With the Allies to Pekin: A Tale of the Relief of the Legations

A restless tide of nationalist fury sweeps across northern China, as the Boxer movement erupts into violent attacks on missionaries and foreign diplomats. The imperial court, fearing the growing threat, sides with the insurgents and lays siege to the foreign legations in Peking, prompting an uneasy coalition of European powers to mount a daring relief expedition. Against this backdrop of clashing cultures and fire‑lit streets, a modest army of soldiers, sailors and civilians from many nations converges on the battered city, determined to break the blockade.

The story follows a young Englishman named Rex, who has spent his childhood in China and now returns to Britain for a brief schooling before resuming his family’s trade. His conversations with his uncle, Mr. Bateman, reveal a boy caught between two worlds—fluent in Mandarin yet eager to learn the ways of English boys. As Rex adjusts to school life, the looming conflict in the East draws his thoughts back to the tumultuous streets of Tientsin, where the multinational force prepares to march toward the beleaguered legations.