The War of Eight-Nation Alliance against China was a war triggered by a joint expeditionary force sent by Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Russia, Italy, and Austria to invade China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in northern China in 1900 (the twenty-sixth year of the Qing Dynasty). The Joint Expeditionary Forces sent, totaling about 30,000 men at the beginning, later increased to about 50,000 men. The actions of the Eight-Nation Alliance led to the destruction of the Boxer Rebellion and the collapse of the Qing army around Beijing and Tianjin, forcing Empress Dowager Cixi to flee to Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, with Emperor Guangxu; the Qing court eventually signed the Treaty of Simchou with eleven nations, including the eight that sent the troops, and paid a huge amount of reparations and lost much of its sovereignty. The impact of the Treaty was a major shock to the balance of power within the Qing Empire and in Liaodong (the Manchurian Plain), indirectly leading to the decline of the Qing court and the Russo-Japanese conflict.