Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

In the Qing Dynasty, the court had its own opinion, and it was always the same.

However, Emperor Daoguang was also somewhat worried this time. He knew that the British were skilled in naval warfare, and Suo Qing had mentioned the past of Western countries and emphasized this matter.

"It's difficult, protecting the land and state inherited from our ancestors. Although Minning has devoted himself wholeheartedly to this cause over the years, the nation is facing numerous challenges. Despite the great victory in the Northwest, the British..."

Kneeling in the ancestral temple was also a reflection of his inner worries. If the British were to attack at this time, what Solovyov had mentioned earlier was far too frightening.

If the Qing army had defended key locations on land, with its enhanced fighting strength, it might have been able to hold onto several important sites. However, who knew how many British troops would actually come?
With this worry in mind, Daoguang returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and kept cleaning his guns, first the rifle and then the pistol.

He had quite a collection, many of which were gifts from various European countries, and they were all fine guns. This was also the biggest hobby of this stingy emperor at that time.

But there are even more outrageous things. Last year, Russia's gifts included two bizarre weapons: a "mountain-splitting cannon" and a "hand-cranked rapid-fire cannon."

Emperor Daoguang couldn't clean this himself; he had to have eunuchs and soldiers from the Shenji Battalion clean it.

When these two things were test-fired at the firing range, Emperor Daoguang was overjoyed and even rewarded the Russian instructor with an official hat and yellow jacket.

But this thing was indeed quite expensive, and since it was classified as artillery, Qing Dynasty military officers believed that it was only useful for suppressing rebellious people.

It can be said that they had a clear self-awareness that the Qing army was not good at close combat and had to make up for it with firearms, especially the Green Standard Army commanders and generals.

Although the Eight Banners have made progress, they are still far behind when their ancestors entered the Central Plains.

These points alone would indeed cause Emperor Daoguang much worry.

After all, the Qing Dynasty had lasted for so many years, and the state apparatus had been functioning well before. We also need to see if it is suitable for the current environment.

Moreover, for some time now, the captured British have been quite well-behaved in Guangzhou, a stark contrast to their descendants who are constantly trying to escape from prison.

It wasn't for any other reason than that the food provided to the model soldiers of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was much better than what they ate on the ship.

Guan Tianpei, accompanied by Pearson and several servants, arrived at this temporary prisoner-of-war camp.

In addition, there was Mai Tingzhang, who was transferred from the coastal defense. He was a captain under the Guangdong naval commander. He came from the Haikou camp and was originally there to contact his own military commander and the commander of the Guan Army about the military exercises in Qiongzhou.

As it turned out, the Qing army suffered an initial defeat but ultimately won a great victory at Humen.

Mai Qianzong's biggest problem is his official way of speaking.
His father, Mai Yingyang, who died in the line of duty at a young age, was a martial arts rank 3 and served as a bodyguard to Emperor Qianlong. It was because his father died early that he did not have the opportunity to mentor him, which caused him to stagnate in the position of garrison commander for many years.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that many of the Qing army members were veterans who had risen through the ranks from the late Qianlong period to the present day, or were soldiers from that era. These individuals were capable of leading from the front and were certainly capable of fighting.

However, the battles were less impressive because the British were always able to use their naval power to create situations where they were outnumbered in certain areas. In addition, the Qing army was not good at close combat, and their troop movements were not as efficient as the British army's.

Even for the Qing army, it was somewhat difficult to actually put their skills to a test.

When we got to Baliqiao, it was simply impossible.

However, in this battle, because the Qing army had giant ships, the British were instead defeated and utterly humiliated.

This gave the people of Guangdong and Guangxi some confidence in the Qing army.

Especially since the "Wannianqing" was anchored at the Pearl River Estuary this time, local officials and wealthy businessmen were allowed to watch, but only the esteemed officials and businessmen could board the ship; others were not permitted.

This also includes the Wu family father and son. Although they were two-faced and constantly engaging in speculation, they did not want the situation to worsen.

The deteriorating situation will affect doing business. The Wu family has gradually surpassed the Pan family and has achieved the same status as Tongwenhang in Guangzhou at the end of the Qianlong era.

After the passing of the second generation of the Pan family, their market share continued to shrink. If it weren't for the fact that both the French and Russians specifically requested Tongwen Company to handle their business, it would have been even more difficult for them to continue doing business in the future.

Because the patriarch who opened the business was originally the accountant of the Pan family, the Wu family still had to maintain a certain level of respect in front of the Pan family.

