Beleaguered in Pekin 14

Beleaguered in Pekin 14

July 18 (noon). Sir Claude replied with a review of the situation from

the foreign point of view. On June 19 the yamen had given the legations

notice to quit Peking, and the foreign representatives had replied,

pointing out that there were no facilities of transportation. The yamen

had then replied, extending the time; but, in spite of this, fire was

opened on the legations on the following day, and they had been under

constant fire from Chinese government troops ever since, a condition of

things unparalleled in the world’s history. He alluded to the incident

of the board displayed on June 25, the free moving of troops during

the cessation of hostilities thus caused, and the renewed attacks made

after the completion of the preparations thus facilitated. He hoped

that mutual confidence would gradually be restored, but meanwhile he

again pointed out that cessation of hostile preparations, as well as

of actual firing, was necessary on the part of the Chinese forces

to secure that the foreign troops should cease shooting. As for the

suggestion that the foreign troops should leave the city wall, it was

impossible to accede to it, because a great part of the attacks on the

legation had been made from the wall. He concluded by suggesting that

sellers of fruit or ice should be allowed to come in.

 

In a letter addressed the same day to Jung Lu, the substance of Sir

Claude’s previous letters was repeated, and a suggestion was made

that communications would be facilitated if a responsible official

were sent to the legation. In response to this suggestion, a yamen

secretary arrived this afternoon with a card from Jung Lu. He had no

special message, but promised to see whether Peking “Gazettes” could be

procured and a market established for ice, fruit, eggs, etc., and also

to ascertain whether telegrams could be transmitted on behalf of the

foreign ministers to their governments. He mentioned that telegraphic

communication was interrupted. He expressed the concern of the Chinese

government at the deeds of the Boxers, who had caused the whole

difficulty between China and the foreign powers.

 

* * * * *

 

July 19. A very quiet day. No firing on either side. About two hundred

and fifty eggs and a few vegetables were brought in by Chinese soldiers

for sale. The yamen sent another message asking that the ministers

leave here for Tientsin.

 

July 20. Several copies of the Peking “Gazette” of the past month

were procured from the Chinese. Translations of a number of edicts

contained therein are given in another chapter. The ministers replied

to the yamen’s request of yesterday, saying that, as the Boxers were so

numerous outside the city, they would not dare to trust themselves on

the road. Four cart-loads of watermelons and vegetables were sent to

the ministers by the yamen as a sign of good feeling (?). No firing all

day, except for a few shots fired by Boxers in the south city against

our men on the wall.

 

July 24. Mr. Narahara, second secretary of the Japanese legation, died

in the early morning, of lockjaw from a wound.

 

Same date, 7 P.M. The following was received from Colonel Shiba: “A

Chinaman who came to our barricade this afternoon says that on the

17th of this month Yangtsun was occupied by the foreign troops, and on

the 19th a battle took place around the same place. About one hundred

and fifty wounded of Tung Fu Hsiang’s troops have just been brought to

Peking; the foreign troops were about forty li this side of Yangtsun

when the wounded men started.”

 

July 26. Colonel Shiba reports: “A Chinaman states that about 11

o’clock on the 24th instant the Chinese troops under General Chang were

attacked by foreign troops thirty li south of Hoshiwu (half-way between

Tientsin and here by road) and driven back at midnight to the latter

place. At 10 A.M. yesterday Hoshiwu was attacked, and the Chinese

troops driven back with heavy loss to ten li north of the latter place.

The force of 4,800 men who came from the west with nine guns left

Peking at 6 o’clock yesterday morning for Hoshiwu.”

 

Since the beginning of the truce, on July 18, the soldiers of Jung Lu

have observed the truce and refrained from firing; but those fronting

us on the north wall and on the west of the legation have started

sniping again. The latter are Tung Fu Hsiang’s troops.

 

July 25. Chin Tsu-hsi, a messenger who left our lines eight days ago

carrying an official letter to Jung Lu, returned to-day. He says that

he delivered the letter at Jung Lu’s headquarters, and was locked up

there seven days. Jung Lu goes to court every day. The Emperor and

Empress Dowager are still in the city. Boxers patrol the streets in

small bands.

 

Four days ago a ragged, dirty foreigner, hatless and coatless, of

general disreputable appearance, was captured by Tung Fu Hsiang’s men

and brought to Jung Lu. He was of medium height, blonde mustache and

beard, and spoke Chinese. (This referred to a Swede named Nestergaard,

who, on some slight offense, left the legation and went over to the

Chinese.) He said he went out to find food. Meanwhile Boxers assembled

around Jung Lu’s house, and demanded the foreigner, but Jung Lu sent

him off under guard to the yamen of the Shun Tien Fu for safe keeping.

 

A messenger sent out on July 4 to go to Tientsin with our letter

returned to-day, bringing the following note from the British consul at

Tientsin:

 

Your letter of July 4 received. There are now 24,000 troops landed

and 10,000 here. General Gaselee expected at Taku to-morrow. Russian

troops are at Peitsang. Tientsin city is under foreign government,

and Boxer power here is exploded. There are plenty of troops on the

way if you can keep yourselves in food. Almost all ladies have left

Tientsin.

 

(Signed) W. R. CARLES.

 

Dated July 22.

 

(The letter of July 4 gave details of the siege up to that date,

numbers of killed and wounded, and stated that Chinese troops had fired

into the legation quarter continuously since June 20, and that we were

hard pressed.)

