It is not so much that the great powers care about their people in China, but that they cannot wait to intervene in China with arms. Because the short but bloody history of our time has taught the great powers that the benefits of armed intervention in so-called uncivilized countries and regions are too great.

As soon as the time specified in the note arrived, that is, on 26 May, the ministers of various countries stationed in Beijing convened their fifth special meeting. At this meeting, the decision of various countries to send troops to intervene in the Boxer Rebellion was clarified, and two representatives were sent to directly negotiate with the Imperial Prime Minister Yamen, who was responsible for diplomatic functions.

Just as in cooperation with the actions of the great powers, the Boxers also stepped up, and on the 28th, the Jingshi received even more disturbing news: the Boxers burned down the Fengtai Railway Station, and even the Tianjin-Beijing Railway was destroyed! The destruction of the Tianjin-Beijing railway meant that the back route of the foreign missions stationed in Beijing was cut off, and they had the intention of retreating to the port of Tianjin until the sea in the event of a crisis. It's over now! They are already surrounded by imperial peasants who hate all foreigners!

It was on this day that the Qing court, after repeated deliberations, once again drafted the "Proclamation" to severely suppress the Boxers. The Proclamation was sent to the foreign embassies in China, but the ministers ignored it. Because they have already made an important decision. In the evening of the same day, the Qing court again received a diplomatic note, which was in fact an order: the envoys of the eleven countries mentioned above had decided to mobilize their troops to Beijing to protect the increasingly dangerous embassy in China, and asked the Qing court to provide transportation facilities.

The Qing court immediately rejected this request.

According to the rules of foreign communication, the security of embassies abroad is the responsibility of the government of the host country. Diplomats are afforded a high level of security and even diplomatic immunity in the host country. The State in which it is stationed may not send a single soldier to the country in which it is stationed on the grounds of ensuring the security of the embassy. Unless invited, even a hint is the most serious provocation and aggression against this country. But the Great Powers had completely disregarded this general principle, both as a fear of the Boxers and as a contempt for the Qing court.

On the third day, 12 foreign warships anchored in the sea off the mouth of Dagu began to enter the port of Tianjin. Among them, two are from the United Kingdom, seven from Russia, and one each from the United States, Japan, France and Italy. For this naked aggression. The Dagu Fort, equipped with imported Western cannons, did not put up any resistance from the Qing army's coastal artillery. It is also true that they did not receive any orders to resist.

That night, marines from various countries landed on Chinese territory at the port of Tianjin.

The marines had already landed in Tianjin, and the ministers of various countries arrogantly informed the Qing government whether you allowed it or not. The decision of the armies of various countries to enter Beijing cannot be changed. But. If you agree in good faith. Coalition forces will remain in place until there is no longer any danger. If it is opposed, the consequences will be unpredictable. Finally, the Qing court was ordered to notify the governor of Gyeonggi security, Yuroku, of the decision. so as not to have unpleasant incidents.

The next day, Yamen, the prime minister of the Qing Empire, replied to the ministers of various countries, changing the original decision to resolutely oppose foreign countries sending troops into Beijing to agree, but requiring that the number of troops from all countries come to Beijing to protect the embassy should not exceed 30.

On the same day, the governor of Zhili, Yulu, received an order from the Prime Minister's Yamen to allow foreign troops to enter Beijing by train. At the same time, the Boxers, who were resolutely hostile to foreigners, and the regular imperial army that sympathized with the Boxers, were transferred from both sides of the railway line.

On the evening of May 30, 1900, foreign allied forces boarded a train from Tianjin to Beijing. The list of personnel and weapons issued by the Great Powers to the Qing Imperial Government was: three British officers and 72 soldiers; 7 U.S. officers and 56 enlisted men; 3 French officers and 72 enlisted men; 2 Japanese officers and 24 soldiers; There were 4 Russian officers and 71 soldiers. A total of 314 people.

In addition to carrying conventional weapons and ammunition, the British army carried a "Nudenfell" machine gun, the US military carried a "Colt" machine gun, and the Italian carried a one-pound cannon.

On June 1, the coalition forces successfully arrived in Beijing and stationed in the embassy area of Dongjiaomin Lane. It reassured the staff of embassies of various countries who were in fear.

Hearing the news that reinforcements had arrived in Beijing to defend the embassies of various countries, the ministers of various countries were naturally overjoyed. One of the happiest was the German minister, who was the one who helped Situ Jun get a position in the New Army, and his name was Klinder.

"Gentlemen, remember this great moment, this is the beginning of the partition of China." Clint yelled at a group of excited, almost disgraced peers.

