The German ambassador, Klind, was assassinated on May 23. Earlier, the Prime Minister's office sent someone with a notice to various embassies, stating that war had broken out in Tianjin, and that the Dagu Fort had been occupied by the foreign navies. Now, war had broken out between China and foreign powers, and all ambassadors were to lower their national flags and return to their countries, with a deadline to leave Beijing within 24 hours. The ambassadors felt that the consul in Tianjin lacked the authority to declare war and were confused by this sudden development. They collectively wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's office, requesting to meet Minister Wang to discuss the matter in person. However, Minister Wang did not meet with them. The ambassadors had no option but to ask for an extension to 48 hours while they packed their belongings and prepared to leave Beijing.
The German ambassador, Klind, was impatient and insisted on seeing Minister Wang to clarify the situation. That day, he took a translator and rode in a sedan chair. Worried about an accident on the way, he specifically placed a pistol in the sedan for self-defense. Unexpectedly, when they reached Dongdan Pailou, something happened, and he accidentally hit the trigger of the gun, causing it to discharge with a loud bang. This area was near the Belgian embassy, and the guards inside, hearing the gunshot, thought they were under attack and rushed out, opening fire. At that moment, there were indeed soldiers present who also believed they were under attack and immediately returned fire. In the chaos of flying bullets, someone in the sedan was hit, specifically the German ambassador, Klind. Seeing this, his translator panicked and quickly abandoned the sedan, running to a nearby church to take cover. The guards who had followed Klind saw that more and more Chinese soldiers and onlookers were gathering and were too afraid to approach, so they retreated back to the embassy and informed the other staff, as well as notifying the embassies of other countries. This was the start of the conflict.
After the envoys of various countries received the news, they all felt that the court was planning to send troops to ambush them, so they all decided to prepare for defense and were unwilling to leave Beijing for fear of being killed. At that time in Beijing, from officials to the common people, it was rapidly turning into a Boxer stronghold. Prince Duan Zaiyi, Dong Fuxiang, and others realized that the situation had escalated, especially with the capture of the Dagu Fort. War was inevitable, so rather than waiting to be attacked, why not take these foreign envoys hostage? Even if foreign troops arrive, we would have the upper hand. Therefore, the siege of the legations began. Some claim that Chinese officials had already set up an ambush, waiting to kill the German envoy the moment he arrived. This speculation is entirely unfounded, not credible, and unlikely.
