Opium War Page #4

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a greater evil than the opium smugglers!

The reputation and morality

of this Celestial Empire...

are ruined by scoundrels like you

As officials appointed

by the Imperial Court,

you should be examples

to the general public

There's a question I want to ask you

Can anyone of you dare to say that

I...

you have never received a bribe?

If you can, come forward and

receive my three bows of respect

Put him in jail

Keep any eye on him day and night

Someone might kill him

to evade prosecution

Your Excellency, I...

The Yihe Company fabricated...

these secret account books to frame you

and to redeem He Jingrong

How stupid they are!

Your Excellency, I...

To err is human

Your Excellency

General Guan, it's you who should

receive my three bows of respect

Your Excellency,

I'm no scholar, but a soldier

I didn't understand

the couplet on the wall until now

I'm willing to face any danger and to do

whatever Your Excellency wants me to

I pledge my life to fight

for our common cause

with Your Excellency

Fighting opium will be

a lengthy struggle

Now that we three are...

in the same boat,

we must work hard together

to eradicate this opium

that poisons our country

Well gentlemen,

it's good to see the flag still flying

I'm here, by the Grace of God

Now, in the face of this unexpected

Chinese violation of

our limited resources

and indeed the dignity of the Queen

I'm henceforward taking

full responsibility...

for the property and the well-being

of the British community here in China

They're savages!

They're bottling us up to death

We want our ships back

We want our cargo!

We've been here long enough, gentlemen

Kill them!

We've been stuck here for a long time

I'm not turning in my opium,

not one ounce

Gentlemen...

Let's not lose our heads

Now, trade is booming here

Don't let's kill the goose

that lays the golden egg

Are you with me?

What choice do we have?

What plan you have in mind?

Very well, I'll arrange safe passage...

for you all to leave Guangzhou,

in the next ten days

What about our opium?

In the next ten days,

I said, having first handed-in

all your opium stocks

Every last ounce of it

I'd better stay!

You're out of your mind, Captain Elliot

I've never heard of such lunacy

Well... if it isn't Mr. Denton

Risen from the gutter by cheating,

swindling and embezzling and tax evasion

Would you like me to carry on listing

your crimes against

Her Majesty's government?

That's slander, Captain Elliot

As for you, Mr. White,

I remember you from the Spanish Maine,

you're nothing more than a smuggler

How dare you?

What about you, Lawrence?

There's not much left in Britain for you

is there? Except for 5 years in jail

You're all fat greedy, rogues,

everyone of you

I'm not here

to help you line your pockets

I'm here to protect

Great Britain's trade with China

Now, here is what I propose

I'm offering you all a guarantee of

full indemnity against all your losses

Who's going to pay?

How much are you going to pay?

And what authority, may I ask,

do you have to offer such warranties?

Does the British government

know it will cost them

I will say in excess of

What's the prime minister going

to have to say about that?

We have to wait and see

Well, Denton. And in any event

we don't have much choice, do we?

What do you mean?

We're blockaded, are we not?

You want to sit here in this hell hole

until we rot?

No!

You call me a criminal

They'll hang you back home for this

Don't mind about me

The Chinese have got you all in a noose

Now, they all want a guarantee

I shall be signing them in my office

Your Majesty,

The English merchants...

are subdued by your heavenly power

and have surrendered all the opium

in their possession

Thus the opium catastrophe that

has plagued China for a hundred years

is completely eradicated

and the untamed overseas nationals...

are rendered subservient

to the Celestial Empire

I, Miannin,

the emperor of the Great Qing

humbly report to the Imperial Heaven

and Land and to the reverent ancestors:

The opium catastrophe that has plagued

this land for a hundred years

is completely eradicated

in April, the 19th year

of the reign of Emperor Daoguang

Hence the heavenly rules

are strengthened

and the whole land is brought to peace

Send my order to Lin Zexu:

All the confiscated opium

is to be destroyed in public

Witnessed by the people

at home and front abroad

so that the untamed overseas nationals

Upon the order of His Majesty,

destroy the opium now!

Upon the order of His Majesty,

destroy the opium now

Upon the order of His Majesty,

destroy the opium now

Your Excellency, it's time now

To the English Queen...

from the Imperial Commissioner

Lin Zexu...

I know you're very pleased

with yourself, Elliot

you've sold us down the river,

they are treating us like scum

Go, Go...

because he has considered it

as beneficial to the people all

over the world

Therefore what I'm imposing

is a ban on opium,

not trade

You all should be grateful

to the celestial kindness,

and abide by the Law

Damn you, Elliot! Damn you to hell!

Danton, wait

Don't be such an obstinate fool

You're a traitor to us and

to your country

Listen to me, Denton

I want you to take this letter

to Lord Palmerston

What am I now, your errand boy?

In person. Please

Tell him what's going on here

Tell him the Chinese has just burnt

of the British government

British government stock?

That opium was ours

You all have copies of my guarantee

Well, the opium they've just burnt

is now officially the property

of our Majesty's government

Do you pretend that

your guarantee still holds good?

Of course!

Damn it, Elliot, you know perfectly well

that the British government...

will never part me eight million pounds?

No, perhaps not

But they might be persuaded to make sure

that somebody else does

Someone else? You mean the Chinese?

Precisely!

You're cunning devil, Elliot

You're sending me back home

to promote the war!

God help me. I'll leave right away

What's that?

The Imperial Commissioner wants you

to give this letter to your Queen

You told Lin that we will never withdraw

We'll wait off shore

That's where Britain's strength lies

Let's see!

You tell Lin that

we'll be back at Guangzhou!

Do you think...

the British would declare a war on us?

Well... I really don't know

Mr. Denton for the East India company's

bought us...

news of the deteriorating situation

in Guangzhou

Lives, properties of the citizens

are being threatened

British commercial chambers have formed

themselves a powerful lobby to...

To exert pressure from all directions

upon the government for

military interference

Merchants are interested only in money

Far more important is that the Chinese

do not treat us

with equality and fairness

We shall not let them insult the dignity

and honour of her Majesty the Queen

The government is not involved

in the opium trade

that is a free trade conducted

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