The Boxer Uprising in Shandong, but the real disaster erupted in Zhili. Shandong Province was safe and sound, and the credit for Yuan Zhongcheng's (Yuan Shikai) suppression of the bandits is undeniable. Therefore, I have compiled records of the suppression of banditry in the three northeastern provinces for reference. The Boxers in Shandong spread from the historic regions of Zhili, Qinghe, Weixian, Quzhou, and other places to Guanxian in Dongchang Prefecture, and then spread from Guanxian to other counties within Dongchang Prefecture. They then secretly expanded in Dongchang, Caozhou, Jining, Yanzhou, Yizhou, Jinan, and other places, and by the summer and autumn of the Ji Hai year (the 26th year of Guangxu), their power began to strengthen. However, they primarily operated west of the Yellow River and used Zhili as their refuge. Eleven months after Yuan Zhongcheng (Yuan Shikai) took office, he decisively prioritized reconciling relations with the people and pacifying the bandits. He issued earnest proclamations a total of eighteen times. The bandits ignored the advice, so the Dao government officials urged the army to take action and arrest them, and ordered each county to offer rewards for their capture. Many bandit leaders, including Wang Liyan, were captured and dealt with under the law. In less than two months, the bandit forces weakened, and peace was restored across the region. Afterwards, he dispatched officials to carefully assess the populations of villages affected by banditry and provided compensation to both the clergy and the general populace. This reflects Yuan Zhongcheng's success in suppressing banditry. Commentators agree that the stability in the eastern border areas today is a result of measures he implemented upon taking office.
Wucheng County is very close to Zhili Ancient City and Qinghe, so the first group of Boxer rebels to infiltrate was here. There was a Boxer leader named Wang Yuzhen, who had a feud with a village in Qinghe. Under the guise of the Boxers, he recruited monk Xu Fu, as well as Zhu Xigong, Zhu Shihai, Chen Guangxun, Xing Dianwu, and others. Each brought hundreds of followers. On the ninth day of the second month, they sneaked into Chiping, Boping, and Sijiaying, causing chaos in Xuzhuang, Qingping County, where they kidnapped people and extorted ransoms. County magistrate Mei Ruding led the troops to chase them, but the rebels had already retreated to Yuanwangzhuang in Gaotang.
On the evening of the eleventh, they sneaked into Shitizhuang in Xiajin, looting indiscriminately. County magistrate Tu Naixun also led a team to arrest them. The rebels then sneaked back to Songlinzhuang in Qingping, and then ran to Yangzhuang in Wucheng. County magistrate Xi Dunren quickly telegraphed the deputy envoy, who said that the place had been peaceful for over two months, so how could outsiders still sneak in? He immediately sent the Right Army of the Imperial Guards, led by Wang Kaifu, to eliminate the rebels.
Before the troops could depart, Sergeant Yan Fengming happened to lead dozens of cavalry to patrol near Yangzhuang. They suddenly encountered the rebels, who put up a fight. Yan Fengming felt that the village was too densely populated and not a good place for battle, so he pretended to retreat to bait the enemy. Seeing him run away, the rebels chased after him. When they were close enough, Yan Fengming suddenly stopped his horse, ordered everyone to turn around and counterattack, and gunfire erupted. The rebels, taken by surprise, fell to the ground in droves.
At this time, Dai Shouli, the commander of the Eastern camp, rushed from the north, and Li Wencheng, the left camp scout officer, also came to support from the west, attacking from both sides and killing dozens of bandits. The bandit leaders, Wang Yuzhen, Zhu Shihen, Chen Guangxun, and Xing Dianwu, were among those killed. Eleven people, including Zhu Xigong, Fan Xiao, and Chen Juan, were captured alive on the spot. Fan Xiao and Chen Juan died on the way due to serious injuries; Zhu Xigong and the other nine were reported to County Magistrate Yuan Zhongcheng, handed over to Hong Yongzhou, the governor of Dongchang Prefecture, for interrogation, and then executed or imprisoned accordingly. In this battle, Captain Yan achieved a remarkable victory, and everyone praised him.
Yucheng, located in Jinan Prefecture, is adjacent to Linyi, Lingxian, Pingyuan, and Enxian, and is also quite close to the Zhili border, so bandits often appear there. Last winter, Magistrate Yuan stationed heavy troops in Yucheng, captured several major bandit leaders, and the bandits became significantly less active. Who knew that on March 14th, several out-of-town bandits suddenly emerged, including Wang Lidong, Li Chuanhe, along with Wang Wenyi, Zhang Desheng, Yan Chaoyi, and Song Renyi, each with over a hundred men, sneaking into Tianjiakou in Linyi. Upon hearing this, Magistrate Yuan immediately ordered the various camps and counties to apprehend these bandits within five days, or face removal from office and investigation.
