Since the Qing Dynasty government was not allowed to buy or sell opium on land, nor was it allowed to store opium in Macau, the British merchants set up opium warehouses on ships, called "barges", moored in the surrounding waters from Linglingyang to Taiwan, and let opium smugglers receive vouchers, with which they could withdraw money in Guangzhou, as reported in the Calcutta newspaper "The Englishman" in January 1837
"The various vessels of different sizes that stayed in this wrap, some of them barges, carried opium, carried opium, which had not moved for many years,...... From morning to night, smuggling vessels carried opium from these barges and came and went. ...... Walking to the opium boat, you can see a lively, rich, and trading atmosphere everywhere. On one side of the deck were piles of Patna and Bernalus opium, and on the other side were piles of Moravian opium,...... If you look up again, you can see that on the stern of the ship, two thousand yuan a box of foreign silver, I don't know how many boxes, there are also boxes containing silver. ...... When you see the symbols of this ship of wealth, and the money that appears to be so inattentively scattered on the surface, you must be deeply impressed by the grandeur of the scale and the importance of the value of this trade. ”
Opium caused serious social problems for the Qing Dynasty, with the outflow of silver and the debate between the two factions of officials advocating smoking bans and smoking. On the tenth day of the first month of the 18th leap year of Daoguang (June 2, 1838), Huang Juezi, the secretary of the Hongxu Temple, sang that the Daoguang Emperor wanted to strictly prohibit opium and painfully Chen
"From the official government to the gentry, down to the industrial and commercial elites, as well as women, monks and nuns, the people, Taoists, and accompanying smoking." Therefore, from the third to eleventh years of Daoguang, the years leaked 178 million silver. From eleven to fourteen years, the silver leakage reached more than 20 million taels. Since fourteen years, it has gradually leaked to as many as 30 million. In addition, the haikou of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong and Tianjin also amount to tens of millions. With China's useful wealth, fill the infinite gap overseas. Things that are easy to harm people have gradually become the worries of the sick country, day after day, year after year, and the subject does not know Yi Yu Hudi! ”
The number of Chinese opium exported between 1650 and 1880
On February 28, 1839 (April 11, 1839) of Daoguang, Lin Zexu, Deng Tingzhen and Guangdong Customs Supervisor Yu Kun arrived at Humen by boat and joined hands with Guangdong Admiral Guan Tianpei to inspect the opium. The tobacco dealer paid his cigarettes at Sha Kok and issued a receipt at the Louisa.
American and Dutch tobacco dealers promised never to sell opium again, but the law of righteousness was broken, and opium was transported away on the way to pay for tobacco, and the payment of tobacco was delayed for various reasons. On March 19 (May 12, 1839), the people completed the payment of cigarettes, arrested 1,600 drug addicts and tobacco dealers, and confiscated 461,526 cigarette paste, 42,741 cigarette guns, and 212 cigarette pots. On the sixth day of The first month of April (May 18, 1839), the tobacco dealer paid for the tobacco, collecting a total of 19,187 boxes and 2,199 bags. On April 11 (23 May 1839), Lan Shilu And other British traders were expelled, and the following day the Yilu also evacuated the Thirteen Lines of Britons to Macau
Lin Zexu originally wanted to transport the opium back to the Beijing Division for destruction, but Yushi Deng Ying thought that in order to prevent the opium from being secretly replaced, it would be better to destroy it on the spot, and the Daoguang Emperor agreed. Lin Zexu decided to sell cigarettes publicly in Humen, and lin Zexu would then find a way to destroy opium. Lin Zexu once used the traditional "smoking soil mixed with tung oil incineration method" to destroy opium, but the effect was not good. So Lin Zexu found a second method, "seawater leaching method".
The method of seawater leaching method is to dig two ponds on the seashore, lay stones at the bottom of the pool, nail board around it, and dig a ditch. The brine is poured into the gutter and flows into the pool. Then cut the tobacco soil into four petals, fall into the brine, soak it for half a day, and then put in the lime, the lime will boil when it meets the water, and the smoke will dissolve. The staff kept mixing the wooden rakes in the pool to ensure that the tobacco soil was completely dissolved into the water. When the tide is low, send the pool water out of the ocean and wash the bottom of the pool with clean water without trickling. It took a total of twenty-three days to completely destroy it, and the officials who were ordered to patrol and inspect the destruction of opium at that time also covered their noses and frowned because of the stench, and some even fell ill because of this poisoning. Boluo County's dianshi Chen Rong shouted "good smell" during the inspection, and then fainted on the ground, and died two days later.
On April 22 (June 3, 1839), the sale of cigarettes in Humen officially began, and Humen set up a ceremonial platform with a long yellow banner hanging in front of it, which read, "Minister Qincha is instructed to investigate and handle the Guangdong Haikou Affairs Minister to control the governor's department of the water and land battalions", and all the senior officials in Guangdong attended. Since the sale of cigarettes is a public visit, and it is around the Dragon Boat Festival, people have gone to Humen Shoal. In addition, foreign businessmen, consuls, foreign journalists, missionaries, etc., who did not sell opium, came from Macau or other places to visit, none of whom were British, to protest the Qing court's oppression of British property.
Destruction of opium (imaginary)
From April 22 to May 10 (June 20, 1839), a total of 2,376,250 kilograms of opium were destroyed, of which a small number of opium was transported to the Beijing Division as samples and then destroyed.
The anti-smoking campaign led by Lin Zexu safeguarded the dignity and interests of the Chinese nation. "Selling cigarettes at Humen" is an important historical example of opposing imperialism in China's modern history, and it is also a feat unprecedented in human history.
Tomorrow to talk about the first Opium War, please look forward to [send the heart] [send the heart] [send the heart] [send the heart]