Last time, I mentioned that during the "First Sino-Japanese War," the Chinese and Japanese militaries carried out a large-scale gunboat bombardment over the Yellow Sea.

As a result of this "naval battle", the Qing Dynasty's "Beiyang Fleet" lost five warships, "Zhiyuan", "Jingyuan", "Chaoyong", "Yangwei", and "Guangjia" ("Guangjia" ran aground after escaping the battlefield and was self-destructed a few days later), killing and wounding more than 1,000 officers and men; The five ships of the Japanese "Combined Fleet," "Matsushima," "Yoshino," "Hiei," "Akagi," and "Saikyo Maru," were seriously damaged, and more than 600 officers and men were killed or wounded. In this battle, although the Qing Dynasty's "Beiyang Naval Division" suffered heavy losses, it was not completely defeated.

However, in order to preserve his strength, Li Hongzhang ordered the "Beiyang Fleet" to take refuge in Weihai Harbor and not to patrol the sea to meet the enemy. This allowed the Japanese Navy to seize "sea supremacy" in the Yellow Sea. The "Battle of the Yellow Sea" began at 12:50 on September 17, 1894 and ended at 5:30 p.m., lasting more than 5 hours.

From September 17 to November 22, 1894. During this phase, the war was fought on the Liaodong Peninsula, with the "Battle of Jiangfang" and the "Battle of the Golden Brigade" on the Yalu River. The Qing court estimated that the Japanese army would take advantage of the victory to invade the Liaodong Peninsula, and ordered Li Hongzhang to quickly plan for the battle.

Based on the situation that "various countries have reported that the Japanese will invade Beijing with a large force and then plot to attack Shenyang," Li Hongzhang proposed that "the only way to do this is to strictly guard against the Bohai Sea to consolidate the fence of Gyeonggi, and to protect Shenyang to the foundation of the three eastern provinces, and then to gather troops and then try to make a big move, thinking that it is the land of Korea." ".

The Qing court concentrated its forces to strengthen the defense of the Liaodong region, and appointed Song Qing, the "Governor of Sichuan", as the "assistant to the Beiyang military affairs" and the "president" of the former enemy armies; 30 battalions were quickly recruited; More than 81 battalions and 5 outposts on the right bank of the Yalu River near the "Jiulian City" were assembled, including the Ming Army, the Yi Army, the Sheng Army, the Feng Army, the Jingbian Army, the Luyu Defense Army, the Renzi Huyong, the Shengzi Training Army, the Jizi Training Army, the Qizi Training Army, and the Zhenbian Army, totaling 30,400 Qing troops, were mobilized to resist the enemy.

It is divided into two defense lines, left and right, forming the "Yalu River Defense Line" that stretches for dozens of miles from the mouth of "Sudian" and "Changdian River" in the east to "Dadonggou" and "Dagushan" in the west; While stationing heavy troops on the "Yalu River Defense Line," the Qing government also successively transferred troops from various localities to strengthen the defense of the "second line" from Shanhaiguan to Fengtian and Yingkou. The "Battle of Jiangfang" on the Yalu River began on October 24 of the same year, and it was the "first defense battle" of the Qing army in the face of Japanese attacks.

The Qing army deployed on the north bank of the Yalu River totaled about 28,000 men. The Qing Dynasty appointed Song Qing as the "President of the Armies" to control the armies. The Japanese attacking force was the First Army under the command of General Aritomo Yamagu, including the "Third Division" of Lieutenant General Katsura Taro and the "Fifth Division" of Lieutenant General Michikan Nozu, with a total of 30,000 men.

Although Song Qing was in the name of controlling the armies, the Qing troops from all walks of life actually refused to accept the dispatch, and because of Pyongyang's new defeat, their morale was low, and most of the generals were not determined to resist the enemy. The Japanese side, on the other hand, had high morale and high ambitions. Therefore, the Japanese side issued an article drafted by Fang Kotaro, the "Spy Sect", entitled "Open and Honest Advice to the Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces", launching a political offensive against the Manchu Qing Dynasty, threatening to attack Beijing directly, so that the Qing Dynasty emperor would "be bound and beg to surrender" and vigorously carry out "psychological warfare".

The Japanese army successfully crossed the river by swimming in the "Anping River Estuary" upstream of the "Jiulian City". That night, the Japanese army erected a pontoon bridge in the middle of the Yalu River near the "Tiger Mountain", but the Qing army did not notice it. At 6 o'clock in the morning of October 25, the Japanese army crossed the pontoon bridge and launched an attack on the Qing army's position at "Tiger Mountain". The Qing garrison generals Ma Jinxu and Nie Shicheng led their troops to resist the attack of the Japanese invaders, but they were forced to withdraw from their positions due to their lonely situation and heavy casualties. As a result, the Japanese army easily occupied the "Tiger Mountain" position.

When other Qing army units heard that "Tiger Mountain" had fallen, they fled without a fight. On the 26th, the Japanese army occupied "Jiulian City" and "Andong County" (now Dandong) without firing a single shot. As a result, the "Yalu River Defense Line", which was garrisoned by nearly 30,000 heavy troops in the Qing Dynasty, collapsed on all fronts!

