Many Cohong merchants and their families leave…
May 1841 CE
Rumors spread that Chinese divers are being trained to drill holes in the hulls of British ships, and that fleets of fire rafts are being prepared for deployment against the Royal Navy.
During the buildup, the Qing army is weakened by infighting between units and lack of confidence in Yishan, who openly distrusts Cantonese civilians and soldiers, instead choosing to rely on forces drawn from other Chinese provinces.
On May 20, Yishan had issued a statement, asking the "people of Canton, and all foreign merchants who are respectfully obedient, not to tremble with alarm and be frightened out of their wits at the military hosts that are gathering around, there being no probability of hostilities."
The next day Elliot requests that all British merchants evacuate the city by sundown, and several warships are recalled to their positions in front of Canton.
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