Prince Gong's Coup
In early 1865, Prince Gong/Yixin is accused by Cai Shouqi of several offences and asked to resign. In April of that year, Prince Gong pre-empts an attempt by Empress Dowager Cixi to remove him from power, filing similar charges against her and removing her as regent. With both the armies and the Grand Council under his command, Yixin is able to ignore requests for her reinstatement and becomes co-regent with Empress Dowager Cian. Together, these two are the power behind the throne of the young emperor (Tongzhi).1

With Yixin remaining in power, the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Office) gains authority, becoming a formal part of the government. Under Yixin's pro-western stance, the Zongli Yamen supports conciliation and friendly relations with the western powers. As a consequence, the power of the Zongdu (Viceroys) in foreign affairs is somewhat curtailed.

Following the model of Yixin's Peking Field Force and Li Hongzhang's military reform, the process of modernising the Qing armies begins. Those unfit or incapable that comprise the Green Standard Armies and the Banners are slowly released from their military duties, and the remainder begin to drill in modern weaponry and  tactics.  The process is long and slow, and while it begins in the late 1860's, it is still ongoing in the 1890's, in part due to the sheer number of soldiers and the worry of letting too many go at once (who it is feared may turn to banditry).

In 1875, the Tongzhi Emperor dies. Prince Gong's eldest son, Zaicheng, is enthroned as the next emperor, following the tradition that the new emperor must be of the generation after that of the previous. He takes the regnal name Guangxu (because I am lazy).

In 1881, the Empress Dowager Cian dies, leaving Prince Gong as the sole regent. He quickly consolidates his hold on the throne, becoming the most powerful individual in China.

Sino-French War
In 1884, minor conflicts between Qing and French forces over Tonkin blow into the Sino-French War. Over the course of sixth months, the French steadily push the Chinese armies from Tonkin. Improvements in the Chinese armies aren't enough to overcome the French, and both sides pay a heavy price for every victory. At sea, the French enjoy great success; the Fujian fleet is annihilated and the Nanyang fleet takes several losses, spending much of the war blockaded in its own ports. The poor naval performance of the Chinese is hampered by their regional structure, making the commanders, who often personally invested much in their construction, unwilling to risk them. The Guangdong fleet is blockaded similarly to the Nanyang, and the Beiyang fleet sees no action. In the final treaty (1885), the French agree to evacuate Formosa and the Pescadores, while the Chinese withdraw from Tonkin. The Qing implicitly recognise Tonkin as a protectorate of France and the French agree to drop demands for an indemnity. In the aftermath of the war, Prince Gong helps establish the Hǎi​jūn​ Yamen (Naval Office), which is intended to provide a unified naval command. The office seems some success, but the power of the Zongdu who command the regional fleets causes inefficiencies.

Cần Vương Movement
Months after the Chinese withdraw from Tonkin, the Cần Vương movement arises in Annam, with the Vietnamese King Hàm Nghi calling for his people to rise up. The French are slow to respond, as they are still in the process of pacifying Tonkin. In late 1885 the French start to act; soldiers are diverted to Annam from Tonkin and Cochinchina, and General de Courcy enthrones the young king's brother Đồng Khánh in an effort to undercut support for Hàm Nghi. As the French military sees success against the insurgents, domestic affairs radically change French fortunes.

In the 1886 Tonkin Debate, raised over concerns of the high military losses since 1884,  the credits for the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps refused,  causing the disbandment of the Corps and the relocation of its men. While many are diverted into other local units, many others are withdrawn to other parts of the empire, are disbanded entirely. French authorities in Saigon manage to hold onto southern Annam, but Tonkin and northern Annam are thrown into chaos. By 1888, the Cần Vương movement is brought under control by the Vietnamese authorities and the royal family reconciled under Hàm Nghi, but Tonkin remains in chaos. Chinese concerns over banditry on their border, and French desires to reopen the Red River, push both nations to sign a new treaty to solve the crisis.  The Chinese promise to restore order to Tonkin, which in turn is elevated to a kingdom and placed under the rule of Đồng Khánh of the Nguyễn Dynasty (though effectively a puppet of the Chinese, who send Imperial residents to oversee the court), and freedom of travel is granted on the Red River. In turn, the French restore their authority over Annam. For the first time in the 19th century, the Qing have not only held their own against a foreign power, but had even gained land.

Sino-Japanese War
In 1894 the Tonghak Rebellion begins in Korea. In answer to a request for aid, the Qing send several thousand Chinese troops into Korea to restore order. The Japanese claim this is a transgression of the Convention of Tientsin, and send their own military into the peninsula to assert their authority. The Japanese proceed to force the unprepared Chinese from Korea, pushing north and taking Pyongyang. In September, the Beiyang and Japanese fleets engage in the Yalu River. Several of the outdated Chinese ships are either sunk or rendered too damaged to continue, but the modern battleships and cruisers are able to cause serious damage to the Japanese, who have no counterpart to the Chinese battleships. The Battle of the Yalu River results in a tactical draw and both sides retire to their ports, but is a strategic Chinese victory as the Japanese withdrawal grants Qing temporarily uncontested control of the Yellow Sea. At the Battle of Jiuliancheng on the Yalu River, thousands of soldiers desert the Chinese lines due to their contempt of their commander, Song Qing, and the Japanese quickly advance to Lüshunkou, though with the Chinese fleet active they are unable to supply by sea.

