Yuqian 裕謙

Yü-ch'ien (Yukien) 裕謙 (T. 衣谷, 魯山 H. 舒亭, known as Yü-t'ai 裕泰 until 1826), 1793-1841, Oct. 11, official, belonged to the Borjigit clan and the Mongol Bordered Yellow Banner. His great-grandfather, Bandi [q.v.], the first Duke Ch'êng-yung (誠勇公), committed suicide in 1755 near Ili during the revolt of Amursana [q.v.]. His grandfather, Balu (see under Bandi), the second duke, fought under Chao-hui [q.v.] in the conquest of Turkestan, and served as military governor of Chahar (1768-70). His father, Ch'ing-lin 慶林 (麟) or the third duke, served in Tibet as Imperial Agent (1786-89, January), but because of mismanagement of border troubles with the Gurkhas (see under Fu-k'ang-an), was discharged and deprived of his hereditary rank. The dukedom was given to Kuan-hui 官惠, a cousin of Ch'ing-lin.

Yü-ch'ien was well versed in Chinese literature. In 1817 he became a chin-shih and was selected a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. In 1819, when the bachelors were graded, he was discharged from the Academy and was appointed an expectant secretary in the Board of Ceremonies. After a delay of five years he received the secretaryship, and a year later was promoted to be an assistant department director in the same Board. In 1826 he was sent to Hupeh as prefect of Ching-chou-fu. Up to this time his name was Yü-t'ai (see above), but because his superior, Yü-t'ai (see under Chih-jui), then financial commissioner of Hunan (1826-31), had the same name, he was ordered to change it to Yü-ch'ien. In 1829 he was transferred to Wuchang where he served for five years.

In 1834 Yü-ch'ien was promoted to be an intendant in Hupeh, but was soon made provincial judge of Kiangsu. In the years 1836-38 he retired to mourn the death of his mother and to convalesce from an illness. But in 1838 he was again sent to Kiangsu as provincial judge and in 1839 was made financial commissioner and concurrently acting governor of the same province. Early in 1840 he became full governor and as such was known for his strict enforcement of the law. In August, after the First British War had extended to Tinghai, Chekiang, he became acting governor-general of Kiangsu, Kiangsi, and Anhwei-the governor-general, I-li-pu [q.v.], being sent as Imperial Commissioner to Chekiang. During the following five months Yü-ch'ien spent most of his time at Pao-shan and in Shanghai, preparing the defenses of these cities. He disapproved of the conciliatory policy of Ch'i-shan [q.v.] and of I-Ii-pu, and maintained, late in 1840, that Tinghai could easily be recovered by force. His memorial about a proposed attack on Tinghai reached Peking just when Emperor Hsüan-tsung was determined to ignore the peace negotiations of Ch'i-shan at Canton and make war on England. The Emperor sent troops to Canton (see under I-shan) and urged I-li-pu to attack Tinghai from Chinhai on the mainland. In the meantime, however, Ch'i-shan had signed a truce with Elliot (see under Lin Tse-hsü) which ceded Hong Kong in return for Chuenpi and Tinghai. I-li-pu, acting in accordance with information from Ch'i-shan, waited until the British returned Tinghai peaceably. But by refusing to recover Tinghai by force he greatly displeased the Emperor. On February 10, 1841, I-li-pu was ordered back to Kiangsu and Yü-ch'ien was made Imperial Commissioner to take charge of the attack on Tinghai. But before I-li-pu handed over his post to Yü-ch'ien he sent troops to receive Tinghai when it was evacuated by the British on February 24. Yü-ch'ien arrived on the 27th, pleased perhaps that the British had withdrawn; but he probably interpreted this as a sign of weakness on the part of the British, or as fear of his presence. He tortured several British captives to death and executed those natives on the Chusan Islands who were reported as having had relations with the invaders. He despised Ch'i-shan and I-li-pu for yielding to the foreigners and collected evidence that I-li-pu had corresponded and had exchanged presents with the British. As I-li-pu was incriminated on this evidence, and was removed, his post of governor-general was given to Yü-ch'ien. At this time the Emperor thought that British operations could be confined to Canton and actually ordered the withdrawal of some troops from Chekiang to the interior. Yu-ch'ien was ordered to go to his new post at Nanking, leaving the defense of Chekiang to Governor Liu Yün-k'o 劉韻珂 (T. 玉坡, d. 1853) and General Yü Pu-yün 余步雲 (T. 紫松, d. 1842).

