The opium war could have been avoided.
1840 In April, an important debate was being held in the British Parliament. The theme of the debate is: "Should the British mainland send an expeditionary force to China?"
In the long debate, Sir Staunton made an outstanding performance, and his speech attracted everyone's attention. Whenever it is his turn to speak, others will deliberately quiet down, just to hear his expression clearly, and everyone will listen carefully. Sir Staunton said very decisively, "This war is inevitable. Only by conquering China can the rulers get what they want. "
Sir Staunton's speech went like this: "Before starting this campaign, we all hope that China can sit down and negotiate to solve this problem peacefully. However, according to my understanding of the character of the Chinese nation and feudal rulers, they will not give in easily unless we suppress them by force. Only by force can we get the results we want. " Therefore, he believes that the battle to conquer China is inevitable.
Later, Sir Staunton went on to say, "If we can't get a foothold in China, then the Indians will crowd us out and disrespect us. This situation will spread all over the world, and we will have no place to stand. So we are preparing for a world war, and the outcome of the war will certainly have a great impact. Moreover, the outcome of the war has nothing to do with influence. If we lose this war, we don't need to participate. If we want to win this war, we can't choose to give up. "
Sir Staunton's speech influenced the members' views on this matter. After his speech, there was warm applause. After the debate, everyone began to vote. There are 27/kloc-0 members who support the war and 262 members who oppose it, with a difference of only 9 votes. If it weren't for Sir Staunton's speech, the centrists would definitely be in the majority, that is, the Opium War would not have broken out.
At that time, many members of the House of Representatives trusted Sir Staunton very much. After all, when he visited China at the age of thirteen, he was not only cordially received by Emperor Qianlong, but also given special care by Emperor Qianlong. He is very familiar with the rulers of the Qing Dynasty.
So why did Sir Staunton visit China when he was young? Because, he is the son of Stanton, deputy envoy of Ma Gorni Mission, and his father took him with him when he went to China. When Mani Gorni visited China, Sir Staunton was treated as a trainee waiter. In the fifty-eighth year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong met with Ma Gorni, a foreign envoy, and Sir Staunton, who was responsible for carrying cloaks for envoys, also met with Emperor Qianlong.
During his stay in China, Sir Staunton did not have any specific tasks. After doing nothing all day, he began to learn Chinese. Because the child's learning ability is much stronger than that of adults, he quickly mastered Chinese learning skills and learned a lot of daily communication. When Ma Gorni introduced Sir Staunton to the emperor, he also specifically mentioned that the child could speak Chinese.
Therefore, emperor Qianlong naturally regarded Sir Staunton with special respect or new views. After that, the original boring and serious audience process was broken. Emperor Qianlong asked Sir Staunton to come closer and let him speak Chinese. Sir Staunton speaks fluent Chinese and praises Emperor Qianlong from time to time, which makes him very happy. Later, Emperor Qianlong found a purse from himself and gave it to Sir Staunton.
Perhaps in the eyes of the British, the purse given by the emperor is not expensive, but in the eyes of China, it is a gift. The emperor's personal reward must be a special reward. Because, in the eyes of China people, everything about the emperor is priceless. Sir Staunton knew what China people thought and thought it was a huge reward, so he kept the wallet.
However, Sir Staunton, who returned to his motherland, did not forget his knowledge of Chinese. Perhaps this trip to China inspired him to study Chinese harder. It seems that he can predict that he will go to China in the future. Great changes have taken place in Sir Staunton's career because he can speak Chinese. 1798 was hired as a branch clerk by the East India Company and was based in Guangzhou for a long time.
Before long, he was promoted to Commissioner-General and stayed in China for 18 years. During the Jiaqing period, he joined the British mission in China, but this mission was not successful, which made him give up the idea of establishing peaceful diplomatic relations with China. 18 17 returned to Britain and served as a member of the house of commons. Sir Staunton's experience in China made him have an indissoluble bond with China, and he likes China very much.
Later, he built a China Pavilion in the city and named it "Gu Ting Lai Garden", and the most distinctive building should be this ancient Chinese pavilion like a lighthouse.
In addition, Sir Staunton spent ten years translating the Laws of the Qing Dynasty, which is the first English document translated into Chinese. In addition, his works include 18 16 Documentary of the British Mission's Visit to Beijing and British-Chinese Business Investigation. He compiled all his knowledge of China into a book for the British to learn. 1823, Sir Staunton and Henry founded the Royal Society of Asia, and he became a famous sinologist in history.
Such a person who has deep feelings for China naturally has the most say in China. However, China's plot cultivated since childhood did not prevent him from interfering in China's diplomacy by force, even if it was the emperor's purse. In fact, China's experience made him feel humiliated, and he always reminded himself to take tough measures against China. Because, in his eyes, only stupid people would think of solving problems through peaceful means.