An Investigation of Naval Counterattacks in Eastern Zhejiang during the Opium War——Focusing on British Military Documents
In August 1841,the British forces initiated the second invasion of China during the First Opium War.By October,the British had successively occupied the cities of Dinghai,Zhenhai,and Ningbo in Zhejiang province.The Qing military planned to launch simultaneous offensives in these three areas to reclaim the lost territories.However,the counterattacks in the eastern Zhejiang region,with Daishan as the strategic hub,failed to commence as scheduled,leaving the reasons for this delay as a mystery.In his book Duoduo Yin,Qing scholar Bei Qingqiao claimed that the Qing troops stationed in Daishan were intimidated by the British forces and thus reluctant to engage in combat.This assertion has significantly influenced subsequent interpretations and evaluations of this historical period.According to British military records,the British,having gathered intelligence,launched several raids on Daishan,disrupting the Qing maritime forces'operational plans.Despite this,Qing forces continued their preparations under tight enemy surveillance and eventually launched a large-scale naval counterattack on April 14th,1842.This counterattack impacted the British forces'plans to attack Hangzhou and demonstrated the resolute will of the Chinese military and civilians to resist aggression.
万方数据
