In the 15th year of Daoguang (1835), when Deng Tingzhen was the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, opium had already changed from medicinal materials to drugs with smuggling as the main form, and a large number of drugs were illegally imported into China, which led to the proliferation of tobacco drugs and the outflow of silver in China, seriously endangering the national economy and people's livelihood. Disagreements about whether the opium trade should be relaxed or banned have begun to emerge. In April of the 16th year of Daoguang (1June, 836), Xu Naiji, Shao Qing of Taichang Temple, formally put forward the idea of loosening the rules. After receiving Xu Naiji's memorial, Daoguang Emperor specially replied to Deng Tingzhen, Guangdong Governor Qi Gong and Guangdong Customs Commissioner Wen Xiang. In the 16th year of Daoguang (1836, 1 1), they jointly played on the second day of September, expressing their agreement with Xu Naiji's theory of loosening the ban, saying that "it is true to abuse the past" and "if traffic is loosened, it will really benefit the national economy and people's livelihood." Deng Tingzhen and others developed and concretized Xu Naiji's prohibition theory, and prepared to put it into practice. It completely legalized the import, transportation and cultivation of opium, and it was widely circulated in Guangzhou at that time, with extremely bad influence. "The people who sell vegetables are beaming and blatant." However, with the development of the situation, faced with the grim reality that opium trade will lead to national peril, especially after Xu Naiji's theory of relaxing the ban was refuted by Zhu Wei, Xu Qiu, Yuan Yulin and others and condemned by fair public opinion, in Guangdong, the first gateway of opium smuggling trade, Deng Tingzhen re-examined his past idea of relaxing the ban and seriously implemented the ban policy. After some investigation and study, he took some drastic measures, informed the British commercial supervisor through Wu, general manager of Thirteen Foreign Firms, and ordered all opium barges moored at home and abroad to return home, and were not allowed to stay, let alone enter Guangzhou Port. However, because Britain refused to give up the huge profits of their opium trade easily and continued its rampant smuggling activities, and because officials secretly accepted bribes and colluded with opium smugglers, its implementation was in name only, and in fact it did not receive effective results.
Strengthen coastal defense and face provocation
In the seventeenth year of Daoguang (1837), the British Commercial Supervision Law and opium dealers Chaton, Diandi and James James Matheson deliberately undermined the opium ban, encouraged the British bourgeois government to send troops and threatened China to ban smoking by force, so as to expand and legalize the opium trade. Armed opium smugglers broke into Huangpu Port again to sell opium privately with the support of the righteous law. Deng Tingzhen severely condemned the unreasonable provocation of Yifa, and named nine opium traffickers, including Chaton, Diandi and so on, to be handed over and expelled. However, the robber behavior of Yili Law was planned and implemented together with opium dealers. Backed by force, he refused to hand over opium dealers or expel them. In this regard, Deng Tingzhen insisted on an uncompromising policy, forcing the threat of righteousness and law to be invalid and had to withdraw from Guangzhou automatically. In this year, Matalun, commander of the East India Defence Fleet supported by the British government, led more than 500 soldiers and their families to Macau, claiming to inspect trade as commercial supervisors. Deng Tingzhen ordered the divisions of the Marine Corps to closely guard the gates of the fortresses and strictly patrol. And solemnly declared that Matarun's entry into Guangzhou was against the laws of China, and he resolutely drove Matarun away, which made Matarun's armed provocation unsuccessful.
Deng Tingzhen carefully organized the navy divisions of Guangdong East, West and Middle Road to strengthen coastal defense. Urge the navy prefect Guan Tianpei to set up a prefect's office in Shajiao, closely monitor and control the middle road and Haikou, climb the mountain with Guan Tianpei, and carefully design the construction of three lines of defense in Humen. In addition, they also made unannounced visits and closed hundreds of kiln entrances in the mainland, arrested smuggled and stranded ships in inland rivers and oceans, and prohibited smuggled ships and any ships in the mainland from approaching opium barges that had been parked in inland and oceans for a long time, making it impossible for British opium barges to sell opium.
Cooperate with Lin Zexu to sell cigarettes.
In the 18th year of Daoguang (1June, 838), after Huang Jue, secretary of crack hon temple, played "Please guard against leakage", Daoguang considered the interests of feudal rule, especially after seeing Lin Zexu hit the nail on the head in his ban on smoking, and decided to adopt a ban policy. On the one hand, Xu Naiji, who openly advocated the theory of prohibition of alcohol, was demoted to a top hat with six products. And ordered Deng Tingzhen and Guangdong Governor Yiliang to make joint efforts with Lin Zexu in the spirit of inspiring and coordinating. Deng Tingzhen was very excited to learn that Lin Zexu was going to Guangdong. On Lin Zexu's way to Guangdong, Deng Tingzhen wrote a letter to Lin Zexu, promising that "the disloyal people are like the sea" and expressing his willingness to "work together to eliminate the source of the great disaster in China".
Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou on January 25th in the 19th year of Daoguang (1March 839 10) and began to ban smoking. Deng Tingzhen actively supported and worked closely with Lin Zexu, and became a close collaborator of Lin Zexu in promoting smoking ban in Guangdong. In a short time, they arrested opium dealers in the mainland, raided kiln entrances, cracked down on the expulsion of armed opium barges, and personally supervised the collection of more than 20,000 boxes and 2 million kilograms of opium in Humen. It was destroyed at Humen Beach from April 22nd to May15th (June 3rd to 25th), which declared the justice of smoking ban in China to the whole world. In the coastal defense construction of Humen, Deng Tingzhen often accompanied Lin Zexu to study in Haikou, put forward constructive suggestions and cooperated tacitly.
