254. Victorian Narcos: Fire Monkeys, Iron Gunships, & Peasant Warfare (Ep 8)

Hello and welcome to Empire with me, Anita Arnon. And me, William Durymple. Yes, and you join us in the midst of our Victorian narcos. Opium War series when thank you very much for all your kind comments about this. I'm really glad you're enjoying it as much as we are.

Um, shall I just remind you where we were at the last episode? So we left you with the Nemesis, fabulously named, ironclad sort of suit of armour of a ship that's been sent by Palmerston. Um, I think William described it like a stealth bomber last time, that is going to be used against the wooden ships of the Chinese. So the British invade China on the pretext of protecting free trade, that's what they're arguing.

Actually, the plan has been entirely formulated by this duo, this dynamic or dire duo, Matheson and Jardine, who has managed to find himself a tiny corner of Palmerston's office and is whispering into his ear constantly that, you know what, if we actually go for this, we can get quite a lot out of this. Hong Kong, for example, this island that actually nobody very much cares about. could be yours. It sits at the mouth of the Pearl River. And then, you know, we could attack Canton and we could get the ports and, you know, nothing could stop us.

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