Bendemann decided to implement a blockade of the Yangtze, and so went there with "Fürst Bismarck", "Gefion", "Irene", and the gunboat , as well as the ships of the Detached Division, though he sent the battleship to cover the landing of troops at Taku. Landing parties from the ships went ashore in Shanghai to protect Europeans there. Bendemann sent "Seeadler" and "Schwalbe" up the Yangtze to protect German, Austro-Hungarian, and Belgian nationals upriver, "Bussard" to Amoy, and "Luchs" and "S91" to Canton. Bendemann based his flagship in Shanghai, and on 25 September, "Hertha" arrived with the new German ambassador to China, Alfons Mumm von Schwarzenstein to meet with Bendemann before proceeding on to Peking. By this time, Allied forces had seized Peitsang at the mouth of the Peiho river, but the port frequently froze over in the winter, so additional harbors were necessary to adequately supply the forces fighting ashore. Bendemann therefore took most of his fleet to attack the ports of Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao, since they had rail connections to Taku and Peking. Bendemann issued an ultimatum to surrender to the Chinese defenders of the cities, both of which accepted, allowing the Alliance to take both cities without a fight. On 5 October, "Fürst Bismarck" steamed to Taku, where she joined "Hertha" and "Hela" and the battleships and . Beginning in late October, the naval forces of the Eight Nation Alliance concentrated on the mouth of the Yangtze. Britain and Germany both suspected the other of attempting to secure a permanent occupation of the area, though both suspicions proved to be false. In November, "Fürst Bismarck" went to Nagasaki, Japan for engine maintenance, temporarily transferring Bendemann to "Kaiserin Augusta" while she was away for repairs.