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What if another power decided to assist China against Britain during the opium war of 1939-1842?

The power would have to be motivated by a desire to limit British aggrandizement, or some other prospect of gain.

France and Russia were the other powers with some sort of reach in this era, capable of sending equipment and advisors to the Chinese. The Americans could have dealt in arms to the Chinese but didn't have the military establishments of the other two.

As it happened, in OTL, other powers, especially America and France, piggybacked on British gains at the end of the war, but its conceivable another power might see the situation in zero sum terms and would like to see Britain humbled.

From the Chinese end, I am not aware of any attempts to gain foreign support, especially from christian nations. If the Chinese had sent emissaries abroad seeking to secure modern arms or mercenaries, could they have gotten any capbility that would lessen the British edge or improve the terms of eventual settlement fomr their point of view?

From the European end, I would see the Russians as the most plausible candidates to support the Qing dynasty, because of the common land border with China, longstanding interest in Chinese affairs, a desire to limit British gains and to maintain their relatively privileged diplomatic position towards China. The "Great Game" had to some extent already begun with the British and Russians taking opposing sides in Afghanistan around this time.

If the Tsar wants to give the Chinese maximum aid short of war, what could he do to help the Chinese in terms of small arms, artillery, cavalry, training and ships that could slow the British down, and put to rest Russian fears that the British could eventually turn China into another India.

I'd repeat the same question for the Arrow War of 1856, as by this time, there was even more bad blood between Britain and Russia. Russia obviously had trouble taking care of itself, but could it manufacture or import weapons in enough quantity to spare some for the Chinese and give the British some nasty surprises?

What would it take for the Qing to be open to offers of assistance, other than good timing?
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