The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

By the time everyone arrived at the Summer Palace, Tsar Nicholas II had already received the news and was furious at his seat. The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, War Minister, Director of the Orthodox Affairs Administration, and other high-ranking officials of the Russian Empire had all quickly gathered there again.

"Shameless, this is shameless! Despicable, those yellow monkeys are really despicable, they have already declared war on us without declaring it! Shameful, very shameful! Fight back, we must fight back immediately."

Tsar Nicholas II was scowling with anger. The Russian Empire had nearly lost the Russo-Japanese War, a disgrace enough. And now the Kadima Party had preemptively attacked the Russian-built Chinese Eastern Railway. This was crushing the Great Russian Empire to the ground. Such a thing was absolutely intolerable to Nicholas II!

"Your Majesty, this is indeed an act of war. When the Qing rebels refused to recognize the treaty signed between the great powers and the Qing central government, this war was inevitable. What we need to consider now is whether the Qing rebels want to reclaim the Chinese Eastern Railway or completely abolish the treaty we signed with the Qing central government. If that is the case, the war..."

Before Prime Minister Kokovtsev could finish his words, Nicholas II interrupted and asked, "Do you mean that those yellow monkeys dare to attack the imperial territory?"

"Your Majesty, the Trans-Siberian Railway hasn't been completed yet, and the forces that can be deployed to the Far East are extremely limited. Just like the war against Japan, logistics are a disaster. Furthermore, at least the Mongolian Consul Liu Ba has sent a telegram stating that the Qing rebels have built Kulun, Mongolia into a war fortress. If the Qing rebels want to reclaim the territory ceded by the Qing government, then their purpose is self-evident."

"Asshole, if the yellow monkey dares to attack the imperial territory, we will fight at all costs. The empire will never allow an inch of land to be lost."

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, there is another situation now. The Qing rebels are equipped with a lot of heavy artillery, which were captured from the Japanese. At the same time, they have already used these heavy artillery in the war against Japan."

"Yes, according to the intelligence we've received, the Qing rebels still possess dozens or even hundreds of large-caliber heavy artillery pieces, many of which were dismantled from Port Arthur!"

"Asshole, so now the yellow monkeys are using weapons made in the Russian Empire to attack us! Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"

Not only Nicholas II couldn't accept it, no one could accept it. If the enemy uses the weapons you produce to fight you, and you still lose in the end, it would be really frustrating!

"Your Majesty, rest assured. It's impossible for the Yellow Monkeys to capture Vladivostok. It has strong fortifications and lacks sufficient heavy artillery. They would be overestimating their capabilities if they attempted to attack Vladivostok. However, the war with Japan consumed so much of our supplies, and later, in order to suppress the revolution at home, we have not been able to replenish them. If the Chinese adopt a siege, Vladivostok can only hold out for six months at most. If we fail to defeat the Qing rebels in time, and run out of ammunition and food, the defenders of Vladivostok may surrender to the Qing rebels, just like the defenders of Port Arthur did..."

"Half a year is more than enough time. The great imperial army will surely be able to defeat those yellow-skinned monkeys within three months..."

"But, Your Majesty, we have no money..."

"Didn't the French agree to lend us money?" asked Nicholas II.

"Your Majesty, France has not yet provided us with any. They believe that our attention should be focused on Europe..."

"Assholes! These Frenchmen only care about themselves. Humph, the Russian Empire will never surrender. First, borrow 200 million rubles from my treasury. Once we win the war, we'll make the yellow monkey pay 200, no, 300 million rubles in compensation!"

At Nicholas II's insistence, Russian Emperor Luo Baifu formally declared war on the Liberated Areas government on behalf of the Russian government. However, the Liberated Areas government was unwilling to pay much attention to the Russians. They were no longer considered the legitimate Chinese government by the great powers, but merely a local government, lacking the power to declare war. Of course, Zhang Yinghao also had no desire to declare war on Russia, as a declaration of war would imply a subsequent ceasefire. Zhang Yinghao envisioned this war against Russia as a similar surprise attack on Japan: neither side declared war nor declared an armistice, but a de facto ceasefire had already been achieved. The Japanese had not crossed the Yalu River, and after the Fifth Field Army's troops advancing into Korea withdrew, they ceased their offensive. For the time being, a strange peace settled between the two sides of the Yalu River. While this peace was fragile and could be shattered at any moment, it was indeed peace.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao didn't hesitate after receiving the so-called declaration of war. He didn't foolishly declare war on Russia. Zhang Yinghao didn't intend to maintain peace with Tsarist Russia. However, if the war could no longer be fought, he would naturally stop and reclaim as much territory as possible. This was the effect Zhang Yinghao wanted.

