Editing Boxer Rebellion (section)

== Qing forces ==
The [[military of the Qing dynasty]] had been dealt a severe blow by the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] and this had prompted military reform that was still in its early stages when the Boxer rebellion occurred and they were expected to fight. The bulk of the fighting was conducted by the forces already around [[Zhili]] with troops from other provinces only arriving after the main fighting had ended.{{sfnp|Powell|1955|pp=107–113}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Estimates of Qing strength 1898–1900{{sfnp|Powell|1955|pp=107–113}}
!Army
!The Boards of
War/Revenue
(field troops only)
!Russian General
Staff
(field troops only)
!E.H. Parker
(Zhili alone)
!The London Times
(Zhili alone)
|-
!Total
|360,000
|205,000
|125,000–130,000
|110,000–140,000
|}
The failure of the Qing forces to withstand the Allied forces was not surprising given the limited time for reform and the fact that the best troops of China were not committed to the fight, remaining instead in Huguang and Shandong. The officer corps was particularly deficient; many lacked basic knowledge of strategy and tactics, and even those with training had not actively commanded troops in the field. In addition, the regular soldiers were noted for their poor marksmanship and inaccuracy, while cavalry was ill-organised and was not used to its full extent. Tactically, the Chinese still retained their belief in the superiority of defence, often withdrawing as soon as they were flanked, a tendency attributable to their lack of combat experience and training as well as a lack of initiative from commanders who would rather retreat than counterattack. However, accusations of cowardice were minimal; this was a marked improvement from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, as Chinese troops did not flee en masse as before. If led by courageous officers, the troops would often fight to the death as occurred under Nie Shicheng and Ma Yukun.{{sfnp|Powell|1955|pp=116–118}}

On the other hand, Chinese artillery was well-regarded, and caused far more casualties than the infantry at Tientsin, proving themselves superior to Allied artillery in counter-battery fire. The infantry, for their part, were commended for their good usage of cover and concealment in addition to their tenacity in resistance.{{sfnp|Powell|1955|pp=116–118}}

The Boxers also targeted Jewish groups in the region destroying their reputation and leading to Britain temporarily vacating their civilian workers from the front lines.