As the governor of Yunnan, Guizhou, Fujian and Zhejiang
In the 19th year of Daoguang (1840 65438+ 10), in December, the Qing government transferred Deng Tingzhen as Governor of Yungui and Governor of Liangjiang, but he has not yet arrived. Deng Tingzhen was transferred to the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang because Du Yanshi, the Taoist supervisor of Shaanxi Province, reported that Fujian banned smoking and coastal defense needed to be investigated. He also specially ordered Qi Juanzao, the right assistant minister of the official department, and Huang Juezi, the left assistant minister of the criminal department, to investigate the case and "combine defense."
Deng Tingzhen from Guangdong to Fujian actively strengthened coastal defense construction. He, Qi Juanzao, Huang Jue and others decided to build a 500-foot stone wall on Huli Mountain, which stands out in the southern part of Xiamen Island, and build barracks and flexible and practical gun piers behind the stone wall. There are 100 iron cannons on Xiamen Island, and more than 160 iron cannons on Gulangyu Island and Yuzai Port opposite. He also mobilized Zhangzhou, Tongan, Xinghua, Yanping Lu Bing and Yong Yong to cooperate in defense, which greatly improved the coastal defense capability of Xiamen Island in Fujian, and used the 14 guns he bought from Guangdong. The British invaders called it a "long battery". They also formulated a new coastal defense charter, instructing amphibious divisions to jointly attack or cooperate with British armed merchant ships and warships at sea, pursue and intercept opium dealers in the mainland, and curb their collusion with British opium dealers in selling opium. When Deng Tingzhen banned opium, he also punished criminals who used imported foreign money in Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and other places, and exchanged silver for casting money privately.
During Deng Tingzhen's term as governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, he made great efforts to rectify Fujian and Zhejiang in view of the lax armament, weak defense ability and lax coastal defense. Naval officers and men who are familiar with coastal defense and have strong water skills have been deployed, and a large number of water brave men have been recruited to strengthen preventive measures. While recruiting troops in Quanzhou to strengthen training, he observed the changes in Zhejiang's coastal defense and prepared to personally supervise Zhejiang. Later, he gave up because Daoguang sent another imperial minister, Ilib, to Zhejiang to handle military affairs. Deng Tingzhen has made great achievements in investigating opium, promoting the anti-smoking movement and building coastal defense in Guangdong and Fujian. However, British and American opium merchants, with the support of their own bourgeois governments, carried out armed provocations, deliberately sabotaged the anti-smoking movement, and domestic capitulationists and mainland opium merchants set up numerous obstacles, which made Deng Tingzhen and others fail to achieve the goal of putting an end to opium trade and opium imports.
Loyal ministers have no way to serve the country.
On the third day of September in the 20th year of Daoguang (1September 28th, 840), framed by the capitulators, Daoguang ordered the removal of Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen, appointed Qishan as an imperial envoy, succeeded Lin Zexu as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and asked Deng Tingzhen to return to Guangdong immediately during his term as governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. The vigorous anti-smoking campaign is really over here.
In the process of negotiation with Yi-Fa, Qishan discussed with Deng Tingzhen whether Xiamen and Hongkong could be ceded to Britain as commercial ports. Deng Tingzhen strongly opposes it. He said: "Xiamen is the gateway to Fujian. People living in Xiamen can get a glimpse of the mainland, while people living in Penghu and Taiwan Province Province are isolated and unable to contact with each other. This is extremely harmful and unreasonable. In other words, Hong Kong is also in the middle of Yuehai Road, with the outer ring of Tsim Sha Tsui and a nepotism island. It is often coveted by foreign ships to avoid storms. Once given, they will build a battery and then they will protect themselves. After entering, they will spy on Huangpu, a cargo ship in Guangdong. There are hundreds of people living in the official museum. They should all be in Hong Kong, which is not good. "
In the 20th year of Daoguang (18465438+ 1 year1October 7th), on December 15th, the first line of defense in Humen was breached when the French suddenly attacked Shajiao and Dajiaobao. Although both Deng Tingzhen and Lin Zexu were dismissed at this time, out of patriotism, they personally went to the Governor's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi to urge Qishan to send troops to support them, but Qishan turned a deaf ear to "nothing to discuss".
In April of the 21st year of Daoguang (184 1), Daoguang reversed right and wrong and accused Deng Tingzhen of being lazy and not rectifying in Guangdong for many years. The rehearsal was empty, costly and useless, so that the Battle of Humen was irresistible. He received a heavier punishment and was sent to Yili to atone for his sins. It was not until July of the 23rd year of Daoguang (1843) that it was recalled. He was appointed as the deployment envoy of Gansu and sent to Yinchuan, Long Tao and Jiuquan to investigate the wasteland. After careful investigation in Deng Tingzhen, it was found that there were 19400 mu of cultivated land, 1500 hectares of cultivated land and 100 hectares of cultivated land owned by Ningxia Racecourse. Cultivated land is promoted to the Ministry, and people are recruited to cultivate, and two products are rewarded. In the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang (1845), he was transferred to the governor of Shaanxi, acting as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and then returned to the governor of Shaanxi. During this period, he kept in touch with Lin Zexu. In the 26th year of Daoguang (1846 April 15), he died on March 20th at the age of 7 1 year.