March 18 Massacre

The date, March 18, was referred to by Chinese writer Lu Xun as the "darkest day since the founding of the Republic".

Four days later, ambassadors representing eight countries that were signatory nations to the Protocol sent an ultimatum to the Beiyang Government under Duan Qirui.

The Kuomintang's National Revolutionary Army, which was based in Guangzhou at the time, was urged to confront possible imperialist incursions since the Beiyang Government was unwilling to.

It was reported at the time that Duan Qirui personally went to the square where the massacre took place and knelt at the site in front of the dead bodies of the protesters.

The warlord Zhang Zuolin also ordered many schools in Beiping to be searched for any books or periodicals affiliated with either the Kuomintang or the Chinese Communist Party.