In late October 1894, after the Japanese army crossed the "Yalu River Defense Line", it quickly occupied "Jiulian City", "Andong County", "Dadonggou", "Phoenix City", "Kuandian" and "Xiuyan". Song Qing was ordered to lead the Yi Army and the Ming Army to return to the aid of "Lushun", and the border army of Yiketanga Town was stationed in the area of "Saimaji" and "Caohe City", and the "Zhili Admiral" Nie Shicheng led the Luyu Defense Army, Sheng Army, Feng Army and Renyu Huyong and other troops to guard the "Motianling" and block the Japanese army.

The two armies of Nie Shicheng and Yiketanga also gathered 20 battalions of troops at Tongyuan Fort, planning to counterattack "Phoenix City" in two ways. One route is led by Yiketanga and others, and the detour is "Tongyuan Fort South"; The other route was Shoushan to lead the Zhenbian Army Infantry Team and Yongshan to lead the Horse Team, and made a detour to attack the northeast of "Phoenix City" through the "Sanyang Border Gate".

The "Battle of the Golden Brigade" also began on October 24 and ended with the fall of Lushunkou on November 22, which was a key battle between China and Japan during the "First Sino-Japanese War". On the same day that the Japanese First Army attacked the "Yalu River Qing Army Defense Line," 25,000 men of the Second Army under the command of General Oyama Iwa, under the cover of Japanese ships, began to land at the "Garden Pass" on the rear road of Arthur. Because Li Hongzhang was bent on protecting "Port Arthur", the Qing army did not fortify here.

The Japanese landing lasted 12 days, but the Qing army sat idly by, and only the local peasants spontaneously resisted the Japanese invaders, temporarily delaying the Japanese army's movements. On November 6, the Japanese army defeated the Qing army's Lianshun and Xu Bangdao and other units, and occupied "Jinzhou" (now Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning).

On the 7th, the Japanese army attacked the "Dalian Bay" in three ways, and the "Dalian" defender Zhao Huaiye fled when he heard the news. As a result, the Japanese army won "Dalian Bay" without a fight. After resting in the "Dalian Bay" for 10 days, the Japanese army began to advance towards "Lushun".

In the "Lushun" area, the Qing army had seven commanders, and "Taoist" Gong Zhaoyu was the general office of the former enemy's battalion office, known as the "hidden commander", with a total of 33 battalions and about 13,000 people. On the 14th, the Japanese army sent two "letters of persuasion" to the "Lushun" garrison through the capture of the Qing army, but they were sternly refused.

So, on the 18th, the advance of the Japanese army marched into "Tuchengzi", and Xu Bangdao's "Gong Guard" stubbornly resisted. The next day, Gong Zhaoxi ignored the troops and fled to "Yantai" by torpedo boat. On the 19th, Huang Shilin, Zhao Huaiye, and Wei Rucheng absconded after taking the lead.

On November 21, 1894, the Japanese army launched a general attack on the "Port of Arthur". The next day, "Lushun" fell into the hands of the Japanese army. After the Japanese army captured "Lushun", it immediately created the infamous "Lushun Massacre", which slaughtered a large number of Chinese residents in four days, and the highest number of victims was estimated to be more than 20,000!

As the Qing army retreated, within the Qing court, the "main peace faction" had gained the upper hand and carried out surrender activities on a large scale. After the fall of "Port Arthur," the Japanese Navy gained an important "base area" in the "Bohai Bay." Since then, the "Beiyang Gateway" has been opened, and the "Beiyang Fleet" has been hidden deep in the "Weihaiwei" port, and the war situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse!

The "Battle of Weihaiwei" was a defensive battle to defend the "Beiyang Naval Base" and the last battle of the "Beiyang Fleet." The Japanese base camp deployed the Shandong Peninsula as "a sea and land flank attack on the Beiyang Fleet." After Li Hongzhang completed the construction of the forts, he immediately dispatched four battalions of the Sui and Gong armies to garrison the "North Gang Fort" and "South Gang Fort" respectively. At the same time, the Qing army stationed the "Beiyang Protector Army" on Liugong Island, and laid defense materials and laid 248 mines at the east and west ports of the harbor.

There are about 40 infantry battalions, 8 cavalry battalions, and 2 mine battalions on the entire Shandong Peninsula to protect the 26 warships of the "Beiyang Navy" that still exist in the "Weihaiwei" harbor. On January 20, 1895, the Japanese Second Army under the command of General Oyama Iwa, including the 2nd Division of Lieutenant General Sakuma Zomathew and the 6th Division of Lieutenant General Kuroki Yuzhen, a total of 25,000 men, began to land on "Eisei Tatsusu Island" under the cover of Japanese ships.

At the same time, the 1st Guerrilla Force of the Japanese "Combined Fleet" carried out artillery bombardment along the coast of "Dengzhou" in Shandong, forcing Li Bingheng, the governor of Shandong, to divide his troops and "take strict precautions at all times" because he could not figure out exactly where the Japanese troops were going to land. On the 23rd, the Japanese army landed at "Rongcheng".