At this time, the head of the Pan family was Pan Youdu's fourth son, Pan Zhengwei. His business was barely maintained by relying on the Russians' continued sale of furs to the Qing Dynasty.

If a major war breaks out, it will be a devastating blow to his business, even worse than the situation faced by the Wu family.

After witnessing the Qing army's great victory, Pan Zhengwei boarded the ship with the Wu family father and son, and they couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Yuting, this time..."

"Old Master Hao, don't mention this matter. Who knows what kind of contest will take place in the future?"

"Why do you say that, my dear nephew?"

"Hao Guan has a long-standing relationship with the British and should know the intricacies of the situation. When my father was alive, he associated with King Suo and also knew the truth of the matter. The British are concerned with strengthening their coastal defenses and training their navy. However, the British navy is spread across the seven seas, so this matter is difficult to predict."

"That's true."

As for Wu Bingjian himself, although the opium smuggling trade always resulted in fines against him, he still had to exercise some restraint when doing this business, because his family had become the biggest official-merchant group.

His son is incredibly unscrupulous.

Of course, he didn't know that his reputation wasn't ruined yet. If his son died, the people of Guangzhou would spread the word and say very clearly, "Today a traitor died."

This attitude is still evident.

When the governor asked him to contribute, he didn't hesitate and immediately handed over a silver note worth 200,000 taels and a bank draft worth 20,000 pounds.

The Pan family had some difficulty coming up with the money, but they had used French drafts earlier, and it was through the bank of Mrs. Rycamir, Solovyov's old flame.

Speaking of which, both of the lady's daughters are Solovyov's daughters. Although this business is a French bank, it is also considered a Russian bank. The board of directors of the Bank of France includes the manager of this company. Currently, the lady's second son-in-law is in charge of the Rykamir Bank.

As for the silver notes, the Pan family can also provide them.

If the contributions of the two companies and the rest of the Thirteen Factories are properly raised, they could buy a fleet.

This sum of money is of great importance; even Li Hongbin has petitioned the imperial court to register it all so that it can be purchased later.

The Qing army had already begun preparations for war. Officials and merchants were responsible for buying ships, gentry donated funds to strengthen coastal defenses, officials mobilized the provincial treasury to purchase firearms, and the imperial court allocated funds to build fortifications and acquire various new weapons. Each party was fulfilling its own responsibilities.

Solovyov had just resolved the Persian issue. If he knew this, he would also sigh, "Guangdong has never been so easy to govern, so why are they so concerned about guarding against foreigners?"

It wasn't for any other reason than the arrogance of the British, which provoked officials of all ranks in Guangdong, as well as some businessmen.

The Wu family's business followed the imperial court's lead, and even though they had previously profited through dishonest means, now that everyone had contributed, they were the leaders and naturally had to pay more. This was for the best; it was better than having them almost turned into specimens when Lord Lin came later.

However, while everyone else was contributing silver, Lawrence slunk back to Macau.

Not for any other reason than it's just too embarrassing.

Only Elliot, who came with him, supported him, while Morrison, who was the translator, rolled his eyes.

As a translator, his two missions were both failures, both due to his foolish bosses.

In other words, the Qing Dynasty governor was relatively good-natured and released some wounded soldiers who were able to move to Macau, while the rest were still being treated by doctors.

If it weren't for Lu Kun or the other officials with even worse tempers being there, their heads might have been twisted off, because this time the British army suffered a major defeat. The Royal Navy was beaten 3-0 by the Qing Empire, and the rest of the small boats could be disregarded.

Under these circumstances, he was quite cautious in his wording when writing to London and Calcutta.

And this time, at least the word "禀" was used.

Li Hongbin did not make things difficult for him, saying that the conflict between the two countries was a misunderstanding, and that England should follow the rules of the Celestial Empire in the future, and that they should maintain a friendly trade relationship forever.

He added, incidentally, that there should be no more smuggling of opium. The Emperor has issued a clear edict explaining the dangers of opium. His Majesty's Queen has only recently ascended the throne; for the sake of her descendants' longevity and prosperity, she should not mislead the youth with opium paste labeled "blessings and longevity." He suggested importing more raw silk, tea, porcelain, and medicinal herbs, noting that the Celestial Empire possesses everything except for machinery from England. He believed that if England could sell machinery to the Celestial Empire for silk reeling and tea production, it would be a mutually beneficial exchange. Furthermore, the Celestial Empire has camphor readily available. He hoped His Majesty would consider this carefully. That was the gist of the matter.

