Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Upon arriving in Macau, the Trade Director of the Macau Trade Office, Mr. Lawrence, quickly checked into the local consulate.

He was then to travel to Guangzhou, but his behavior was indeed quite strange.

According to general custom, foreigners must also abide by the rules when they come to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. They cannot act arrogantly just because they are also nobles.

Suo Qing was a prince with an iron-hat title, awarded for his military achievements. He had made considerable military contributions when he first came here, but he still handled things properly. His privileges were earned through his own face and status.

Napier was less fortunate. No matter which Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi he encountered, the official documents he received all instructed him to wait where he was. After the documents were exchanged, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi would send someone to invite him to Guangzhou and stay at the British clubhouse.

This was because they did not want the relationship between the Qing Dynasty and Britain to escalate. The French and Russian consuls general in Guangzhou repeatedly suggested controlling Taiwan. The British were such troublesome people, so it was better to try diplomacy first and then resort to force.

Aside from the word "禀" in official documents, the Qing Dynasty was actually quite lenient. It didn't matter if the content was provocative, as long as the format at the beginning was correct. That way, if the governor argued with you, you would have a way to save face.

The Qing Dynasty had its own unique national conditions, and foreigners had to follow certain rules when they came.

Apart from the Russians, whose official rank charts clearly corresponded to which level of officials in the Qing Dynasty.

Take Solovyov, for example. He was a prince with an iron cap, a field marshal, and the viceroy of Persia. In the Qing Dynasty, this was only slightly lower than the emperor and a few princes. He could sit at the same table as the princes with iron caps in the Celestial Empire.

Moreover, he and Zhao Lian were actually quite close. This prince was able to turn his fortunes around and regain his title as a hereditary prince because of his literary and diplomatic talents. He even lived for many more years and had even gifted Andong fans and calligraphy and paintings.

Solovyov himself only managed to obtain the genuine articles by Ji Da Yandai. Anton, who was stationed in Tianjin and frequently visited Beijing, had done a lot of research here and actually got some higher-grade articles from Zhao Lian.

Of course, Zhaolian also collected some European sculptures and paintings through the Russian and French ambassadors, as well as various teachers. However, some of the great painters' works were really offensive to public morals and could not be appreciated in the Qing Dynasty.

If they knew the final verdict, the Qing Dynasty would have critically remarked that simply dressing them up was the right thing to do!

However, European landscape paintings and portraits still had some market in Qing Dynasty China.

Emperor Jiaqing placed all the state paintings that Alexander had given him in the Yuanmingyuan Garden and even set aside a separate area as an art gallery. Emperor Daoguang made the same arrangement after Jiaqing died at the Summer Palace.

As for the British, if they came again after Macartney's abdication in the 60th year of Qianlong's reign, Qianlong might be very happy and forgive their offense.

It should be noted that the Dutch delegation and the French interpreter were present at the abdication ceremony, and they were also included in the banquet.

In the eyes of the Qing Dynasty, the British were probably the most unruly among the barbarians, while France, Russia, and their relatives were considered to be polite and respectful.

Napier's official document was indeed poorly worded.

Although the news of the Queen's accession to the throne and the formation of the new Earl Grey cabinet had been announced, Britain was preparing to appoint a business representative to China, as suggested by the Qing Dynasty governor-general.

However, in terms of official documents, they had already precisely stepped on a landmine.

The word "禀" must be used at the beginning, and to be honest, Napier's civil service rank in England at that time was indeed lower than that of Li Hongbin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Speaking formally in official documents wouldn't get him killed.

Despite his remarkable composure, Li Hongbin could not tolerate the arrogance of the British.

However, he was the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi!

Unable to afford to provoke the barbarians, he wrote back, stating that the British envoy, Lord Napier, should remain in Macau and, after rewriting the official document, come to Guangzhou.

Actually, he was quite polite and pointed out the problems in the official document.

Moreover, there were no offensive remarks. Li Hongbin was quite agile. This foreigner was also a titled nobleman, but compared to the Suo family's one hereditary prince, two first-class earls, and several barons of unknown rank, he was still far behind.

Although the Suo family were just a newly rich family, they didn't have the temper of nouveau riche at all. What kind of person was Prince Suo? He was the Imperial Tutor and Grand Protector of the Rakshasa Kingdom. Even after coming to the Celestial Empire, he still knew the rules. The Emperor was pleased and exempted the whole family from the grand ceremony.

