Page:Chinese account of the Opium war (IA chineseaccountof00parkrich).pdf/82

 falling at the hands of his own men, and Chinkiang was then given over to plunder and massacre. Tho Ningpo barbarian chieftain POTTINGER wished to proceed thence to Tientsin at once; but MORRISON prevented him, saying:—"This is the key to China's rice-tribute supply, and as long as we keep our finger on it, we shall have our own way;" and he did not go. At this moment there were over eighty foreign ships thundering in the river, and reaching up as far as I-chêng, where all the salt- junks were set on fire, notwithstanding the offer of Tls. 500,000 on the part of the Yang-chow salt- merchants. On the 9th of August the ships had all reached Nanking, and the Emperor, anxious about the tribute-rice communications, gave K‘I-YING carte blanche to act as he should see fit. The enemy had already received the King's instructions not to insist upon a military indemnity or the value of the opium, if only trading privileges were extended to the other provinces; and no more opium would come to China. It was for this reason that the foreign army left Ningpo in May, and issued a "proclamation" at Cha-p‘u, saying that they were going to Tientsin to seek peace in accordance with the King's commands. ILIPU now sent CHANG HI and