On the 16th and 17th, these bandits moved to Wang Caiwu Village in Yucheng, as well as Baijiazhuang and Lujiacun at the border of Linyi and Ling County, plundering everywhere. Yucheng County Magistrate Xu Yuanqing, along with the sentry officer Ma Zhanwu from the Jikang Camp and sentry officer Lü Changshun from the Wuwei Right Army, hurriedly pursued them with about thirty to forty cavalry and infantry. The bandits retreated to the Panghe area in Linyi, where they were robbing the nearby villages. Lü Changshun led his men to surround the bandits. The bandits also lined up to resist, raising a yellow flag in front, with several bandit leaders on horseback directing the others, who had their heads wrapped in floral cloths, hair loose, bare-chested, and looking like wild savages, charging forward with guns and spears, charging with fierce momentum. At that time, there were only about fifty soldiers, outnumbered by the enemy, but Magistrate Xu urged everyone on with desperation, and they bravely charged forward. Despite serious injuries, Ma Yonggu, Kui Bin, and Zhang Wei refused to back down. Officer Lü led the charge at the forefront, with cavalry and infantry attacking together.
They first brought down the bandit leader Wang Wenyu, shooting through his chest. Another fierce bandit on horseback, Wang, was shot dead too, along with his horse. When Zhang Desheng saw it was not going well, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, muttering incantations as if casting a spell to confuse the officials and soldiers. Just as he raised his head, he was hit by a stray bullet. The officials and soldiers seized the moment to charge in, snatched the large flag from Song Renyi, and killed him. Song Renyi was shot dead too. They captured four other bandits, including Li Jiuzhi. The other bandits all fled. This time, they confiscated over thirty long guns, five knives and forks, one large flag, one statue, many talismans, and a flower roster made of red cloth, which bore the inscriptions "Commander of the Front" and "General Manager of the Grain Depot," as well as the names of certain sentries and teams.
He was illegally appointed as an official and was practically a rebel, yet those in power actually regarded him as a righteous citizen, which is utterly ridiculous!
This is absolutely ridiculous! He is clearly a fake official, no different from a rebel. Those who hold real power actually look the other way, even praising him as a good official who loves the people. What on earth is going on? This is completely reversing right and wrong, unable to distinguish right from wrong!
In the past, the martial artists in Shandong mainly operated in the Qinghe and Gucheng areas, causing trouble only in the jurisdiction of Caozhou Prefecture, while Wuding Prefecture remained relatively peaceful. But this year is different; bandits have spread throughout Zhili, especially in Cangzhou, Jinghai, Yanshan, and Qingyun under the jurisdiction of Tianjin. Le Ling and Haifeng under the jurisdiction of Wuding Prefecture are adjacent to Yanshan and Qingyun, making it easy for bandits to move around and incite troublemakers.
When Yuan Zhongcheng heard that there were bandits from outside in Fanjiatun, Yanganzhen, Niujiaotun, Zhangyizhuang, Zhangjizhuang, Dongjiazhuang, and Sunjiayanzhuang in the east of the city, he dispatched Ren Yongqing, the commander of the Wuyou Right Army Cavalry, to investigate. On May 16, Ren Yongqing, along with the scout leader Meng Xiaozeng, the vanguard left camp scout officer Hao Yaozong, and the county magistrate He Yejian, rushed to Niujiaotun and captured Song Qingyun for operating an illegal boxing club. They then went to Dongjiazhuang, where they captured the bandits Dong Guanlai and Bian Fasan, and brought them back to the county for interrogation and processing. The boxer Zhang Chengzhi from Hengshui County, who was quite clever, managed to slip away. Ren Yongqing was later transferred, and Yuan Zhongcheng sent the leader of the Ma You team, Meng Enyuan, to intercept him.
On the 19th, reports came in that bandits were causing trouble in Sanjiantang, Yanshan County, Zhili. Leader Meng immediately rushed to surround and capture them with County Magistrate He, but the bandits had already made their escape by the time they arrived. That night, Meng heard that many outsiders had gathered near Sunjiayan, so he led his troops to arrest them. They killed the bandit leader, Sun Luoquan, along with 28 others on the spot, and also seized a deity tablet, a bronze Buddha statue, a list of members of the Yihe Quan, a talisman, numerous spellbooks, and over fifty weapons before returning to the city. Among the captured criminals, seven were injured and were turned over to the county for questioning and appropriate action. Later, reports indicated that seven to eight thousand bandits had gathered in Yanshan, and that they were planning to attack Sanjiantang and Zhujiazhai. This was reported to Yuan, who then sent Zhang Fengxian and Zhang Xun to bolster the defenses. There have been dozens of bandit suppression operations in Wuding Prefecture, but this time, it marked the start of a significant campaign.
