The Boxers gathered in Beijing, and what made matters worse was that Dong Fuxiang's sworn brother, Li Laizhong from Shaanxi, was commanding them. This led to a fusion of soldiers and bandits, resulting in even more lawlessness. They burned and looted at will, acting just like common bandits. I penned this account, titled "Record of the Soldiers and Bandits Burning and Plundering the Capital," as a reference for future generations.
On the night of May 16, the Boxers realized that the Christians in the Yaojia Well area outside the city had taken refuge in the embassy, rendering them unable to act. They proceeded to burn down all the Christian houses in the area. The westerners' horse racing hall outside Zhangyi Gate was also burned that night, marking the Boxers' first act of arson in Beijing. The next day, the Boxers charged into Jiaomin Alley but were met with gunfire from the westerners, resulting in eight fatalities. That evening, fires suddenly erupted throughout the area, and all the churches inside Chongwenmen were burned down. The clergy had already sought refuge in the embassy, so they were unharmed. However, approximately two to three hundred Christians and their families lost their lives, and the situation was extremely tragic. That day, foreign houses in places like Denshi Hutong and Goulanyuan were also burned, with flames reaching high into the sky, and the smoke lingering until dawn, with embers still not extinguished.
On the 18th, the church outside Shunzhi Gate was set ablaze once more. Several shops run by Christians in Dashilar were also destroyed. The Boxers' cries continued unabated until dawn. On the night of the 19th, the Boxers attacked the Austrian embassy. That day, the Boxers sustained heavy casualties, and they were too preoccupied with fleeing to start any fires. However, the sounds of violence persisted until the early hours of the morning. Around 9 a.m. on the 20th, flames erupted once more, with smoke darkening the sky, taking on a pale yellow hue.
Lao De Ji Pharmacy, a foreign-run pharmacy, was burned down by the Boxer Rebellion. As a result, a strong southwest wind picked up, and the fire grew larger and larger. It burned eastward to Qianmen Street, westward to Meishi Street, southward to Heyan, and even crossed the river to reach Yueqiang and Lianghebao Alley, with the Zhengyangmen Tower catching fire as well! That day, at least four thousand shops were burned. The next day, the fire was still not extinguished. At the start of the fire, the Boxers even forbade using water to extinguish it!
Next to Lao De Ji was Guang De Lou, which, fearing it would catch fire, poured water to extinguish the flames. Consequently, the Boxers claimed they had only intended to burn Lao De Ji, but Guang De Lou used dirty water, angering the gods, which is why the fire spread so severely; it wasn't due to our spells being ineffective! After the fire broke out in the jewelry market, the entire market was thrown into a panic, and all four city gates were closed. From then on, every night there were flames shooting into the sky, burning either churches or the homes of church members.
On the 25th, the Boxers, along with the Gansu army, attacked the Austro-Hungarian embassy. The Bank of China and the Silver Yuan Bureau also caught fire, with the flames spreading rapidly from east to west. Between the Austro-Hungarian embassy and the bank, there was a large railway school located.
From the 16th to the 25th, these were all incidents of arson by the Boxers. Following that, the Gansu army commenced looting.
On the morning of the 26th, at nine o'clock, gunfire suddenly erupted, with shouts and cries echoing everywhere, like thunder. This marked the beginning of the soldiers' looting. On that day, the homes of all officials in Beijing and wealthy families were completely ransacked. The first soldiers rushed in, overwhelming the place, using knives to pry open boxes, tossing clothes into the courtyard, and taking the best ones. Once they left, more soldiers arrived to take whatever was left. After about seven or eight waves of soldiers, all the clothes were gone. Banknotes and other valuables were also stripped bare. If anyone tried to close the door against them, they would climb over the wall, fire a few warning shots at the house to intimidate them, and then proceed to loot. If anyone dared to resist, they were immediately shot dead. If they were not satisfied with what they looted, they would set the house on fire. The streets were swarming with soldiers looting, with children crying and women crying everywhere, shattering hearts. Bodies lay strewn across the streets, far too many to count. However, despite the widespread looting, it paled in comparison to the devastation faced by residents near Dongjiaominxiang. Due to its proximity to the embassy, the damage there was especially devastating.
The home of Minister Sun was robbed even more severely; his son was only wearing a short tunic, and everything else had been taken. The soldiers were still not satisfied and pointed their guns at Minister Sun, forcing him to hand over his gold and silver treasures, threatening to shoot him if he didn't comply. With no other choice, Minister Sun had to tell them where he had hidden his valuables, and only then did they relent. At that moment, Minister Sun was already in a state of panic, worried that they might come back, so he hurriedly got into a sedan chair, which is the type used for court attendance, to seek refuge at Xu Songge's hall. The soldiers were in a frenzy when suddenly someone shouted that the cavalry from the camp had arrived, causing them to scatter. It turned out that the main camp had just learned about the soldiers' rampage of burning, killing, and looting, and had sent troops to suppress them. After a while, someone shouted that the camp had issued an order for the robbers to be executed. Immediately, cavalrymen displayed heads outside Minister Sun's home, and this great disaster was finally over. That day, several prominent women were killed by the soldiers, and the number of common people killed was even higher.
On the morning of the 27th, Minister Rong learned about this incident and was greatly shocked. He quickly went to various places to check the situation and even ran to inform the minister. After investigating, he found that not only had everything been taken, but several parts of the walls were also damaged. That evening, a fire broke out again at Taiji Factory and at the east end of Jiaomin Alley, with flames spreading like a dragon's tail.
On the 28th, gunfire erupted, particularly intense near the Imperial River Bridge. Behind the Hanlin Academy was the British Embassy, where foreign soldiers were gathered. While they were fighting, suddenly many followers burst out of the embassy, killing anyone they saw. The soldiers from various countries opened fire to chase them, capturing many people and directly dragging them to Dengshikou to burn them alive. The stench of the corpses could be smelled from dozens of miles away, making anyone nauseous.
A few days later, the Hanlin Academy was set on fire, and all the ancient texts and books turned to ashes, scattered like butterflies. In the courtyard, twenty-six men, women, and children were forcibly taken to... (original text missing)... and sent to Pastor Ying in a neighboring county... (original text missing)... it was indeed a tremendous tragedy!