On the 26th, the 2nd and 6th Divisions of the Japanese Army set out from "Rongcheng" respectively, and each headed in the direction of "Hundred Feet Cliff" by two routes, north and south. During the battle, the Qing army's "Zhaobuzui Fort" sank 1 Japanese ship. On the 30th, the Japanese army concentrated its forces to attack the "Weihai Weinan Gang Fort".

The Qing army stationed at the "Southern Gang Fort" had only six battalions of 3,000 people. Battalion officer Zhou Jiaen guarded the Motianling position and resisted stubbornly, and was finally forcibly annihilated by the Japanese invaders. The commander of the left wing of the Japanese army, Major General Yasumi Ojira, was killed by the shells of the Qing army. This was the only Japanese general who died in the "First Sino-Japanese War," and the four squadrons of the Japanese troops of the left flank detachment led by him were forced to retreat to "Fengjiawo" under the fierce counterattack of the Qing defenders, waiting for reinforcements, and waiting for an opportunity to move.

Due to the disparity in troops, the "Southern Gang Fort" was finally captured by the Japanese army. On February 3, the Japanese army occupied the "Weihai Acropolis". The land of "Weihai" was all occupied by Japan, and the "Liugong Island" under the command of Ding Ruchang also became an isolated island. As a result, the Japanese "Commander of the Combined Fleet" Ito Youheng sent a letter to Ding Ruchang to persuade him to surrender, but Ding Ruchang refused. In the early morning of the 5th, the flagship "Dingyuan Ship" ran aground in a mine and was still used as a "water battery". On the 10th, the "Dingyuan" ammunition ran out, and Liu Buyun committed suicide and martyrdom.

On the 11th, Ding Ruchang committed suicide by refusing to surrender under the coercion of "foreigners" (foreigners, consultants, technicians, etc.) and Niu Changyu, the "Weihai Camp Office". The "foreigners" and Niu Changyu and others also promoted Yang Yonglin, the "Zhenyuan Management Belt", and came forward to preside over the surrender, but Yang Yonglin finally preferred to commit suicide and martyrdom.

On the 12th, Haowei, an "American foreigner," drafted a surrender document, and in the name of the pseudo-Totin Ruchang, he sent Cheng Biguang, the "pipe band" of the "Guangbing" ship, to the Japanese flagship.

On the 14th, Niu Changyu and Ito Youheng signed the "Weihai Surrender Treaty", stipulating that the ships in the harbor of "Weihaiwei", the "Liugongdao Fort" and all the ordnance materials on the island would be handed over to the Japanese army. On February 17, 1895, the Japanese army landed on "Liugong Island", the "Weihaiwei" naval base fell, and the "Beiyang Fleet" was completely annihilated. The "Battle of Liaodong" lasted for a long time, since the Japanese army broke through the Qing army's "Yalu River Defense Line", it occupied Phoenix, Xiuyan, Haicheng and other places.

The Qing Dynasty transferred Liu Kunyi, the "Governor of Liangjiang", as the "Minister of the Qin Mission" to supervise the military affairs of the Eastern Expedition, and gave him full power to command the military affairs inside and outside the Guan, and appointed Wu Dacheng, the "Governor of Hunan", and Song Qing, the "Governor of Sichuan", as assistants, in order to restore the declining situation, and deployed the "Feng Army", "Shengzi Training Army", "Xizi Army", "Renzi Army", etc., around the "Ximu City", with a total strength of 27 battalions. In addition to the infantry battalion, there are 5 battalions of horses and 1 battalion of artillery, with a total of about 18,000 people

From January 17, 1895, the Qing army launched the battle of "recovering Haicheng" four times, but due to poor command, they were all repelled by the Japanese army.

On February 28, the Japanese army took advantage of the victory to pursue, attacked from "Haicheng" by separate routes, captured "Niuzhuang" on March 4, took "Yingkou" without a fight on the 7th, and captured "Tianzhuangtai" on the 9th. In only ten days, more than 60,000 troops of more than 100 battalions of the Qing Dynasty retreated from the east bank of the Liao River.

The "Empress Dowager Xi" (Cixi) and Li Hongzhang, who held power in the imperial court, had no intention of continuing the war from the very beginning. For example, after the successive defeats of the "Pyongyang Campaign" and the "Yellow Sea Campaign", at the end of September 1894, the Empress Dowager Cixi reinstated Prince Gong Yixun, who had been deposed by her in 1884, to preside over the "Prime Minister's Yamen".

He was one of the representatives of the "capitulation faction" who advocated submission to foreign countries. Therefore, in early October, Yixun personally came forward and asked Britain to unite with the United States and Russia to mediate the Sino-Japanese war. Because the United States, Germany, and Russia each have their own intentions, the mediation proposal put forward by the United Kingdom on October 6 did not yield any results. So, in early November, the Japanese army invaded the Liaodong region again, and the flames of war were further burned into China.

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