Chapter 611:

Zhang Yinghao promoted these contents naturally to arouse the anger of the whole nation against the Russian Empire. China is a weak and poor country, but it is a central power that has been the leader for a thousand years. Its strong self-esteem and great power mentality cannot be insulted. Now that it is being bullied by Russia, it would have been fine if the people did not know the news before, but now it has been widely publicized and the people know the contents of these treaties. Zhang Yinghao believes that anyone who considers himself to be Chinese would not want to regain these lost lands.

In his previous life, he had no other options except war. However, in the age of nuclear war, the cost of waging war was too high, so he had to give up! However, this life gave Zhang Yinghao an opportunity, and he naturally would not allow these lands to continue to be seized by foreign powers. So, Zhang Yinghao then worked hard to publicize the unequal treaty signed between the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, guiding public opinion for the People's Liberation Army's advance into Outer Manchuria.

Based on the 1898 Lüda Land Lease Treaty, China and Russia constructed a branch line of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Harbin through Changchun to Dalian, forming a T-shaped railway spanning over 2800 kilometers. This railway, which crisscrossed China's three northeastern provinces, became a tool and base for Tsarist Russia's economic, political, and military aggression against Northeast China, effectively establishing Russian control over the region.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Russia planned to take an active and defensive retreat.

The Japanese were defeated and driven out of the South Manchuria region, losing the southern section of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the interests along the railway.

In a short period of time, the Fifth Field Army suddenly launched an uprising and directly drove the Japanese out of the Northeast. The liberated area government naturally took over the southeastern section of the Chinese Eastern Railway. However, the northern section of the Chinese Eastern Railway was still under the control of the Russians. The Russians also stationed some troops along the railway, and these troops were the targets of the field army.

By this point, the troops of the Fifth Field Army had undergone nationalist education, and their sense of being Chinese was undeniable. Everyone also understood that foreigners entering China must be permitted, otherwise it would be considered invasion. The soldiers were already grieved by the Russians' heinous crimes in the Far East, and their indignation was intensified when they learned that these territories had been seized from the Qing Dynasty through coercion and unequal treaties.

After hearing the political commissar and instructor recount these tragic experiences, especially the massacres at Blagoveshchensk and the Sixty-Four Villages in Jiangdong, everyone was filled with grief and indignation. Many people had long known about these events, but their personal influence was limited. Furthermore, the Qing government's indifference, its lack of concern for their compatriots, and its lack of reaction to the perpetrators of the massacres, coupled with its reluctance to mobilize the people, ultimately led to the rest of the country becoming numb to the situation.

But now, after hearing about these tragedies again and preparing for revenge, the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Field Army were undoubtedly filled with indignation and excitement. All the soldiers had red eyes after listening to it.

"Kill the Russians and make them pay with blood!" an angry soldier roared with red eyes.

"Kill the Russians, blood debt must be paid with blood!"

The other soldiers followed suit, their anger rising. Calls for revenge against the Russians continued unabated. Driven by the spirit of revenge, the morale of the Fifth Field Army's officers and men had reached a peak. They believed they would unleash their full fighting power in this battle.

However, the first troops to take action against Russia were not those stationed in Northeast China, but rather elite units deployed one after another. A few days after Tsarist Russia declared war, the PLA in Northeast China suddenly ceased activity, but now Tsarist Russia was far from at peace. Warfare, naturally, was fought in the manner imperialism feared most: by sending in special operations teams and small units to infiltrate the border beforehand, infiltrating and sabotaging the border, spreading rumors, and investigating the movements of the Russian army.

Almost a week had passed since Russia declared war, and the Russian army was in a state of panic. Although the main force of the Fifth Field Army in the Northeast had not made any movement, they were plagued by internal accidents, and the destructive power of small units was extremely large.

