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Today in History | The Opium War was a counter-offensive war in Zhaobao Mountain!

The first Opium War was the beginning of China's modern history. Since then, China began to suffer more. At the same time, the Opium War also opened a new chapter in the history of modern Chinese people's resistance to foreign aggression. As one of the main battlefields of the Opium War, the history of blood and tears is worth remembering!

"Battle of East Zhejiang"

Today in history, the Qing government sent troops to Ningbo, Zhenhai, and Dinghai at the same time, planning to retake the cities occupied by the British army, but it ended with the defeat of the Qing army, known as the "Battle of Eastern Zhejiang".

Background

On October 1, 1841, the British army captured Dinghai. The Qing commanders Ge Yunfei, Zheng Guohong, and Wang Xipeng died bravely in battle. They were known as the "Three Commander-in-Chief of Dinghai" in history ".

On October 10, the British army attacked Zhaobaoshan. Yu Buyun, the prefect of Zhejiang who guarded Zhaobaoshan, led more than a thousand troops to flee without fighting. The commander-in-chief Xie Chaonen, who guarded Jinji Mountain, led his troops to fight tenaciously. Most of them were killed in battle. Xie Chaonen died in battle and lost his position. After the British army occupied Zhaobaoshan, they were condescending and attacked the town of Haicheng. Yuqian, the imperial minister, vowed to resist to the death. In the afternoon, the city was defeated and Yuqian killed himself.

On October 13, the British army committed a direct attack on Ningbo in the Yongjiang River. Yu Buyun and others fled the abandoned city and Ningbo fell.

After the fall of the three cities in eastern Zhejiang, the Qing government served as the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and Yijing went to Zhejiang to supervise military affairs for General Yang Wei, and transferred troops from various provinces to reinforce them. In early March 1842, a land and water counterattack was carried out in March 1842 in an attempt to recover the three cities at one stroke.

Process

On the night of March 10, 1842, the Qing army, led by Liu Tianbao, counterattacked Dinghai, attacked Zhenhai. After arriving at the bottom of the city, the British army lined up and went out with guns. The Qing army took up the battle with spears and bows and arrows, but the situation was exhausted and retreated to Shili Pavilion. The day is not yet clear to fight again, finally lost the British artillery fierce, the Qing army defeated.

Jinchuan soil garrison Hakri led the Zang army to attack and seize the Zhaobaoshan fort, but by the British warship shelling at the mouth of the Yongjiang River, Hakri was not supported and retreated to the foothills. Other attacking forces of the Qing army also rout one after another under the fierce artillery fire of the British army.

Results

The attacks on Ningbo, Zhenhai and Dinghai all failed. The British took advantage of the situation to counterattack, and the Qing army retreated to Shaoxing and Hangzhou. The defeat of the Battle of Eastern Zhejiang made the Qing government unwilling to fight again and determined to compromise and seek peace.

The Battle of Eastern Zhejiang was the only slightly organized counter-offensive against the invading enemy of the Qing army in the Opium War. However, the organization and command of this important battle was rather clumsy, exposing the corruption and incompetence of the Qing government.

Seeking History

Today, we can still see the history left by the Opium War on Zhaobao Mountain. Although the ancient batteries cast from the Daoguang period are not as advanced as the strong ships and guns of the British army, when the foreign enemy comes, they will not fear the strong enemy and burst out the unyielding roar of the Chinese nation!

Now these ancient forts are still facing the Yongjiang Estuary, guarding the coastline of eastern Zhejiang......

There is also a clear water in Li Panchi, located in Zhenhai Middle School, where Wang Qingshui is calm and peaceful. Have you ever thought that a hundred years ago, the town of Haicheng was broken, and the imperial envoy Yu Qian died here and threw himself into the Panchi......

The former residence of Lin Zexu under Ziyin Mountain, Lin Zexu sold cigarettes in Humen and fought hard against Britain, but was deposed. After coming to Zhenhai, he actively participated in the coastal defense construction of Zhenhai. These are heroic epics that we should remember......