soldiers, none of whom survived. Get to know the seven loyal ministers.

80 soldiers died, and there were no survivors in Sanmao Hudu.

During Yao Yanzi's bloody battle, thanks to Wu Jinshi Liu Guobiao, he carried Chen Huacheng's corpse on his back and hid it in the reeds, so he was finally saved.It took more than ten days before Chen Yanhuang from Jiading County sent people to the Guandi Temple in Yancheng for the funeral. After hearing about it, he was decreed to bestow the posthumous posthumous posthumous title Zhongmin, and the seven loyal ones who were difficult to deal with were all given sympathy as usual. This is a later story.

But it is said that Niu Zhitai and Xiaobing changed clothes and fled into Baoshan City.In Baoshan County, the only person sitting in the sedan chair was the general who bowed his head to the soldier, scaring the soldier so much that he couldn't return the salute.Baoshan County was shocked and said: "The commander-in-chief resigned, how can I get a humble job?"

General Chen Shen shouted: "Where is this commander, the commander is here."

Baoshan County was puzzled, and when they wanted to ask, they suddenly saw the flames outside the city, and everyone clamored that the gunpowder depot of the West Fort was burned.Seeing two yamen servants, they staggered to them and told them that it was not good. Foreign soldiers had come into the city.Chen Shen will keep Niu Jian, rush out of the west gate, and run away desperately.Baoshan County was so frightened that he hid in the toilet room of the pit and saved his life.At that time, there was a nursery rhyme in Jiangsu and Zhejiang that said: In the First World War, Zhenhaikou, Taiwan was killed, and Taiwan was taken away.Fight Wusongkou again, lift Taiwan to death, and control Taiwan to go.Wusong raised Taiwan to guard Zhenhai, and there would be five wharfs.

After conquering Baoshan, the British rested their troops for a day, and then attacked Shanghai with sailboats.Shanghai is only eighty miles away from Baoshan, and it takes half a day to get there with the wind and sail.Unexpectedly, the officials in Shanghai were more powerful than anything else. The foreigners didn't come.The foreign soldiers landed from the new gate, lined up with guns, and were ready to fire.It's like the Chinese people ignore him, and they are empty-handed for a while. There is no opponent, and there is no way to show off their heroism.I had no choice but to enter the city peacefully without firing a bullet or hurting anyone.

Pu Dingcha asked Ma Lixun, "The soldiers in Songjiang were all brought out by Chen Huacheng. The city must be empty. Why don't we lead an army and take Songjiang here?"

Morrison said: "That's very good. I would like to lead a thousand soldiers and go to Songjiang immediately."

After finishing speaking, follow the order of people and horses, and the stars will gallop away.Full of hope that the flag will be won, and the victory will be achieved immediately. Unexpectedly, the unnamed admiral You Bo led the Shouchun soldiers and resisted with all his strength. After two days of attacking, the huge Songjiang City was like a fortress of copper and iron.Pu Dingcha said: "When we were in Ningbo, we got two good things, one is the annals of the eleven prefectures of Zhejiang, and the other is the situation map of the Yangtze River. Now that Songjiang is strictly guarded, it is better to transfer to the Yangtze River. Jiangyin, Jingjiang, Zhenjiang is a very good place.”

Morrison said: "We have just arrived, so it seems inappropriate to rush into the Neijiang River and make light work."

Pu Dingcha said with a smile: "If you think about the ambition of a staff officer, you will be frustrated by Nayoutitai. Otherwise, why are you so timid.

"Malisson said: "Malissun is an Englishman, and the aspirations of British people can also be frustrated by others?However, the matter of marching should not be too careless.When we came here from Zhejiang, we encountered powerful enemies, such as Ge Yunfei, Zheng Guohong, and Wang Xipeng from Zhoushan, Xie Chaoen from Zhenhai, Zhu Gui from Cixi, and Chen Huacheng from Wusong. I don't know how many people were injured.The Yangtze River is also an inland river, the water volume is shallow and deep, and it has not been measured. If it sinks in, what if it runs aground? "

Pu Dingcha said: "This is an old man's prudent opinion, very good."

