Yijing (nobleman)

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Yijing (* 1791 ; † 1853 ) was a Manschuadliger and, as the nephew of Emperor Daoguang, belonged to the high nobility of the Chinese Empire during the Qing Dynasty . In the First Opium War he led an unsuccessful offensive against the British and was involved in initiating the peace negotiations on the Treaty of Nanjing .

Origin and education

Yijing originally descended from Emperor Yongzheng . and nephew of the Emperor Daoguang, Yijing belonged as a prince to the closest circle around the emperor. Like other members of the ruling family, he passed a simplified version of the official examination .

Career at the helm of Qing State

In 1816 he took up a position in the emperor's bodyguard. As a result, he received several high offices, among other things he was Minister for the Imperial Palaces and Gardens, Chief Minister for Personnel Issues and also held a position at the Emperor's Grand Secretariat. In 1830 he took part in a campaign in Central Asia under General Changking.

First opium war

During the First Opium War, he was entrusted by Daoguang in October 1841 with leading a counter-offensive against the British in southern China. Due to his lack of military experience, he only carried out eight-week consultations with around 400 dignitaries in order to draw up a war plan. The war plan was before 20 000 yong from the south. In addition, 6,000 regular soldiers and 10 000 yong from the north. The Yong from the south should perform reconnaissance tasks in the fight against the British and, if necessary, carry out raids in small units on the British. The Yong from the north were to be used in small units in the occupied cities of Ningbo , Zhenhai and Dinghai to drive the British out. The regular troops were to serve as reserves. Likewise, the war plan recommended bringing Lin Zexu back to the south to strengthen the morale of the soldiers and called for the execution of military leaders who had withdrawn in the previous defeats. The counteroffensive failed unsuccessfully in March 1842 due to the military inferiority of the Chinese troops and the lack of artillery.

Together with the Manschuadl keying , Yijing began peace negotiations without any formal instructions from the emperor. After the war, he was first sentenced to death by Daoguang for defeatism. However, the sentence was not carried out. Instead, Yijing was exiled to Xinjian , where he died of malaria in 1853 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Mao Haijian: The Qing Empire and the Opium War. Cambridge 2016, pp. 324-335
  2. ↑ Julia Lovell: The Opium War. London, 2011 pp. 192f
  3. ↑ Mao Haijian: The Qing Empire and the Opium War. Cambridge 2016, p. 396
  4. ↑ Julia Lovell: The Opium War. London, 2011 pp. 208, 364
personal data
SURNAME Yijing
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese official and Manchu nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 1791
DATE OF DEATH 1853