Due to Li Ming's travel, some things in this time and space came ahead of schedule, and the Gengzi Incident occurred in December 1899, due to the excessive bullying of the foreign powers in history, which aroused the widespread resentment of the Chinese people, resulting in the rise of the Boxers. The Qing ** listened to the belief that the Boxers were invulnerable and killed all the foreigners, so that they could declare war on the Eight Nations on May 25, 1900 (the 26th year of Guangxu). In June 1900, led by British Vice Admiral Seymour, British Vice Admiral Seymour set out from the Tianjin Concession and attacked Beijing. In the end, China fell into an unprecedented catastrophe and was on the verge of being carved up. 1900 is the year of Gengzi in the Chinese lunar calendar, and this turmoil that broke out more than 100 years ago is also called "Gengzi National Change" and "Gengzi National Disaster" by the Chinese. Since the middle of the 19th century, when the two Opium Wars opened the door to China, many Westerners have come to China to explore and make money. Due to the uneven quality of the Westerners who came to China, a considerable number of foreigners roamed the countryside and the common people under the banner of missionary work or business.

However, because the local government is afraid of offending foreigners, they often favor and condone their behavior, coupled with different beliefs, which makes the common people and foreigners constantly contradict.

At the end of the 19th century, the Boxer Rebellion under the banner of "Supporting the Qing Dynasty and Exterminating the Foreigners" arose in Shandong. The Boxers were originally to protect their families and defend the country, and their inherent righteousness lies, but they also can't avoid the backwardness of ignorance. After the Boxers were transferred to Beijing, they besieged the Catholic Church and killed foreign ambassadors, which eventually intensified the conflict and triggered the Eight-Nation Alliance's war of aggression against China.

Before the war, the court was divided into two factions: war and war. The main battle faction was led by Duanwang Zaiyi, intending to use the power of the Boxers to depose Guangxu and let his son Pu Jun ascend the throne as soon as possible; The Lords and Peacers wanted to avoid a head-on conflict with foreigners, which would lead to misery.

In the end, marked by the killing of the lord and the five ministers, the main battle faction in the court gained the upper hand. On May 25, 1900, at the behest of Cixi, the Qing court issued an edict declaring war to mobilize the people of the whole country to resist the Eight-Nation Alliance. One of them reads:

"I weep today to tell the first temple, and resist to show the master and apprentice, rather than trying to survive, ashamed of eternity, if you are a big Tartar, a duel between male and female. He summoned ministers and ministers for several days to consult and conspire. Volunteers from and Shandong provinces gathered unexpectedly on the same day, no less than hundreds of thousands. Down to a five-foot boy, he can also fight to defend the community. He is deceitful, and I am in heaven; He relies on his strength, and I am afraid of people's hearts. No matter our country's faithful armor, etiquette and righteousness, everyone dares to die, that is, the land is vast and there are more than 20 provinces, and the people are more than 400 trillions, why is it difficult to reduce the fierceness of the flames, and Zhang Guowei! ”

We know that Mo said that the Qing Dynasty had been poor and weak for many years, and even any powerful country in the world at that time did not have the ability to start a war with so many countries at the same time. The Qing court sent the Boxers to the front line, and they were basically used as cannon fodder. After the Eight-Nation Coalition Army landed at the mouth of Dagu in Tianjin, it basically did not encounter too many obstacles, and drove straight into Beijing.

Before the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, Cixi took Emperor Guangxu and fled in a hurry, all the way to Xi'an. According to the attitude of the previous edict declaring war, Cixi should temporarily take Xi'an as the capital, swear to fight to the end with the Eight-Nation Alliance, and never surrender.

However, not long after the two palaces arrived in Xi'an, Cixi issued another "Guilty Edict" in the name of Guangxu, in which she said the famous sentence: "Measure the material resources of China and form a friendship with the country." ”

The original words of the "Edict of Guilt" are as follows:

"Mingqing Prince Yixuan and scholar Li Hongzhang, as plenipotentiary ministers, acted cheaply and negotiated with the envoys of various countries to stop the army. Yesterday, according to the telegram sent to the countries the 12 articles of the peace agreement, the outline has been agreed, and the plenipotentiary minister is still telegraphed to carefully examine the detailed program, measure the material resources of China, and form a friendship with the country. ”

I still remember that a few months ago, Cixi also executed the officials of the Lord and the faction on the charge of traitors, saying that those who "retreat from the battle and are willing to rebel" are all traitors and will not be punished severely. But after escaping to Xi'an, Cixi herself became a person who wagged her tail and begged for mercy from foreigners. If according to the standards she said before, then Cixi can be regarded as the biggest traitor in China.