Sun Tzu 孫子 once said:
The art of war is of vital importance
to the State.
It is a matter of life and death, a road either
to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry
which can on no account be neglected.
The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
These are: The Moral Law - Heaven - Earth -
The Commander - Method and discipline.
The dusty and often neglected roads were usually quiet and peaceful, calming places where the peasants and the common people walked and travelled on lonesome paths. From the western countrysides and Anhui mountain lands to the eastern coasts these roads flowed, from the northern capital to the far south. Yet now they were not.
They were going to fight foreign devils, the British - whom had made their intentions of war upon the Middle Kingdom all too known in their refusal to half the vile trade of the narcotic opium. And it was a war the Emperor planned to give the British Queen.
And so the thudding, constant march of thousands upon thousands of Imperial clad soldiers from various districts clad the air with a melancholy rhythm as with spears, blades and bows they marched eastwards and other times so often south. So many contingents of so many men from across the Middle Kingdom, it was no wonder the local villagers often fled at the sight of the oncoming soldiers at the unease of seeing such so many men passing by. Others watched with curious eyes, or open jaws all the same. Indeed the soldiers were marching to the ordered cities of the coast the Daoguang Emperor and his advisors felt were most apt to be at risk to the powerful British fleet, a mechanical miracle of power of the likes of which few Chinese knew anything about.
Indeed despite the advice of many the Daoguang Emperor and his military council knew well that they had little chance to battle the foreigners upon the seas, yet on land they knew with strategy they could and reign supreme.
And so together they all drew up a plan to divide the Imperial armies, as well as the newer conscripts across the east and south.
The Daoguang Emperor's plan to defend China's
coastlines from the foreign devils in the south and east
Indeed there would be very key cities which would be considered important regions to defend - Guangzhou for example and the neighbouring regions of Hong Kong, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Suzhou and it's surrounding cities were also vital to ensure the British gained no leeway to land a great many number of men on the coast. Indeed while many in the Empire underestimated the strange foreigner British and their queer weapons, yet others knew well from experience of the sheer danger and power of engaging these foreigners in open battle with the mysterious power of their thick muskets on their side.
Armies would be trained and army, march and stand guard at a horrific toll to the Imperial treasury along the southern and eastern coasts. This way the forces would be prepared to defend the coastal cities, which were to be held at all costs - as Prince Sengge Rinchen had pointed out, the only way the foreigners could hurt the Empire was if they took a city or region to make due to land more of their dangerous armies upon. Yet a shocking rush of defenders from more than one direction would ensure the British would not see China as so likely an enemy to face eye to eye, or at least such was how the Prince presented the plan. The Emperor was more than pleased, and granted him full northern command of all the Imperial Officers and forces in the north eastern defenses.
Prince Sengge Rinchen 僧格林沁 is appointed
command of the northern defenses
In the far south, Viceroy and Lord Lin Ze Xu sat in his carriage in full armour, something indeed he was unused to. Truly though he knew the Emperor had given him a great prestige in the honour of the title of commander of the south, despite the fact he had no combat experience whatsoever and thus mostly relayed the more important duties to veteran officers under his stead whom understood his position well. The armies had gathered outside the city and others in lines outside the walls and barracks grounds were emptied of weapons and arrows. Truly as he watched his own men ready themselves, it was a dramatic sight for the Viceroy he witnessed the coming of the tall and great British ships in the distance.
A blast of gunfire from the British vessel at the town seemed to piece the air and shake the earth with it's low ominous rumbling, and as these deadly projectives slammed and smashed into the town of Guangzhou as the British ships approached, men in rowboats preparing to land on the coast in red jackets and muskets in hand, the Viceroy knew now was the time to act.
And so quickly turning from the sight of the east bound vessels and running down the steps with his entourage following toward his steed, one of the officers stopped him for a moment, inquiring to what he was doing when they needed him there.
Shaking his head with excitement in his voice the Viceroy replied instantly "You see? They do not intend to attack Guangzhou, but land through the marshes at Hong Kong!" and saying nothing else, he mounted the steed as quickly as his legs would allow him. Kicking and riding off north and east, the Viceroy Lin Ze Xu hoped he would hoped he would make it there to the forces to order the march south on time...
Meanwhile as the October sky was lit up with the hot sun of the south of China, more and more British forces under the command of Captain Reginald Price departed from their vessels, and a ferocious fight ensued as more and more Chinese soldiers were sent in lines to engage them. The firing of muskets and the whirring of arrows in the air seemed to be a curious sound, yet it was partly masked by the cries of men whom felt the shot of gunpowder for the first time, and the steady commander Captain Price had his men fall back to a more defensive position where it would cost more than many lives to oust the foreigners from.
The British regiments assault
the Imperial defenders of 香港 Hong Kong
On the order of the Viceroy, the valiant Officer Chang Er lead a large, overwhelming force forward to engage the foreigners in a final attempt to ensure they could find no ground in these wet yet hot and wild regions of the south. Through a barrage of gunsmoke and bayonets Officer Chang and his pikemen broke forth, and in the confusion caused a general panic amidst the foreigners.
