The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19
THE MhNCHURIAN EMPIRE
Rise of the Race to Its Present Pc
sitiOn of Power.
A Popuious and Powerful People of
the Celestial DomInion-Ascento of
China-Chinese Authority Entirely
swept Away-A Tribe of Fatalists.

The rise of the Manchu race to its pres
ent position in the politics and affairs of
the world is wonderful story Of courage,
battlefield victories, dark treachery and
indomitable perseverance. In the middle
of the fifteenth century the race consist
ed of three small tribes living near the
borders of what is now the Chinese En-
pire, and only escaping the designation
Of nomads because, in the winter months,
they had some settled home Even in
those days they were known and feared
by the surrounding tribes fol-. their daring.
their contempt for death ard their willing
ness to run any risk to add to their herds
and possessions.
Gradually, as they grew in power and
| influence. they began 20 absorb neighbor-
| ing peoples until at the beginning of the
sixteenth century they had become the
| most populous and powerful race on the
borders OF the Celestial Empire.
Since their birth as nation the Chi
nese had harassed them continually and
border troubles had grown thick and fast.
A century OF persecution bred in the hearts
OF these people such a hatred OF the Chi
nese race that they gradually began to
| long for a sweeping and terrible revenge.
| In the year 1901 the Manchus were pos
| sessed OF standing army composed of
hardy fighters and for fifteen years after
that the project of invasion Of China
| was thoroughly discussed and finally ar
ranged.
In 1915 the forces OF the two nations
met on the borders. and in what came to
| be known as the Yang Wan Sui''-the
battle of the terrible blade-the Chinese
| were completely routed. The conquerors,
| crossing the border at its northwestern
| extremity, ravaged the towns and villages
OF the Empire for hundreds of miles, and
| in three years had secured and held in
| subsection a section of territory as large
as their own possessions on the other side
| Of the boundary. In 1913 the Chinese. led
by the Emperor Hwi Nang In person, and
numbering It is estimated by the chroni-
| clers OF those days, 240,0 600 troops. ad-
vanced to give battle 10 the invaders. The
! fight lasted four days and the Chinese
forces were literally cut to pieces. the
Emperor was killed and half his army was
destroyed.
Even after this great victory the Man
chus felt their way very cautiously. They
advanced along toward the interior slowly
and deliberately, capturing and pacifying
| district after district and carefully refrain
| ing from any rapid movement In country
densely populated by hostiles. In 1927 a
new king assembled the throne of China.
Hundreds of thousands of us subjects con-
gregated in the Yangtse Valley for cele-
bration in connection with his accession.
The invaders chose their time and sweeped
down on them, cutting the dykes of the
| Yangtse River and spreading death and
| desolation everywhere. Awed by the ca
| lamity and the menace of a strange and
| powerful people in their midst, great num-
hers of Chinese came over TO their enemy
and openly vowed allegiance TO their con
auerors. The new Emperor was weak
ling. with none OF the instincts of a soldier
and. believing that the time was ripe for
master stroke, the invaders began &c
| push on TO Pehin.
In the year 1913 they reached the walls
! of the forbidden city. with every foot o.