Outside Beijing, the Boxer Rebellion did not subside with the imperial court's proclamation, but on the contrary intensified. After some brainwashing by the senior brothers, the young men who participated in the Boxer Rebellion firmly believed that they had practiced the invincible divine fist and were not far from the highest level of invulnerability. They dismissed the government's announcement to ban the Boxers. On May 24, just as the imperial court was considering how to reply to the most important ultimatum of the foreign people, the Boxers clashed with the Wuwei Chinese army stationed in Baoding Prefecture, and one of the sub-commanders (equivalent to the brigade commander) was killed by the mighty Boxers, and his soldiers were driven into flight by the Boxers armed with spears and broadswords. The Boxers successfully entered Baoding, the western gate of Beijing. The foreign engineers and their families who were building the Lugou Bridge to Hankow Railway were immediately in extreme danger. At this time, the Boxers' action of killing foreigners had entered a state of madness, not only those yellow-haired and blue-eyed devils were in the scope of their strangulation, but also the people who believed in religion and had dealings with churches were also within the scope of their purge, and even the use of foreigners' belongings became a capital crime.

The imperial government sent officers and soldiers to escort the foreign experts and their families to break through the siege, but the local government did not cooperate, and even the soldiers who participated in the operation also defected, and only nine of the 41 foreigners escaped alive to the Tianjin concession, and the rest were scattered and hid around, or died under the knives of the Boxers.

On the 27th, Zhuozhou, which was only a few dozen miles away from Beijing, was occupied by the Boxers.

The situation has reached a point where there is no time to delay. How does the empire deal with the current chaos, and the person who can make the final decision is in the Summer Palace, she is Cixi.

Cixi was very peaceful. Outside there was a mess of porridge, the Boxers were in trouble, foreigners protested and threatened, foreign warships outside the mouth of Dagu had sailed into the port of Tianjin, and the marines had assembled in Tianjin. We, the Queen Mother of the Celestial Empire, are still doing what we should do.

Cixi likes to watch plays. Her favorite repertoire is "Three Levels in a Row", "White Gate Tower", "Longevity Without Borders" and "Dancing Spirit Officer", the famous actors sang a few paragraphs with their open voices, and Lafayette felt comfortable, and gave an order: Reward! The eunuchs, who had already been prepared, threw the broken silver on the stage, and the actors knelt down to thank him as usual, and a smile appeared on Cixi's face.

She is not ignoring the government, she has already calculated the current situation.

The Boxers played the banner of "helping the Qing to destroy the foreigners", and because of the blockade of the foreigners, Zai Yi was overjoyed that his son Pu Jun could not successfully ascend the throne, so he made a proposal to Cixi. Speaking of the rise of the Boxers. It is a blessing to the nation. Cixi ordered Zhao Qiaoshu, the secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, the secretary of the Ministry of War, and the co-organizer of the university Gang Yi, and Yin He Naiying of the Shuntian Mansion to contact the Boxers successively, and the fortitude and secret Cixi. "Boxers are meant to keep their enemies off. Non-rebellious comparable. Now that you have made an appointment, it is better to use it accordingly. ”

Cixi was hesitant on the issue of the Boxer Rebellion, and was made angry by foreign missions because of the "abolition of the emperor and the establishment of the prince". Coupled with the instigation of the old school such as Zaixun, Zaiyi, Fortitude, and Yuxian, the idea of using the Boxers to deal with foreigners began to germinate. So he issued an order to Gangyi and Dong Fuxiang, asking them to discipline the good generals of the Boxers, select their strong ones, and recruit them into an army to make the capital to resist the insult.

On June 5, according to the advice of several confidants, she sent a messenger to Zhuozhou to investigate whether the Boxers had miraculous skills.

This person, she chose Zhao Shuqiao. Because he was one of the few ministers who urgently advised the court to make a quick decision.

Zhao Shuqiao's public mission is to "soothe the fist brave", and the real purpose is to go to the scene to see if the Boxers have the legendary invulnerability. He also has an assistant, which is Yin He Naiying of Shuntian Mansion.

Just one day before Zhao Shuqiao arrived in Zhuozhou, Jiang Yun and Tian Shubang, who had been away from Shandong for three months on a secret mission, entered Zhuozhou, which was already in chaos.

Jiang Yun and the others went east from Yanzhou, first to Jinan, and then north to Tianjin, and set up a small inn in Yangliuqing in the western suburbs of Tianjin as a liaison station, and then sent back the first group of liaison officers - they only had five people, and they were extremely understaffed, so they could only send one person to Lu. Then he left another one in Tianjin, and he took one of his last subordinates and Tian Shubang, whom he thought was basically reliable, to Beijing. From Tianjin, I entered Beijing along Yangcun and Langfang, and after a few days, I rented a large courtyard on Deshengmennei Street as a foothold in Beijing. According to Long Qian's order, he went out every day to reconnoiter the terrain and walked through the streets and alleys of Beijing. After the Boxer Rebellion became more and more terrifying, the soldier who was left behind and went to Zhuozhou with Tian Shubang.

It wasn't until they arrived in Zhuozhou that Jiang Yun and Tian Shubang comprehended the momentum of the Boxers.

The streets were filled with Boxers wearing yellow turbans and red jackets, roaming the streets in droves, and a burned church was still smoking from it. The "divine skill" of Yihe was being performed in the open space in front of the government office, Tian Shubang couldn't help but laugh, fortunately he was stopped by Jiang Yun in time, otherwise he would definitely attract interrogation from the Boxers. But the two of them stood out from the side of the circle dressed as peasants, and sure enough, a leader-like person grabbed the two of them, "What are you two looking at ghostly?" Could it be Ermaozi? There was a scar on his chin, and the leader with a red tassel gun and a few men in peasant attire surrounded Jiang Yun and Tian Shubang.

