Small-scale battles in the Opium War

Before the Opium War, the Sino-British trans-nasal war in the south of Humen.

After the forest incident in the 19th year of Qing Daoguang, the British Chinese business supervisor refused to hand over the criminals involved in the forest case, and prevented the British ship from making a voluntary guarantee. On September 17, Lin Zexu, an imperial envoy of the Qing Dynasty, ordered the Sorin case to be strictly dealt with, and ordered British merchant ships not to stay in Lingdingyang for three days, either to enter the customs with them or to return home. Previously, on the ninth day of September, the British merchant ship "Danmashige" defied the law and came to swear that it would never carry opium, and was immediately introduced to Huangpu for import trade. Based on the principle of "those who abide by the law come, those who resist the law go", Lin Zexu protected its safety and asked the shipowner to give a reward. This set a precedent for legitimate British businessmen. On September 28th, another British merchant ship "Saxony" (owner clang) was also ordered to pledge. Yifa became angry from embarrassment, that is, two warships, Smith (also known as Wolayin) and Warren, were sent to Chuanbiyang at noon to intercept the Saxons who had just entered the customs. Guan Tianpei, the prefect of Guangdong Navy, was about to find out, when the Smith fired first, and the trouble was over. Guan Tianpei then ordered the soldiers of this ship to fire back and ordered the rear ships to attack together. A naval battle provoked by the British invaders broke out in the pungent ocean. Guan Tianpei personally stood in front of the mast of the navy ship, pulled out his broadsword to supervise the battle, and shouted sharply, "Those who dare to retreat will be beheaded." When the shell of a British ship flew over the mast, it peeled off a piece of mast wood, grazed Guan Tianpei's hand, and the skin was broken and red. Guan Tianpei, desperate, still stood with a knife, took the silver ingot and put it on the case first. Anyone who hits an enemy ship with one shot will be rewarded with two pieces of silver immediately. The three bronze cannons carried on this ship are the most powerful. Guan Tianpei ordered the soldiers to aim at the Smith several times, interrupted its bow (called head and nose in Cantonese), and dozens of people in the bow rolled into the sea. The naval division bid for Zuo Ying's guerrilla Mai Zhang Ting, and the commander led the troops to attack the rear building of the Smith with double guns. British soldiers also fell into the sea with guns and occasionally hit the left and right hatches. The Warren was too scared to move forward and was not injured. After an hour or so of fierce fighting (12 noon to 2 pm), the sail "Smith" landed under a slanting flag and fled, and the "Warren" also fled. Three warships of the Qing navy were hit into the water, 15 soldiers died and dozens were injured. In this war, the Qing army was suddenly attacked, and the British weapons were dominant and suffered great losses. Nevertheless, we fought bravely. Lin Zexu said in his memorial to Daoguang Emperor on 10/6 that Guan Tianpei bravely supervised the war and the soldiers fought bravely. "After receiving the troops, the nearby fishing boats fished out 2 1 foreign hats, two of which were recognized as being worn by foreign officials and gave them foreign shoes and other items. It is still impossible to count people who go with the flow. " After reading Zhu Pi, Daoguang said, "It's commendable."

