Zhou Fangbo was ordered to convey instructions to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yin Chang to meet with the Viceroy and discuss three matters. First, before the coalition forces withdraw, they should not leave the areas currently under their control to prevent panic among the populace and disrupt spring planting. Second, if there are bandits disturbing the people between the camps of the coalition forces and the official army, the official army may request the coalition forces to deal with the bandits. They should go along with local gentry: firstly, it is convenient for the arrest and interrogation of the bandits without harming innocent people; secondly, it is widely known that the coalition forces are here to catch bandits, not for any other purpose, so the people will be grateful and not panic and flee. Third, local gentry are currently discussing compensation for the missionaries. Besides the gentry determining the compensation for the missionaries, there are numerous additional demands for missionary compensation, with some asking for amounts several times or even hundreds of times greater, and even threatening to send foreign soldiers to eliminate them if payment is not made. These threats are not credible, yet many ordinary people have suffered greatly because of them. If an edict is issued stating that the coalition forces will not heed the one-sided claims of the missionaries and attack the populace, then the officials and the people will not be intimidated by those individuals. Providing support to the missionaries is primarily the responsibility of local officials and gentry. If the missionaries are permitted to extort excessively, it will breed resentment among the people, which is a hidden worry of those with ulterior motives. The Chief of the German General Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Xa Kuo-fu, replied to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief on January 11th, in response to the Viceroy's instructions, as follows: Firstly, it is challenging to adhere strictly to the order of not deploying troops in the future under any circumstances. The situation must be assessed before any action can be determined. Secondly, if there are no major changes, no bandit disturbances in the area, or no Chinese troops causing trouble, then troops will absolutely not be sent out to meet Li Xiang's wishes.
3. Our Huajun forces are stationed in several places, and you need to inform Li Fu about how many people are stationed in each location so he can pass it on to Commander Wa. However, under no circumstances should the Huajun cross the boundaries they occupy; even small detachments or reconnaissance units must not cross the line to prevent any issues. All Huajun can be used outside the Allied forces' boundaries to suppress bandits.
4. If the Allied forces need to send troops to eliminate bandits within the boundary, they must always assess the situation. If necessary, they should invite local officials to assist in locating the bandits.
5. The issue of compensation has already been discussed with the clergy. Any claims for compensation from the church or its members should either be resolved through fair negotiations between the parties or handled by diplomatic personnel to ensure fairness.
◇ Letter from Zhou Fangbo, the governor of Zhili, to Commander Wa on the 23rd day of the first month
1. The villages and towns where the Allied forces are currently stationed are quite peaceful, but we cannot avoid sending troops to patrol. However, when dispatching troops for patrol, an officer must lead the team to ensure proper conduct and avoid letting soldiers wander around the villages in small groups, which would frighten the locals and create suspicion, making it difficult for the officers to investigate cases.
2. The price of grain in Beijing and Tianjin is rising sharply, so we should quickly attract merchants to bring grain from Shanghai and other places for sale. However, those merchants are worried about being extorted when entering Dagu Port or about not receiving protection, so they are afraid to come.
I request that you instruct all levels of military officers in the Allied forces in Tianjin to refrain from collecting taxes on any vessels carrying grain from Chinese merchants entering Dagu Port, and the same applies to those transporting grain from Tianjin to Beijing. This way, both Chinese and foreign military and civilians will benefit.
Previously, the Tianjin government collected a tax of thirty wen of copper for every sheng of imported rice, which is exempted during years of famine. However, since last May, there have been no imports of grain and goods, so it seems we should ease the restrictions somewhat and attract more merchants.
3. From the west side of Beijing to Baoding and Zhengding, and from the east side to Shanhaiguan, there is no telegraph communication, which makes things quite difficult. I would like to send people from our telegraph office to Baoding, Zhengding, and Shanhaiguan to establish telegraph offices for better communication. If immediate approval isn't possible, or if I am allowed to send people to the telegraph office of the Allied Forces to help with sending reports, that would also be acceptable. If this can be approved, I will inform Minister Sheng of the Telegraph Administration to send people to Beijing to discuss the matter.
4. Local county officials are the officials who are closest to the common people; local gentry are the leaders elected by the common people. Now, in mediating disputes, supplying the Allied Forces, and suppressing bandits, it's essential for local officials and gentry to take their responsibilities seriously. If they make mistakes, they can be directly reported to the central authorities and investigated, and they could face disciplinary action or even dismissal, and they wouldn't have much to argue about. It is just hoped that the officials of the Allied Forces and the local officials and gentry will respect each other and not send troops to arrest people or set up checkpoints on their own. If the government is too weak, the common people will not fear them, and no one will take care of local matters.
- Letter from General Wa to Minister Zhou
Yesterday, I received your letter dated March 21st and I understand everything you mentioned. I have informed the commanders of the Allied Forces about the first, second, and fourth matters you mentioned, and they will do their best according to the circumstances. As for the installation of telegraph wires, let's take it slowly and discuss further. If there are clear telegraph messages (not in code) now, the German military telegraph office can be entrusted to handle communications from Shanhaiguan to Baoding Prefecture. If the telegraph lines from Baoding Prefecture and Zhengding are to be used, direct discussions must be held with French Admiral Woerth.
- Letter from Minister Zhou to General Wa on February 2nd
There are some trivial matters now, please take a look and think about them. I hope to hear back from you soon.
1. Recently, there have been conflicts between the Shanxi army and the Allied Forces, and the central authorities have ordered the Shanxi army to fall back.
First of all, the authorities only provided a map, with the boundaries outlined in red, but no place names marked. I believe it would be best to mark the locations where the Allied Forces have set up checkpoints; otherwise, we could just adhere to the boundaries of Zhili. The area in Shanxi right next to the Zhili border can command the Shanxi army to withdraw dozens of miles and station there, even instructing patrol sentries not to enter the territory of Zhili, in order to avoid conflicts between the two sides. Please provide me with the exact locations so I can promptly report back to Lord Zhongtang and then inform the counties and prefectures in the western part of Zhili to notify the civil and military officials in Shanxi to comply. As the country is eager to negotiate peace, it will certainly not send troops eastward. I am concerned that if both sides are unaware of the checkpoint locations, the patrols of the two armies might encounter each other, resulting in harm to soldiers, which would be quite unfortunate.
Lord Zhongtang has been dispatched to the capital to negotiate peace. All counties and prefectures in areas where the Allied Forces are patrolling must be treated courteously and supplied to the best of their ability. However, the counties near Shanxi are mountainous and have limited arable land, making them quite impoverished and often unable to provide sufficient supplies, similar to the difficulties reported by the magistrate of Fuping County; I hope you can understand. Either reduce the number of stationed troops or establish clear regulations. These are not my responsibilities; I am merely offering a suggestion.