And so it then after resulted in a slaughter on the beach of many British, their red blood leaking into the green hue of the sea... adorning the red of the jackets.
.... Yet the all encompassing gunfire continued to blast into the night, causing horrific damage to cities upon the coasts as whole families crawled together in corners and held their ears to protect themselves from this gunfire.
Further north with his own Manchu Blue Banner Cavalry amongst him and rows upon rows of dozens of ranks of soldiers before him at his command, the Mongol Prince Sengge Rinchen sneered.
How dare these foreigners even presume that they might defeat the Empire? It would be no matter, he would drive them down if they landed, and if they attacked the cities the Mongol Prince-General would fill that city with more defenders than citizens.
These foreigners would know the meaning of fear when they would try to land and make war here...
Turning as an emissary approached, he watched as the messenger dismounted and bowed. In his impatience the Mongol Prince dismissed such courtly pleasantries with a wave of his hand, "What news do you bring from the north capital?"
"I hail from Hangzhou, your eminence."
The Mongol's brow raised, "Hangzhou? Then you are not from the Emperor... what is it?" He had little time for minor affairs and favours, he knew well that he would recieve the news of the invasion at any time. And that time was when he would ride with all his men.
The eunuch then stood from his bow and unrolled a sealed document, reading it aloud, "The Governor has recieved word from the village of Shanghai that foreign vessels have passed and are approaching the mouth of the river there."
Then neatly rolling the message up, the emissary bowed again.
Prince Sengge Rinchen
僧格林沁
Before the walls of the city of Suzhou the Mongol Prince and his grand army had amassed, with many reinforcements prepared to march at a moment's notices from both the north, south, and west.
"Finally..." Prince Sengge Rinchen scoffed, "They have come.... we ride."
Then turning to his men, he shouted aloud so all could hear,
"...Let us give these foreigners a welcome they shall never forget and drive them into the sea!"
A grand cheer echoed throughout that side of the city from all the men in adherence, and with a great horn blow the marching drums began and the men began their march...
The British came and landed at the river mouth as expected, and as early as possible Prince Sengge Rinchen unleashed waves upon waves of conscripts forth first. As gunsmoke filled the warm afternoon by tragic and great numbers brave and valiant men of the middle Kingdom fell to the barrage of musket fire, yet even more so came in their place. More and more, as the Prince had planned. Again and again he ordered regiments forth eastwards towards the British regiments.
And these were not even the
elites of his warriors.
On Suzhou plains where the great clash began the British quickly found themselves being outmaneuvered as the Mongol Cavalry swept forth from the north and caused a panic amidst them. Truly they had not expected such, and now seeing this Prince Sengge ordered as many of the men forward as possible to engage the foreigners - now they were caught in his trap, and he smirked as he watched them attempt to flee.
As the soldiers fell upon the foreigners with no mercy, it was the Prince who made the order - to all the officers of the intention collect as many of these British prisoners as possible, and before it became a total slaughter. The officers moved their men in, and a white flag raised the foreigners began to plea and fall back. With his most well armed spearmen now surrounding the group of British soldiers left alive, perhaps a few dozen left now, many of them with their arms lain down on the earth before them in a show of surrender. The Mongol Prince on his steed approached these strange, pale skinned foreigners and looked them over. Their strange weapons and way of war, Sengge Rinchen had never in his life witnessed anything like it.
Turning to his officers after overlooking the prisoners he spoke, "If this war began over the value of these foreigner's lives over our own people, let us see how much of a bargaining piece they prove to be. Put them all in chains."
Not understanding a word of course, the British officers looked to each other with wary eyes of their fates now here, prisoners of the Chinese...
And so the great Opium War had begun. Truly all across China now it was known that the Empire was at war - although an unorthodox war all the same against foreign traders, many of the rural people hardly felt such required the raising of armies. Yet they were uneducated peasants, and the Emperor knew well the dangers of the foreign Europeans and the threat that loomed in abiding by their wills and desires. Such indeed truly could not be the Will of Heaven, which as specifically mandated for the Lord of Ten Thousand Years.
British vessels continued to sail along the coastlines and regiments landed outside Ningbo. The ships bombarded that city as hastily as they did any other, bombarding Chinese cities along the way at sometimes irreparable damages. And all the same in the south, Lin Ze Xu ensured that even after the victory in defending from the British landings the avoid disbanding any of the regiments - this would only begin things, and he knew it well. For even an inch of the land of China the Viceroy was convinced the British were prepared to do anything, and he knew a second invasion and more landings in the south was not only possible but probable.
But for how long could the Empire maintain such an army there at such expense, he knew not...
While at Suzhou and Ningbo the Mongol Prince Sengge Rinchen had overwhelmed the British as well as the south temporarily safe, all the commanders knew well the war was far from over.
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