"Hero, you can't wronged me. The two of us are from Caozhou, Shandong, and came to Zhuozhou to join their relatives, but the relatives didn't know where they moved three years ago, and when they saw the masters' great skills, they couldn't help but look at it a few more times__" Jiang Yun, who has an authentic Shandong accent, is calm and unhurried, although he is more than ten years younger than Tian Shubang, it seems that he is born with all kinds of people.

"Oh, you're from Caozhou, Shandong? That's very good, the old Shandong regiment has come to Zhili, how about it? Join our Boxer Rebellion to help clear the ocean, and do a big job, right? ”

Jiang Yun secretly dragged Tian Shubang, who was a little impatient, "If you want to talk about the Boxer Divine Troupe, I have seen it in my hometown, killing foreigners and helping the poor, I am really a good man." But my cousin and I are both honest dealers, fighting and killing, I'm afraid. ”

The little leader smiled, "What are you afraid of?" It's those foreigners and Ermaozi who are afraid! It's not our dealer! I've been fed up with the anger of foreign devils over the years, and someone finally led us to do it with the dogs, I think you are not bad, follow the senior brothers, eat and drink spicy, I can't lose you! I won't lie to you, when we enter Beijing, open the church of those foreign devils, and everything we get will be yours! Don't be stupid, come with me, give you a piece of clothing, it's our Laishui Boxers. ”

"Hero, you don't lie to me? Do you really want to enter Beijing? How did I hear that the imperial court wore a pair of pants with foreigners, thinking about how to deal with the Boxers? That big turtle in Shandong didn't kill the Boxers. People have foreign guns and cannons, which is amazing. ”

"Hey, I ask you, what's your name?"

"My surname is Jiang, Xingsan, my name is Jiang Sanwa, he is my cousin, and his name is Tian Fugui." Jiang Yun replied neatly, it doesn't matter if he tells his real name, but Jiang Yun is a big ghost, and he comes out to conduct reconnaissance and never shows his real name.

"Okay, if you join the Boxers, you will learn a lot of magic skills, the most powerful of which is invulnerability, learn this, foreigners' guns have a dick?" The man laughed.

"Really?" Jiang Yun looked incredulous, "Really teach me such a miracle?" You don't lie to us? ”

"What are you lying about? Since you have joined the group, you are our brother, not only to teach you to eat a full stomach, but also to learn great skills from your brothers! The most important thing," the scar man smiled, "Take you to the capital and see the Jinluan Palace, don't you want to?" ”

"Do you want to give me clothes like this too?" Jiang Yun pointed to the "uniform" on Scar's body.

"What is this? When you enter the city of Beijing, you have what you want. ”

"Okay, I'll go with you." Jiang Yun pulled the Tian book list, "Listen to this big brother, don't be stunned." ”

"Okay, follow me." Scar was satisfied and took in two more new dings.

followed Scar to have a full meal, three big nests per person, a big bowl of messy stew, and there were a lot of slices of meat in it, but the chef's skills were really not very good, far worse than the level of the chefs under Lao Song. Jiang Yun was clamoring for weapons and clothes, but the man with the scar couldn't take them out.

After a meal, the situation of the man with the scar was basically figured out, his name was Wu Fenghuo, Zhili Laishui people, most of their Boxers were farmers in the Laishui area, they had entered Zhuozhou for two and a half days, and they were going to march towards Beijing, but it said that the imperial court was going to send Qin, so they waited in Zhuozhou.

Tian Shubang's focus is to understand the organization of the Boxers, and this little leader surnamed Wu has learned here that the Boxers have no organization at all, the highest leader is called Senior Brother, and there are a bunch of senior brothers below, the ordinary Tuanzhong has not been grouped, and now the food is taken from the "treasury" of Zhuozhou Mansion, the Zhuozhou prefect's surname is Gong, and he has hanged himself yesterday, and some of the people in the Yamen ran home, and the other part joined the Boxer Divine Regiment.

Jiang Yun focused on understanding the movements of the Boxers, "Brother Wu, are we really going to enter Beijing?" The Chin Cha won't treat us as thieves, right? ”

"No, it won't. Didn't we raise the banner of helping the Qing Dynasty to extinguish the ocean? Let's get rid of the foreigners for the imperial court, it's too late for them to be grateful. ”

Sleeping on the square in front of the government at night, Tian Shubang whispered to Jiang Yun, "The commander is too worried, they are just a rabble, they are vulnerable, they can't even get together ten rifles, and they are not organized and trained, what can they do?" Tian Shubang remembered Long Qian's attention before leaving, and felt that the commander looked too highly up on these Boxers.

"The commander won't send you and me out for no reason." Jiang Yun muttered, "If the imperial court really sent a messenger, it would be a little interesting. Let's wait and see. (To be continued......)