In reality, the Russians had always been wary and cautious about the territories they had seized in the Far East through the Treaty of Hanoi and the Treaty of Beijing. While they looked down on the Chinese, they were also deeply concerned that the Chinese would attack them. This would put them at risk of losing the territories they had seized. Consequently, the Russians had always maintained a significant presence of troops in the Far East, even after the Soviet Union came to power.

Furthermore, faced with the bunkers they had spent countless years building, they naturally hoped that no one would be able to break through these sturdy fortresses. The Tsarist Russian army naturally knew who these attackers were, and therefore knew that this was a conspiracy by the Fifth Field Army. Naturally, they held their ground. For the first two days, the Russian army was extremely nervous, but after a few days, the Russians naturally relaxed their guard. Moreover, after seeing that the main force of the Fifth Field Army had not made any movement, they gradually sent troops to eliminate these saboteurs in the face of harassment from small units. Otherwise, these minor inconveniences could have caused a major disaster at a critical moment.

Why did Zhang Yinghao dare to go to war with Russia at this time? Besides his reluctance to let Russia desperately exploit the mineral deposits in the Heilongjiang region, the most important reason was that the Fifth Field Army's advance northward would inevitably require a battle with Russia, otherwise the Fifth Field Army would face endless trouble in the Northeast. A single blow is better than a hundred. Since Russia is at its weakest, then it's time to fight. Even if they lose this battle, it won't be a big deal; they can just accumulate strength for later.

Moreover, Russia at this time lacked the later Soviet-developed theory of deep attack, which traded space for time. This theory was only possible for vast nations like China and Russia. Such a theory later played a crucial role in China's war against Japan and the Soviet Union's fight against Germany, demonstrating its invaluable value. But were the Russian forces in the Far East currently deployed in deep attack? Absolutely not. Rather, they formed a long, straight line. If even a few of these points were breached, the Russian Far Eastern Front would likely not hold out for long, and its defenses would collapse completely.

Most importantly, at this point in time, Zhang Yinghao never considered Outer Manchuria and the Greater Khingan Range to be Russian territory. Those areas still housed significant numbers of Chinese, while before the Trans-Siberian Railway was fully constructed, there were virtually no Russians in the Far East. In fact, the Russians themselves knew these lands were not theirs, but rather seized from the Qing. They were constantly worried about the Chinese taking them back, so when they were clearing land for cultivation in Amur Province, they chose to recruit Koreans instead of Chinese.

The Fifth Field Army's first move was to sever the Trans-Siberian Railway. Severing the Trans-Siberian Railway would directly impact the Far Eastern Front's troop movements and even threaten to sever its defenses. If the Trans-Siberian Railway were to be destroyed, Russia's limited forces would be unable to defend it. Such a long railway was simply impossible to defend, and they could only watch helplessly as the Trans-Siberian Railway was severed.

The Russians, in particular, had to wait at least a month for each bullet to be shipped from distant Europe to the Far East. Even Russia, with its strong wartime background, could not withstand such endless attrition. Furthermore, after the Russo-Japanese War, Russia's supplies in the Far East were almost completely depleted. Although some were replenished during the confrontation with the Japanese, they were subsequently forced to suppress the revolution, and no more were replenished.

As the saying goes, if you don't practice for three days, your hands will become stiff, and if you don't practice for three days, your mouth will become stiff. If the Russians want to maintain their combat effectiveness, they must train, and then their supplies will naturally be consumed slowly. If they don't train, then after half a year, whether the Russians will still be able to fight is another matter.

Given this, Liu Wenxiu and his team naturally hoped the special operations detachment's operation would begin as soon as possible. Even if it didn't deplete the Russian army's supply reserves, it could still create a significant psychological impact on the Russian army. According to reports Liu Wenxiu had received, Russian residents along the railway line had already begun to leave for the west with their families, hoping to return to Europe, at least for now, to stay away from this potential war zone.

When the Fifth Field Army was about to attack the Russians, it had already begun preparing to attack this Russian railway. Wang Youliang, the captain of the Fifth Battalion of the Special Operations Detachment, a special operations soldier from Sichuan and one of the most experienced and senior captains in the Special Operations Detachment, undoubtedly took on the important task of heading north to disrupt the Russian army's logistical supply lines.

