Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms

...soldiers, and should likewise be ordered to be fully manned and equipped, with reports submitted to await deployment. Regarding the Provincial River The reach of the Pearl River passing by the city of Guangzhou, there are two locations: the Prefectural Yard 府廠 (fu-chang): the shipyard managed by the local prefecture and the Transport Yard 運廠 (yun-chang): the shipyard managed by the salt or grain transport office.

Both of these sites are where government warships 師船 (shi-chuan): standard vessels of the Qing Imperial Navy are constructed. How many completed warships are currently at each? Furthermore, regarding the purchase of large vessels capable of sailing the open ocean, how many are there? Orders must be issued to provide a truthful report, ensuring that sails, rigging, anchors, and flags are all prepared immediately for inspection.

Furthermore, regarding the patrol ships refitted by the Prefectural Yard last year and the newly built Annamese sampans 安南三板 (An-nan san-ban): agile, light vessels based on a Vietnamese "triple-plank" design, known for speed, how many are currently in stock? How many pieces of artillery and weaponry 礮械 (pao-xie) are they equipped with? This should also be clearly stated so they may be ready for use. Regarding the nineteen Fast Crab boats 快蟹船 (kuai-xie-chuan): long, narrow boats with many oars, nicknamed for their ability to "scuttle" quickly across the water that were recruited: where are they currently anchored? Within this fleet, how many braves 壯勇 (zhuang-yong): irregular militia or "volunteer" soldiers recruited for their strength and local knowledge and how many weapons do they carry? These details should be reported immediately for deliberation and final decision.

One: Large and small artillery pieces should be tested and deployed.

It is observed that during this conflict, the various forts inside and outside Humen The "Tiger’s Gate," the strategic naval gateway to Guangzhou have already been captured and seized. The number of bronze and iron cannons lost, when combined with those lost from the various warships, totals no fewer than five hundred pieces.