Battle of Shajiao suburb

During the Opium War in December (184 1 year 1 month), China and Britain fought at Shajiao and Dajiao, the first gateway of Humen. In the late August of the 20th year of Daoguang, Daoguang appointed Qishan (about 1790- 1854, born in Borzijigit, whose name was Jing 'an, from Zhenghuangqi, Manchuria) as an imperial envoy and went to Guangzhou to continue negotiations with the British invaders. On the eighth day of September (65438+10.3), Daoguang Emperor was appointed as Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen, and was appointed as the Governor and Commissioner of Guangdong and Guangxi. Qishan arrived in Guangzhou on the sixth day of November, rebelled against what Lin Zexu had done, withdrew his defense and compromised peace. Charles Elliot, the British plenipotentiary, once again demanded the cession of Hong Kong and compensation, and used the weakness of Qishan and the practice of "seeking peace with one heart" to destroy the Great Wall. 1February 15 (65438+1October 7), he suddenly attacked the first gateway of Humen-Shajiao and Dajiaobao, in order to force Qishan to accept his request. The British sent 146 1 Marines and more than 20 warships, with Army Major Burat as the commander in chief. The surface warships are divided into two teams. The right team attacks Shajiao Fort and the left team attacks Dajiaobao. At the same time, under the cover of the frontal attack on the battery on the other side of the private ship, the British army attacked the positions on both sides of Shajiao and Dajiao. In addition, sampans and ships were used to carry the landing troops around the back hill for forced landing. The British troops who attacked Shajiao and the bribed traitors landed through their noses, led the way with the captured traitors, climbed the back hill with bamboo ladders, and attacked the positions of the Qing army stationed in Shajiao; Burned more than 10 ships of Sanjiangkou garrison and navy at the foot of the mountain. The 600 Qing troops stationed in Shajiaobao were commanded by Chen Liansheng, deputy commander of the Sanjiangkou Association of the Army.

Chen Liansheng (1775-1841), a native of Hefeng, Hubei, now lives in Enshi. Born in the army. In the eighteenth year of Daoguang, he was a participant in Zengcheng Camp in Guangdong. In nineteen years, he was promoted to this post because of his meritorious service in fighting against British ships. At this time, he is over sixty years old, still in his prime, and his fighting spirit is high. With his rich combat experience, he wounded hundreds of British soldiers climbing mountains with guns and mines buried in advance. Fight to the death with inferior shells mixed with carbon chips and British soldiers several times their own; With bows and arrows, the British army was repelled several times under the rain of arrows. From 8: 00 a.m. to 4: 00 p.m., the defenders resisted tenaciously, but in the end, because they were outnumbered, they ran out of gunpowder and were unable to retreat. At that time, Guan Tianpei, the Guangdong navy commander stationed in Jingyuan Fort, and Li, the company commander of Weiyuan Fort, each led hundreds of troops to defend and could not go to support. Guan Tianpei deeply felt that the frontline troops were thin and sent Li back to Guangzhou to "cry for more troops". Civil and military officials from various provinces also asked for troops to help, but Qishan held his ground and watched the coastal defense be broken. Chen Liansheng and his soldiers were unable to resist the frontal shelling and rear landing of the British army because of their thin troops, inflexible tactics and exposed rear batteries, and finally fell into a passive position. Chen Liansheng was shot in the chest and died. Chen's son, Wu Ju, is brave and unyielding. Seeing his father's death, he fought bravely and vowed not to surrender. He was killed several times by British troops. Garrison Zhang Qingling also fought bravely until his death.

Fort Shajiao fell. When the British attacked Shajiao Fort, they shelled Dajiao Fort from the sea, destroying many breast walls, gun holes and gable backs, and the gunpowder bureau was burned and extended to the armory. At the same time, the British army assembled a large number of traitors to land on the north and south sides of Houshan Mountain in the suburbs and outflanked the battery. The defenders were forced to push the cannon into the sea and break through and retreat. Fort Bighorn has fallen. Although Shajiao and Dajiao Fort were lost, the defenders resisted very tenaciously. The heroic sacrifice of Chen Liansheng's father and son in defending the motherland was celebrated by later generations. Zhang Weiping, a contemporary (1780- 1859, word book, Nanshan native) wrote the poem "Three Generals", praising: "The British and the foreigners violate the spirit of Guangdong, and the generals guard the sand corner. It is brave to fight thieves, but the brave public is as weak as the army. Attackers flocked to the public and descended randomly in close combat. If the knife is divided into public bodies, the public body will be distracted. Before the son saved his father from death, the father and son were loyal and filial. "

Battle of Humen

In February of the 21st year of Qing Daoguang (184 1 February), Humen fought against the British Opium War.