When reports of possible British operations north of Canton reached Peking, Yü-ch'ien was again sent to Chekiang (July 1841) to look after the defenses. He vigorously fortified Tinghai and strengthened the garrison, particularly after the fall of Amoy on August 26. But despite his efforts, the British took Tinghai for the second time after a short engagement (October 1). One Chinese general was killed in action, two committed suicide, and the garrison was dispersed. The attack and capture of Chinhai took place on October 10. Yü-ch'ien directed the fighting there and when he perceived that the defense had collapsed he leaped into a pond to drown himself. Rescued, he was carried away in retreat, but died the following day. According to some accounts, he tock opium or poison to escape his disgrace. In fact, when the Emperor first heard of the loss of Chinhai he ordered that Yü-ch'ien be investigated and punished, but after he was told that Yü-ch'ien had died he granted him posthumous honors. A special temple to the memory of Yu-ch'ien was erected in Chinhai after the recovery of that port, and he was canonized as Ching-chieh 靖節公. Since he left no male heir, a nephew was designated as his adopted son and was granted two minor hereditary ranks. Blame for the reverses in Chekiang was then heaped on Yü Pu-yun, the provincial commander-in-chief, who retreated before the British advance on Chinhai and Ningpo. Yü Pu-yün was arrested in 1842, was tried in Peking, and was beheaded for cowardice. It appears that the Court had to find a scape-goat, and Yü was the unfortunate victim,

After Yu-ch'ien died, a. collection of his works was printed under the title Yü Ching-chieh kung i-shu (遺書), 12 chüan, the last chüan comprising 16 documents written by him in the course of the Anglo-Chinese War. Other papers which he wrote while serving as prefect at Chingchou and at Wuchang were printed (about 1832) in the latter city under the title 勉益齋偶存稿 Mien-i chai ou-ts'un kao, 8 chüan. A continuation, containing his documents written from 1832 to 1840, entitled Mien-i chai hsü (續) ts'un kao, 16 chüan, was printed about 1840. These two collections were reprinted in 1876 under the new title (正續) 外吏規型 (Cheng-hsü) Wai-li kuei-hsing.

[1/378/la; 2/37/46a; 3/373/41a; 5/55/la; 1/377/5a; 1/379/5a; (see bibl. under Ch'i-ying).]

FANG CHAO-YING

Boerjijite Yuqian 博爾濟吉特裕謙 《清代人物生卒年表》定其生卒年為乾隆58年~道光21年。 【參考《清代人物生卒年表》#23420.】

《清史稿》卷372

裕謙，原名裕泰，字魯山，博羅忒氏，蒙古鑲黃旗人，一等誠勇公班第曾孫，綏遠城將軍巴祿孫。父慶麟，京口副都統。

裕謙，嘉慶二十二年進士，選庶吉士。散館改禮部主事，遷員外郎。道光六年，出為湖北荊州知府，始改今名。調武昌，歷荊宜施道、江蘇按察使。十九年，就遷布政使，署巡撫，尋實授。

