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CHINKIANG
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CHINKIANG , or CHEN-KIANG-FU, a treaty See also:port of See also:China, in the See also:province of Kiang-su, on the Yangtsze-kiang above See also:Shanghai, from which it is distant rho m. It is in railway communication both with Shanghai and See also:Nanking (40 M. distant), and being at the point where the See also:Grand See also:Canal See also:running N. and S. intersects the Yangtsze, which runs E. and W., is peculiarly well situated to be a commercial entrep6t. The See also:total value of exports and imports for 1904 was £4,632,992; estimated pop. 168,000. In the See also:war of 1842 it yielded to the See also:British only after a desperate resistance. It was laid See also:waste by the T'aip'See also:ing rebels in 1853, and was recaptured by the imperial forces in 1858. CHINO-See also:JAPANESE WAR (1894-95). The causes of this conflict arose out of the immemorial rivalry of China and See also:Japan for See also:influence in See also:Korea. In the 16th See also:century a prolonged war in the See also:peninsula had ended with the failure of Japan to make See also:good her footing on the mainland—a failure brought about largely by lack of See also:naval resources. In more See also:modern times (1875, 1882, 1884) Japan had repeatedly sent expeditions to Korea, and had fostered the growth of a progressive party in See also:Seoul. The difficulties of 1884 were settled between China and Japan by the See also:convention of See also:Tientsin, wherein it was agreed that in the event of future intervention each should inform the other if it were decided to despatch troops to the peninsula. Nine years later the occasion arose. A serious See also:rebellion induced the Korean See also:government to apply for military assistance from China. See also:Early in See also:June 1894 a small force of See also:Chinese troops were sent to Asan, and Japan, duly informed of this See also:action, replied by furnishing her See also:minister at Seoul with an escort, rapidly following up this step by the despatch of about 5000 troops under. See also:Major-See also:General See also:Oshima. A complicated situation thus arose. Chinese troops were See also:present in Korea by the See also:request of the government to put down rebellion. The Japanese controlled the See also:capital, and declined to recognize Korea as a tributary of China. But she proposed that the two See also:powers should unite to suppress the disturbance and to inaugurate certain specified reforms. China considered that the See also:measures of reform must be See also:left to Korea herself. The reply was that Japan considered the government of Korea " lacking in some of the elements which are essential to responsible See also:independence." By the See also:middle of See also:July war had become inevitable unless the See also:Peking government were willing to abandon all claims over Korea, and as Chinese troops were already in the See also:country by invitation, it was not to be expected that the shadowy See also:suzerainty would be abandoned. At Seoul the issue was forced by the Japanese minister, who delivered an See also:ultimatum to the Korean government on the loth of July. On the 23rd the See also:palace was forcibly occupied. Meanwhile China had despatched about 8000 troops to the Yalu See also:river. The outbreak of war thus found the Japanese in See also:possession of Seoul and ready to send large forces to Korea, while the Chinese occupied Asan (about 4o m. See also:south of the capital), and had a considerable See also:body of troops in See also:Manchuria in addition to those despatched to the Yalu river. To Japan the command of the See also:sea was essential for the secure transport and See also:supply of her troops. Without it the experience of the war of the 16th century would be repeated. China, too, could only utilize overland routes to Korea by submitting to the difficulties and delays entailed. To both powers the naval question was thus important. By the See also:time war was finally declared (See also:August 1) hostilities had already begun. On the 25th of July Oshima set out from Seoul to attack the Chinese at Asan. On the 29th he won a victory at Songhwan, but the Chinese See also:commander escaped with a considerable See also:part of his forces by a detour to Ping-Yang (Phyong-Yang). Meanwhile a portion of the Japanese See also:fleet had encountered some Chinese war-See also:ships and transports off Phung-Tao, and scored an important success, sinking, amongst other vessels, the transport " Kowshing " (July 25). The loss of more than moo Chinese soldiers in this See also:vessel materially lightened Oshima's task. The intention of the Chinese to crush their enemies between their forces at Asan and Ping-Yang was completely frustrated, and the Japanese obtained See also:control of all See also:southern Korea. Reinforcements from Japan were now pouring into Korea, in spite of the fact that the See also:rival navies had not yet tried conclusions, and General See also:Nozu, the See also:senior Japanese officer present, soon found him-self in a position to move on Ping-Yang. Three columns converged