Li Hongbin learned this from Anton. Anton's trick was personally taught by his elder brother. Although it didn't disgust anyone, it made Nailaobei very uncomfortable.

The defeated side has little say in such situations.

However, these words also spread to Macau, and almost became the story of "Li Zhitai's three provocations of foreign merchants".

Cantonese opera wasn't as developed back then, and it didn't keep up with current events like it would later, otherwise it would have been a must-perform piece.

Then, in Macau, Napier actually fell ill, while his wife and children, who had come by boat with him, were perfectly fine.

The doctor diagnosed it as malaria and said it needed treatment, and that quinine had been introduced from the Dutch colonies.

But Napier himself refused treatment, another guy who avoided seeking medical help.

Soon after, Napier died, even a year earlier than expected, which was a cause for celebration.

Even in Guangzhou, officials and citizens alike said it was good that the foreigner died.

Even some British prisoners of war still in Guangzhou, eating noodles, said he was lucky to have died. If it weren't for his bad command, besides the dead and wounded, they wouldn't have been locked up here.

Besides, Guangzhou is simply paradise, and some of them don't want to go back.

If the Qing army hadn't been so determined not to hire any officers or sailors from the British Isles, they probably would have all applied to the Guangdong Naval Office.

The Danish coach and gunners who followed Guan Tianpei were incredibly prestigious in Guangzhou.

Because the battle was fought so well, Pearson and about ten others were even paraded through the streets on horseback with flowers on their backs.

This also shows that in the Celestial Empire, people could still distinguish between good and bad foreigners.

However, in the Royal Navy, when sailors were captured, some unfortunate Americans or Irishmen were inevitably captured, so it was not a problem for them to join the Qing army.

As for Americans who want to go home, there's no problem either.

In addition to business with France and Russia, Tongwenhang also deals with Americans. The Wu family has close ties with Americans and can arrange for these people to return to the New World by ship.

However, due to scheduling issues, they would likely have to go to the Russian American colonies first, and then cross the Rocky Mountains from there to return to their homeland on the Great Plains, a long journey indeed.

It wasn't for any other reason; the governor was afraid they would be captured by the British again and forced to become sailors, so he made this arrangement.

All parties were happy. After Napier died, Elliot dared not be arrogant anymore. Without warships, the British were seen as "plucked beasts" by Qing officials such as Li Hongbin.

The Irish people wanted to find out where these people came from and who else was in their families.

It wasn't for any other reason than that the Qing Dynasty's rule was that Irish "Red Barbarians" who served the court had to bring their families over, and the court would naturally make arrangements for them.

Ordinary "Red Barbarian" military households who were registered under the banner system were all cavalry and infantry; they really didn't have any naval forces.

Therefore, they will probably be assigned to Tianjin, or other important naval garrison locations.

What's all this fuss about?
Finally, an envoy from Britain arrived with a letter from the Queen, stating that the conflict between the two countries was purely a misunderstanding and requesting that His Majesty grant permission for trade and release the Royal Navy officers and soldiers in Guangzhou.

A year has passed since then.

However, because Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister Earl Grey were both very eloquent, the new envoy, while waiting in Guangzhou, had a new task: to see if the Daoguang Emperor was willing to accept the envoy's " audience".

Some British barbarians only remember how to follow the proper procedures after they've been beaten.

Emperor Daoguang finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the urgent message, which he had been holding in for almost a year.

The reply to Li Hongbin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, was that the arrangements for the arrival of the British envoy in Tianjin should be made properly before the new Governor-General Lu Kun takes office, and there should be no mistakes.

Besides that, he was quite satisfied after seeing the text of the official letter.

The main issue was that Queen Charlotte was aware of the situation, but the council members were still clamoring for revenge.

Count Grey could only try to get the people back first, and then figure out a solution if anything else "harmed" free trade in the future.

Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, would look for opportunities.

In his view, the Qing emperors shared the same aversion to opium as His Majesty the Queen.

However, Her Majesty the Queen only oversees the areas she sees in the British Isles; she has no control over the East India Company. By making these things happen where Her Majesty cannot see them, the problem can be solved.

Even without looking at Solovyov's little notebook in the Queen's hand, he had already mastered it without a teacher, and he could probably become Prime Minister or be granted some kind of title in the future.

The internal opinions within the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party actually suggest that they should find an opportunity to clash over this issue later.

The Opium War is a recurring theme; if the next conflict escalates significantly, it's likely to happen again, perhaps even on a larger scale. (End of Chapter)