On August 15, 1945, the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression finally ended with Japan's unconditional surrender. This war was not only a great victory for the Chinese people, but also an important turning point in the world anti-fascist war. In these eight long years, the Chinese military and civilians have made tremendous sacrifices and efforts, and finally achieved this historic victory.
However, this is not the first time that China has clashed with Japan, from the Battle of Baijiangkou in the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan-Japanese War in the Yuan Dynasty, to the famous Qi Jiguang Anti-Japanese War in the Ming Dynasty, the Sino-Japanese War in the Qing Dynasty, and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in modern times, the friction between China and Japan has continued for nearly a thousand years. Keep in mind the history, the alarm bell rings for a long time, and today the little rabbit will come to take stock of the five contests in the history of China and Japan, four wins and one loss, four royals and one attack.
(1) The Battle of Baijiangkou in the Tang Dynasty
The Battle of Baekgang Estuary, which took place in 663 AD, was an important naval battle between the Tang Dynasty and the combined forces of Silla (present-day Korea) on the one hand, and the restored forces of the Japanese Wa Kingdom and Baekje (present-day Korea). The battle took place at the mouth of the Baekgang River (present-day Geumgang River) in present-day Korea, and was one of the most important battles in East Asian history.
The background of the Battle of Baekgang Estuary dates back to the Three Kingdoms period of the Korean Peninsula (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla). Silla formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty in the hope of defeating Baekje and Goguryeo and unifying the Korean Peninsula through the support of the Tang Dynasty. Baekje was defeated by the Tang Dynasty and the Silla coalition in 660, and the remnants and remnants of Baekje turned to Japan for help in the hope of restoring the country.
At that time, Japan had deep ties with Baekje, including political, cultural, and economic exchanges, so it decided to send troops to aid Baekje's recovery.
In 663 AD, Japan sent a large fleet to support the Baekje restoration forces, and a fierce naval battle broke out between the two sides at the mouth of the Baekgang River. The combined fleets of the Tang Dynasty and Silla were superior in strategy and equipment and experienced in combat, while the combined Japanese and Baekje armies, despite their large numbers, were slightly inferior in tactics and coordinated combat capabilities.
During the Battle of Baekgang Estuary, the combined forces of the Tang Dynasty and Silla adopted effective tactics and successfully routed the combined fleets of Japan and Baekje. The battle ended in victory for the combined forces of Tang and Silla.
The victory at the Battle of Baekgangkou cemented the position of the Tang Dynasty and Silla on the Korean Peninsula, allowing Silla to finally unify the Korean Peninsula. For Japan, the defeat of this campaign led to the setback of its foreign expansion, prompting it to begin to rethink its domestic political and military systems, thus promoting a series of reform measures such as the Taika Reform to strengthen the country.
(2) Yuan-Japanese War of the Yuan Dynasty (Battle of Wenyong and Battle of Hongan)
The Sino-Japanese War refers to the two expansions of the Yuan Dynasty against Japan in 1274 and 1281, which is also known as the "Yuan-Japanese War" in history. These wars were waged by Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty with the aim of conquering Japan and expanding the boundaries of his empire.
●Battle of 1274 (Battle of Bunei)
The first expansion of the Yuan Dynasty took place in 1274 and is known as the "Battle of Wenyong". Kublai Khan sent about 900 warships carrying about 40,000 soldiers (including Mongols, Han Chinese, and Koreans) across the sea to attack Japan. Yuan troops landed on Tsushima and Iki Islands, followed by Hakata Bay in northern Kyushu.
The Yuan army had the upper hand in the initial battles, and caused quite a shock to the Japanese samurai due to their advanced weaponry and tactics, especially gunpowder weapons. However, due to bad weather, a sudden typhoon (known to the Japanese as "kamikaze") destroyed most of the ships of the Yuan dynasty, and the Yuan army was forced to retreat. The invasion was unsuccessful, and the Yuan army suffered heavy losses.
●Battle of 1281 (Battle of Koan)
Kublai Khan did not abandon his plans to conquer Japan, and in 1281 he again sent a large fleet to attack Japan, this time in what became known as the Battle of Koyasu. The Yuan Dynasty mobilized two fleets: one from Fujian in southern China and the other from Korea, with a total strength of more than 140,000 men and more than 4,000 ships.