However, there are some things that cannot be said here.

But to his surprise, Napier immediately flew into a rage after seeing the reply.

The reason is simple: of all the names translated by others, his appearance is the worst.

The names Macartney, Staunton, and Amherst are all mentioned, and they all sound alright.

Morrison, who was traveling with him, also had a good name.

After that came Elliot, Elliot, Pottinger, and finally the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten; none of their names sounded wrong.

It just so happens to be Lawrence, because when his surname sounds similar to something else, it's hard to keep things in check.

The preceding text clearly established his status as a "Lord," and his surname, Napier, is a matter of sound. If you're so capable, try changing your surname, and the Qing Dynasty translators will definitely give you a better translation.

This is like the dilemma of whether to crack an egg by the big end or the small end, and then someone chooses to open it from the middle. It's a trivial matter, something that an ordinary lord wouldn't even have the right to have his "Lord" mentioned in the homophone.

The dissatisfaction with this name stems from the fact that it was "given a cheap name," much like how Buddha, when the four pilgrims arrived in the Western Paradise, complained that the price for preaching was too low.
Furthermore, if you don't prepare in advance, the Qing Dynasty will naturally define your actions.

But he didn't know that this translation had its advantages, because no matter how humble or respectful your Chinese name sounded, the reception you received from Qing Dynasty officials was still based on their official rank.

Napier's status was not low; the Qing Dynasty would at least assign him a position equivalent to that of a governor.

Li Hongbin was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and was the superior of the Governor of Guangdong, so there was nothing wrong with that.

His outburst left the Qing officials quite puzzled.

The French and Russian consuls general, as well as the Dutch consul general, also found it strange.

Another dim-witted Englishman has arrived. Apart from Macartney, there are hardly any British people who can lead a delegation to see the Emperor these days.

Especially after they had been in the Qing Dynasty for a long time and carefully reviewed the accounts with Qing officials, they found that the British deserved it for being unable to get things done.

Marshal Ney was a prince, a tough guy with a bad temper, yet he still got things done, and even received a precious sword personally gifted by the Emperor.

However, in order not to anger the British, and because some events had affected the legitimate trade between the two countries in Guangzhou, they still wrote to Napier in Macau, indicating that both sides should exercise restraint this time, and that they would consult with the Governor.

Similar to Solovyov's experience in Persia, the Persians stormed the embassy and carried out a massacre that nearly wiped out the British after the British diplomats' advice was ignored, ultimately leading to the Persian War.

This time, however, it was clearly Napier who created the problem. He complained that his name sounded cheap, and that the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi had too many responsibilities, insisting on nitpicking over the wording in official documents.

Unfortunately, Britain didn't have many civil servants at that time. If Sir Humphreys had met them, they would probably have seen the rule-abiding Qing Dynasty officials playing word games.

But Napier came; he was not.

During the Qing Dynasty, only tycoons and merchants were allowed to enter the city directly; officials had to wait for approval.

Regardless of the previous situation, Napier was determined to board a ship and head to Guangzhou. He even consulted with Jardine and others, believing that there would be some progress once they arrived in Guangzhou.

People like Dai Ying just seem arrogant.

He was willing to negotiate with the opium dealers, but ignored the opinions of European diplomats in Guangzhou.

Even so, the Wu family has indicated that Lawrence should wait a bit, as they can still arrange a meeting, showing that the governor is not entirely unreasonable.

Wu Bingjian didn't want to ruin the business, so he also mediated between them.

The governor-general wasn't going to refuse; after all, this wasn't the first time the British had broken the rules. Compared to the current British, even the Macartney of the past was considered polite.

However, Jardine and others' suggestion to use warships to demonstrate their power somewhat underestimated the strength of the Qing navy in the Lingdingyang at that time.

Unlike Napier, who witnessed the "Wan Nian Qing" operating in the South China Sea, he was simply engaged in smuggling in Guangzhou, outwitting and outmaneuvering the Qing army's "Junk" ships and sixth-class warships.

Napier didn't take the Qing army too seriously; he simply regarded the fleet as a regular fleet, albeit one that was dressed up in a more glamorous manner.