Everyone carried long and short guns, a large amount of explosives and tools for destroying railways, wore Russian military uniforms, and escorted a few "prisoners" in tattered clothes. With the help of war horses, in just a few days, Wang Youliang and more than 300 subordinates walked more than 400 kilometers from Manzhouli to the Chita area.

The reason for this remote operation was that Wang Youliang clearly remembered something Commander Cao Qiang had said. Russian ammunition supplies were first transported by train and then by cart along official roads before finally reaching the front lines. Compared to convoys of hundreds of supply wagons, trains held not only more supplies but also concentrated them, making them easier to attack. After much deliberation, Wang Youliang ultimately decided to lead his troops northwestward to attack the Russian railway lines.

Since its opening, the Trans-Siberian Railway has continuously transported resources from the Far East back to Europe. After the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the railway played the role of an accomplice in the war, continuously transporting ammunition and supplies to the forefront of the battlefield.

At this moment, the railway line that lay before Wang Youliang was the Trans-Siberian Railway, built with immense expense and painstaking effort by the Russians. Just as Wang Youliang was about to find the best place to derail the train, a sudden roar reached everyone's ears, and then the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.

When Wang Youliang first left Sichuan, he had never seen a railway before. However, during training with the Sichuan Special Forces, Chairman Zhang Yinghao taught him a course on how to derail a train. After arriving in Northeast China, he became fascinated by these massive trains, and during the Russo-Japanese War, he repeatedly derailed them, allowing the Fifth Field Army to plunder countless loot. Now, hearing this sound and having seen trains before, Wang Youliang immediately recognized a train approaching.

Sure enough, within half a minute of the vibration, Wang Youliang saw thick black smoke emanating from the steam locomotive. Then, a train, towing several carriages, slowly passed along the railway line in front of them with a noisy roar, and then quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Captain, this train is so long and running so fast, how can we blow it up..."

A comrade who had just joined the special forces and had never performed any relevant tasks immediately asked. Many comrades turned their heads away immediately, afraid of being laughed at. After all, they were their comrades, and they couldn't laugh at their ignorance. Besides, every one of them had come this far. It was a tradition of the special forces to ask questions when they didn't understand. If they didn't ask questions when they didn't understand, it would be fatal.

As if pre-arranged, dozens of eyes converged on the team leader, Wang Youliang. Wang Youliang confidently replied, "Don't worry. The train may look indestructible, but destroying it is actually very simple. Just follow my instructions. I haven't taught you this lesson yet, so let's practice it now."

In less than half an hour, Wang Youliang and his men had torn two large gaps in the two tracks. Under the skeptical gazes of the crowd, Wang Youliang confidently declared, "Retreat immediately, to the woods behind. I promise, as soon as the Russian train arrives, we'll put on a good show."

Sure enough, half an hour later a fully loaded train came with a roar. In the sight of everyone, the accident happened just as the train reached the gap in the tracks.

The train, previously moving along the track, lost its direction once the track's restraints were removed. Driven by immense inertia, it quickly veered off the track. Remember, this is a mountainous area, not a vast plain. The train had barely traveled twenty meters when a ridge appeared in its path. Without much loss of speed, the train crashed into the ridge...

With a loud explosion, the compressed and deformed locomotive exploded under the action of steam and coal heat. As soon as the explosion was heard, a series of explosions followed at the locomotive's location.

The locomotive crashed into a ridge and stopped moving. Unsurprisingly, the train cars loaded with weapons and ammunition collided with the exploding locomotive under the immense inertia. The massive amount of coal burning in the locomotive detonated the entire train car's load of ammunition.

At this moment, the train car carrying ammunition collided with the exploding train car due to inertia. In this way, more than a dozen train cars, under the influence of the continuous detonation of ammunition, exploded one after another. Soon, more than a dozen train cars were reduced to scrap metal, and the raging fire directly covered them.

Wang Youliang and his team were actually lucky. The Russians knew the importance of railways, so the previous train was just a scouting trip. The latter train, carrying the actual supplies, was delayed for some reason. If Wang Youliang and his team had arrived an hour earlier, they could have derailed the previous train, preventing the latter from departing. The limited supplies and ammunition Russia was already shipping to the Far East had been destroyed in such a simple manner. The Russians would have been furious if they knew.

