#320 - Opium War 5: Bayonets In the Dragon's Teeth

Britain carries the Opium War to Beijing's unready doorstep with steam and iron, moving the crisis from the border frontiers to the heart of the imperial court itself. As imperial defenses strain and diplomacy replaces defiance, the two empires probe each other’s resolve – and discover that both of their understandings of the other have been built on little more than smoke. Time Period Covered: July 1840 – March 1841 Major Historical Figures:The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850] Qishan, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Zhili [d. 1854] Yiliang...