The Opium Wars and the Green Standard Army's Last Stand cover art

The Opium Wars and the Green Standard Army's Last Stand

The Opium Wars and the Green Standard Army's Last Stand

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Episode 94 of The Opium Wars takes an unflinching look at the Green Standard Army, the Qing dynasty's corrupt and underfunded military force that was tasked with defending China's coastline during the First Opium War. We trace the army's origins from the Ming dynasty to its collapse against British steamships and rockets. Along the way, we meet Commissioner Lin Zexu, who demanded the Green Standard Army enforce his anti-opium campaign but was betrayed by his own officials. We follow the tragic fate of Admiral Guan Tianpei, who died defending the Bogue Forts, and examine how the British, led by Charles Elliot and later Sir Henry Pottinger, exploited the army's weaknesses. The episode also explores the Green Standard's brutal crackdown on the Tanka boat people, who smuggled opium under their noses, and concludes with the humiliating Treaty of Nanking, which signaled the end of the Chinese world order. This is a story of hubris, neglect, and the human cost of imperial collapse. #OpiumWars #GreenStandardArmy #QingDynasty #LinZexu #GuanTianpei #BogueForts #HMSNemesis #CharlesElliot #HenryPottinger #TreatyOfNanking #TankaPeople #CrabBoats #DaoguangEmperor #ChineseMilitary #FirstOpiumWar #ColonialHistory #EastAsia #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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