Western religions have been introduced to China for many years. These priests always preached goodness, and the believers have not caused trouble because of religion, so things were generally peaceful. In recent years, more and more churches have been built in various provinces, and the number of believers has increased. However, some bad actors wormed their way in, and the priests cannot control them. These bad people, pretending to be religious, oppress the people and stir up trouble in the countryside, which is certainly not what the priests want to see.
Now, about the Boxers, it was banned during the Jiaqing era. However, because they trained in martial arts to keep themselves and their villages safe, they did not cause much trouble. Therefore, the court had told local officials to handle it properly, and troublemakers, Boxer or otherwise, were punished severely. Both believers and Boxers were the Emperor's subjects, treated equally by the court. If believers and locals clashed, the court ordered local officials to handle them fairly.
But lately, many local officials were dragging their feet. They ignored the priests, ignored the people's concerns, and didn't bother investigating disputes. This fueled resentment and hatred between the groups. As a result, some Boxers, using their hatred of the believers as an excuse, formed gangs. Some bad people and bandits also joined them, causing trouble everywhere, destroying railways, and burning churches. The railroads were state-owned, and the churches were people's homes! How could they just burn them down? These gangs were openly defying the Emperor – unbelievable!
The court sent Zhao Shuqiao, Prefect of Shuntian and Minister of War, to order the gangs to disband and behave themselves. If troublemakers were still stirring things up, the gangs had to hand over the leaders to face justice.
If you continue down this path, it will be considered rebellion. The army will crush you, your family will face ruin, and you will be branded a traitor and an unfilial son/daughter. It will be too late for regrets! The emperor's worried sick about the people! After this announcement, if you still do not repent, let Grand Secretary Ronglu command Generals Dong Fuxiang, Song Qing, and Ma Yukun to lead the army in a full-scale crackdown. The focus will be on separating the ringleaders from their accomplices and dealing with them accordingly, while disbanding the accomplices. The army's supposed to protect the people, but I hear the troops in Zhili are harassing them instead. Therefore, the Governor of Zhili, Yulu, is ordered to investigate strictly. If any officer or soldier at the camp is found to be failing to control their troops, they will be dealt with according to military law, without leniency! This order must be printed and posted for all military and civilians to know. So ordered!
