The Opium War was the beginning of China's modern history and the first military conflict between China and western powers. The cause of the war was the unequal war caused by Britain's forced export of opium to China in order to break the restrictions on Chinese and foreign trade in the Qing Dynasty.
First of all, from the military point of view, the Qing dynasty in the prosperous period of Kanggan had a strong army and navy, and militarily there were brave generals. In terms of the army, there are elite Manchu Eight Banners, Mongolian cavalry, Han army green camp and other troops; On the naval side, there are fleets such as the Governor's Navy of North and South Guangdong, the Fujian Navy and the Zhejiang Navy.
These troops have shown superb combat effectiveness and organizational ability in the battles of pacifying the rebellion in San Francisco, eliminating the Junggar khanate and conquering Tibet. By the time of the Opium War, Britain had strong naval, weapons and scientific and technological advantages after the industrial revolution, while the Qing Dynasty was closed to the outside world, corrupt and incompetent, backward and conservative. So militarily, Britain occupied an absolute advantage, while the Qing Dynasty was in a passive situation.
Secondly, from the perspective of foreign policy, the Qing Dynasty adopted a more flexible and open attitude during the prosperous period of Kanggan. For example, during Magalny's visit to China, Emperor Qianlong refused the British request for trade and called himself "China", but he did not make things difficult or insult the British envoys. 1793, when Magalny's mission visited China again, Emperor Qianlong sent a letter to magal, expressing his willingness to maintain friendly relations with Britain.
In contrast, during the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty adopted a closed and exclusive policy. Lin Zexu's destruction of opium in Humen not only confiscated opium trafficked by the British, but also ordered the British to ban any trade activities in China.
Finally, from the social and economic point of view, the Qing dynasty in the prosperous period of Kanggan was at the peak of its rule, which lasted 134 years after three emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. There are wise and decisive monarchs in politics, knowledgeable scholars in culture and rich and stable people in people's livelihood. During this period, China society reached its acme under the feudal system, with the most reforms, the strongest national strength, social stability, rapid economic development, rapid population growth and vast territory.
If Britain meets a strong and confident China dynasty like Kanggan Shi Sheng, I'm afraid it won't go to war easily. Even if there is a real war, it will not overwhelm the other side like the Opium War. Because the Qing Dynasty was strong enough and efficient enough to mobilize resources, organize resistance and counter the invaders.
Although it still lags behind the western powers in science and technology, it is not completely without countermeasures. For example, in coastal defense, we can learn from Zheng Chenggong's anti-Dutch or anti-Qing pirates' use of fireboats to deal with enemy ships in the late Ming Dynasty. In land defense, we can use terrain and militia to carry out guerrilla warfare or encirclement and suppression, and in diplomacy, we can unite with other countries threatened by western aggression or sympathize with China's plight.