Then dispatch a survey team, pretending to be Chinese, take a small boat, go up the river, and measure the future along the way.From Jiangyin to Wuhu, Anhui, the river course is wide and narrow, the water volume is about deep, and whether there are reefs is detected clearly.A surveying team was dispatched, seven cases in total, and they returned to Shanghai successively to sell the goods.The drawings are very detailed.Pu Dingcha asked: "Are there no guards at all the mouths along the river?"

The surveyor said: "Every time we reach a dangerous place, we always stop the boat and go ashore to check. We searched all over the reeds and deep in the woods. There is no soldier or general before we boldly advance. From Jiangyin to Wuhu, it is the same. look."

Pu Dingcha said with a smile: "The Chinese rely on the natural moat of the Yangtze River, and they don't care that we will fly across."

Then he said to Morrison: "Everything is ready today, and we can start tomorrow."

Just as he was triumphant, he suddenly received a scout report saying: "A gentleman from Zhenjiang invited Zhou Xu to Daotai to measure the situation on the high mountain and discuss a plan to intercept the defense."

Pu Dingcha said in amazement: "Look at the map, the section of the river in Zhuanshan is very narrow. If we station troops and set up artillery here, it will not be easy for us to go across."

Then he said to Morrison, "Mr. Morrison, what can you do?"

Morrison said: "Then there is no need to be so alarmed. They are just discussing whether it will work or not. It's not decided yet."

Pu Dingzha said: "One sentence reminded me that it's time to send someone to investigate, and it's not too late to start after the reply comes."

At this time, there was no telegram in the army, and the military newspapers were sent back and forth, all relying on traitors to scout.In a few days, the real news has already been found out, and Zhou Daotai thinks that the gentleman's plan is too costly and useless.Pu Dingcha put his hand on his forehead and said: "It wasn't for God's blessing, how could Zhenjiang have such a good Taoist platform. From now on, our army will go straight up the river, so there is no need to worry.

Morrison also laughed and said: "They mean that the main road is narrow and ships can't pass it. How can they know that it is summer and the ocean tide is strong?" "

Pu Dingcha said: "If the Chinese knew the right time and place, we wouldn't come here."

As he said that, he suddenly reported: "The sampan boats sent to Wuxi and Jiangyin to cruise in the interior were all shot and expelled by the villagers, and many soldiers were injured. Please send the brigade to take revenge."

Pu Dingcha said: "The inland port road forks, it's better to go straight to the Yangtze River, tell them to take it back quickly, I'm about to set off."

On the one hand, he ordered the land and water soldiers to disembark from steamers, more than [-] large and small ships in total, to leave the Huangpu River and sail up the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

The siren blew wildly, black smoke clouded the sun, and the British flag was on the mast, flying in the wind, and the momentum was very majestic.On the ninth day of June, when the fleet had arrived at Jingjiang, Pu Dingcha ordered the port to be sealed off, and sent troops ashore to break into Jingjiang City.Unexpectedly, although Jiangcheng is small, the people are very angry.

Only then did the foreign soldiers break into the city, and the people guarding the city shouted and ran, the bricks and stones fell, and they couldn't fight back.Brains burst and died.Yu Bing fled back to the ship and told Pu Dingcha.Pu Dingcha was furious and ordered three warships to attack Jingjiang.

The brigade steamer went upstream against the current and headed for Zhenjiang.These three ships, with their drums fired, attacked for two days, but did not hurt Jingjiang in the slightest, but were bombed by Jingjiang people, killing many soldiers.Because Jingjiang people are not so obedient, they lay their bodies in the long embankment during the fighting, and they can't hit him here, but they can't hit him when they fight over there, so they suffer a lot.General Ying saw that he was not going to be cheap, so he had to withdraw his team to chase after the brigade, and also headed towards Zhenjiang.

But it is said that Pu Dingcha's brigade, backtracking with drums, arrived outside Zhenjiang City as early as the fourteenth of June.

I saw three or five tents set up on the shore, with flags raised high, and the words "Counselor Qi Shen" and "Hubei Admiral Liu Yunxiao" were written on them. I don't know how to measure myself. Look at him, he doesn't look like a soldier yet."

While talking, the defeated generals by the river fled back and told about the start of the war.

Pu Dingcha said: "Look at the troops on the shore, they are not as good as ordinary people."

He called the clerk, wrote a letter of war, and sent someone ashore to deliver it. He was restricted to vacate the whole city of Zhenjiang within 24 o'clock.