"That's it..."

Looking at the exciting explosion scene in front of them, several team leaders showed stunned and shocked expressions on their faces.

"What a waste of so many ammunition and supplies..."

Captain Wang Youliang wasn't much better off this time. He'd derailed trains before, but never before had he witnessed such a spectacular sight. Although he'd learned the simplest method of destroying a train from Chairman Zhang Yinghao, the sight of ammunition exploding in more than a dozen carriages was new to him.

A full minute passed, with the explosions still ringing, before Wang Youliang finally reacted. He said to his men with surprise, "I didn't expect those train cars to explode on their own. It's truly unexpected. Comrades, retreat immediately. The Russians will be here soon. This section of the railway has been bombed like this. They won't be able to restore traffic in a few days..."

"Don't you want to find some supplies?"

"No, our Russian skin is our best weapon. Safety is the most important thing now."

A few hours later, Russian troops in Chita finally received word that their ammunition supply train had been destroyed, the railway severed, and traffic would be blocked for at least ten days. The commander, preparing for a decisive battle, initially reacted with disbelief. After repeated confirmation, he immediately concluded that it must have been the work of domestic revolutionaries. Chita was hundreds of kilometers from Heilongjiang, and the Northeast's Fifth Field Army would never have ventured so far to blow up a section of track.

"Commander, without the ammunition supply, our material reserves will be greatly affected. Now our material reserves are not sufficient at all. What should we do..." the chief of staff asked in a low voice with a frown.

"What should we do? Immediately send troops to eliminate the revolutionaries along the railway, otherwise we will never get any supplies again!" The commander said without thinking.

"But now the empire has declared war on the Northeast. If we disperse our forces to suppress those revolutionaries, wouldn't it be more costly than gain?" the chief of staff said carefully.

"Hehe, this is the territory of the Russian Empire. If the yellow monkey dares to attack us, it means we are declaring war on the Empire and will fight to the death. Have you heard about the yellow monkey's declaration of war? I now predict that the rebel forces in the Northeast will only dare to attack within their own territory and will never dare to cross the line into the territory of the Russian Empire. If we don't wipe out those revolutionaries now, will we let them grow and develop here?"

Therefore, after the Russian army maintained a high level of alert for two or three days, they immediately sent troops to search for the Russian revolutionaries. This incident immediately caused the vigilance of the Tsarist Russian army to plummet...

Chapter 612:

The more modern warfare becomes, the more of a competition arises between military logistics, munitions, and other supplies. Without sufficient supplies, or even ammunition, rifles are no more effective than swords and spears. Without ammunition reserves, an army is like a herd of lambs to be slaughtered, even more vulnerable than lambs. After all, lambs can survive by eating grass, but humans cannot.

After receiving the order to completely cut off the Trans-Siberian Railway, Liu Wenxiu also issued a large-scale attack order, and the various troops quickly launched an attack on the Russian camp where the designated target was located.

The Russian Chinese Eastern Railway Administration located in Binjiang was immediately attacked by a battalion of the Fifth Field Army.

"Oh my God! What do those yellow monkeys want to do?"

When the Russian guards guarding the Chinese Eastern Railway Administration saw the soldiers of the Fifth Field Army rushing towards them with rifles, their faces changed drastically and they started shouting.

"Bang bang..."

After a round of gunfire, the guards immediately fell in a pool of blood.

"Charge in, take control of the place, arrest all the Russians, and shoot anyone who dares to resist!" The battalion commander, who had not yet recovered from the political education, ordered murderously.

In the office of the director of the Middle East Railway Administration, the director was also awakened by the sudden gunshots.

"Come here, what on earth is going on?" the director asked loudly. A moment later, his secretary came running to report to him.

"Director, something terrible has happened! The despicable Qing people have ambushed us and are now attacking us. Our guards have been killed by them. We are finished..."

The secretary reported hurriedly.

"Damn it! How dare those yellow monkeys do this?"

The director was furious. He figured the Fifth Field Army was still battling the remnants of the Qing Dynasty and wouldn't dare provoke the Russian Empire right now, as that would mean war. So, while the Fifth Field Army was attacking the city, he remained calm in his office, occasionally glancing out the window as if watching a play.

