Chapter 59 Section fifty-ninth

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Dong Fuxiang's Gan army officially launched an attack on embassies of various countries.The first target was the Austrian Legation. Its location was called Taijichang, and foreigners called it "Marco Polo Road".Taiji Factory has three alleys, namely Toutiao Hutong, Ertiao Hutong and Santiao Hutong.The Austrian Legation was in Toutiao Hutong, floating on a single pendulum, a little distance from the embassies of other countries, so it was the first to bear the brunt of the onslaught by the Gan army. Half of it was due to the aggressiveness of the Gan army, and the other half was due to the ineffectiveness of the Austrian defenders. After a confrontation for more than two hours, the Austrian army retreated to Dongjiaominxiang. Yi enters the palace happily and reports the "Great Victory", and the fire only begins to subside slightly.

The matter has been like this, and "the flag is open to victory", of course the edict to declare war was issued. At the same time, there are several edicts, or Ming Fa, or Ting Ji. The first edict was to use Prince Zhuang Zaixun as the commander of the infantry.Because of admiration for ritual, he worked hard to ask for a vacancy, and Zai Yi felt that if he wanted to achieve great things, he must master this important position commonly known as "Nine Gates Admiral", so he recommended Zai Xun to succeed him. The second way is to order the provinces to summon the righteous people to prevent foreign aggression.This means that the imperial court officially entrusted the Boxer with the mission of "helping the Qing Dynasty and destroying the foreigners".

The third way is the martial law in the capital, and it is difficult for the people to buy food. Shuntian Prefecture will cooperate with the censors of the five cities to handle the flat sale.The required rice and grain shall be allocated at any time by the Ministry of Households.This is the key to stabilizing the hearts of the people, but the actual effect is limited, because the roads are difficult, and it is not easy to transport the grain stored in Tongzhou to the capital. "It's time for us to feel proud!" Zai Yi said triumphantly to Gang Yi: "Now that we have these few edicts, we can easily handle things. However, there are so many things to do, so we have to pick the most important thing first. Ziliang, how about you?" Say it! I listen to you." "Yes!" Resolutely replied eagerly: "The first thing is to recruit more righteous people and boost morale. However, the Boxer God Group should be led by someone. That way, it will be convenient for the prince to issue orders. "

"Not bad! I have to borrow from you." "Here, I am obliged to do my part, and I will do my part." Gang Yi replied, "It is better to invite another prince to come forward, it will be easier to call." "Then invite King Zhuang." "That's right! King Zhuang is the commander of the infantry, leading the Boxer Regiment, which is justified. In my opinion, we might as well add the commanders of the left and right wings." "Yes. I will go to the palace today to talk to Lafayette." Zaiyi asked, "What about the second one?"

"The second thing is to find a way to cheer up Lafayette." "Yes, yes! This is very important." Zaiyi nodded again and again: "Lafayette often said that since the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace, I have accumulated more than 40 years of breath. I don't know when I will be able to vent my anger? Now the embassy has been swept away. Ping, foreigners will kill every dog ​​and dog, this tone is really enough! Lafayette held on to power, just to show this tone, and once this tone is released, she will naturally let go." The so-called "letting go" means no longer training politics, that is, abolishing the establishment and letting the elder brother succeed him.Gang Yi attached great importance to Zaiyi's words, blinked his eyes and thought for a while and said: "This matter is of great importance. Please ask the prince to find Dong Xingwu and really say something nice to him. As for Xishiku Church, it is inconvenient for the prince to personally take a shot at Shishi, I will go to supervise the battle."

"That can't be better! Ziliang, I know all about your hard work, and I will never let you down in the future." This is like the tone of the "overlord"!He resolutely thought that once the elder brother takes over the throne, Zaiyi will take the status of "the emperor's biological father", according to the practice of Prince Chunxian, it is inconvenient to do politics and return to the mansion, and he can defeat Ronglu, and even replace him with the prince of Li. The leader of the military aircraft holds the power alone.What kind of proud autumn is this?

