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Guan Tianpei was a famous general of the Qing Dynasty, who assisted Lin Zexu in solemnizing military discipline, strengthening armaments, banning opium, and making great contributions to the sale of tobacco in Humen before the Opium War; during the Opium War, he was not afraid of life and death, worked hard to resist the British army, and finally martyred the country, and was a great national hero. How Guan Tianpei defended his family and resisted the British army, the captain explained it to you in detail.
First, the effect of the Great Qing
Guan Tianpei
Guan Tianpei came from a military family, so he was good at martial arts since childhood and was familiar with the military. When he grew up, he participated in martial arts and joined the army, and because of his dedication to duty and diligence, he was promoted to deputy general of the Taihu Battalion Water Division. In the sixth year of Daoguang (1826), the Qing Dynasty promoted shipping, and Guan Tianpei escorted more than 140 grain ships to Tianjin safely, so he was appreciated by the imperial court and promoted to the position of commander-in-chief of Susong Town. In the thirteenth year of Daoguang (1833), Guan Tianpei acted as the viceroy of Jiangnan.
At that time, British merchant ships ran rampant along the coast of Guangdong and repeatedly invaded the interior along the Pearl River, while Li Zengjie, the admiral of the Guangdong Marine Division, was dimwitted and incompetent, unable to stop the British invasion. In the fourteenth year of Daoguang (1834), the Daoguang Emperor made Guan Tianpei the admiral of the Guangdong Water Division and expelled the British army. Guan Tianpei then personally inspected the coastal forts, strengthened the armament, and built multiple forts to defend the British.
Lin Zexu
In the eighteenth year of Daoguang (1838), the commander of the British East Indies and Chinese fleets, Mattalon, arrived at the Qing Dynasty with an army and sent official documents to Guan Tianpei, asking for the reopening of Sino-British trade. Guan Tianpei did not accept it because Mataren's official documents were disrespectful to the Qing Dynasty. Huang Juezi, secretary of the Hongxu Temple, Lin Zexu, governor of Huguang, and other anti-smoking ministers exerted their strength on the harm of opium, which strengthened the confidence of the Daoguang Emperor in smoking. The Daoguang Emperor therefore ordered a vigorous ban on opium, and Guan Tianpei actively assisted Deng Tingzhen, the governor of Liangguang, in banning opium and arresting tobacco dealers.
Second, Humen sells cigarettes
Humen sells cigarettes
In the nineteenth year of Daoguang (1839), lin Zexu, the new governor of Liangguang, arrived in Guangzhou and presided over the ban on smoking. Guan Tianpei then assisted Lin Zexu in seizing more than 20,000 boxes of opium and destroying them at Humen. Because Guan Tianpei was active and capable and diligent, Lin Zexu regarded him as a confidant and asked him to rectify the Qing army in Guangdong. Then Guan Tianpei actively trained the army to strengthen coastal defense and prevent British invasion. Soon, British warships repeatedly invaded the coast of Guangdong, and Guan Tianpei took the lead and personally supervised the battle. Ordered to reward meritorious soldiers, under his encouragement, the Qing army fought bravely and repelled the British army many times.
Daoguang Emperor
Seeing that the British army had repeatedly failed to invade, they occupied Tsim Sha Tsui and tried to use it as a base to harass Guangdong for a long time. Guan Tianpei then set up cannons at Guan chung near Tsim Sha Tsui and bombarded Tsim Sha Tsui. The British army was repeatedly shelled by the Qing army, and had to come to sneak attack Guanchong, all of which were repelled by the Qing army. The British then mobilized a large army to attack Guan Chung, and also sent troops to sneak attack from the flank. Guan Tianpei then divided his troops with the generals Chen Liansheng, Lai Enjue, Zhang Bin, and the guerrillas Wu Tongbiao and Delian to attack the British army. In the end, the Qing army defeated the British army and recovered The Sharp Sand Mouth. When the Daoguang Emperor heard of the great joy, he gave Guan Tianpei the title of "Fafu Ling Abatulu." ”
Third, resist the British army
Opium war
In the 20th year of Daoguang (1840), the British declared war on the Qing Dynasty under the pretext of selling cigarettes at Humen and launched the Opium War. Lin Zexu heard of the British invasion, so he ordered Guan Tianpei to capture and burn a large number of opium dealers and tobacco boats that colluded with foreigners before the British army arrived. Soon the British army arrived in Guangdong and shelled Guangzhou, all of which were repelled by Lin Zexu and Guan Tianpei. The British army had to go north along the coast and reach Tianjin. The Daoguang Emperor listened to Qi Shan's rumors, dismissed Lin Zexu from his post, and sent Qi Shan as the governor of Liangguang. Qi Shan advocated compromise with the British, so he ordered the dismantling of the marine division and the reduction of the coastal defense force, leaving only one-third of the original troops, which brought great harm to the Qing army's resistance to the British in the future.
QiShan
Guan Tianpei opposed compromise with the British and advocated the strengthening of armaments, but failed due to Qishan's obstruction. Due to the greed of the British army, Qi Shan could not be satisfied. This caused the Sino-British negotiations to break down. The British then attacked Humen and captured the Shajiao Fort. The deputy general Chen Liansheng was killed in battle, and the Shajiao Fort fell, making the situation even more unfavorable to the Qing army. Guan Tianpei town guarded the Jingyuan Fort, and the chief soldier Li Tingyu guarded the Weiyuan Fort, and when the two saw that the situation was critical, they asked Qi Shan for help. However, Qi Shan was afraid of the British army, and only sent a hundred people to help, which made the defensive strength of the Jingyuan and Weiyuan batteries seriously insufficient.
Fourth, die on the battlefield
The Qing army fought against the British
In the twenty-first year of Daoguang (1841), the British army invaded the Jingyuan Fort, and the local Qing army had only 400 people, so Guan Tianpei repeatedly asked Qi Shan for help, but Qi Shan still ignored it. Guan Tianpei then took out his family's money and distributed it to the soldiers to strengthen their confidence in resisting the British. Guan Tianpei knew that he was outnumbered and was determined to serve the country with his own example. The British launched several attacks, first capturing the two batteries of Hengchang and Yong'an, and then approaching Humen. Guan Tianpei then resisted desperately with the guerrilla general Mai Tingzhang, determined to inspire the soldiers with death. In the end, Guan Tianpei was seriously wounded, and together with Mai Tingzhang and four hundred other soldiers, he was killed on the battlefield and martyred.
In general, Guan Tianpei was a famous general of the Qing Dynasty, who assisted Lin Zexu in smoking, fought desperately against the British army, and finally martyred the country, and was a well-deserved national hero.