二十年，英兵陷定海，伊里布奉命往剿，裕謙代署兩江總督。時英艦游奕海門外洋，江南戒嚴。 裕謙 赴寶山、上海籌防，檄徐州鎮總兵王志元，佐提督陳化成防海口。疏陳規復定海之策，可無慮者四，難緩待者六，謂各省皆可言守，浙江必應議戰，且應速戰。又疏劾琦善五罪，略曰：「英人至天津，僅五船耳，琦善大張其事，遽稱：『畿疆、遼、瀋處處可虞，後來之艦尚多，勢將遍擾南北』。冀聳聽聞，以掩其武備廢弛之咎。張皇欺飾，其罪一。英酋回粵以來，驕桀日甚，琦善惟責兵將謝過，別未設籌，將士解體，軍心沮喪。彼軍乘敝，遂衄我師。我船砲縱不如彼，兵數何啻十倍。琦善不防後路，事敗委過前人。試思琦善未至粵時，未聞失機，其又何說？弛備損威，其罪二。沙角、大角砲臺既失，自應迅駐虎門，乃其奏中不及剿堵事，惟以覆書緩兵為詞，且囑浙省勿進兵。旋以給香港、即日通商定議，不俟交還定海後奏允奉行。違例擅權，其罪三。既畀香港換出定海，而英人仍欲通商寧波，銷售鴉片。何以不在粵翦斷葛藤？將就苟且，其罪四。義律僅外商首領，向來呈牘，自稱遠商遠職。上年在天津、浙江僭稱公使大臣，琦善不之詳，假以稱號。失體招釁，其罪五。琦善已為英人藐玩，各國輕視，不宜久於其任。」疏上，宣宗憤琦善受紿，斥伊里布附和，信裕謙忠直可恃。二十一年春，罷伊里布，以裕謙代之。

裕謙至鎮海，英艦已去定海，渡海往治善後事宜。尋實授兩江總督，以浙事付巡撫劉韻珂、提督余步雲，自回江南部署防務。初，英兵在定海，殘虐人民，既退，猶四出游奕。 裕謙 捕獲兵目，剝皮抽筋而懸之，又掘敵屍焚於通衢。英人遂藉口復讎，大舉再犯浙洋， 裕謙率江寧駐防及徐州鎮兵千，馳至鎮海督戰，令總兵葛雲飛、鄭國鴻、王錫朋率兵五千守定海，手緘密諭，付臨陣啟視，退者立斬。
八月，敵艦二十九艘、兵三萬來攻，分三路並進，血戰六晝夜，三鎮並死之，定海陷。越數日，敵由蛟門島進犯鎮海，招寶山為要衝，余步雲守之，別遣總兵謝朝恩守金雞嶺為犄角。裕謙 疑步雲懷兩端，乃集將士祭關帝、天后，與眾約：「毋以退守為詞，離城一步；亦毋以保全民命為詞，受洋人片紙。不用命者，明正典刑，幽遭神殛！」步雲知其意，不預盟誓。及戰，裕謙登城，手援枹鼓，步雲詣請遣外委陳志剛赴敵艦，暫示羈縻， 裕謙不許。有頃，敵登招寶山，步雲不戰而退。敵復分兵攻金雞嶺，謝朝恩中砲殞，兩山同陷，鎮海守兵望風而潰。 裕謙先誓必死，一日經學宮前，見泮池石鐫「流芳」二字，曰：「他日於此收吾尸也！吾曾祖於乾隆二十一年八月殉難，今值道光二十一年八月，非佳兆。」預檢硃批寄諭、奏稿送嘉興行館，處分家事甚悉。臨戰，揮幕客先去，曰：「勝，為我草露布；敗，則代辦後事。」至是果投泮池，副將豐伸泰等拯之出，輿至府城，昏憊不省人事。敵且至，以小舟載往餘姚，卒於途，遂至西興，劉韻珂等視其斂。事聞，贈太子太保，予騎都尉兼一雲騎尉世職，附祀京師昭忠祠，於鎮海建立專祠，諡靖節。柩至京，遣成郡王載銳奠醊。

當初敗，余步雲疏報鎮海大營先潰，裕謙不知所往。韻珂等奏至，上始釋疑，予優卹。幕客陳若木從兵間代 裕謙妻草狀，詣闕訟冤，逮步雲論治伏法。嗣子德崚襲世職，以主事用，官至山東候補知府。