The French ships rested on 2 March, then on the following day Courbet had soundings taken at various points around the entrance to the bay, in a vain search for a position from which the French ironclads would be in range of the Chinese cruisers with their guns without coming under fire from the Chinese forts.
 There were no such positions, and Courbet eventually issued orders for a blockade of Zhenhai Bay.
Nets were spread around the French ships as a precaution against a possible Chinese torpedo attack while a watch was kept around the clock on the entrance to the bay.
Any junks or sampans that came too close to the French ships were fired on.

These precautions proved unnecessary.
Instead of making plans for an attack on the French squadron, the Chinese commanders appear to have feared a French torpedo boat sally up the Ningpo River to repeat their recent triumph at the Battle of Shipu.
On the night of 2 March, as the French squadron lay at anchor, a searchlight suddenly swept the Chinese barrage, several flares soared into the air, and the sound of cannon and rifle fire came from within the bay.
 Nervous Chinese sentries had mistakenly identified a harmless fishing boat as a French torpedo boat and immediately given the alarm.
 The French listened in disbelief as the Chinese blazed away until dawn at an imaginary enemy.

This state of affairs continued, on an almost nightly basis, for the rest of the month.
At least two French ships from the Far East Squadron remained at anchor at the entrance to Zhenhai Bay throughout March.
Apparently unable or unwilling to attack the French warships, the Chinese instead treated them to an expensive firework display, either because Chinese commanders feared a night torpedo attack or as an attempt to boost the morale of their troops.
One or two of the more professionally minded French officers complained at the prodigious waste of ammunition sanctioned by the enemy generals, but most enjoyed the nocturnal display of flashes and detonations above Zhenhai Bay as a welcome respite from the tedium of blockade service.
The only significant incident during the blockade was a brief cannonade by the French ships towards the end of March, to prevent the Chinese from attempting to repair their damaged forts.
The French ships rested on 2 March, then on the following day Courbet had soundings taken at various points around the entrance to the bay, in a vain search for a position from which the French ironclads would be in range of the Chinese cruisers with their guns without coming under fire from the Chinese forts.  There were no such positions, and Courbet eventually issued orders for a blockade of Zhenhai Bay. Nets were spread around the French ships as a precaution against a possible Chinese torpedo attack while a watch was kept around the clock on the entrance to the bay. Any junks or sampans that came too close to the French ships were fired on.
These precautions proved unnecessary. Instead of making plans for an attack on the French squadron, the Chinese commanders appear to have feared a French torpedo boat sally up the Ningpo River to repeat their recent triumph at the Battle of Shipu. On the night of 2 March, as the French squadron lay at anchor, a searchlight suddenly swept the Chinese barrage, several flares soared into the air, and the sound of cannon and rifle fire came from within the bay.  Nervous Chinese sentries had mistakenly identified a harmless fishing boat as a French torpedo boat and immediately given the alarm.  The French listened in disbelief as the Chinese blazed away until dawn at an imaginary enemy.
This state of affairs continued, on an almost nightly basis, for the rest of the month. At least two French ships from the Far East Squadron remained at anchor at the entrance to Zhenhai Bay throughout March. Apparently unable or unwilling to attack the French warships, the Chinese instead treated them to an expensive firework display, either because Chinese commanders feared a night torpedo attack or as an attempt to boost the morale of their troops. One or two of the more professionally minded French officers complained at the prodigious waste of ammunition sanctioned by the enemy generals, but most enjoyed the nocturnal display of flashes and detonations above Zhenhai Bay as a welcome respite from the tedium of blockade service. The only significant incident during the blockade was a brief cannonade by the French ships towards the end of March, to prevent the Chinese from attempting to repair their damaged forts.
Battle of Zhenhai