 

This answer of the British consul aroused great indignation among all

the besieged. It had been impossible up to that time to get any word

from the outside world, though many messengers were sent out, and then

when one did succeed in getting through the Chinese lines, to receive

a letter (and that from an official, too) which gave no information of

any attempt to relieve us!

 

Following is the story of the runner’s trip to Tientsin and back: Lin

Wu Yuan, sixteen years old, a messenger, native of Shantung, living

in Peking, arrived this morning, from Tientsin. He left Peking with

letters on the night of July 4, disguised as a beggar. He was let down

over the wall by a rope, crept along the moat to the Chien Men, slept

under the gate, and in the morning walked to the Yungting Men, passed

through, and went to Machiapu station without being molested.

 

Hearing nothing there, he went to Tungchow and worked his way along the

main road to Tientsin. At a village near Hoshiwu he was stopped by the

villagers and made to work eight days. He reached Tientsin July 18,

first met Russian, then Japanese, and on July 21 met the British troops

at Peiving Men, the entrance through the defense wall, half a mile from

Tientsin city, on the Peking road.

 

He delivered his letters to a foreigner in citizen, dress, who spoke

Chinese. On July 22 he was taken to the British consulate; there the

consul gave him a letter. He was then sent to the foreign outpost at

Hungchian (Red Bridge over the Paotingfu river, a half mile west of

Tientsin city).

 

On July 23 he left Hungch’iao, and soon met the Chinese troops. That

night he slept at Yangtsun in a locomotive boiler near the bridge. The

bridge there was not destroyed. That day he saw only Chinese infantry,

the main body of which was at Peitsang; he saw no Boxers. The night

of July 24 he slept near Hoshiwu; saw few soldiers and no Boxers. The

night of July 25 he slept at Mat’ou. That day he saw a few parties of

Boxers in villages, but none on the road.

 

At Mat’ou and elsewhere he saw that the river was in high flood;

few boats moving, but many moored to the banks. On July 26 had no

adventures; he spent the night at Yuchiawei, twenty li from Peking.

 

[Illustration: APPROACH TO HATAMEN GATE IN WALL DESTROYED BY THE

RUSSIANS

 

Elsewhere in this work is presented a view of the top of this wall,

indicating its great width. The view above shows its height and form.

To the left is the encircling canal, with its stagnant water and

accumulations of filth; under a corner of the wall near the bend of the

canal may be seen a caravan. A block house or fortification is shown on

top of the wall. At the right the larger building upon the top of the

wall indicates where one of the city gates is placed. The foundation

of the wall is of great blocks of hewn stone, above which are tiers of

sun-dried brick.]

 

On July 27 he reached the Sha Kuo gate, the east gate of the south

city, at 10 A.M. He found the roads good; telegraph poles and wire

along the river all gone; railway torn up everywhere, rails buried, or

used for making Boxer swords.

 

He was not stopped at the gate, though there were many Boxers and Tung

Fu Hsiang’s men there. He made his way without trouble to the Hatamen,

which he found closed, and to the water-gate, which was too closely

guarded to pass by day. The man slept last night near the Chien Men,

crawled along the moat, and entered the water-gate without challenge

before daylight this morning.

 

He said the high road to Tientsin is in good condition. Crops

everywhere look well. Villagers are attending to their farms, but there

is a Boxer organization in every village. When he left Tientsin, the

foreign troops had not advanced beyond the defense wall, San Ko Hin

Sin’s “Folly,” built by that general against the British and French in

1860 but never defended (hence the name “folly”) surrounding Tientsin

city at a distance of one-half to one mile. All the yamens in Tientsin

are occupied by foreign troops, chiefly Japanese. All Boxers have

left the front at Tientsin because badly punished in the battle, so

the Chinese soldiers despise them. Chinese army was concentrating on

Peitsang, eight miles northwest of Tientsin. The messenger had a dollar

in his pocket when he met the foreign pickets at Tientsin, and they

relieved him of it, “lest he might lose it”!

 

Colonel Shiba’s informant gives the following dates of battles:

 

Battle at Tsaitsun, July 24, 1 to 12 P.M.

 

Battle at Hoshiwu, July 25, 10 A.M. to 3 P.M.

 

Battle at Auping, July 26, 6 to 9 P.M.

 

Chinese troops retired to Mat’ou on the 27th inst.

 

July 29. Reports from various sources, etc.: Foreign troops advance on

the 26th from Auping toward Mat’ou, from 3 A.M. to 12 A.M., and were

driven back to Auping by the Chinese at daylight on the 27th.

 

Foreign troops of three nationalities at Auping. Chinese ammunition

short; southern rice boats in the hand of the foreign army. Russian

troops are advancing toward Kalgan (from a man from Changpingchou,

eighteen miles south of the Great Wall).

 

July 29 P.M. Reported Yangtsun completely destroyed by foreign troops

two or three days ago, and foreign army in steady advance. The Empress

Dowager desires Tung Fu Hsiang and Jung Lu to send her with an army to

Hsianfu, the capital of Shansi. They do not consent, and suggest Li

Ping Heng to help conquer us. He is ordered up, has arrived, and is now

attacking the Peit’ang. During the night a strong barricade was built

on the north bridge; two hundred Boxers took up a position on it and commenced firing.