First, let's look at a problem. Why did Britain and France burn the Yuanmingyuan?
According to the draft of Qing history? According to the Records of Diplomatic Relations, Britain and France set fire to Yuanmingyuan for madness. However, in Jiang Tingfu's Modern History of China, there is an article "Comment on the Qing Draft: the History of Diplomatic Relations", but the content mentioned in it subverts the traditional cognition.
The British and French sent people and Aisin Gioro? Zai Yuan (son of Emperor Kangxi VI, Prince Yi) can talk, but Essien Joro? Zai Yuan? Yang promised it and conspired against it? .
The next morning, the English and French translators returned to the camp and reported that they had met Sangerinqin's cavalry, and the British arrested 26 people and 13 legal persons. After 20 days of imprisonment and abuse, half of the British people were born and returned, and only five legal persons and those who later burned the Yuanmingyuan were retaliated. Why do people who write the history of diplomatic relations keep it a secret?
According to Jiang Tingfu's records, the famous monk, Green Chin, killed more than 20 people in order to catch the British and French emissaries, killing one almost every day, so he set fire to Yuanmingyuan out of revenge. But the strange thing is, the draft of Qing history compiled by the Qing Dynasty? In the annals of diplomatic relations, this passage was completely hidden.
It is worth noting that Jiang Tingfu, a great historian of the Republic of China, mentioned that the British burned Yuanmingyuan for revenge? What is said here is that the British burned the Yuanmingyuan, not the British-French Coalition forces.
So, is Jiang Tingfu's textual research on the cause of burning Yuanmingyuan and the real murderer of burning Yuanmingyuan credible? A batch of information from the west confirmed Jiang Tingfu's point of view.
At the beginning of this century, the French historian Brissel visited some libraries and archives in Britain and France, and successively collected the written materials left by the British and French allied forces involved in the atrocities in Yuanmingyuan. Many materials have never appeared in China historians. Finally, he wrote a book, 1860: The Disaster of Yuanmingyuan, which was translated into Chinese in 2005.
65438+ 10 month 18? The British posted notices everywhere announcing that General Grant had ordered the destruction of Yuanmingyuan in retaliation for the mistreatment of British prisoners.
American Marquis, who worked in China Customs for a long time in the late Qing Dynasty, mentioned in The History of Foreign Relations of the Chinese Empire? (The plenipotentiary of the British Minister, see the picture below) Earl Erkin hopes to destroy the Palace of Yuanmingyuan as a place to abuse some prisoners, and as a way to plan to damage the personal dignity of the (Qing) emperor? .
It can be seen that the Yuanmingyuan was burned to vent anger, because diplomats were tortured to death by the Qing government. Of course, what they reveal in their bones is no more barbaric than the civilization of the Qing government. However, the problem is that British and French diplomats were tortured to death. Did Britain and France start arson together, or just Britain?
Whether it is 1860: The Disaster of Yuanmingyuan, the History of Foreign Relations of the Chinese Empire, or some other western materials, such as Ellison's Translator's Note translated by the French army, it is confirmed that the French army arrived in Yuanmingyuan one day earlier than the British army, so the French army grabbed it first, followed by the British army, and finally the British army set fire; Moreover, despite the opposition of the French army, the British invaders set fire to Yuanmingyuan alone.
Armand, a member of the British-French Coalition forces and a French soldier involved in the robbery? Lu, in "Military Memories: 1860 China Private Letters Collection", leaving such a sentence is the greatest evidence.
The eighth wonder of the world (Yuanmingyuan), we just looted it, and the British just burned it. Yuanmingyuan, a masterpiece of several dynasties, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and I will never see it again in my life.
In 1860: The Disaster of Yuanmingyuan, the British Lieutenant Colonel Wu Shili also left a testimony.
Our allies robbed and burned many palaces, but they protested against us in turn? They believe that the complete destruction of Yuanmingyuan is a barbaric act of the Goths. Surprisingly, when our Gaul allies looted all the treasures there? This evaluation did not flash in their always keen minds.
It can be seen that the reason is clear. Yuanmingyuan was mainly burned by the British. As for the French army, there was a small-scale arson in the early stage, but it was all under control, and the overall damage to the Yuanmingyuan building was not great.
However, if the China people robbed and the British people set fire to it, which shows the barbarism of Britain and France, then there is another embarrassing scene for China people, that is, a large number of China people also participated in the robbery and arson.
It is recorded in the translator's note that Britain and France set up a Committee to discuss the value of goods in order to distribute them equally. The people of China (Qing Dynasty) in Haidian have crossed the fence and entered the park (Yuanmingyuan) ... What about the palace in the garden? . This record is evidenced by Wang's "The British and French Allied Forces set fire to and robbed Yuanmingyuan" in the late Qing Dynasty.
A considerable number of ordinary people in China directly participated in the looting and burning of Yuanmingyuan ... People from neighboring villages and Haidian kept on enriching themselves. They approached our camp outside the garden wall and talked with China soldiers in the camp. China soldiers climbed up one by one with ladders and entered the wall in an endless stream.
The most speechless thing is that when the British army ordered the Yuanmingyuan to be burned, the army had no firearms, only buckets and pots? Worried about the lack of arson materials? Haidian Chinese Chinese clothing, will it bring the fire line, straw and all the things that start the fire together? .
In the following decades, China people frequently visited Yuanmingyuan. What is the so-called? Sieve the soil, sieve the soil, and never lose money? To find the treasure that fell into the soil. In addition, it also involved cutting down trees and stealing building materials (including dismantling sporadic buildings), which eventually led to the complete destruction of Yuanmingyuan.
To sum up, it can be seen that the Qing government's cruelty to the British and French envoys was the fuse (even if it didn't, Britain and France might not grab it, but it was unlikely to burn it, which was not an excuse from Britain and France, but a realistic analysis). Since then, the French have set fire to and robbed the Yuanmingyuan on a small scale, while the British robbed and completely burned it. Many China people participated in the robbery and arson.
It is worth clarifying that there are many articles on the Internet that Gong Ju, the son of Gong Zizhen, led the British and French allied forces to burn the Yuanmingyuan. In fact, this is deceptive, and there is no rigorous historical evidence to prove it. Perhaps, the Qing government wanted to find a scapegoat. In fact, Yuanmingyuan is so big that someone needs to lead the way. Isn't this nonsense? Of course, there are also some people who say that the Eight Banners lead the way, but there is no historical evidence.
Regrettably, it seems that the Yuanmingyuan tragedy is a national humiliation, but the social elite of the Qing Dynasty is extremely calm. Zeng Guofan even said? In August of ten years, foreigners went to Beijing, and my ancestral temple could not be destroyed without injury. Now they are helping me to attack bandits in Shanghai, Ningbo and other places, which is good for me (the Qing government). I, China, should not forget greatness and blame smallness. ? A word? Don't hurt and destroy my ancestral temple? This is a virtue to me. As for burning Yuanmingyuan, it's just a trivial matter. Is there any justice in such a dynasty?