The Yuan army landed again on the islands of Tsushima and Iki, and then attacked Kyushu. However, Japan was well prepared for defense and built strong fortifications along the coastline. Although the Yuan army performed well in battle, the stubborn resistance and defensive measures of the Japanese made it difficult for the Yuan army to penetrate deeply.
In August, another powerful typhoon hit the Yuan fleet, again known to the Japanese as "kamikaze", destroying most of the Yuan army's ships and killing a large number of soldiers. The remnants of the Yuan army were forced to retreat, and the second invasion again ended in failure.
The two defeats in the Yuan-Japanese War greatly hindered Kublai Khan's expansion plans and marked the end of the Mongol Empire's history of conquest. For Japan, victory in the Yuan-Japanese War not only strengthened national self-confidence, but also largely consolidated the dominance of the shogunate. At the same time, the Yuan-Japanese War also influenced Japan's military and defensive strategy in modern times. In order to prevent future invasions, Japan further strengthened its coastal fortifications and improved its own defense capabilities through in-depth research on Mongol tactics and weapons.
(3) Wanli Korean War of the Ming Dynasty (twice)
The Wanli Korean War, also known as the "Imjin War" or the "Wanli Aid to Korea" War, refers to two wars between 1592 and 1598 in which Japan invaded the Korean Peninsula and was resisted by the Ming Dynasty army and the Korean coalition. The result ended in the victory of the combined forces of Korea and the Ming Dynasty and the retreat of Japan.
At the end of the 16th century, at the end of Japan's Warring States period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, after unifying Japan, attempted to conquer Korea and then attack the Ming Dynasty and establish a larger East Asian empire. In 1592, Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent a large army to attack Korea, and the Korean army was defeated in the initial battle and was forced to turn to the Ming Dynasty for help.
● First invasion (1592-1593)
In 1592, Japanese forces quickly occupied Pusan and marched north, capturing Seoul (present-day Seoul) and Kaesong to Pyongyang. Faced with this situation, the Joseon Dynasty appealed to the Ming Dynasty for help. The Ming Dynasty sent its commander-in-chief, Li Rusong, to lead an army to aid Korea.
In early 1593, the combined forces of the Ming and Korea defeated the Japanese army at the battles of Pyongyang and Bijeokan, forcing it to retreat south of Seoul. After that, the two sides fought many battles in Imjin River and other places, and the battle situation gradually stabilized, and the two sides began peace talks and reached a temporary truce.
● Second invasion (1597-1598)
Due to the breakdown of peace talks, in 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched another war of aggression against Korea, which became known as the "Ding You Zai Rebellion". Japanese forces again occupied several cities in southern Korea, but the combined forces of the Ming and Joseon put up stubborn resistance on land.
At sea, the famous Korean general Yi Sun-sin, through his superior command and tactics, won many naval battles, including the Battle of Myeongliang and the Battle of Royang, effectively containing Japan's sea supply lines and preventing the further advance of the Japanese army.
In 1598, with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the domestic political situation in Japan changed, and Japan decided to withdraw its troops from Korea. In December of the same year, the remnants of the Japanese army were completely defeated by the combined forces of the Ming Dynasty and Korea in the Battle of Luliang, ending the seven-year war.
Japan's two wars of aggression brought tremendous damage to Korea, destroying many cities and villages, severely damaging the economy, and making the people's lives miserable. Also for the Ming Dynasty, although the Ming Dynasty won the war, the investment of a large amount of manpower and material resources also accelerated the decline of the Ming Dynasty's national strength. For Japan, the defeat in the war led to a period of peace that lasted for more than 200 years, eventually led to the establishment of the Edo shogunate by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1600.
(4) The First Sino-Japanese War of the Qing Dynasty
The First Sino-Japanese War, also known as the First Sino-Japanese Sea Battle, took place from 1894 to 1895 and was a war between the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese Empire. The war, which ended in the defeat of the Qing Dynasty, had far-reaching consequences for China and East Asia.
At the end of the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty weakened due to internal and external difficulties. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan rose rapidly, increased its national strength, and actively sought external expansion to establish its hegemony in East Asia. The Korean Peninsula, as the focus of contention between China and Japan, became the fuse of the war.
Korea was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty at the time, and in 1894, the Donghak uprising broke out in Korea, and the Korean government asked the Qing Dynasty to send troops to suppress it. Japan also sent troops into Korea under the pretext of protecting its expatriates, and the conflict of interests between the two sides in Korea eventually led to a full-scale war.
