The Boxer bandits burned all the train stations along the Beijing-Tianjin railway on April 29th and grew increasingly arrogant, seizing the opportunity to occupy Zhuozhou. In no time, there were Boxers dressed in yellow with red sashes everywhere, crowding the city and its surroundings like a swarm of ants, numbering at least twenty to thirty thousand. They shouted that Zhuozhou's military forces were weak and that foreign troops would arrive soon; they were willing to guard the city in place of the official soldiers. As a result, the city walls were packed with people and weapons, looking as if a battle was about to break out. The governor of Zhuozhou knew he couldn’t win, so he simply chose to go on a hunger strike, waiting for death.
On the evening of May 2nd, suddenly twenty soldiers on foreign horses arrived from Baoding, entered the city through the South Gate, and rode north. The Boxers were thrown into a panic, claiming that spies had entered the city, and they rushed down from the city walls, shouting and screaming, causing a deafening commotion. They chased for about an hour before returning. All four city gates and the market gate were closed. In the days that followed, they continued to hunt for Christians in the area, capturing and killing them, with countless houses burned down.
After hearing about this, the government officials were divided; some said to appease them, while others called for their extermination, and nobody could make a firm decision. The court sent Lord Zhao Zhongtang and Lord He Fuyin, who rushed to Zhuozhou the next day to address the situation.
Lord Gang disagreed with Lord Shangshu and worried about creating a deadlock, so he petitioned the court, volunteering to go. The court approved it, and he rushed there the next day. When he arrived, however, Lord Shangshu and Lord Fuyin were already there. They called the bandit leader and conveyed the court's goodwill and ordered them to disperse and return home to farm. But the bandit leader said that General Nie Gongting had previously dealt them a severe blow, and the grudge ran deep; he declared that unless the general was removed, they would fight to the bitter end! Lord Shangshu felt that General Nie was diligent in his duties and that his actions did not warrant dismissal; moreover, there weren't many senior generals left, and he needed to depend on him, so how could he possibly dismiss him? Lord He also saw the bandit leader's point and did not agree to his demands.
After Lord Gang arrived, he insisted that the Boxers could be utilized, while General Nie was not an option, repeatedly debating with them and sticking to his opinion. Meanwhile, Lord He had already been convinced by Lord Gang and followed suit, nodding in agreement. When the Minister saw that Lord Gang was more influential than him, he realized that further argument would be pointless and said with a smile, "Since both of you gentlemen share the same opinion, it must be reasonable. My abilities are limited, so I will return to the capital to report. You two gentlemen please stay to handle this matter, how about it?" Lord Gang nodded. The Minister then returned to the capital and submitted a vague report. Lord Gang conspired with the bandit leader and only returned the next day.
On the 13th, Dong Jun arrived in the capital. Previously, he had sent several vanguard officers with orders to arrive in the capital first, claiming they had ordered the Boxers to lead the charge against the foreigners, and their troops would follow. This news shocked everyone who heard it. However, from that point on, the presence of Boxer bandits spread throughout the capital, even more brazen than ever. This shows that the Boxers' arrival in the capital was essentially orchestrated by Lord Gang. It's fair to say he was the mastermind behind it all.
Just a few days after Gang Yi returned to Beijing, several thousand members of the Boxer group poured into the capital. At one city gate, a guard refused them entry, leading to a standoff. Suddenly, someone showed up with an order from Duke Zai Lan, commanding the guard to let them in. The guard had no choice but to comply. Once this news spread, the daily influx of people swelled to thousands and even tens of thousands.
Everywhere martial arts training grounds were set up; it was literally everywhere. At first, there was perhaps one training ground per street, or one for every two or three streets, but later it became three, four, or even five or six training grounds on a single street. Initially, only the local ruffians and bullies set up training grounds, but eventually, even the wealthy and powerful began to set them up. From high-ranking officials and nobles to prostitutes, peddlers, and soldiers, almost everyone became a member of the Boxer Society, with training grounds popping up everywhere. They used the characters "乾" (Qian) and "坎" (Kan) to distinguish between different groups. Those in the "乾" group donned yellow attire, while those in the "坎" group sported red outfits, and they hung sharp-pointed red flags at their entrances, with phrases such as "Authorized Boxer Training" or "Divine Fist of the Boxers" emblazoned on them. Some of the rectangular flags proclaimed "Support the Qing and Eliminate the Foreigners," while others said "Act on Behalf of Heaven." Each Boxer group had hundreds of members, with some having over a hundred. The wealthy leaders even outfitted their members with clothes, shoes, and weapons. They dressed like martial arts performers on stage, always carrying wooden sticks, marching through the streets, and proudly referring to them as "Er Lang Shen Sticks."
As the number of Boxers in the palace grew, a request was made to the emperor to appoint Prince Zai Xun and General Gang Yi to lead them, with the young Zai Lan as their deputy to address the situation. From that point forward, the officials and soldiers joined forces with the Boxers, and incidents of robbery, arson, and murder erupted.
