Real Histories
Liao Shouheng is hereby dismissed from his post at the Grand Council (i.e., his administrative work). So ordered.
Recently in the capital region, those bandits have been stirring up trouble continuously, creating widespread panic among the populace. We have issued several orders and dealt with it severely. But recently in the capital city, there are always many thugs loitering in groups, carrying weapons, wandering the streets, milling about with unclear intentions. If we don't strictly prohibit this, things will really get out of hand! The Military Command, Shuntian Mansion, and Five City Guards all have the responsibility to apprehend criminals and patrol the area. We cannot allow these bandits to terrorize the capital, disturb public order, and incite unrest! Therefore, I order all the ministers in charge of the Divine Machine Camp and the Tiger God Camp to send out their troops to station, along with cavalry and infantry to patrol day and night. If you find ruffians causing trouble, take them into custody right away! At the same time, I also entrust the Military Command, Shuntian Mansion, and Five City Guards to strictly discipline their soldiers and yamen, ensuring they meticulously patrol their assigned sectors. If suspicious individuals or groups armed with weapons are found spreading rumors and causing chaos, they must be severely apprehended and punished without any negligence. We must stop this mess from the outset and keep the peace! Let it be so!
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!
Lately, in Kansai, folks practicing boxing and martial arts are a mixed bag, and we're worried things will kick off. We've already cracked down on this several times outside Kyoto.
Word is, there are a lot of thugs and bandits mixing in with the common folk, causing trouble, even killing army officers and torching telegraph poles and railway lines. They don't fear the law—they're basically rioters! The officers in charge, along with local officials, are to immediately arrest the ringleaders and disperse anyone forced to join in. If they resist, we'll crush them—make an example!
People are scared; any spark could set things off. We need to protect all churches and the homes of believers to prevent trouble. That's the situation.
Folks in each province are banding together for mutual protection, in the old spirit of looking out for one another. If they all behave, let 'em be. But there's worry some bad apples might use this as a chance to pick on Christians. They don't get that the court plays it fair—no favorites. These folks need to understand the court's trying to help, and not let personal feelings cause trouble. So tell the governors to make sure the local officials keep hammering home the message: live peacefully, be honest, and don't give the court any grief.
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