On the fifth day of the first month of that year (65438+1October 27th), the Qing court received a report that Shajiao and Dajiao Fortress, the first gateway of Humen Fortress, were occupied. Daoguang sent a letter to declare war on Britain and sent an imperial envoy and nephew Yishan (1790- 1878) to Guangdong to preside over the war for General Ni Jing. Charles Elliot, the plenipotentiary of the British army, learned that the invasion of troops by the Qing court was preemptive because Qishan failed to sign the unilaterally published Draft Convention on Nose Penetration. He took advantage of Yishan's failure to reach Guangzhou and advanced to the second portal of Humen fortress in late 1 month. The second portal is the most sinister central portal of Humen fortress, from Shajiao and Dajiao to 7 Li of Beihang University. There are three small islands: Shangrong Island, Fanlongpai Island and Xiarong Island, and there are Rongbao and Yongan Fort. East of Mishima is the main channel of the Pearl River, located in Nanshan (also known as Wushan Mountain, commonly known as Yaniang Xieshan Mountain), with Weiyuan, Jingyuan and Zhenyuan forts. There are fortified castles and corner castles on the west coast mountain. Lin Zexu supervised the casting and installed dozens of cannons weighing 5,000 to 8,000 kilograms, and the firepower could tightly block the river. At the same time, two raft chains were installed between Nanshan and Shanghuangdao, and between Nanshan and Upper and Lower Hengdao rice rafts, where the river was the narrowest and the water depth was acute: the first one was 309 feet long and 36 large rafts were installed; The second is 372 feet long and has 44 large rafts installed. The chain that blocks the river can be opened and closed, just like two golden locks on the "South Gate". From Shangrong Island to the north, it enters 5 miles, and then confronts Dahushan Fort and Xiaohushan, forming the third portal of Humen Fort. However, these so-called "golden locks and bronze doors" defense systems were completely dismantled by the new imperial envoy Qishan, which led to the relaxation of coastal defense, the abolition of water courage, the separation of chains, and the weak garrison of each battery, with only a few hundred people each. It was Guan Tianpei who was in charge of commanding and defending Humen at that time.

Guan Tianpei (1781-1841), whose real name is Yin Zhong, is from Shanyang County, Huai 'an, Jiangsu Province. Born in the army. In the 14th year of Daoguang, he served as the prefect of Guangdong Navy. When the British army advanced on Humen, they were stationed at Jingyuan Fort, while the main commander of Chaozhou Town, Li, was stationed at Weiyuan Fort, and Ban Gamasin was stationed at Zhenyuan Fort. He was deeply saddened by the evacuation of Haiphong and hated it. He sent someone to Guangzhou again to ask Qishan for help. Qishan only sent 200 troops to perfunctory. There was no hope for reinforcements, and Guan Tianpei knew that he was desperate and was determined to serve his country with death. He sent away the official seal of his Guangdong Navy prefect, packed some old clothes and some pendant teeth into a wooden box and sent them home as a farewell. Then he came to Jingyuan Fort and took command.

