Why did the Beiyang Marine Division, which was once the first in Asia, eventually wipe out the entire army, and although the Japanese combined fleet was severely damaged, it was unsinked, and whenever people look back on this tragic history, there will always be a lot of emotions and sighs!
In the early morning of August 17, 1871, in the British military port of Plymouth, Lin Tai commanded the "Chao Yong" ship, and Deng Shichang commanded the "Yang Wei" ship to start a long trip back to China. This is the first time that the Chinese Navy has driven a warship through the North Atlantic _Mediterranean_Suez Canal_Indian Ocean_Western Pacific Ocean, and the countries along the way have learned that China also has a navy, and they all saluted with salutes, and the overseas Chinese along the way rushed to watch the motherland's navy at the seashore, calling this "a glory that has not been seen in a hundred years."
In the following years, this Beiyang Fleet, which was painstakingly managed by Li Hongzhang and was then known as the first in Asia, could be described as having unlimited scenery for a long time. On China's vast and long sea defense line, countries from the Korean Peninsula to the South China Sea have left their fleets cruising!
Japan is China's neighbor with water, at this time Japan is in the Meiji Restoration period, compared to the Qing government's foreign affairs movement, the Meiji Restoration is successful, through the reform of Japan to avoid the crisis of becoming a colony of the Western powers, quickly promoted the development of all aspects of the process of modern development, and finally achieved the purpose of rich countries and strong troops, but also for the future foreign colonial expansion laid a solid backing. At this time, when the Beiyang Fleet existed like a god in Asia, Japan was undoubtedly envious, especially after the Nagasaki Incident, Japan both compensated and paid compensation, which directly sent the influence of the Beiyang Admiralty to the peak, and also let Japan sow the seeds of revenge in the depths of its heart. Since then, Japan has used the strength of the whole country to comprehensively develop the navy, and has successively purchased new warships such as "Matsushima" and "Yoshino". At this time, corruption was prevalent in the Qing government officialdom, factional struggles were becoming more and more serious, and naval military expenditure was seriously insufficient, resulting in the inability to buy new warships. Until the eve of the Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, the Japanese Navy surpassed the Beiyang Naval Division in terms of tonnage, speed and rapid-fire artillery, which was also one of the most fundamental reasons for the defeat of the Beiyang Fleet in the Sino-Japanese Naval Battle.
On September 17, 1894, the Battle of the Yellow Sea officially began, which was also the first naval battle in human history to be fought by a steam-powered ironclad fleet. After 5 hours of fighting, it finally ended in the fiasco of the Beiyang Naval Division, after which the Beiyang Fleet was severely damaged, but the main force still existed, while Li Hongzhang, Ding Ruchang, etc. lost the courage to fight again, and retreated to Weihaiwei in order to preserve their strength, so that the sea control of the Yellow Sea completely fell into the hands of the Japanese combined fleet. However, with the escalation of the war, the continuous defeat of the Qing Dynasty Army on the battlefield, and the loss of the land-based forts one after another, so that the Japanese Navy and the Army finally completed the front and back attacks on the Beiyang Marine Division, so that the Beiyang Marine Division suffered from the enemy until the whole army was destroyed, and the Beiyang Fleet, which had made countless people see hope and was proud, has since withdrawn from the stage of history!
Looking at the defeat of the Beiyang Marine Division, it is actually a historical inevitability, and the entire Sino-Japanese War is more reflective of the contest between the overall strength of the two countries, and the results of an emerging capitalist country can be imagined when faced with a decadent and decadent feudal dynasty.
"Don't forget the past, the teacher of the future"! Japan and we are neighbors, but by no means friends, it is not difficult to see through history, China and Japan can even be called feuds, but today's China is no longer the late Qing government more than a hundred years ago, with the growing strength of the motherland, the continuous improvement of comprehensive national strength, I firmly believe that the historical tragedy of the Beiyang Marine Division will never repeat itself!
#Documentary Awards#"Beiyang Marine Division", "School of Ship Administration"