upon the See also:place on the 15th of See also:September, and in spite of its strong walls carried it, though only after severe fighting. Nearly all the troops on either See also:side had been conveyed to the See also:scene of war by sea, though the decisive contest for sea supremacy was still to be fought. The Chinese See also:admiral Ting with the See also:Northern See also:Squadron (which alone took part in the war) had hitherto remained inactive in Wei-See also:hai-wei, and on the other side See also:Vice-Admiral See also:Ito's fleet had not directly interfered with the hostile transports which were reinforcing the troops on the Yalu. But two days after the See also:battle of Ping-Yang, Ting, who had conveyed a large body of troops to the mouth of the Yalu, encountered the Japanese fleet on his return See also:journey off Hai-Yang-Tao on the 17th of September. The heavy battleships " Chen-Yuen " and " Ting-Yuen " constituted the strongest See also:element of the Chinese squadron, for the Japanese, See also:superior as they were in every other See also:factor of success, had no vessels which could compare with these in the See also:matter of See also:protection. Ting advanced in a See also:long irregular See also:line abreast; the battleships in the centre, the lighter vessels on the wings. Ito's fast cruisers steamed in line ahead against the Chinese right wing, crushing their weaker opponents with their See also:fire. In the end the Chinese fleet was defeated and scattered, but the two heavy battleships See also:drew off without serious injury. This battle of the Yalu gave japan command of the sea, but Ito continued to See also:act with See also:great caution. The remnants of the vanquished fleet took See also:refuge in Port See also:Arthur, whence after See also:repairs Ting proceeded to Wei-hai-wei. The victory of Ping-Yang had cleared Korea of the Chinese troops, but on the See also:lower Yalu—their own frontier—large forces threatened a second advance. See also:Marshal See also:Yamagata therefore took the offensive with his 1st See also:army, and on the 24th and 25th of See also:October, under great difficulties—though without serious opposition from the enemy—forced the passage of the river and occupied Chiulien-See also:cheng. Part of the Chinese force retired to the See also:north-See also:east, part to Feng-hwangcheng and Hsiu-yuen (Siu-Yen). The Japanese 1st army advanced several columns towards the mountains of Manchuria to secure its conquests and prepare for a future advance. General Tachimi's See also:brigade occupied Feng-hwang-cheng on the 29th of October. On the 7th of See also:November a See also:column from the Yalu took Takushan, and a few days later a converging attack from these two places was made upon Hsiu-yuen, which was abandoned by the Chinese. Meanwhile Tachimi, skirmishing with the enemy on the See also:Mukden and Liao-Yang roads, found the Chinese in force. A simultaneous forward move by both sides led to the action of Tsao-ho-ku (November 30), after which both sides withdrew—the Chinese to the line of the mountains covering Hai-cheng, Liao-Yang and Mukden, with the Tatar general Ikotenga's force, 14,000 strong, on the Japanese right north-east of Feng-hwang-cheng; and the Japanese to Chiuliencheng, Takushan and Hsiu-yuen. The difficulties of supply in the hills were almost insurmountable, and no serious advance was intended by the Japanese until See also:January 1895, when it was to be made in co-operation with the 2nd army. This army, under Marshal See also:Oyama, had been formed in September and at first sent to Chemulpo as a support to the forces under Yamagata; but its See also:chief task was the See also:siege and See also:capture of the Chinese fortress, dockyard and See also:arsenal of Port Arthur. The Liao-Tong peninsula was guarded by the walled See also:city of Kinchow and the forts of Ta-See also:lien-wan (Dalny under the See also:Russian regime, and See also:Tairen under the Japanese) as well as the fortifications around Port Arthur itself. On the 24th of October the disembarkation of the 2nd army began near Pi-tsze-wo, and the successive columns of the Japanese gradually moved towards Kinchow, whichwas carried without difficulty on the 6th of November. Even less resistance was offered by the modern forts of Ta-lien-wan. The Japanese now held a good See also:harbour within a few See also:miles of the See also:main fortress. Here they landed siege See also:artillery, and on the 17th of November the advance was resumed. The attack was made on the 19th at See also:dawn. Yamaji's See also:division (See also:Nogi's and Nishi's brigades) after a trying See also:night See also: Sung had already left Kai-ping to secure Hai-cheng when he heard of the fall of that place; his communications with Ikotenga being now severed, he swerved to the north-See also:west and established a new See also:base at Niu-chwang. Once on his new line Sung moved upon Hai-cheng. As it was essential that he should be prevented from joining forces with Ikotenga, General Katsura marched out of Hai-cheng to fight him. At Kangwang-tsai (December 19th) the Chinese displayed unusual steadiness, and it cost the Japanese some 343 casualties to dislodge the