1901.] With the Allies in China. 669 



For two or three days there was a great commotion in Tientsin 

 to prepare for the advance. Pekin carts were commandeered in all 

 directions, as well as saddles, ponies, mules, donkeys and rickshaws. 



On August 3, a conference of generals was held, at which it was 

 decided that the combined forces of the Allies now ready in Tientsin 

 should make an immediate start for Pekin, without waiting for the 

 arrival of further reinforcements. It was agreed that the advance 

 could be made on August 4. 



It was not till the afternoon of that day that the troops began to 

 move out of the settlement, raising clouds of dust on the road, and 

 rattling the heavy gun carriages over the rickety wooden bridges 

 outside Tientsin native city. 



The troops that took part in the advance consisted of : — 



Japanese. — One brigade infantry, and all the cavalry available ; 

 four companies of artillery ; one company of engineers. 



British. — Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Royal Artillery, 7th Bengal 

 Infantry, 1st Bengal Lancers, 1st Sikhs, 24th Punjab Infantry. 



American. — 9th and 14th Infantry. 



The Japanese, British and Americans were to work in a joint 

 movement on the west bank of the Pei-ho river ; while the Russians 

 (East Siberian Regiment and Cossacks), French, Germans, Italians and 

 Austrian s were to march on the east bank. 



The night of the 4th was spent by the Allies at the Siku arsenal, 

 the English and Russians acting as outposts. The Russians occupied 

 the Siku arsenal itself, the British and Americans the right and 

 left centre, and the Japanese the extreme left. 



From the Siku arsenal a double embankment ran along in a 

 north-westerly direction as far as a magazine, then turned almost 

 north beyond it. Two buildings, a gunpowder magazine, a small 

 village, and a few scattered houses and granaries, stood in the large 

 triangular stretch of flat country, now covered with high Indian corn, 

 and that was enclosed by the river on one side and the road embank- 

 ment on the other, the Siku arsenal being the point of the triangle. 



Pei-tsang, where the Chinese were reported in great force, was 

 about six thousand yards north-west of Siku. The Chinese were very 

 strongly entrenched behind several lines of earthworks stretching to 

 the south-west from Pei-tsang and to the south-east along a mud wall. 



There were several miles of trenches, skilfully laid out, and the 

 enemy had placed behind them six guns at their extreme right, nine 

 field guns in the centre of the line, three guns directly west of Pei- 

 tsang, and eight guns near the granaries south-east of the village. 

 It was a formidable position to attack. 



During the night the Allies took up a position to the south of the 

 embankment, the Japanese occupying the extreme left, close to the 

 magazine. They brought up their artillery, under the command of 

 Major- General Tskamoto, with the 21st Brigade of Infantry, the 5th 

 Regiment of Cavalry, one company of engineers, the 5th Regiment 

 of Artillery, and ambulances. 



