Countless Chinese civilians suspected of being members of Yihe Dan were publicly executed during and after the rebellion. A large number of Chinese civilians, mixed with British soldiers, watched with great interest as Qing officials seized and beheaded suspected members of Yihe Dan. In descending order of number of soldiers, the Octagon Allied Forces consisted of about 45,000 soldiers from eight countries: Japan (about 20,840), Russia (about 13,150), Britain (about 12,020), France (about 3,520), the United States (about 3,420), Germany (about 900), the Austro-Hungarian Empire (about 296), and Italy (about 80). It consisted of about 45,000 troops from eight countries.
The Yihe Dan and some Qing imperial troops besieged about 900 diplomats and foreign citizens of the Beijing legation in Dongguangmin Alley for about 55 days from June 20 to August 14, 1900. The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing on August 14, 1900, and occupied it on September 15. In several battles, they defeated the Wuwei Legion of the Qing Imperial Army and surrounded Yihe Dan, quickly ending the Yihe Dan Rebellion. Empress Dowager Xi, the emperor and government officials of the Qing Empire fled from the Forbidden City in Beijing to Xian. As they swept from Beijing into the countryside of northern China, the Eight-Nation Alliance killed or beheaded an unknown number of Chinese suspected of being members of the Yihe Army. During the punitive expedition, indiscriminate killings were frequently carried out by soldiers of the Eight-Nation Alliance. The Eight-Nation Alliance raped and massacred Chinese women suspected of being members of Yihe Dan. The Eight-Nation Alliance became barbaric and brutal, often targeting hapless and innocent Chinese citizens as subhuman.
While stationed in Beijing, the Eight-Nation Alliance looted Beijing's cultural heritage, antiquities, and art. They stripped the cultural relics and other sites of their gold and bronze artifacts. The looted artifacts were auctioned off in their home countries. Some of the looted artifacts are in the custody of museums in London and Paris.On September 7, 1901, the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Qing Empire signed the Peking Protocol peace agreement.On January 7, 1902, Empress Dowager Xi and others returned from Xi'an to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and Qing imperial rule was restored.
