On August 7, 1860, the most tragic battle of the Second Opium War jointly launched by the British and French forces, the Battle of Bali Bridge, began.
The coach Monk Greenqin formed a defensive line of more than 30,000 people. He himself commanded more than 10,000 infantry and prepared to defend the Beijing division in the area of Bali Bridge in Zhangjiawan.
As the Anglo-French forces approached, the Qing army's horse corps fought it first. The soldiers shouted in unison: drive the foreigners out. Although morale was high, the Qing army was limited in equipment due to the enemy's preparedness.
Under the attack of the enemy's foreign guns and artillery, the broadsword and spear of the Qing army could not confront the enemy at all. Many horses were frightened and rampaged, and there was no form of confrontation at all. They retreated one after another under the enemy's dense fire offensive.
When the stormtroopers formed by the British and French troops rushed to the Bali Bridge, the Qing troops guarding the stone bridge bravely rushed into the trenches and started a white-knuckle battle with the enemy, and finally lost the battle because the enemy's firepower was too fierce.
In order to boost morale, the commander Seng Lingqin stepped forward, rode a horse and stood on the bridge**, ordering people to hold high the banner and command the soldiers to resist, until he was hit by a cannonball and fell off his horse.
Although the soldiers defended the dignity of the Qing Dynasty with their own flesh and blood. However, the disparity in equipment between the enemy and us was too great, and the Qing army was finally defeated by the British and French forces.
This is the most fierce resistance of the Qing Dynasty in the four years since the British and French forces launched the war, and it is also a resistance that does not read too much.
On August 8, Emperor Xianfeng, who got the news, fled to Rehe in a hurry. Leaving Prince Gong as Minister Plenipotentiary to negotiate with the coalition forces.
Before leaving, Cixi (Yi Guifei) strongly advised Emperor Xianfeng to stay in Beijing and continue to resist. And this admonition almost killed her.
It can be seen from this incident that Concubine Yi's courage and courage are much higher than that of Emperor Xianfeng.
The cruel facts have proved that the logic of the bandits: that is, to take the initiative to provoke a war against the oppressed country, and then demand compensation.
The Second Opium War launched by the British and French forces was an act they had been planning to oppress China for a long time. But bandit logic only applies to those who are weaker than oneself, and it simply does not hold true in front of the strong.
In the face of the overt banditry of the Anglo-French forces, the weak Emperor Xianfeng became an indirect helper. He threw the fate of the Qing Dynasty to these robbers, and he didn't even have the courage to resist. It can be seen that Cixi at this time was much braver than his weak husband.
On August 22, on the premise that the negotiations failed, the British and French troops went straight to the Old Summer Palace. They passed through Haidian in the afternoon and arrived at the Great Palace Gate of the Old Summer Palace in the evening.
At this time, more than 20 eunuchs in the garden engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them. But how could they beat the well-armed robbers, although they had the courage to move forward without fear of death, but in the end they were outnumbered and all of them were killed.
On August 23, the British and French forces began to loot the Old Summer Palace. Turn on Bandit Mode. In the name of searching the Old Summer Palace, they looted property at will and set fire to many houses.
On August 26, after the coalition forces invaded Beijing from Andingmen, they connived and encouraged soldiers to loot and burn the Old Summer Palace. They put up notices in the city of Beijing, shamelessly explaining the reasons for looting and burning the Old Summer Palace and the "righteousness."
On September 5, more than 4,000 French troops and more than 3,500 British troops looted the treasures in the Old Summer Palace. The Old Summer Palace, Qingyi Garden, Jingming Garden, Jingyi Garden, Changchun Garden, etc. were all burned.
The fire burned for three days and three nights, and the city of Beijing was reflected in a firelight. Since then, the British and French forces have burned and killed in the suburbs of Beijing for nearly 50 days.
Emperor Xianfeng, who fled to Rehe, was heartbroken when he heard the news, and he was burned inside. He was deeply ashamed of his ancestors, and he didn't know if he could return to the Forbidden City in this life?
He led the princes and grandsons to kneel in front of the ancestral spirit to apologize, and issued an edict to accuse the world of his own mistakes. And Concubine Yi, who served around Emperor Xianfeng, heard that the Old Summer Palace had been looted and burned, and she scolded the banditry of the coalition army regardless of her noble status.
She was furious at first, and then hid her face and wept. The fire in Beijing not only burned down the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens" of the Qing Dynasty, but also burned out the incompetence and weakness of the Qing Dynasty.
For Cixi, the Old Summer Palace was not only a symbol of power in the Qing Dynasty, but also the beginning of her identity change.
In the Old Summer Palace, there is her first encounter with Xianfeng; has her sweet love with Xianfeng; Every time Xianfeng was exhausted and powerless by the chaotic internal and foreign affairs, he hid in the garden and only let her accompany him.
and the sense of superiority that arises from her dependence on her when she asks her to review the recitals on her behalf. There were her dreams and hopes in the Old Summer Palace, and with the destruction of the Old Summer Palace, Cixi's desire for power also increased.