On the 28th day of the first month, British ships began to assemble at Humen. Before the fifth day of February, the preparations for attacking Humen have been completed. There are 3 troop carriers 10 and more transport ships. The British found that Shimonoseki Island was unguarded, so they sent artillery troops to the island by boat on the afternoon of the fifth day, chose positions overnight and set up artillery positions. In the early morning of the sixth day, the south wind was strong, and the British army took advantage of the upper hand to shell the crosspiece and Yongan Fort. The Qing army defending Taiwan fought bravely, but the British army did not seize power at first. Later, the tide rose, swarmed again, approached again, and the siege lasted for some time, which meant the fall. The Qing army killed 300 people, some were captured and a few broke through. After the British captured the crosspiece and Yong 'an Fort, they concentrated their forces on attacking Jingyuan and Weiyuan Fort. Due to the unfavorable wave situation, it was not until 1 1 30 in the early morning that the two largest warships "Bolanhan" and "Melville" braved the high tide to reach the sea area about one mile south of Nanshan and shelled Weiyuan and Jingyuan forts with starboard. Determined to defend his position, Guan Tianpei gave all his possessions to the soldiers and encouraged them to bravely kill the enemy. He fired himself and fought fiercely with the enemy for nearly 10 hours from 10 in the morning to 7: 00 in the evening. The British attacked from behind the battery, and Guan Tianpei was wounded by dozens, and his armor was stained with blood. He still fought with a knife. In the end, he was exhausted because of his injuries, and finally he swallowed his words and died heroically. Guerrilla Mai Zhang Ting (? -184 1) and dozens of his soldiers also died heroically. The batteries in Humen fell down one after another. The Qing army in Dahushan and Xiaohushan retreated without fighting.

Deeply saddened by Guan Tianpei's heroic sacrifice, Lin Zexu wrote a close-up elegy mourning: "Six years of solid gold soup, ask who suddenly destroyed the Great Wall, and put all your eggs in one basket to teach him how to bow; Double loyalty and the same obstacles? (referring to Mai Zhang Ting who died at the same time) I heard that aliens also drank Wei Jie, and my face was as white as ashes. "

Battle of Dinghai Zhenhai

Anti-British Campaign in Zhejiang during the Opium War in the 21st year of Daoguang reign (184 1).

After the armistice in Guangzhou, Emperor Qing Guang thought everything was normal and ordered the coastal provinces to withdraw their troops. However, the British government is still not satisfied with the privileges that Yi Law seized in the Draft Agreement. On March 10th and April 30th, Daoguang 21st year, Pu Dingcha was appointed as the Plenipotentiary Minister in China to expand the war of aggression. On June 24, Pu Dingcha arrived in Hong Kong and Macao to piece together the invading army. Except for six warships and two ships, 1300 army personnel stayed in various ports, and the rest of the troops were in their nests. On the fifth day of July, together with the commander of the navy, Sir William Parker (178 1- 1866) and the commander of the army, they ambushed in Wugu, led 10 warships, 4 warships and 4 transport ships, and left the port with more than 2,500 army personnel. On the tenth day of July, Xiamen was captured and the company commander Jiang Jiyun died. In August, the British attacked Dinghai again. Dinghai is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and Xiaofengling in the north overlooks the county seat. The cliff is steep and there is a tunnel near the sea. It was guarded by Wang Xipeng (1786― 184 1), the commander of Shouchun Town, Anhui Province. To the east is Zhushanmen, near the sea, and the harbor is narrow and deep. It is guarded by Zheng (1777 ――1841), the commander of Chuzhou Town, Zhejiang Province. In the south, there is no shelter, and there is a traffic artery between land and sea. A earthen city, more than 1.430 feet long, is guarded by Lianchangge (1.789-1.8465438) in Dinghai Town, Zhejiang Province. There are nine gates in the west, with overlapping mountains and overlooking the sea. On August 1 1, 29 British ships assembled in the Huangniujiao sea area of Zhoushan Islands to scout the sea surface of Dinghai. The shelling began on the afternoon of 12. The 4,000 defenders on the island fought bloody battles for 6 days and nights, but there was a shortage of rations. Each soldier only has 6 Liang (about 4 Liang today) of light cakes. Later, he only had three bowls of gruel every day, and he fought day and night, which caused great losses to the British army. 17, the British army took advantage of the foggy weather and let the Qing army move. They are divided into three ways: one is to attack Wukui Mountain head-on, the other is to attack Donggangpu, and the other is to attack Xiaofengling in the northwest. The British army repeatedly advanced, and the Qing army stood on the precipice. The officers and men fought day and night, restless, hungry and tired, and it rained for several days, and their clothes were all wet, but they still fought tenaciously, with high morale and fought back with all their strength. It was really a "fierce battle that I haven't seen for years." At 2 pm, the British army landed from Xiaofengling and invaded the county seat. Ge, Wang Xipeng and Zheng Lingbing stood their ground and died heroically. Dinghai will fall into the enemy again. In this defense, the Qing army burned 1 British ships, 3 private ships and many garbage ships, killing hundreds of British troops.

