CHINESE MARITIME CUSTOMS 553 As the situation deteriorated at the end of the summer,a fierce debate broke out at court over whether the emperor should remain in Beijing,or flee to the Imperial hunting retreat at Rehe.Proponents of the retreat,including the leading Grand Councilor Sushun,and the General Senggelinqin,insisted that such an approach would get the emperor out of harm's way and avoid humiliation.Opponents, including Wenxiang,then an obscure Manchu official who had been appointed to the Emperor's chief advisory body,the Grand Council,two years earlier,feared that the emperor's departure would induce panic and government authority might disintegrate-and by implication would induce a dynastic collapse.10 And,as Wenxiang would later recall,with no easily defensible passes between Beijing and Rehe,where we could go,they could go.Our strength was utterly inadequate.'After vacillating briefly,the Xianfeng Emperor decided to flee accompanied by the bulk of his senior officials.A disappointed Wenxiang asked for permission to remain in the capital to keep order. The Emperor assented,placing Wenxiang in charge of the Beijing Gendarmerie,and assigned him,together with Prince Gong (the Emperor's younger brother),and a veteran official Guiliang(Prince Gong's father-in-law)to negotiate a settlement with the invading forces. This was a precarious assignment to say the least.Following the Emperor's departure Wenxiang returned to the city and found that the troops had not received rations for days,and 'I could hear the sound of people seething with insurrection from among the small lanes [of the city],and already there was looting.'Wenxiang opened the granaries and issued rations,and ordered the gendarmes to arrest looters and execute them on the spot.12 Order was gradually restored within the walled city,although banditry persisted outside.Prince Gong, Wenxiang and Guiliang established an ad hoc Peace Commission office,drafting into service middle and lower ranking officials who had remained in Beijing.The Peace Commission negotiated on one hand with the British and French,and on the other with the Russians, who had taken advantage of the situation to press their demands for redefining the northern boundaries.The negotiations went reasonably 10 The documents for this debate are in Chouban yiwu shimo,xianfeng (Chengdu Zhonghua shuju,1980)[hereafter YWSM-XF]7:2269-2301. Wenxiang,Wen wenzhong gong ziding nianpu'in idem.,Wen wenzhong gong shilue (-3ahCHINESE MARITIME CUSTOMS 553 As the situation deteriorated at the end of the summer, a fierce debate broke out at court over whether the emperor should remain in Beijing, or flee to the Imperial hunting retreat at Rehe. Proponents of the retreat, including the leading Grand Councilor Sushun, and the General Senggelinqin, insisted that such an approach would get the emperor out of harm’s way and avoid humiliation. Opponents, including Wenxiang, then an obscure Manchu official who had been appointed to the Emperor’s chief advisory body, the Grand Council, two years earlier, feared that the emperor’s departure would induce panic and government authority might disintegrate—and by implication would induce a dynastic collapse.10 And, as Wenxiang would later recall, with no easily defensible passes between Beijing and Rehe, ‘where we could go, they could go. Our strength was utterly inadequate.’11 After vacillating briefly, the Xianfeng Emperor decided to flee accompanied by the bulk of his senior officials. A disappointed Wenxiang asked for permission to remain in the capital to keep order. The Emperor assented, placing Wenxiang in charge of the Beijing Gendarmerie, and assigned him, together with Prince Gong (the Emperor’s younger brother), and a veteran official Guiliang (Prince Gong’s father-in-law) to negotiate a settlement with the invading forces. This was a precarious assignment to say the least. Following the Emperor’s departure Wenxiang returned to the city and found that the troops had not received rations for days, and ‘I could hear the sound of people seething with insurrection from among the small lanes [of the city], and already there was looting.’ Wenxiang opened the granaries and issued rations, and ordered the gendarmes to arrest looters and execute them on the spot.12 Order was gradually restored within the walled city, although banditry persisted outside. Prince Gong, Wenxiang and Guiliang established an ad hoc Peace Commission office, drafting into service middle and lower ranking officials who had remained in Beijing. The Peace Commission negotiated on one hand with the British and French, and on the other with the Russians, who had taken advantage of the situation to press their demands for redefining the northern boundaries. The negotiations went reasonably 10 The documents for this debate are in Chouban yiwu shimo, xianfeng (Chengdu Zhonghua shuju, 1980) [hereafter YWSM-XF] 7:2269–2301. 11 Wenxiang, ‘Wen wenzhong gong ziding nianpu’ in idem., Wen wenzhong gong shilue (n.p. 1882), 2:32–32b. 12 Ibid., 2:33