The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

With a loud explosion from the gun emplacement, the gunfire that had been going on for half a day finally stopped.

Seeing the last few defenders ignite explosives and perish together with the Allied forces, Shen Xiaohu's eyes turned bloodshot, his fingers dug deep into the soil, and veins bulged on his neck.

"Let's go! The Allied forces will be searching soon!" Zhang Da Kui put away his binoculars and slowly retreated down the mountain.

"Commander!" Shen Xiaohu, mounted on his horse, looked at Zhang Da Kui.

"Go back! We have our own mission. No one is allowed to move without the commander's orders." Zhang Da Kui spurred his horse and rode off, with the officers quickly following.

Back at my lodging, which was about ten miles away, I found myself in one of several ordinary villages. Not far from the canal, it looked no different from any other village, and I could see farmers working in the fields.

Seeing a dozen or so riders rushing towards them, the old farmer in the field only glanced up before continuing to work with his head down.

Several young men who were standing guard at the village entrance, carrying red-tasseled spears, quickly moved the wooden stakes at the village entrance when they saw them coming.

Zhang Da Kui looked up and glanced at the two haystacks on high ground. He could vaguely see the muzzles of heavy machine guns through the two dark openings.

The dozen or so riders stopped in front of the village ancestral hall, where guards immediately came and led their horses away.

Zhang Da Kui strode in, slammed his riding whip on the table, picked up the teacup, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"What do you think of these allied forces?" Zhang Da Kui asked, putting down his teacup.

"Well-trained, well-equipped, and with excellent marksmanship!" a battalion commander said.

Zhang Da Kui nodded without saying a word.

"Their artillery was very accurate, and the soldiers' fighting spirit was also quite good," another battalion commander added.

Zhang Da Kui turned to look at Shen Xiao Hu, who had now calmed down. He chuckled.

"The Allied forces are strong, but compared to us, their tactics are rigid. They still use linear formations, making them easy targets for heavy machine guns! They're only taking advantage of the outdated weapons of the fortified troops!"

"And they don't even have as many heavy weapons as we do! They probably don't even have grenades, hehe!" Shen Xiaohu sneered, already having figured out how to kill these white pigs.

"Very good!" Zhang Da Kui nodded with satisfaction.

"Go back and think carefully about how to deal with the Allied Forces in the future. Submit your observations of today's battle tomorrow morning. Keep your soldiers in check and do not reveal our positions."

Zhang Da Kui waved everyone away and returned to the confidential room, where he instructed the telephone operator to send a report to Shen Lian.

Holding the telegram in his hand, Shen Lian shook his head. Although he had known this outcome for a long time, there was nothing he could do to change it now.

"Take a look, everyone!" Shen Lian handed the telegram to several officers.

Most of the staff officers were from the Wuwei Army, and they were all shocked when they saw the telegram. They never expected that the seemingly impregnable Dagu Forts would be captured by the Allied forces in just half a day.

"The imperial court has probably received the battle report by now! This battle is unavoidable. Everyone, go and prepare! Await the imperial decree!"

Shen Lian turned and went home. Everything that needed to be prepared was ready, and there wasn't much else to say. At this moment, all he wanted was to spend time with his family.

After his diligent efforts, Nie Xiaoqian finally became pregnant. Shen Lian was overjoyed; he finally had a child! He had been worried that because of his time travel, he might have lost his fertility!

Upon receiving the news, the old man's illness improved somewhat, and he immediately instructed Uncle Fu to hire several older women to protect Nie Xiaoqian. Not only was she forbidden from doing anything, but she was also not allowed to go out, and her three meals a day were prepared separately.

They had Nie Xiaoqian completely helpless!

"Husband, you're back!" Nie Xiaoqian walked over happily when she saw Shen Lian return.

"Hey! Slow down!" Shen Lian quickly went over to help her.

"Only two months? That's an exaggeration!" Nie Xiaoqian wrinkled her nose.

"You only need to be careful in the first three months. Right now, you're a priority for protection. Hehe!" Shen Lian patted his wife's hand.

"Husband, staying at home is so boring! Shall we go out for a walk?" Nie Xiaoqian said coquettishly, shaking Shen Lian's hand.

"Please spare me! If the old man finds out, I'm afraid he'll break my legs!" Shen Lian said exaggeratedly.

"Hold on for a few more days. After you've been pregnant for over three months and your pregnancy is stable, I'll take you out to play, okay?" Shen Lian stroked his wife's beautiful face.

"Alright!" Nie Xiaoqian pouted helplessly.

"Where's Yue'er? Isn't she with you?" Shen Lian didn't see Xiao Yue'er. The two of them were very close now and were always together.

"Moon Sister went out to buy needles, thread and fabric. We need to make clothes for the baby!" Nie Xiaoqian happily touched her belly.

There's nothing lacking in the manor; even if someone wanted to buy something, servants would run errands. There's no need for Yue'er to go out and buy it herself. This girl is probably tired of staying in the manor and took the opportunity to go shopping!

Shen Lian didn't require them to stay within the family compound, but large families have their own rules, and Shen Lian didn't want to rashly change them, lest he displease the old man.

I accompanied Nie Xiaoqian for a walk in the garden and chatted with her about parenting. It was almost dinnertime when Xiao Yue'er finally came skipping back.

Upon seeing Shen Lian, Xiao Yue'er immediately lowered her head.

"Sister Yue'er, come here quickly. Did you buy anything fun?" Nie Xiaoqian called out loudly.

"Husband!" Little Yue'er came over and called out softly.

"What's wrong? Let me see what you bought?" Shen Lian pulled Xiao Yue'er into his arms and placed her on his lap.

"Sister, look how cute this little tiger is!" Seeing that her husband wasn't angry, Xiao Yue'er became happy as well. She quickly told the maid to bring over a basket.

The basket was filled with small toys, threads, scraps of cloth, and the like. The two women started chattering away, with Shen Lian occasionally chiming in.

After having a loving dinner with the two women and putting Nie Xiaoqian to bed, Shen Lian went to Xiao Yue'er's room.

"Husband, I want a baby too!" Xiao Yue'er, wearing only a pink bellyband, whispered as she nestled against Shen Lian's chest.

"Sure! It all depends on how hard you try!" Shen Lian grinned and gestured downwards with his eyes.

Xiao Yue'er blushed, twisted her body in protest, and punched Shen Lian. She sat up, brushed her hair aside, and lowered her head.

(I read this part for you because you didn't like it!)

. . . . . . . . . .

Two days later, Shen Lian was reviewing documents in his study when Lu Da entered with an advisor.

"General! The imperial court has issued a decree declaring war on eleven nations!" the staff officer exclaimed excitedly.

"What's the date today?" Shen Lian asked as he took the telegram.

"June 21st!" the staff officer replied immediately.

On the 21st day of the sixth month of the 26th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, thankfully nothing changed! Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief.

(Guys, I haven't had a day off in over a month! Can I take a day off at the end of the month?)