After the fall of Dinghai, it was difficult for the British to supply, so they tried their best to sneak into Zhenhai and Ningbo and seize the camp for their winter garrison. Zhenhai is located on the west bank of Yongjiang River estuary, with Yongjiang River in the east and the sea in the north. Zhaobaoshan on the west bank of Yongjiangkou confronts Jiajiang on Jinjishan on the east bank, and the situation is very dangerous. Yu Qian, an imperial envoy and governor of the two rivers, was stationed. Yu Qian (1793― 184 1), formerly known as Yutai, was born in Gulushan, Boluote, and was born in Huangqi, Mongolia. He opposed compromise, persisted in resisting aggression and attached great importance to Zhenhai defense. He built forts and fortifications in Zhaobaoshan and Jinjishan, added artillery positions, and filled boulders and dark nails at the mouth of Yongjiang River. Each artillery company * * * has 86 guns, and with the defeated troops in Dinghai, * * * has more than 5,000 soldiers. Its deployment is: Zhejiang Governor Yu Buyun leads 1000 people, guarding Zhaobaoshan and Dongyue Palace in the west; Company commander Xie Chaoen led 1500 troops to defend Jinji Mountain; Li, the company commander, led hundreds of people to guard the fortress west of Dongyue Palace (the fortress controls the seaport and is a corner with Jinji and Zhaobaoshan forts); Firefighters moored on the banks of the Yangtze River, dug underground ditches where they could land, covered with thistles, and bravely stationed troops. Yu Qian led 1000 soldiers to take over the county seat.

On August 24th, British troops assembled at Huangniu Reef outside Zhenhai, and completed the war preparation on August 25th. Its attack plan and deployment are: destroy the fortresses and fortifications of Jinjishan and Zhaobaoshan with naval guns, and prevent the Qing army from reinforcing in Zhenhai County to cover the army's landing and capture the above two mountains (taking Jinjishan as the main attack direction); Land and water go hand in hand and seize Zhenhai. The landing force consists of more than 2400 soldiers, sailors and sailors, divided into three columns: left, middle and right. On the morning of 26th, the left and middle columns began to attack under the cover of three warships. The central column landed in the northeast prominent part of Jinji Mountain, that is, headed for Jinji Mountain. The left column sailed into Xiaojiang by sampan and bypassed Jinji Mountain. The defenders were caught between Scylla and Charybdis, but they still resisted stubbornly. They fought many fierce battles with the attacking enemy and killed hundreds of British soldiers. In the end, due to many casualties, the company commander Xie Chaoen was injured and fell into the sea, and Jinji Mountain fell. At the same time, four British ships and more than 200 cannons bombarded Zhaobaoshan. Because of fear of death, Yu Buyun chickened out, refused to let the soldiers shoot back, and even rode into town alone to see Yu Qian. He used the word "save millions of lives" and asked people to make peace with the British army and "temporarily detain". Yu Qian accused him: "If you are in danger, the situation will hurt the country." Later, Yu Buyun went to town and begged Yu Qian, saying, "It is natural to die with Yi, but there are more than 30 wives and children in the family, which is really pitiful." Yu Qian said to him: "Love your son, heroes are inevitable, loyalty is great, and this ambition cannot be taken away." Yu Buyun didn't listen to advice. Seeing that the British army was going to climb Zhaobaoshan, he took the lead in abandoning Taiwan and fleeing. Yu Qian fired a shot at the city to stop it. Yu Buyun still led the troops around the mountain and fled to Ningbo. 165438+ At 0 o'clock in the morning, the British right-wing column landed in Zhaobaoshan, then occupied and commanded the attack on the county seat. The garrison entered the city to fight, and the British army covered the infantry with artillery and climbed the ladder from the east gate. When Yu Qian saw that Jinji Mountain and Zhaobaoshan fell one after another, Zhenhai was in danger and the general trend was gone, he ran out of blood with indignation of losing land and humiliating the country and died in the water. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, the rest abandoned the city and fled, and Zhenhai fell.

