Why did China suffer a disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894?

China suffered a disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1884-1895, which shocked the Chinese people. It declared that the seemingly strong China was weak, and also told people that the so-called "Tongzhi Zhongxing" after the "Westernization Movement" was false.

Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, the world had developed and perfected capitalism. The world's great powers had set their sights on the whole world. Maritime strategy became the top priority. Building a strong navy became a top priority. China's far-sighted men Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zong Tang then built a navy. Li Hongzhang was in charge of building the Beiyang Navy, stationed in Weihai on the Shandong Peninsula, and guarding China's northern territorial waters and the capital. Zuo Zongtang built the Nanyang Navy and was stationed in Fuzhou, Fujian, Hong Kong.

The status and tasks of the Beiyang Navy are very important, and development is given priority. In addition, Li Hongzhang has a high status in the Qing Dynasty, his words are weighty, and he spends more silver, so his strength far exceeds that of the Nanyang Navy. Before the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, the strength of the Beiyang Navy ranked fifth to eighth in the world, surpassing the Japanese Navy in strength. In order to build the Beiyang Navy, the court spent a lot of money, and Li Hongzhang also worked hard, personally inspecting the officers, sending officers to the West to study, and inspecting the Beiyang Navy battlefields many times. Once, under the orders of Guangxu, he visited the Beiyang Navy with the prince (minister of the navy), eunuch Li Lianying and others, and received great honors and favors from the emperor. Why was it defeated again in the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War? And the defeat was miserable, almost the entire army was wiped out? The reasons are as follows:

1. Political corruption in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Guangxu was the emperor, and the Empress Dowager Cixi had returned to power, but Guangxu was still a puppet, and the Empress Dowager Cixi still had the final say. The money originally given to the Beiyang Navy to improve equipment was misappropriated by the Ministry of Household Affairs to build the Summer Palace to celebrate the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi. Japan is ready to buy warships that are faster and better equipped, such as Japan's Yoshino ship. The rapid-fire artillery that was originally planned to be purchased had no money to buy explosive ammunition, and its firepower was already weaker than that of Japan. In Japan, on the other hand, all the people donated money to buy warships, the emperor and the empress dowager donated all their jewelry, and even prostitutes donated money.

2. Factions. The Beiyang Navy was founded by Li Hongzhang. The officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Navy only knew Li Hongzhang and Li Zhongtang, but no country. Many people in the court were dissatisfied with Li Hongzhang and believed that the Beiyang Navy was the Li Family Army and a money-losing business. Many people sit back and watch, waiting to see the joke. They think that the Beiyang Navy's war is Li Hongzhang's personal matter. There is no support at sea and no support on land. The Beiyang Navy fights alone and loses a strategic advantage first.

3. Tactics are rigid. The admiral of the Beiyang Navy, Ding Ruchang, was a surrendered general of the Taiping Army. He was a cavalryman. He could not hold his head high at ordinary times. He was unfamiliar with naval business. His command was not decisive and he worried about gains and losses. Although his subordinates Deng Shichang, Lin Taizhen, Liu Buchan and others were born in the navy, they also studied abroad in Europe and the United States. However, in the highly hierarchical Beiyang Navy, people are soft-spoken and have no say in the overall strategic situation. On the other hand, Japanese captains all have the power to act independently and have flexible tactics.

4. Losing ground in naval battles. At first, the Beiyang Navy looked down upon the Japanese fleet. After being sneak attacked by Japan, they did not take the initiative to attack and lost the opportunity to defeat the Japanese fleet one by one. After the great war, they retreated to the harbor in order to protect themselves. As a result, the entire army was annihilated and the defeat was beyond recovery. National strategic cooperation was out of the question. It had been more than a month since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was defeated. The reinforcements from the Shandong governor were still gathering close at hand. The Nanyang Navy was in a state of silence and did nothing.

After the Sino-Japanese War, China ceded territory to Japan to pay compensation. China not only lost Korea, but also the Liaodong Peninsula, Shandong Peninsula, Bohai Sea (Yellow Sea), and Taiwan in the interior to Japan. Japan used the money lost by China to further enrich the country and strengthen its military. It invaded China again at the beginning of the last century. It was not until World War II that China defeated Japan with great difficulty. China should never forget this shameful history!