Rise of the Arms Dealer in the World War

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Opportunity

Though the German army had prepared for battle, they hesitated to make the first move. Despite mounting evidence pointing to the Boxers as the culprits, the Germans had suffered no significant losses—just a bruised ego. They told themselves they were waiting for the right moment, but in truth, the sheer scale of the Boxer movement had left them stunned.

Initially bent on immediate retaliation, the Germans instead shifted to a defensive stance after glimpsing the full scope of their adversaries.

However, this cautious approach proved futile as the Boxers unleashed a wave of bloodshed.

The Flames of "Holy War"

The severed head of the German missionary Father Macken was hoisted on a pike. Chinese Christians who had dared to step into churches were summarily executed. Within days, John Ross, a missionary infamous for his collaboration with colonial powers, was caught and killed while attempting to flee.

In a single week, the death toll surpassed 10,000. Each day brought a new wave of violence, the numbers rising exponentially.

The Boxers marched with unrelenting confidence, their mission seemingly less about expelling foreign powers and more about indiscriminate slaughter.

Recognizing that the situation was beyond their control, the Germans decided to make the information public. The atrocities would soon reach the ears of other nations anyway. By rallying the Great Powers, they hoped to share the burden—and the spoils of intervention.

Yet, the Germans kept one piece of information to themselves: the Boxers' firearms. They distrusted the Russians and feared backlash for allowing the weapon trade to flourish under their noses.

For now, they pinned their hopes on a united front. If the Great Powers could march together, the Boxers' level of armament would be irrelevant. @@novelbin@@

The German Command, Shandong

"Kapitan! The evacuation of missionaries was a success. It seems the Boxers are moving northward, likely toward Beijing," a soldier reported.

"Very well. Notify our embassies in Beijing of the situation. Make it clear that these Boxers are not mere rebels. According to our reports, gunfire has been constant," the commander replied, his tone clipped and efficient.

"Kapitan, the Boxers are killing every Christian they find—man, woman, and child, Chinese or otherwise. Should we intervene to save the locals?"

The commander scowled. "Are you mad? If we lose even one of our men for their sake, who will answer for it? Since when did you become an idealist? Focus on evacuating our own."

The "locals" were not their concern. To the commander, "our people" meant only Europeans. The soldier who raised the question quickly fell silent, accepting his superior's pragmatism.

In just two weeks, Shandong was awash in blood. The Boxer Rebellion burned brighter and faster than in recorded history. Rather than a slow build toward Beijing, the movement erupted like a wildfire, sweeping south and then abruptly veering north.

The Boxers left no church untouched, no believer spared. To them, attending church was tantamount to selling one's soul to the devil. All Christians—regardless of their deeds—were deemed irredeemably corrupt, fit only for death.

The teachings of the Boxer leader reinforced this. "Their sins can only be cleansed through death," he proclaimed. And his disciples obeyed without hesitation, assisting Christians in their "repentance through death."

Some Boxers even viewed their actions as mirroring the Christian God's wrath. To them, they were merely guiding these sinners toward the divine judgment they so fervently preached.

The Qing's Dilemma

The Qing government was well aware of the Boxers long before the rebellion reached its peak. Their swelling numbers, which counted millions of adherents across China, could not be hidden. The central authorities, initially dismissing the movement as a mere peasant uprising, issued a routine order for suppression.

But suppression was easier said than done.

Regional officials like Zhang Yuelai and Wu Qintang—tasked with executing the orders—chose instead to cooperate with the Boxers. Confronting such a massive and organized force with their meager provincial troops was a death sentence. Even if they tried, they knew it would end in failure.

"Better to redirect them than to fight them," Zhang Yuelai concluded.

To the local officials, the Boxers were not enemies. They seemed disciplined, focused solely on destroying churches and killing Christians. For the officials, who harbored their own resentment toward the foreign missionaries, this was a welcome reprieve.

For years, these officials had endured humiliation at the hands of foreign powers. Missionaries wielded privileges that rivaled those of ambassadors, commanding local armies and seizing lands to build churches. Officials were often forced to turn a blind eye to the suffering of their people, powerless to act. Now, the Boxers were doing what they could not.

Zhang Yuelai even referred to the Boxers as "beneficial pests"—an invasive species that rid the land of more harmful invaders. Under the tacit approval of local governors, the Boxers were allowed to roam freely, their path unblocked by provincial troops.

A Sudden Turn

The Boxers, who had been moving deeper into the interior of China, suddenly changed direction. After weeks of marching south, they turned north—toward Beijing.

The local officials were stunned.

"What the hell? Why are they heading north?"

"This can't be right. Are they going to Beijing?"

Panic spread among the governors. The Boxers' movement had seemed predictable: destroy churches, kill Christians, and avoid direct confrontation with foreign powers. But this unexpected turn of events suggested something far more dangerous.

"If they march on Beijing, we're done for!" one official exclaimed.

The officials now faced the grim realization of their error. By ignoring their orders to suppress the Boxers, they had inadvertently allowed an army of rebels to march on the capital.

And if the Boxers reached Beijing, they wouldn't just be rebels. They'd be traitors leading an uprising against the imperial throne.

In the chaos that followed, the Boxers continued their march, their numbers swelling with every step. What had started as a movement against foreign powers was now poised to shake the very foundations of the Qing dynasty.

The storm was no longer coming—it was here.