On August 29th, the British army attacked Ningbo, and Yu Buyun, who fled from Zhenhai to Ningbo, fled to Shangyu with the prefects of Ningbo and Yinxian. Civil and military personnel were scattered, and Ningbo fell before the war. On the third day of September, the Qing court sent a college student, an official minister and a royal nephew, the Book of Changes (179 1- 1853), as General Yang Wei and Deputy Commander of Mongolia, Te Yishun (? -1849), assistant minister Wen Wei (? -1855) is the Minister Counsellor of Niu Jian (? -1858) is the governor of liangjiang. He also ordered troops from Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Shanxi, Gansu, Shaanxi and other provinces to go to eastern Zhejiang. After Yijing left Beijing, he rushed all the way and deliberately delayed until 200 1 year1February1day, and arrived in Jiaxing to plan a counterattack with Wen Wei and others. In the twenty-second year (February 10), on the first day of the first month, Yijing and others moved to Hangzhou, Zhejiang. At that time,1.65,438+0,000 reinforcements were transferred from various provinces, and more than 2,000 people were recruited from Shuiyong and Xiang Yong, which gathered in eastern Zhejiang. Everyone was eager to fight together. However, the Book of Changes slandered the people of Zhejiang as "traitors". And the ignorant and timid, the one who commands and dispatches well, dreams of winning by luck. 16, he and counselor Wen Wei dreamed that the British army abandoned the landing craft and set sail for the sea. Considering this to be a good omen, they decided to adopt the policy of "attacking openly and guarding secretly, simultaneously", divide the troops into three ways, and make an all-round counterattack to capture Ningbo, Zhenhai and Dinghai in one fell swoop. Then, I went to the Guandi Temple in West Lake, Hangzhou. Because the yin belongs to the tiger, I chose the "four-yin period" as the "auspicious day". In the year of Renyin (the 22nd year of Daoguang), the month of Renyin (the first month), the day of Wuyin (the 29th day of the lunar calendar) and the time of Jiayin (the fourth watch), we rashly counterattacked Ningbo, Zhenhai and Dinghai in three ways.

However, the plan of the Book of Changes has long been explored by the British army, ready to fight and take the opportunity to fight back. In Ningbo, the Qing army rushed into the city and was ambushed by the British army on the way, causing heavy casualties and losing ground. In Zhenhai, as soon as the Qing army and the British army took over the battle, they suffered minor casualties and immediately retreated. As for Dinghai, a small-scale night attack was launched without success. The illusion of the Book of Changes was completely shattered. The British attacked Cixi, and Wen Wei, who was in charge of the road ahead, abandoned the camp and fled at night, and the whole army was wiped out. The Book of Changes and others fled back to Hangzhou in a hurry and never dared to fight again. At that time, there was a couplet in Zhejiang: "Red Ghost, Honky and Nigger all came from inside;" General, army and government troops always run away from the army. " It depicts the ugly faces of these bureaucrats.

Wusong campaign

In the 22nd year of Daoguang in Qing Dynasty (1842), Wusong fought against Britain in the Opium War.

