Editing Second Opium War (section)

===First Battle of Canton (1856)===
{{Main|Battle of Canton (1856)}}

On 23 October, the British destroyed four barrier forts. On 25 October, a demand was made that the British be allowed to enter Canton. The next day, the British began to bombard the city, firing one shot every 10 minutes. Ye Mingchen issued a bounty on every British head taken. On 29 October, the Royal Navy blasted a hole in the poorly defended and inadequate city walls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BOqCAAAAIAAJ&q=passing+walls&pg=PA34|title = Canton, China|year = 1920}}</ref> The troops entered Canton, with the flag of the United States being planted on the walls and residence of Ye Mingchen by James Keenan, the U.S. Consul.<ref name=JYW/>{{Page needed|date=February 2021}} Losses were three killed and 12 wounded. Negotiations failed and the city was bombarded. On 6 November, 23 war [[junk (ship)|junks]] attacked and were destroyed.<ref name="MJ">{{cite news |title=Bombardment at Canton |newspaper=Morning Journal |date=19 January 1857 |page=3}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=primary source and conflict of interest|date=January 2022}} There were pauses for talks, with the British bombarding at intervals, causing fires. On 5 January 1857, the British returned to Hong Kong.<ref name=JYW/>{{page needed|date=November 2021}}

On 3 March 1857, the British government lost a Parliamentary vote regarding the ''Arrow'' incident and what had taken place at Canton to the end of the previous year. This defeat led to a [[1857 United Kingdom general election|general election]] in April 1857 which increased the government's majority.<ref>Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael, eds. (2000), ''British Electoral Facts 1832–1999'', Ashgate</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2021}}

In April, the British government asked the United States of America and Russia if they were interested in alliances, but both parties rejected the offer.<ref name="JYW">{{cite book |first=J. Y. |last=Wong |title=Deadly Dreams: Opium and the Arrow War (1856–1860) in China |year= 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52619-7}}</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2021}} In May 1857, the [[Indian Mutiny]] became serious, and British troops destined for China were diverted to India.<ref name=HCRE/>{{page needed|date=December 2021}} which was considered the priority issue.{{citation needed|date = September 2015}}