But then, the office door burst open. A team of heavily armed soldiers rushed in, their guns trained on the people inside. The secretary immediately raised his hands in surrender, without hesitation. The director slumped in his chair, his eyes filled with despair.

The Fifth Field Army launched a brazen attack, directly targeting Russian troops deployed along the Chinese Eastern Railway. This caught the Russians completely off guard. Although everyone knew that war was about to break out, no one thought it would happen so soon.

After dealing with the Russians in Bincheng, the troops immediately reported to Liu Wenxiu that the mission had been completed. After receiving the report, Liu Wenxiu quickly issued the order for a general attack.

The relevant troops had already been deployed along the Chinese Eastern Railway. After the order for the general offensive was issued, other troops immediately launched an attack on the Russian troops deployed near the railway line.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Mortar shells flew towards the Russian camp. The dense bombardment caught the Russian army off guard and caused heavy losses.

The Russians had never expected that the Fifth Field Army would attack them first, that the war would come so quickly and so suddenly. Although they knew that war was inevitable, they nevertheless imagined that the cowardly Chinese would dare to launch an attack on them without scruples.

The same scene unfolded throughout the entire Chinese Eastern Railway, as one Russian barrack after another came under fierce attack from the Fifth Field Army. Unprepared, the Russians were unable to withstand the Fifth Field Army's artillery bombardment, and with their desperate and ferocious assaults, barracks were overrun one after another. Numerous Russian soldiers were either killed or surrendered to the Fifth Field Army.

The order for the general offensive was given, and like a hot knife through butter, the last few stubborn Qing patrol battalions and the old Russian army were swept away in this sweep. The Fifth Field Army began to rapidly advance towards other cities in Heilongjiang. Wherever they went, the patrol battalions naturally surrendered. Before long, the entire Heilongjiang River had fallen into the control of the Forward Party.

Even the Russian Army Command's orders to the troops deployed along the Chinese Eastern Railway were to blow up the railway at the appropriate time. After all, while the Russians had painstakingly built this railway, they knew that if it fell under enemy control, and now the Fifth Field Army were to exploit it, it would undoubtedly bring disaster to the Russian Army. However, before the Russians had time to prepare for this, the railway had already fallen under the control of the Fifth Field Army. Even if some sections were bombed, the Northeast was now capable of repairing them quickly.

When Liu Wenxiu learned that the plan to seize the railway had succeeded, a smile finally broke out on his face. In his view, the intact capture of the Chinese Eastern Railway represented a good start for the Fifth Field Army in the war, and even halfway to success. For the remainder of the war, all they had to do was launch the offensive according to the predetermined plan. Outer Mongolia might face a fierce attack by hundreds of thousands of Russian troops. However, in the Northeast, the Fifth Field Army already held an absolute advantage. Under the "Kill Mao Order," the remaining Russian troops were practically helpless.

When the Fifth Field Army took action, the Central Government of the Liberated Areas immediately sent relevant personnel to negotiate with the diplomats of the United States, Britain, and Germany.

Diplomats in this era have multiple roles. Diplomacy is their main job, but gathering intelligence and developing trade are also their main responsibilities.

Germany and the United States, both seeking outlets for their capital and industrial products, naturally support trade. Germany, in particular, has the Forward Party, which is currently holding Russia in the northeast, significantly reducing pressure on Germany's western front. For this reason alone, the Forward Party is a worthy investment. Therefore, the liberated areas also need to win over the support of the powerful nations, or at least moderately divide them.

The Americans naturally welcome this. After all, they have long been salivating over China's huge consumer market.

US trade with China grew rapidly, with exports in 1899 nearly tripling from 1895 levels. American business communities viewed China, with its vast territory and large population, as a "potential market." In January 1898, the Commercial Times, representing the interests of the textile industry, wrote that the potential offered by China to American commerce was "simply inestimable," and that it was potentially the "largest world market."

However, the predatory activities of European powers and Japan, such as seizing ports and competing for spheres of influence in China, posed a direct threat to American interests in China. If China were divided up and became a colony under the rule of various countries, American trade with China would inevitably be excluded, let alone further development.

