22. Beijing fell to the Anglo-French force in early October
The Qing army attempted to stand before the Emperor’s capital in September. Still, its armaments were in many cases ancient matchlock muskets, and the massed fire of their enemies repulsed its attempts to charge the Europeans to engage in hand-to-hand fighting. At the Battle of Palikao in late September, 10,000 Qing troops engaged the invaders, but their formations were destroyed by the Anglo-French Army. The Anglo-French force suffered a total of 52 casualties, including 5 killed. In contrast, the Qing army suffered over 1,200 casualties, lost nearly all of its weapons and supplies in fleeing the field, and ceased to exist as a viable fighting force.
When the Xianfeng Emperor heard of the disaster outside of Beijing at Palikao (eight-mile bridge) he designated his brother and advisor Gong (also known as Prince Kung) to negotiate peace. He then fled the city, going first to Chengde, where he maintained a Summer Palace, and later fleeing further to Rehe Province to avoid capture while negotiations were underway. British and French troops entered Beijing on October 6, and finding little resistance the French and British troops occupied their time by looting the Summer Palace there, recently evacuated by the Emperor, which contained priceless artifacts and artwork from ancient Chinese history.