It was basically a [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Peking_%281900%29#Battle]live-fire competition[/url] to fuck shit up before everyone else in the coalition.

My favorite part of the article:

[quote]The commanders of the four national armies agreed that each of them would assault a different gate. The Russians were assigned the most northerly gate, the Tung Chih (Dongzhi); the Japanese had the next gate south, the Chi Hua (Chaoyang); the Americans, the Tung Pein (Dongbien); and the British the most southern, the Sha Wo (Guangqui). [b]The French apparently were left out of the planning.[/b][/quote]

And although the British won the race, the MVP goes to the US of A for the actions of Calvin Pearl mothafuckin' Titus:

[quote]When the Americans arrived at their assigned gate that morning they found the Russians already engaged there and they moved their troops about 200 yards south. Once there, Trumpeter Calvin P. Titus volunteered to climb the 30-foot-tall wall, which he did successfully. Other Americans followed him, and at 11:03 a.m. the American flag was raised on the wall of the Outer city. The Americans exchanged fire with Chinese soldiers on the wall and then climbed down the other side and headed west toward the Legation Quarter in the shadow of the wall of the Inner city.[/quote]

Here's a [url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Siege_of_Peking%2C_Boxer_Rebellion.jpg]painting[/url] of it. Basically "We can't blow through it so let's climb the bitch!"