Therefore, in 1899, the US government sent notes to the governments of six countries, including Britain and Russia, demanding the implementation of the so-called "Open Door" policy and equal trade opportunities in China. The Open Door policy meant that the US would recognize the "spheres of influence" and existing privileges of the great powers in China, while demanding "equal sharing of benefits."

The United States was a relatively new nation, its military strength was still weak. Its navy ranked sixth or seventh in the world, and its army had a legal strength of less than 62,000 regular soldiers. Although it defeated Spain, a declining colonial power, in the Spanish-American War, it was still no match for other major powers and could not rely on force to confront other imperialist powers.

Another important reason was that at that time, a vigorous anti-war movement was launched in the country, criticizing the US government's foreign expansion policy. As a result, the peace treaty for the United States to occupy the Philippines was strongly opposed at home and in Congress, and it took a long time for the Senate to obtain the two-thirds majority required to approve the treaty.

In 1900, imperialist powers sent troops to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. Fearing that other powers would seize the opportunity to transform their spheres of influence into colonies, thus thwarting the Open Door policy, the United States issued a second Open Door Note on July 3 of that year, stating that the US government was committed to seeking a solution that would "preserve the territorial and administrative integrity of China, protect all rights guaranteed to friendly nations by treaties and international law, and safeguard the principle of equal and fair trade between the world and all parts of the Chinese Empire."

The US note did not require any response from any country. The Second Open Door Note added new content, proposing the so-called "principle" of "maintaining China's territorial and administrative integrity." This differed from the First Open Door Note, which merely demanded equal trade opportunities. However, the US did not adhere to its own "principle."

The major powers responded to the US note with varying degrees of skepticism. Only Italy expressed unconditional acceptance, while the others expressed varying degrees of reservation. Russia, however, largely rejected the proposal. Italy lacked concessions or spheres of influence in China, and the US demands were neither beneficial nor detrimental. On January 7, 1900, the Italian government expressed its "glad approval" of the US proposal.

Britain's economic strength gave it a significant advantage in trade with China. Based on this, Britain sought to make all of China its market. However, in its frenzy of division, Britain also seized the Yangtze River Basin, which held the greatest potential for investment. This vast area was also China's most densely populated and richest region. For this reason, Britain also sought to distinguish between investment and trade.

The introduction of the Open Door Policy marked a new stage in the US's aggression against China. After annexing the Philippines by force, the US again adopted this policy in its relations with China. No country dared to openly oppose it, thereby earning it considerable international prestige and expanding its influence in China.

From then on, the United States, as a major power, developed its own independent China policy, no longer following or echoing other countries and playing a secondary role. Its position in the imperialist powers' invasion of China was significantly improved. From then on, the United States participated more actively and proactively in the competition among the imperialist powers in China.

The United States' Open Door Policy is an important part of its foreign policy. The United States used this policy to achieve its first victory in the early stages of its expansion. It was able to adapt to the needs of the U.S. domestic economy and transport a large amount of goods produced to China for sale, expanding overseas markets and national interests. Although it was only the beginning of expansion, it laid the foundation for the United States to lead and dominate the world in the future.

After the victory in the Spanish-American War, the United States continued to expand its colonial aggression, targeting China. However, China had already been divided, and the United States, limited by its power, was forced to partner with Britain. When continued cooperation no longer satisfied the United States, it adopted the Open Door Policy, which evenly shared interests and opportunities among the major powers in China, expanding its influence in China and enhancing its international status. From then on, the United States broke away from partnership diplomacy, no longer relying on any country, and moved towards an independent policy of aggression and expansion.

The introduction of the Open Door Policy marked the beginning of the United States' encroachment on China. The first Open Door Note demanded equal trade opportunities for the United States in China with those of other powers, without any other privileges. Its purpose was to gain a firm foothold in China and lay the foundation for subsequent competition. The second Open Door Note was even less about protecting China from being divided up than it was about furthering the United States' aggression against China and engaging in a fierce struggle for spheres of influence with other powers.

Although the reformists and revolutionaries opposed the Open Door Policy, facing the decline of the late Qing government's national strength and the people's situation of defeat and paying reparations, China was still powerless to change the Open Door Policy and could only continue to allow the United States and other Western powers to plunder.