Wusongkou, located at the exit of Huangpu River and Wusongjiang River in Baoshan County, Jiangsu Province, is the primary position to defend the gateway of Shanghai and the Yangtze River. Chen Huacheng (1776― 1842, born in Jinmen, Tongan, Fujian) was stationed after the Opium War broke out in the 20th year of Daoguang. With the support of Yu Qian, the former governor of the two rivers, he actively prepared for the war and vigorously strengthened the defense of Wusong positions. From Wusong Town to Baoshan County, 26 earthen ponds have been built on the six or seven-mile-long riverbank, which can not only defend against the enemy, but also be hidden, just like a Great Wall with 154 cannons, collectively known as the West Fort. According to chenchen's marriage rate, Zhou Shirong, the main commander of Susong Town, was defended by 1300 men. On the east bank of Wusongkou, there is a slightly round battery with 27 guns, which is called the East Battery. Cui Jirui, the acting battalion commander of Chuansha battalion, led 1000 people to defend. Behind the east and west forts, Wang Zhiyuan, commander-in-chief of Xuzhou Town, led 700 men to defend the sand back in the northwest of Baoshan County to prevent the British army from detouring. Niu Jian, Governor of Liangjiang River, led more than 2,000 soldiers as backup to defend Baoshan County. Chen Huacheng personally visited the school yard, commanded soldiers to practice, and often gave patriotic education to soldiers. He said, "Everyone will die. If you died for your country, why didn't you die? If I am fearless of death, all thieves will die! " Chen Huacheng won the admiration of Wusong soldiers, even the invaders were afraid of his prestige. There is a saying: "If you are not afraid of millions of soldiers in Jiangnan, you are afraid of Chen Huacheng in Jiangnan."

In April 2002, more than 65,438,000 ships and10,000 soldiers arrived in China. On 30th (June 8th), 27 British ships gathered near Ji Gu Reef outside the Yangtze River estuary and broke into Wusongkou survey channel. At six o'clock in the morning on the eighth day of May, British ships sailed into the Yangtze River in batches and attacked Wusong. Before all the enemy ships docked, Chen Huacheng personally commanded the West Fort to shell the enemy first. The fighting was unprecedented and lasted for two and a half hours. Many ships such as the British flagship "Gao Huali" were hit, killing and injuring more than 20 people. The British army thought it was "the heaviest artillery fire from China since the war with the China army". The artillery battle lasted from early morning to noon, and Chen Huacheng was outside the tent, waving flags and firing guns to show off the public, dealing with the enemy. However, Wang Zhiyuan, who was guarding Xiao Shabei, did not act. Cui Jirui, who was guarding Dongbao, stood on the sidelines and did not fire. When Niu Jian saw that the artillery battle had won at the beginning, he assumed a ceremonial position and swaggered to watch the battle. When the British army discovered it, they shelled it, and Niu Jian was very scared. He hurried to Chen Huacheng to withdraw his troops. Chen Huacheng refused to follow, so Niu Jian fled Taicang. British naval guns combined fire to bombard the west battery. Zhou Shirong was afraid of death and advised Chen Huacheng to withdraw. Chen Huacheng drew his sword and thundered: "If you are sincere to me, if you recommend it, you will lose me and even your country!" Zhou Shirong ran for his life. Chen Huacheng led dozens of people in Qin Bing to stick to the isolated position of the West Fort. He fired one shot and dozens of shots. The gun shook his hand and blood flowed to his gaskin. He insisted on directing the rifle squad and the shotgun squad to shoot at the invading troops landing on the shore. The British brigade that landed poured in, and he couldn't support seven bullets, bleeding profusely. In the end, more than 80 officers and men under his command all died heroically, and Xibao fell. The defenders of Dongbao were scattered. Baoshan was defeated without a fight.

1 1 day, the county seat of Shanghai was occupied. This battle also dealt a heavy blow to the British army, destroying many enemy ships and killing hundreds of people. Chen Huacheng's body was buried in Guandi Temple in Jiading. During the funeral, tens of thousands of people went on strike and cried. At that time, there was a poem praising Chen Huacheng veterans: "On the day of serving the country and dying, the sky will be dark and the stars will stay strong, and the wind and rain will make you want to cry;" After three years of tears, celebrities are full of fragrance, and the smoke is wide. "

Battle of Zhenjiang

In the 22nd year of Qing Daoguang (1842), the Opium War and Zhenjiang Anti-British Campaign.

