In The History Of The Manchu Dynasty He Will
Be Known As "Chinese Gordon"; Although For Us His Earlier Sobriquet Must
Needs Give Place, From His Heroic And Ever-Regrettable Death, To That Of
"Gordon Of Khartoum."
CHAPTER XXI
THE REGENCY
While the suppression of the Taeping Rebellion was in progress, events of
great interest and importance happened at Pekin. It will be recollected
that when the allied forces approached that city in 1860, the Emperor
Hienfung fled to Jehol, and kept himself aloof from all the peace
negotiations which were conducted to a successful conclusion by his
brother, Prince Kung. After the signature of the convention in Pekin,
ratifying the Treaty of Tientsin, he refused to return to his capital; and
he even seems to have hoped that he might, by asserting his imperial
prerogative, transfer the capital from Pekin to Jehol, and thus evade one
of the principal concessions to the foreigners. But if this was
impossible, he was quite determined, for himself, to have nothing to do
with them, and during the short remainder of his life he kept his court at
Jehol. While his brother was engaged in meeting the difficulties of
diplomacy, and in arranging the conditions of a novel situation, Hienfung,
by collecting round his person the most bigoted men of his family, showed
that he preferred those counselors who had learned nothing from recent
events, and who would support him in his claims to undiminished
superiority and inaccessibility. Prominent among the men in his confidence
was Prince Tsai, who had taken so discreditable a part in the arrest of
Parkes and his companions at Tungchow, and among his other advisers were
several inexperienced and impetuous members of the Manchu family.
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