Thinking about it like this, he became more loyal and wise, making suggestions for Zaiyi.In order to "encourage" the Empress Dowager Cixi, apart from razing the embassy church and killing all foreigners, there must be some encouraging things. One is that there should be good news from Tianjin, and the other is that the Qing Dynasty should have something to say. "I heard that the Tianjin side didn't play very well!" Zaiyi frowned and said, "This is something to worry about." "My lord, please don't worry." The resolute tone was very relaxed, "A few days ago, the fight was not good because of the court's intentions. It is not clear what the truth is. Teachers and senior brothers who have spells still have scruples. Now declare the edict of war and let it go. Without any worries, the situation will naturally be different.”

Zaiyi pinned all her hopes on the Boxers, saying that the Boxers are good is the easiest to hear, so she immediately raised her eyebrows, made a fist with her right hand, punched the palm of her left hand hard, and said, "Yes! Let it go!" Let go and work hard on May 26th.At around eight o'clock in the morning, billowing black smoke mixed with orange-red flames rose into the sky in the area of ​​Dongjiaomin Lane, covering half of the sky in Dongcheng.The Dutch legation at the west entrance, the Italian legation and the Belgian legation at the east exit, followed the Austrian embassy and turned into ruins.However, the achievements of the Gan army and the Boxers were nothing more than that, and they could not advance any further.

The defense lines of embassies in various countries have shrunk, making it easier to defend.The entire defense area is a rectangular area with Yuhe as the center line, starting from Beiyuhe Bridge in the north and ending in Nanyuhe Bridge in the south.To the east of the Yuhe River and to the north is King Su's Mansion. The wall is eighteen feet high and three feet thick, which is extremely strong and strong enough to protect the safety of the religious people who are temporarily taken in.To the south of Suwang Mansion, to the north of Dongjiaominxiang Road, counting from the corner of Taijiguang, from east to west are the three pavilions of France, Japan, and Spain.Opposite the French Legation, that is, to the south of Dongjiaominxiang Road, is the German Legation. Its back extends to the east of Nanyuhe Bridge, close to Chenggen, and is the club of embassies of various countries.The defense line on the east is from King Su's Mansion to the French Legation, connecting the German Legation and the club across the street.

To the west of the Yuhe River, facing Su Wangfu Wangheng is the British Legation. The Russian Legation is to the south of the British Embassy and slightly to the west. The opposite is from the south of Dongjiaominxiang Road to Dongchenggen. Wide U.S. Embassy.The wall on the west side of the third hall, combined with the refusal horses at the street entrance, formed a line of defense.Like the defense line to the east, although there were many loopholes and gaps, the Gan army could not get in, while the Boxers were ineffective in their spells, and they were already quite timid. However, the families adjacent to the embassy have already suffered greatly, and people's homes are inevitably robbed, and the "big house gate" is no exception.The most unlucky thing is Sun Jianai, a scholar who co-organized the university. The year before the 1898 coup, he was ordered to promote the Beijing Normal University.His family lived in Toutiao Hutong, Dongdan Archway, and was the first to be looted. Sun Jianai fled in short clothes and hid in the Anhui Guild Hall. One of his sons was even stripped down to a pair of foreign cloth shorts.

Who robbed it is impossible to ask. Some say it was the Boxers, some said it was the Tiger God Camp, some said it was the Gan Army, and some said it was the Wuwei Zhongjun who was Ronglu's pro-army.Anyway, as long as officers and soldiers are involved, Ronglu cannot escape.Because everyone knows that Rong Lu holds all the military power and has the obligation to control all officers and soldiers. For this reason, Rong Lu was startled and angry, and sent a material officer and eight strong soldiers to the east city to suppress them with command arrows. Unexpectedly, there were so many officers and soldiers who were robbing, they rushed forward and waited to do it.Seeing that the momentum was not good, the material officer turned around and ran away with his people, and returned to Rong Lu's place, reported the truth, and asked for punishment. "It's not your fault!" Rong Lu's face was ashen, but his tone was calm, "Pass my order and withdraw to the central army." Withdrawing the Chinese army is to make some clarifications first.Then, he personally led the guards, sat in a sedan chair, "topped the horse" to clear the way, "followed the horse" to escort, and rushed to Dongdan Archway.Sure enough, Rong Lu's prestige was different, and the officers and soldiers who committed crimes scattered and fled.Rong Lu ordered a roundup, and a total of 34 people were arrested, including 11 officers and soldiers, and 23 members of the Boxers. Their real identities are only said to be "fake soldiers".