In May (June) of 22, after Wusong, Baoshan and Shanghai fell one after another, the British army returned to Jiangxi for the purpose of capturing Zhenjiang and controlling the traffic lifeline between the north and the south. Due to the surrender determination of the Qing court and the paralysis of the defense along the river, the British army arrived at the gates of Zhenjiang smoothly on June 13 (July 20). Zhenjiang is located at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Canal, which is the throat of the Canal and the barrier of Jiangning (Nanjing). Zhenjiang is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, with Jinshan in the northwest and Beigushan, Jiao Shan and Xiangshan in the northeast. Before the war, deputy commander Jiangning was in charge of Hailing (? -1842, Guo, Manchu with white flags) stationed. He adopted the strategy of closing the city to defend Zhenjiang. On June 12, 2002, the British army gathered120,000 sailors and marines, including 9,000 marines, with high operational efficiency. Most soldiers were equipped with muskets and artillery teams and began to land and attack the city. There are only 2,400 soldiers in Hailing Banner, including local flag soldiers 1200 and Qingzhou Green Camp soldiers 400. Weapons are still ancient knives, spears and old rifles. There is a great disparity between the enemy and me. However, Hailing did not fear the strong enemy and led the defenders to fight bravely. He risked his life, ordered soldiers to enter the city, and asked the residents in the city to buy water tanks and bricks to prepare for street fighting with the enemy. He commanded the artillery guarding the city to fire heroically and bombarded the British troops who landed, giving a heavy blow.

At that time, all parts of the city were garrisoned by Qi Shen, a counselor, and Liu Yuanxiao, the governor of Hubei Province. In order to reverse the siege, Hailing once sent troops out of the city to attack. However, after the attack failed, they stayed at home and did nothing to mobilize the cooperation between residents and villagers. After the closure of the city, some anti-rape work was done, but because refugees were strictly prevented from moving out of the city, and ethnic prejudice was held, rape was greatly expanded, leading to indiscriminate arrests and killings, which once caused terror and chaos. 14, Qi Shen and Liu Yuanxiao were defeated, and the British army attacked the city with all their strength. Hailing is determined to defend Zhenjiang to the death. He personally stationed in the north gate tower, the camera out. Wu Zhong 'a, the leader of the Association, led Qingzhou soldiers to meet them urgently. The British army focused on attacking the west gate of Zhenjiang, and the army was mainly responsible. Lu Haijun fought together, braved the fire of the Qing army, and swarmed up the stairs to climb the city. Hailing personally led the flag soldiers to stop the attack, and the battle was fierce. Seriously injured, he still insisted on fighting and called on officers and men at a critical juncture: "I would rather die than surrender!" " "The flag soldiers guarding the city fought to the death, fighting hand-to-hand with the enemy, and some sprinted at the enemy with knives and spears; Some pushed the enemy down the wall with their bare hands; Some grabbed the enemy and jumped off the wall together. Some kill their wives and children, and then fight to the death with the enemy.

According to enemy officers, China people "fought for every inch of land, so every corner and hole was captured by short soldiers". Although Hailing led the troops in a bloody battle with the British, it persisted for two days, killing or injuring the enemy 185 (168). In the end, due to the disparity in strength, Zhenjiang fell and all the defenders died heroically. Hailing burned herself to death, and her wife and grandson died at the same time. The battle of Zhenjiang was the last battle of the Opium War. The British army has invested more troops than ever before, but it has suffered more losses than ever before. The heroic resistance of Zhenjiang soldiers and civilians to Britain shocked Europe at that time. Engels once highly praised the "courage and spirit" of Zhenjiang's anti-British heroes and praised them for "fighting to the death until the last man", and pointed out: "If these invaders encounter the same resistance everywhere, they will never reach Nanjing."