Bolstered by the naval presence, the Chinese army holds the line for the first time in the war. As the Japanese attempt to storm the Chinese defences, they come under fire from the Beiyang fleet, which pummels the hillsides with impunity. The Battle of Lüshunkou is a necessary victory for the Chinese, as it keeps the vital naval infrastructure under Chinese control and allows their fleet to continue to operate. Shortly after the battle, the Chinese fleet catches the Japanese at the Battle of the Liaodong Peninsula, sinking several of their cruisers and forcing their retreat. Defeated at both land and sea, the Japanese are forced to withdraw from the Liaodong Peninsula. Bolstered by news of the recent victories, Chinese attempts to retake Haicheng succeed on 20 February. The attack secures the roads to Beijing and Mukden, and forces the Japanese on the defensive. Combined with their withdrawal from the Liaodong Peninsula, the Japanese position is under threat of being flanked from the south, and a retreat to the Yalu river is called. In late March, an army of several thousand Chinese is transported by sea to Pyongyang, taking the city by surprising and defeating its small garrison. With a force of several thousand to their rear, and tens of thousands to their fore, Yamagata Aritomo, Field Marshal of the Japanese forces, requests an armistice. The Japanese government is forced to accept this as a fait accompli, and both nations start working towards a treaty.

In the Treaty of Pyongyang (1895), the Japanese are forced to recognise the abolishment of the Convention of Tientsin, and agree not to station troops in Korea without the explicit consent of the Qing and to pay a large indemnity to the Chinese. The Chinese agree not to station troops in Korea without the permission of the Korean king, though as the Chinese continue to appoint an imperial resident to Korea, the nation is for all intents and purposes re-established as a puppet of the Qing.

Capitalising on the prestige from the war, the imperial court further curtails the power of the zongdu (who are seen as an impediment to an integrated military system), and the regional navies fully brought under the authority of the naval office. Consequently, the extant navies (Guangdong, Nanyang and Beiyang) are all brought to an equal strength to enable a full defence of the Chinese coast.

Early Guangxu Reform
In 1898, Prince Gong formally retires from politics, allowing the Guangxu Emperor to rule. As one of his first acts, the Emperor moves to reform the archaic Qing state. The education and exam system is reformed, focusing on the study maths and science in favour of Confucian texts. Sinecures are eliminated, and government control of the economy is lessened, with many enterprises being sold off in their entirety to free them from state corruption and bureaucracy. Manchuria is also integrated into the province system, being divided into Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaodong. Xinjiang and Taiwan are also integrated as provinces.

Boxer War (Phase One: Beijing)
From 1897 onwards "Boxers", Chinese nationalist militants, begin launching attacks on Christians and missionaries. Given the phoenix like resurrection of the Chinese military, European powers seek a diplomatic response rather than military force. At the Battle of Senluo Temple in 1899, Qing soldiers clash with Boxer militia for the first time, forcing the Boxers to withdraw. While conservative elements try to portray the Boxers as righteous individuals who will rid China of foreigners,  the Guangxu Emperor sees their rise as a threat to his new order. With his sweeping reforms he has gained the support of many of the educated Chinese and those who have profit from his economic liberalism, but has also gained the ire of the conservative court faction, which has much support in the provinces. Capitalising on the rising Boxer movement, in 1900 Prince Duan,  leader of the conservative faction, calls for the overthrow of the Guangxi Emperor, calling him a puppet of western powers and for the instatement of a new regency to restore order and tradition to China.  Thousands of Boxers rise up in Beijing itself and lay siege to the Legation Quarter, with the Forbidden Palace defended by the Peking Field Force and led by Prince Gong. In response, the Eight-Nation Alliance forms, intent on sending a relief force to Beijing and liberating the Legation Quarter. Before they can arrive, Prince Qing arrives at the city leading a loyal army and liberates the Forbidden Palace and the Legation Quarter from the Boxers. With Beijing liberated, the immediate threat is over and the first phase of the war ends. Prince Duan and his followers are captured inside the city and executed along with the leaders of the Boxers, and the Eight-Nation Alliance officially withdraws after settling a small indemnity.

(Phase Two: Zongdu) and the Manchurian War
However, the war is not won within China. Several of the more independent-minded zongdu answered Prince Duan's call (out of resistance to centralisation rather than reform) and still resist the imperial court. Their modernised armies prove resistant to the imperial forces, and it is over two years before the rebellious zongdu can be considered pacified. Concurrently, the Russians instigate a conflict in Manchuria, seeking to capitalism on the chaos and citing threats to Russian citizens in the region as a reason for intervention. With the Chinese armies distracted and tired from war, the Russians quickly occupy much of Manchuria, overwhelming Chinese defences. The Russians  then send a demand to the imperial court that the Qing cede Lüshunkou and grant them various economic rights in Manchuria. Outraged at this, the Guangxi Emperor outright refuses.

Escalating the war, the Russian fleet leaves Vladivostok, hoping to pin the Chinese Beiyang Fleet in the Yellow Sea. Having to sail around the Korean peninsula loses the Russian fleet much time, and allows the Chinese to bring up their Nanyang Fleet as reinforcement. The combined Chinese fleet catches the Russian Far East Squadron in the Yellow Sea, chasing the Russians from the region. As they withdraw to Vladivostok they are shadowed by the Chinese, who blockade the port. This setback forces the Russians to redeploy the Baltic fleet to the east to try and wrest control of the sea.