The First Sino-Japanese War was one of the most tragic wars in Chinese history and a major turning point in China's modern history. The war, which took place between 1894 and 1895, was an all-out war between the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese Empire for control of the Korean Peninsula. The result of this war was the crushing defeat of the Qing Dynasty, the victory of Japan, the fall of Korea, the cession of Taiwan, and the humiliation of China. The war also shocked the world, changed the landscape of East Asia, hastened the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and gave birth to China's national awakening and revolutionary movement.
In this war, there was a huge gap between the military strength and strategic thinking of the Qing Dynasty and Japan. Although the Qing Dynasty had a large army and Beiyang naval division, it lacked modern equipment and training, did not have effective command and coordination, and did not have a clear war goal and will. Japan, on the other hand, is a rising modern country, with advanced weapons and fleets, strict discipline and a high degree of nationalism, and a clear war goal and will. In this contrast, the Qing Dynasty was defeated in the war, and Japan conquered the city all the way, and finally forced the Qing Dynasty to sign the "Treaty of Shimonoseki", which humiliated the country.
In this war, there was also a huge gap between the casualties of the Qing Dynasty and Japan. According to historical statistics, the Qing Dynasty suffered more than 40,000 casualties in the First Sino-Japanese War, including many outstanding generals and soldiers, such as Deng Shichang, Lin Yongsheng, Ding Ruchang, etc. Japan's casualties in the Sino-Japanese War, on the other hand, were relatively small, about 5,000, and most of them died from disease rather than from fighting. Such a disparity in the proportion of casualties also reflects the gap between the combat effectiveness and fighting will of the Qing Dynasty and Japan in the war.
So, why was there such a disparity in casualties between the Qing Dynasty and Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War? This was mainly due to the following reasons:
1. The military backwardness and corruption of the Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty's crushing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War was largely due to its military backwardness and corruption. The military system of the Qing Dynasty also followed the Eight Banners system of the Ming Dynasty, which divided the army into eight flags: the yellow flag, the yellow flag, the white flag, the white flag, the red flag, the red flag, the blue flag, and the blue flag. These Eight Banners soldiers were originally the main force of the Qing Dynasty, but by the end of the Qing Dynasty, they became lazy, greedy, incompetent, unwilling to participate in the war, and only knew how to enjoy privileges, which became a big burden for the Qing Dynasty. The local armies of the Qing Dynasty were also scattered, independent of each other, without unified command and coordination, without modern equipment and training, and without the confidence and courage to fight. Although the Beiyang Naval Division of the Qing Dynasty was known as the most powerful navy in Asia at that time, with 25 large and small warships and more than 4,000 officers and men, it was actually a false appearance, and most of its ships were purchased from Western countries, and they did not have their own shipbuilding capabilities, nor their own tactics and strategies, let alone their own fighting spirit. The military officials of the Qing Dynasty were also corrupt and incompetent, many of them were obtained by connections and bribery, they had no real military talent and experience, and they did not have real loyalty and responsibility, and they only knew how to keep their official positions and interests, regardless of the life and death of the country and the nation. These military backwardness and corruption put the Qing Dynasty at an absolute disadvantage in the First Sino-Japanese War, unable to compete with Japan's modern army, nor able to resist Japanese aggression and massacre.
2. Japan's military modernization and nationalism
Japan's victory in the Sino-Japanese War was largely due to its military modernization and nationalism. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan carried out a series of political, economic, social, cultural, and military reforms, turning Japan from a closed feudal country into an open modern country. Japan's military system has also undergone a thorough reform, abolishing the shogunate and samurai systems, establishing a centralized army with the emperor as the supreme commander, implementing a universal military service system, establishing two independent branches of the army, the navy, introducing Western weapons and ships, training a number of professional military personnel, formulating a set of scientific strategies and tactics, and cultivating a strong spirit of nationalism and loyalty. Japan's military goal is also very clear and firm, that is, to establish its own sphere of influence in East Asia, challenge the hegemony of the Qing Dynasty, compete for control of the Korean Peninsula, expand its territory and interests, and become a world power. These military modernizations and nationalism put Japan in an absolute position in the Sino-Japanese War, fearless of the resistance and resistance of the Qing Dynasty, and also fearless of Western interference and sanctions.