This past summer, the Boxers rebelled and even fought with foreign countries. By the order of the Empress Dowager, I hightailed it west as Beijing was a total mess. I put Prince Qing and Grand Secretary Li Hongzhang in charge, telling them to handle negotiations with foreign envoys for a ceasefire and peace talks. Yesterday, I received a telegram from Prince Qing and the others, saying we'd agreed on twelve points, with the general direction already settled. I also sent them a telegram, telling them to really look at every detail, keeping our strength in mind and keeping everyone happy. Since there’s a chance to correct mistakes, we ought to issue a decree to take responsibility and explain all the difficulties and grievances of the court to the people. A lot of people didn’t know what was really going on and thought the court was protecting those thugs, leading to such chaos. In fact, way back in May and June, we had issued several orders to suppress the Boxers and protect the people, but those rebels were wild and out of control. Nothing we did worked, and everyone was scared stiff. Not until July 21st did the Empress Dowager and I get ready to face the music and apologize to our ancestors. The situation was so critical at that time that it took a lot of work from the nobles to get us out of there, so we hightailed it west. The Empress Dowager almost got herself killed, the country was about to fall apart; everything was in ruins, and tons of people died—all caused by the Boxers. So, how could anyone think we were protecting them?
To tell the truth, the chaos caused by the Boxers, as well as those who support them causing trouble, did not happen out of nowhere. Foreigners spreading their religion in China for a long time led to frequent lawsuits between the common people and missionaries, with local officials always biased in their handling of the matter: the timid were afraid of trouble and helped the missionaries bully the common people, while those seeking fame helped the common people bully the missionaries. The government was clueless, and things just got worse and worse. The resentment between the common people and missionaries grew deeper, and the Boxers seized the opportunity, causing a bloody mess. So, you can't really blame the local officials, can you?
The Boxers in Laishui and Zhuozhou burned churches and destroyed roads, prompting the court to quickly dispatch the Red Army of Zhili to suppress them. However, when these troops arrived at the scene, they were undisciplined and killed the common people everywhere. The Boxers, relying on their anti-foreigner propaganda, did not harass the common people. As a result, the common people were afraid of the military and instead liked the Boxers. The Boxers grew stronger and stronger, attracting more and more followers. And those generals? Don't even get me started! The Boxers' misleading nonsense deceived many ignorant people. Some of those high-ranking officials were young punks, others were just plain dumb, all jealous of how powerful the foreigners were, and none of them ever stopped to think about what they were doing. They fell for the Boxers' crazy talk, hook, line, and sinker. Pretty soon, everyone was practicing martial arts – government offices, marketplaces, the whole shebang! Some provided food to the Boxers, some provided weapons, and a few guys started it, and before you knew it, thousands were jumping on the bandwagon.
The Empress Dowager and I are working to capture the leaders of the Boxer Rebellion and put down these threatening gangs. We even sent Guan Yi to persuade them to disband, but it was unsuccessful. Tens of thousands of rioters, armed with knives and waving red banners, stormed Beijing, burning churches and besieging embassies. The Empress Dowager has been ruling for nearly forty years, and I have received her teachings since childhood. We've always strived for peace with our neighbors and kept the people content – so how could this happen? How could anyone call these murderous thugs 'righteous'? And how could any nation rely on such criminals to tear up treaties? At this moment, the instigators are causing chaos everywhere, the Boxers are causing trouble everywhere, and disaster was looming. I worry that the Empress Dowager may not be able to handle so many issues, and I fear the situation may get out of control. Thinking about it still gets me choked up! It's all those treacherous ministers' fault!
When the embassies were besieged, I repeatedly ordered the ministers of the Grand Council to stop the attacks and visit each embassy to offer condolences. But with both sides shooting at each other, nobody dared to go near. The whole thing was a complete mess. If there had been arson or water attacks, how could all embassies have been kept safe? We only avoided a complete catastrophe because the court worked flat-out to keep the peace, constantly sending over wine, fruit, ice, and watermelons – a desperate attempt to show we meant well.
The current treaty does not infringe on our sovereignty or cede our land, thanks to the foreign powers' understanding, and a good riddance to those violent thugs. Looking back, I'm ashamed and furious. However, since the countries have decided to reconcile, they will not make unreasonable demands. Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang did their best to negotiate, using both reason and diplomacy. The big powers value their word, and they'll take our position into account. Hopefully, the treaty will go smoothly.
During the chaos in the capital, I ordered all regional governors to hold their defensive positions and not to provoke wars simultaneously. The successful treaty negotiations and the resulting protection in the southeastern coastal areas were all because they obeyed my instructions. Therefore, foreign trade was protected, and the governors in the southeastern coastal areas were able to safeguard themselves. However, although the provinces constantly preach about self-reliance, when it comes to a critical moment, they are in utter chaos and utterly unreliable. They don't understand how hard the court was working to manage the crisis and only blame the emperor for everything. Think about it, even the emperor has fled, and people are in a state of panic. In the Changping and Xuanhua areas, I served the Empress Dowager; my clothes were old, and sometimes I couldn't even eat enough, suffering from cold and hardship, worse off than the common people! Didn't those officials ever consider their responsibility to the nation and its people?
Look, the bottom line is, when everyday folks make mistakes, the responsibility lies with me, the emperor. I'm not dwelling on the past, but we gotta learn from it. For the last twenty years, every time problems arose, I repeatedly admonished everyone to work our butts off and get better, but it's all been lip service. We've been talking about getting our finances in order for years, but nothing's changed. Same old favoritism, same old lies, same old shoddy work. Every last one of you should ask yourselves, even without this mess, would we be okay? We were barely making it before, and now this? We're going to be broke. You've all been given a lot, and now's the time to repay the country. Get our finances in order, pay back what we owe, and show some compassion for the people. Pick people based on their character, not just how smart they are. We need to ditch the selfishness and break these bad habits. No more favoritism, and let's get some real work done. Fairness and hard work are what matters, and that's how we'll succeed or fail. Get on it. Follow the tenth-day decree, and report back ASAP. Everyone needs to put the country first, lead by example, and get their teams working together.
I have been raised and educated with great care by the Empress Dowager for nearly thirty years. Now that the country is in such a dire state, thinking of the disgrace brought upon our ancestors' shrines, the ruins of the capital, the thousands of scholars and officials displaced, and countless soldiers and civilians dead or injured, I bear the full weight of this responsibility. Where is the time to blame others? Therefore, I repeatedly remind everyone that a nation's fate depends on whether we act promptly or procrastinate, and a nation's strength depends on whether we are serious or perfunctory. We must strengthen our alliances, defend our territory, recommend talented individuals, and ensure open communication; I have earnestly instructed these matters many times. All ministers, both inside and outside, must heed my instructions carefully, rekindle their loyalty, remember the wisdom born of adversity, and dedicate yourselves fully to the task. The Empress Dowager and I place our faith in you. Let this be known to all. So ordered.