In July 1894, Japan landed at Incheon, Korea, and quickly occupied Seoul (present-day Seoul). Subsequently, the Japanese army advanced into northern Korea and clashed fiercely with the Qing army.
On September 17, 1894, the Sino-Japanese naval battle broke out near Dadonggou in the Yellow Sea, which was an important naval battle in the First Sino-Japanese War. Although the Qing Dynasty's Beiyang Fleet fought valiantly, it was eventually defeated by the Japanese Combined Fleet due to its equipment and tactical inferiority.
From the end of 1894 to the beginning of 1895, the Japanese army won successive victories on the Liaodong Peninsula and the Shandong Peninsula, occupying important ports such as Lushun, Dalian and Weihaiwei. The Qing army was defeated and retreated, unable to resist the Japanese attack.
In April 1895, the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan. According to the treaty, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan, the Penghu Islands and the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan, compensated a huge war indemnity of 450 million taels of silver, allowed Japan to open factories in China, and further opened treaty ports.
●The impact of the First Sino-Japanese War on China, Japan, and Korea
The defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War exposed the corruption and incompetence of the Qing Dynasty and provoked a deep reflection on Chinese society, which in turn gave birth to the Reform Movement and the Wuxu Reform, which, although ultimately unsuccessful, began the process of China's modernization. Through the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan further consolidated its hegemonic position in East Asia, seized a large amount of resources and interests, strengthened its national strength and international status, and laid the foundation for its later foreign expansion. Under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Qing recognized Korea's "independence," but in reality, Korea was annexed by Japan as a colony shortly after.
(5) War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) was an all-out war fought by the Chinese people against Japanese imperialist aggression, and was also an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. The war lasted eight years and ended with the victory of China and the surrender of Japan.
In 1931, Japan launched the September 18 Incident, occupied Northeast China, and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. After that, Japan gradually invaded and occupied North China. On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, marking the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan. China began a nationwide war of resistance. According to the course of the War of Resistance, the all-out War of Resistance can be divided into three stages:
● Phase I: Strategic Defense Phase (1937-1940)
After the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, Japan quickly launched a large-scale attack and invaded China in an all-out way. The Chinese army and civilians fought stubbornly in many battles such as the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Taiyuan, and the Battle of Xuzhou. At the end of 1937, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, causing the Nanjing Massacre, which shocked China and the rest of the world.
In 1938, the Chinese army put up stubborn resistance in the battles of Wuhan and Changsha, preventing further Japanese attacks. The Chinese government moved its capital to Chongqing and persisted in the war of resistance to the end.
●The second stage: the stage of strategic stalemate (1940-1943)
After 1940, the war situation entered a phase of stalemate. The Japanese army tried to brutally suppress the anti-Japanese activities of the Chinese people by "feeding the war with war" and implementing the three-light policy (burning, killing, and robbing). However, the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army and other guerrilla units under the leadership of the Communist Party of China carried out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, effectively containing the Japanese army.
At the same time, the Chinese government actively sought international assistance and formed an anti-fascist alliance with Britain and the United States. After the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, China became an important member of the world anti-fascist front.
● The third stage: the strategic counteroffensive phase (1944-1945)
In 1944, the Allied forces won victories in the European and Pacific theaters, and the Japanese forces in Northern, Central, and Southern China gradually weakened. The Chinese army launched counteroffensives in Henan, Hunan, Guangxi and other places, gradually recovering lost territory.
In August 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On September 2, Japan officially signed the instrument of surrender, and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression ended victoriously.
The victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression ended Japan's aggression against China, defended the territorial integrity of the mainland, and safeguarded the dignity of the Chinese nation; at the same time, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression also promoted the awakening and unity of the Chinese people, won broad popular support for the Communist Party of China, and promoted the process of the Chinese revolution. In addition, the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression made China a founding member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council, and its international status was significantly enhanced.
After entering the new century, the mainland's economy began to take off, its national strength was booming, and after several decades of rapid development, it has become a powerful modern power in the world, and today's China is no longer the "sick man of East Asia" of the past, and the sleeping lion in the East has woken up from a dream, and we can clench our fists and resolutely say "no" to all kinds of injustices! At the same time, although the overall situation in the world is tending to be peaceful, local conflicts still occur from time to time, and we, who are in an era of peace, should be all the more prepared for danger in times of peace, take precautions before they occur, and jointly build a prosperous and long-term modern power.