Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/72

 our arms at Chên-hai. Then it was that the error of all these hasty arrangements was manifest: but no irreparable disaster had yet occurred, as our total losses did not exceed 300 men. The position at Ts'z-k'i was again re-occupied with 1,700 men, and the city itself was guarded by volunteers. YIKKING neglected alike to decapitate the cowardly generals, and to himself advance up to Shang-yü; and, as the commander of the local volunteers at Ts'z-k'i was sent for to consult on the situation, the volun- teers found themselves left without a head, and so dispersed. A week later, the enemy sent steam- launches to burn our fire-boats, and landed between 2,000 and 3,000 men to attack our position near Ts'z-k'i: as before, their boats were withdrawn to prevent the men from thinking of retreat. Colonel CHU met them with 400 of his men armed with gingalls. Over 400 foreign soldiers were killed, including their chief PA-MEH-TSUN [? Bramston], not one of our men being even wounded behind their shelter. If at this moment the foreigners could only have been taken in the rear, we might have gained a complete victory; or even if we had had a few hundred men to guard the rear of our position on the hill, we might at least have prevented a defeat. WÊNWEI's camp was only a few miles off; but he refused to send any re-inforce-