~Dawn Over Peking~

⚔️ LORE OF THE ZOMBIE OUTBREAK DURING THE BOXER REBELLION

Origins of the Outbreak — “The Southern Uprising” The first signs of the undead appeared far from the foreign legations, deep in the warm and humid lowlands of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan.
Travelers reported villagers who collapsed by fever at night, only to rise at dawn with vacant eyes and dragging steps. Local elders called it “the Returning Sickness.”
Merchants whispered of it spreading along river barges and caravan roads. As tension grew between Boxers, Qing loyalists, and foreign powers, many believed the rising dead were omens or ancestral unrest. But before long, the truth became clear: The phenomenon was a contagion of vitality, reanimating the fallen in staggering numbers. Despite this, armies did not falter. Troops marched with discipline, officers held their lines, and the spirit of resistance never broke.

II. Spread Across the Provinces — “The Tide Moves North” By early 1900, the outbreak surged northward. Routes of Spread:

• River junks on the Xi and Pearl Rivers
• Bandit trails through Guangxi hills
• Steamship traffic along the coast
• Refugee columns fleeing violence
• Southwestern caravan routes Wherever civil disorder left towns unguarded, outbreaks erupted. Yet every report also spoke of heroism—units of Qing Bannermen making last stands in courtyards, coalition marines securing villages at dawn, Japanese and Russian detachments clearing roads with bayonets and fire discipline. Though the undead grew in number, the morale of the living remained unshaken.

III. Nature of the Undead — “An Enemy Without Fear” The reanimated appeared in two forms:

1. Slow Marchers The most common variety—shambling, clumsy, and dangerous only in groups. Easily defeated by:

• Disciplined rifle volleys
• Bayonet formations
• Cavalry charges

2. Sudden Runners Freshly revived, capable of short bursts of speed. Dangerous at close range. Best countered with:

• Rapid-fire lines
• Shotguns used by sailors and marines
• Dense spear formations of Chinese militia These were not supernatural beings—merely a relentless battlefield foe, animated by a fever of unknown origin.

IV. Military Response — “The Living Stand Together” As the Boxer Rebellion intensified, it became clear that the outbreak did not favor any faction: Undead attacked all sides equally. This led to unexpected cooperation in some regions:

• Qing provincial forces and coalition patrols occasionally fought side by side during outbreaks.
• Boxer groups clashed with the undead while marching north.
• Civilians, soldiers, and foreign nationals evacuated towns together.
• Japanese infantry and French marines cleared entire districts to reopen roadways. The outbreak transformed the war from a political struggle into a fight for the survival of the living, carried out with the courage and precision of 1900’s armies.

V. The Northern Surge — “Toward the Capital” By the summer of 1900, scattered outbreaks reached:

• Zhili Province
• Shandong
• The outskirts of Beijing These were not overwhelming masses, but recurring waves, drawn north by turmoil, noise, and battle. During the siege of the Legation Quarter, defenders faced not only human assaults but also wandering undead pressing toward gunfire and light.
Chinese loyalists and foreign defenders alike held their lines with discipline and resolve.

VI. The Present Situation — “The Eastern Rampart Holds Its Ground” At the height of the conflict:

• Zombies roam the countryside
• Boxers and Imperial forces pursue their own objectives
• Foreign armies land to protect their nationals
• Roads become battlegrounds of smoke, steel, and marching ranks
• Villages are reclaimed, abandoned, and reclaimed again The struggle across Asia in 1900 is defined by courage, unity, and steadfast determination: The living stand firm.
The dead advance without fear.
And the fate of the region is forged in rifle volleys and bayonet steel