On the next day, Pu Dingcha ordered all the cannons, large and small, to be driven up, charged with live ammunition, and waited for the military order.I held the gold watch in my left hand, and held the command knife in my right hand, but when 24 o'clock came, I immediately gave the order to fire.Pao Bian came up to ask for orders, Pu Dingcha said: "There are only 5 minutes left, get ready."

When the time limit was up, Pu Dingcha shouted an order, swung his knife, more than a dozen cannons fired in unison, shaking the sky, like thunder and lightning, and those single-cloth tents were instantly set on fire. When he got up, flames flew across the sky, but within a meal time, everything was burnt to ashes.Counselor Qi and Admiral Liu couldn't resist the enemy, so they led their troops and retreated straight to Xinfeng Town, 45 miles away from the city.Pu Dingcha ordered the army general Bian to move the artillery ashore and attack Fucheng.Zhenjiang's deputy general, Tong Hailing, is a tough guy who doesn't know what to do.After attacking for two days and nights, even shooting people into the city with rockets, the houses were set on fire, and the city was in chaos.The foreign soldiers conquered the city by setting up ladders.Zhou Ying from Changzhen Road, Yanglin from Zhenjiang Prefecture, and Qian Yangui from Dantu County escaped without breaking the city, so they won’t be killed.Hailing heard that the foreign soldiers came to the city, gathered his wives, concubines and children, and said generously: "We are bannermen, and we are paid by the state as soon as we are born. What happened today, others can escape, but we can only be martyred, not escape."

Then he locked the door and set fire to it. In an instant, the flames soared, and the whole room set itself on fire and died.

Pu Ding checked into Zhenjiang City, put out the fire as ordered, and at the same time showed Anmin and recruited refugees.At this time, the salt owls in the Guayi area were naked, and when they heard that Zhenjiang had fallen, the officials had fled, and the sky was high and the emperor was far away, they became lawless and looted wantonly.The merchants went to Jia, and none of them were not tired by him.When Pu Dingcha heard about this, he immediately sent steamers and warships to search for them. After searching, people and boats were all burned up. The flames and flames reflected the river red.

The residents nearby looked horrified, and the most frightened ones were Yangzhou people.At that time, Yangzhou was prosperous and prosperous, and Jia was in the world to run two merchants. Because of his great career, he was even more frightened.One said that the foreigners would come to Yangzhou on a certain day, and the other said that the foreigners would come to Yangzhou to search because of the lack of military pay.It is false to say that Pengxing is full of jitters and turmoil, and the weather is full of soldiers.

At this time, a man surnamed Jiang and named Shoumin opened a calligraphy and painting hall in Yangzhou City. He was very eloquent and had a lot of traffic. The place is rich, so I want to search for it. Rather than suffer losses afterwards, it is better to take precautions in advance. Everyone spends some money and sends a person to Zhenjiang to explain to foreigners face to face and tell him not to disturb. Redeem the city money, We will try our best to donate as much as we want, and the foreigners agreed to save the whole city from panic."

The two merchants in the market luck, when they heard this plan, they all agreed.So Jiang Shoumin was sent to Zhenjiang to discuss the redemption of the city.

Shoumin saw Morrison and talked about it.When Mallison opened his mouth, he demanded 60 silver.

Shou Min said: "Yangzhou is a poor city, where will the 60 silver be raised?"

Morrison said: "Yangzhou is a poor city. No one will believe this sentence. How rich is this place? We have it. It is really easy to raise 30 to [-] silver, let alone Yangzhou?"

Shou Min said: "Yangzhou has not been as good as it used to be in the past few years. From the outside, it looks prosperous and splendid, but in fact the market is empty. There is no way to manage 60 silver. Two to three million, we can still plan."

Morrison thought to himself, Pu Ding made a plan and rushed to Nanjing. He didn't have time to go to Yangzhou, so he gave this sum of money for nothing, but he agreed to sell a favor to Yangzhou people.Immediately, he agreed, saying that the money to redeem the city would be 30 taels of silver, and the agreement was signed.Jiang Shoumin reported back to Yang Shang, and Yang Shang reported to Yuntai Dan Minglun, so he searched for the money, seized 30 snowflakes, and handed it over to Zhenjiang Yangying.The foreigners were overjoyed, so they gathered all the soldiers that night and gave rewards according to their names.

