The question they have raised is far from settled. One shell was
dropped into the American legation compound. For strategic purposes,
American soldiers took possession of the Chien Men gate and pagoda
tower, and the German troops occupied the Hatamen gate and pagoda
tower, both of which overlooked the legation and Methodist Mission
quarters. One thousand more foreign troops were brought up from
Tientsin to guard the legations. During the burning the Manchu eunuchs,
who had witnessed the 1900 siege, could be seen in the moonlight
gathered on the glistening yellow roofs of the imperial palaces. It
will be recalled that this Imperial Third Division under General Feng,
committed the uncalled-for and awful arson of Hankau in November, 1911.
The _Muse of History_ will in vain turn the pages of her index to find
a record in her volumes of incendiaries who surpass the reactionary
Third Division, whom Yuan now locked up in their barracks. He then
called upon the old-style Chang Ku turbaned troops to defend the city.
Yuan was continually showing distrust and fear of his troops; neither
would he permit the southern delegates to bring up southern troops to
defend the constitution and their liberty, nor would he permit the
empress dowager and the emperor to retire from the imperial city to
the summer palace, some twelve miles distant, or to Jehol:--he said he
feared to arouse the northern troops. The southern delegates replied:
“It is too bad that we deferred thoroughly whipping these northerners
while we were at it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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