And at Humen, there is Nansha Mountain where huge stones can be quarried; as for the method of blocking the channel, it remains under deliberation.

Proposal

First, all large and small vessels on the sea should be surveyed and prepared for use. It has been examined that among the government warships 師船 (shi-chuan): standard naval vessels of the Qing Imperial Navy anchored at Humen The "Tiger’s Gate," a strategic strait in the Pearl River Delta leading to Guangzhou, ten were burned during the disaster at Shajiao Chuenpi, the site of a major battle in January 1841 where the British destroyed a significant portion of the Chinese fleet.

Aside from those lost, there remain two large Rice Boats 米艇 (mi-ting): a versatile class of warship, originally based on the design of stable grain-transport vessels, used for coastal defense (numbered two and three) and one small Rice Boat (numbered five) belonging to the Admiral’s Middle Battalion. There is also one large Rice Boat (numbered two) and one small Rice Boat The original text "八米艇" is likely a transcription error for "小米艇" (small rice boat) (numbered five) from the Admiral’s Right Battalion. These are currently stationed at Suokou The "Locked Pass," the narrowest and most heavily fortified point of the Humen passage.

Naturally, the Provincial Admiral 水師提督 (shuishi tidu): the highest-ranking naval commander in the province should provide these vessels with a full complement of officers and soldiers 弁兵 (bian-bing): a collective term for military personnel and artillery and armaments 礮械 (pao-xie): heavy cannons and handheld weapons to prepare them for deployment.

As for the naval camps located in the vicinity outside of Humen: to the East, there are the Admiral’s Left Battalion, the Dapeng Brigade The garrison responsible for the region including modern-day Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the Pinghai Battalion, and the Jieshi Garrison. To the West, there are the Xiangshan Brigade and the Guanghai Fort. We must now determine how many warships each currently has and the exact number of officers, soldiers, and armaments assigned to them.