In the early morning of the next day, more than [-] steamships set off together, sailed upstream, and headed towards Nanjing.The rotation is fast, and it will arrive in a day or two.From Guanyin Gate to Beihewai Xiaguan, the beacon fire was passed down and illuminated throughout the city.Made Taiwan Niu Jian, frightened like a dumb bird.It was Huang Entong, who had some insights, and offered advice: "The soldiers are approaching the city, and the residents are extremely panicked. For the current plan, the first thing is to calm the people."

Niu Jian said: "Anmin Anmin, I feel so troubled, if I can't be at ease, how can I be at ease with others?
"Huang Entong said: "The way to calm the people is to first issue a notice saying that foreigners come here for appeasement, not for war.The people know that there is no war, so naturally they will not disturb, and then set up Baojia in the city. Every fifty residents' shops, a wooden fence will be erected, which will be opened during the day and closed at night, so as to prevent the traitors from taking advantage of the chaos and looting. "

Niu Jian said: "Let's take care of the few ordinary people in the city. The only ones I'm afraid of are foreigners. Cannons are nothing but powerful, do you have a way to rescue them?"

Huang Entong said, "Sili also has a way to deal with foreigners."

Niu Jian hurriedly asked what to do.Huang Entong said: "As long as the commander-in-chief sends a note, saying that the imperial envoy, Qiying, has issued an order to reconcile forever, he will go to the province in a few days, and tell them to wait quietly. Foreigners accept this note, not necessarily Feel free to turn your face."

Niu Jianxi said: "It's a good plan. I'll ask Muyou to do a note. I'll entrust my brother with the matter of Anmin."

So they split up and went about their own business.Niu Jian was apprehensive, fearing that the foreigner would turn his back on him.

On the third day of July, Xingxi hoped for a savior.Who do you know?It is the old Minister Yiribuyi who is used to peacemaking.After being interviewed by Niu Jian, he told about the urgent situation in the provincial capital.

Yi Libu said: "It doesn't matter. Zhang Xi is a small price, and he is very compatible with foreigners. Tomorrow, he will be sent on a foreign ship to check on Pu Ding and make an agreement. We will talk about it when the general arrives.

"Niu Jian cupped his hands and said, "The life of a city in Nanjing depends entirely on a few words from an honorable official. "

Yilibu said: "This is very easy."

The next day, he really asked Zhang Xi to go to the British boat to pass on the meaning of Balu, and he went there for a long time before returning.At this time, Yilibu was discussing military and state affairs with Niu Jian, and General Jiangning Dezhubu was also present.When Niu Jian heard that Zhang Xi had returned, he scolded the policeman and said, "What are you reporting? Invite him in!"

The inspector didn't dare to argue, walked out the door, and said gruntly: "A servant also wants to ask, our commander is really very polite."

When they were introduced for a while, Zhang Xi greeted them one by one, and then said: "The family members went to the foreign ship to convey their kindness. Di She, let's go to the city and discuss it slowly. When the family returned to him, the agreement came from a secret decree, which cannot be interfered by the people. When General Qi arrives, you will always have a good result."

Niu Jian nodded and said, "You answered well, what about them?"

Zhang Xidao: "The family members said, so Ma Lisun said eloquently, we have so many soldiers, the pay is so far away, and we just want to come to the city to eat, we must wait for General Qi, and quickly pay 300 million silver When the payment comes, we should obey the order. The family members see that there is no reason, so they have to rush back to the city to ask for instructions."

Niu Jian was stunned for a while, and then he said to Yili: "Where should I get 300 million silver?"

Yilibu didn't answer yet, and a note was sent outside, saying it was from a foreign ship.Niu Jian removed the cover and watched it together with Yilibu and Dezhubu.At this time, the correspondence documents are all in Chinese, so there is no need for translation.I saw that in the Englishman's note, it was difficult to follow a few clauses.Article 100, claiming [-] million taels of silver for cigarette prices, commercial debts, and war expenses; Article [-], please open Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai as commercial ports, and allow the British to live and trade; Article [-], Employed British people meet with Chinese officials with parallel courtesy.There are a few other items, such as offsetting customs duties and releasing traitors.At the end, please use the national treasure to show your sincerity, and ask for a new promise.After looking at the photo, one of the three jumped up angrily, wanting to know who this person is, and let's listen to the next chapter.

(End of this chapter)