The Customs volunteers took up a new position on the Mongol market, on the southwest of the British legation.
August 3. Another message was received from the yamen requesting us to leave the legation and go to Tientsin. The Chinese are extremely anxious to get us out of Peking, as they think that with us out of the way the armies will have no particular reason to come to Peking and will be content to settle up matters at Tientsin.
August 4. A great deal of firing all night. Two Russians were wounded while building a barricade, one of whom died during the night.
August 6. A sharp fusillade at 1 a.m., otherwise a quiet day. The firing, which throughout the first few days after the truce amounted only to a few scattering shots, has come to be nearly as hot as before the truce, and attacks are being made again every night.
August 8. The ministers received an official message from the tsung-li-yamen saying: “By an imperial edict dated August 7, full power has been granted to Li Hung Chang to discuss and arrange all matters by telegraph with the foreign offices of all the powers.”
Colonel Shiba reported that a Chinese outside coolie came in to say that all the troops in Peking, with the exception of five battalions of Jung Lu’s, have been, or are going to be, dispatched in great haste to meet the foreign troops; he does not know where the latter are. He adds that another 50,000 foreign troops have been landed at Taku.
LI HUNG CHANG
China’s greatest Viceroy
August 9. Sniper firing all day from Tung Fu Hsiang’s troops, especially at the customs position in the Mongol market. The latter were several times silenced by volleys from the Nordenfeldt machine gun mounted on a parapet built against the west wall of the legation. No firing from Jung Lu’s troops at all.