enemy. The victors returned to Hai-cheng exhausted with their efforts, but secure from attack for some time to come. The advanced troops of the 2nd army (Nogi's brigade) were now ready to advance, and only the Kai-ping garrison (left behind by Sung) barred their junction with Katsura. At Kai-ping (January loth) the resistance of the Chinese was almost as steady as at Kang-wang-tsai, and the Japanese lost 300 killed and wounded in their successful attack. In neither of these actions was the defeated force routed, nor did it retire very far. On the 17th of January and again on the 22nd Ikotenga attacked Hai-cheng from the north, but was repulsed. Meanwhile the 2nd army, still under Oyama, had undertaken operations against Wei-hai-wei, the second great fortress and See also:dock-yard of northern China, where Admiral Ting's squadron had been refitting since the battle of the Yalu; and it was hoped that both armies would accomplish their present tasks in time to advance in the summer against Peking itself. On the 18th of January a naval demonstration was made at Teng-chow-fu, 70 in. west of Wei-haiwei, and on the 19th the Japanese began their disembarkation at Yung-cheng See also:Bay, about 12 m. from Wei-hai-wei. The landing was scarcely opposed, and on the 26th the Japanese advance was begun. The south-eastern defences of Wei-hai-wei harbour were carried by the 6th division, whilst the 2nd division reached the inner See also:waters of the bay, See also:driving the Chinese before them. The fleet under Ito co-operated effectively. On the night of the 4th-5th of See also:February the Chinese squadron in harbour was attacked by ten See also:torpedo boats. Two boats were lost, but the See also:armour-clad " Ting-Yuen " was sunk. On the following night a second attack was made, and three more vessels were sunk. On the 9th the " Ching-Yuen " was sunk by the guns in one of the captured forts. On the 12th Admiral Ting wrote to Admiral Ito offering to surrender, and then took See also:poison, other See also:officers following his example. Wei-hai-wei was then dismantled by the Japanese, who recovered the remnant of the Chinese squadron, including the " Chen Yuen," and the 2nd army concentrated at Port Arthur for the advance on Peking. While this See also:campaign was in progress the Chinese despatched a second peace See also:mission, also with defective credentials. The Japanese declined to treat, and the mission returned to China. In February the Chinese made furtherronsuccessful attacks:on Hai-cheng. Yamaji near Kai-ping fought a severe action on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of February at Taping-shan against a part of Sung's army under General Ma-yu-kun. This action'was fought with 2 ft. of See also:snow on the ground, the thermometer registering zero F., and no less than 1500 cases of See also:frost-bite were reported. It was the intention of General Nozu, after freeing the Hai-cheng garrison from Ikotenga, to seize Niu-chwang port. Two divisions converged on An-shanchan, and the Chinese, threatened in front and flank, retired to Liao-Yang. Meanwhile two more attacks on Hai-cheng had been repulsed. The 3rd and 5th divisions then moved on Niu-chwang, and Yamaji's 1st division at Kai-ping joined in the advance. The column from An-shan-chan stormed Niu-chwang, which was obstinately defended, and cost the stormers nearly 400 men. All three divisions converged on Niu-chwang port (Ying-kow), and the final engagement took place at Tien-chwang-tai, which was captured on the 9th of March. The Chinese forces in Manchuria being thoroughly broken and dispersed, there was nothing to prevent the Japanese from proceeding to the occupation of Peking, since they could, after the break-up of the See also:ice, See also:land and supply large forces at Shan-hai-kwan, within 17o m. of the capital. Two more Japanese divisions were sent out, with See also:Prince Komatsu as supreme commander. Seven divisions were at Port Arthur ready to embark, when negotiations were reopened. Li Hung-Chang proceeded to Shimonoseki, where the treaty was signed on the 17th of See also:April 1895. An expedition was sent towards the end of March to the See also:Pescadores, and later the Imperial Guard division was sent to See also:Formosa. It is impossible to estimate the Chinese losses in the war. The Japanese lost 4177 men by See also:death in action or by sickness, and 56,862 were wounded or disabled by sickness, exclusive of the losses in the Formosa and Pescadores expeditions. Nearly two-thirds of these losses were incurred by the 1st army in the trying See also:winter campaign in Manchuria.
The most important See also:works dealing with the war are: See also:Vladimir, China-Japan War (See also:London, 1896); Jukichi See also:Inouye, The Japan-China War (See also:Yokohama, &c., 1896); du Boulay, See also:Epitome of the Chino-Japanese War (London, 1896), the See also:official publication of the British War See also:Office; Atteridge, See also:Wars of the Nineties, pp. 535-636 (London, 1899) ; von Kunowski and Fretzdorff, Der japanischchinesische Krieg (See also:Leipzig, 1895) ; von See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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