Ultimately, when they got to the battlefield, they still couldn't defeat the Royal Navy.

The conclusion is correct, but after Singapore, there are currently no third- or fourth-class ships of the Royal Navy operating here. Even if two battleships were to come out, Guan Tianpei, though willing to fight, would have to consider that the Emperor's warships could not be damaged too badly.

The Qing army had previously used Western-style frigates to fight pirates and, incidentally, to combat smuggling, and had tasted success. However, although these behemoths could fire dozens of cannons simultaneously during exercises and looked majestic and imposing, these giant ships have yet to be put to use.

Some officials from the Censorate even believed that if the "Eternal Qing" did not represent the national system of the Qing Dynasty, it would probably have been dismantled or resold back to France on the secondary market due to its excessive cost.

Guan Tianpei himself never expected that he would actually have an opportunity now.

The incident stemmed from the fact that after Lawrence himself set off for Guangzhou, he was unable to hold talks and was still struggling with the issue of written language.

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi then dispatched troops to surround the British trading post, causing great distress to the East India Company's representatives.

However, at this time, Napier was still very confident. He adopted Jardine's suggestion to send several Royal Navy warships to Whampoa.

His direct charge into the Pearl River Estuary was based on his estimation that the Qing warships were heading towards Qiongzhou Prefecture, which is Hainan Island.

Recently, only some small boats of the Qing army have remained near Lingdingyang; even the whereabouts of those sixth-class warships are unknown.

From the navy's perspective, this assessment is correct.

Despite serving in the Royal Navy, Napier failed to notice Guan Tianpei's level of vigilance towards the British.

His fleet, after changing course, anchored near Hong Kong Island on the advice of Danish instructors, also to gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the British and to communicate with the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Admiral of the Guangdong Navy.

Li Hongbin was overjoyed to learn that Guan Tianpei was nearby with the Qing Dynasty's most powerful warships and had not headed towards Qiongzhou.

Because he knew that the British had previously dared to operate with impunity in the waters off Guangzhou by sending only a few fast ships, even when the Qing navy did not have these giant ships.

The last time this happened was when a Russian warship blocked the Humen Fort, forcing the British to take a detour.

There was no other reason than that the Russians' giant ships were too powerful.

Now that Guan Tianpei's massive Qing warships have appeared at the mouth of the Pearl River, Li Hongbin knows that even if the British send out gunboats again, he has some ways to deal with them.

The French-built "Wan Nian Qing" was one of the more maneuverable warships of its kind. It was derived from the "Marseille Merchant" class and was more maneuverable than similar warships from other European countries. After the Qing navy became accustomed to operating European sails, this warship received high praise.

Unfortunately, they never had any opportunity to prove their abilities and were even impeached by civil officials. Although they were in the Qing Dynasty, they enjoyed the same treatment as those in the Ming Dynasty.

Now, there are some opportunities.

Because they learned from the scouts' fast boats that the British warships were heading towards Humen with accurate information, and their course and speed were correct.

Guan Tianpei then ordered all five of the navy's warships on Hong Kong Island to weigh anchor and head towards the Humen Fortress.

The British underestimated the Qing commander's level of vigilance towards them.

It's truly unexpected that at this moment, there are foreign warships other than the Russians who dare to target the Royal Navy.

"General, what should we do this time?"

"Hey old man, I'm doing this to avenge your Danish navy and the people of the capital."

After hearing this, Pearson agreed that it made sense.

After all, the oak trees planted now won't be usable for another two hundred years.

He never imagined that warships would develop so quickly, and that sailing warships would disappear from the historical stage fifty years later.

Now, he could serve as an instructor for the Qing army, posting messages in Guangzhou to avenge the defeat in Copenhagen.

Moreover, it was a common tactic used by the British; they always liked to show off their power like this, and this time it was even a sneak attack.

Guan Tianpei also looked down on some of the officials who knew nothing about military affairs. Even if Li Hongbin's official document only asked him to assist in the defense of various forts in the Pearl River Estuary, he would still want to test his skills against the British and see what they were really capable of. They didn't even have a capital ship, yet they dared to come to the Qing Dynasty's seas to challenge them.

Incidentally, this will also erase an embarrassing record of the Qing Navy, at least ensuring a visible victory upon opening. (End of Chapter)