These Preliminary Encounters
Were Followed By A Declaration Of War On August 1, 1894.
During the
ensuing six weeks, Japan poured her troops into the peninsula, while the
Chinese fleet, instead of harassing the enemy, remained in the harbors of
Port Arthur and Wei-hai-Wei.
On September 15, the Japanese army in Corea
was strong enough to detach a corps of 14,000 men to attack the Chinese
position at Pingyang, a town on the northern banks of the Paidong River.
The passage of the river was difficult, and the Chinese might have
overwhelmed the Japanese when crossing it, but they took no measures to
this end, and the battle began at sunrise on the day just named. There
were five forts to be captured, and some of them were vigorously defended,
nor was it until night set in that the garrison finally determined upon
evacuating the place. In the battle itself and the retreat, over 2,000
Chinese were killed, to say nothing of the wounded and the prisoners. The
Japanese themselves lost 162 killed, 438 wounded and 33 missing, and there
seems to be no reason to doubt that, had all the Chinese officers been
capable of the valor displayed by the general Tso-pao-kuei, the Japanese
would have been repulsed. As it was, the battle proved decisive, for not a
Chinaman paused until he had reached the other side of the Yalu River,
which forms the northwest boundary of Corea.
On the very day of the fight at Pingyang, a number of Chinese war vessels,
under the command of Admiral Ting, were transporting troops to the mouth
of the Yalu, where the Chinese were assembling a second army. On its
return from this task, it was encountered, September 17, off tha island of
Haiyang, by a Japanese squadron under Admiral Ito. Ostensibly, the two
fleets were evenly matched. They each numbered ten fighting vessels, and,
if two of the Chinese ships possessed a more powerful armament, the
Japanese were superior in steam power. It was to quickness in maneuvering
that the Japanese admiral trusted for victory, and his first attack
consisted mainly in circling around the Chinese squadron. He was careful,
also, to reserve his fire until only two miles separated him from his
adversaries. After a duel with the Japanese "Matsushima," the Chinese
flagship "Tingyuen" was severely damaged, and only saved from sinking by
the intervention of her sister ship, the "Chenyuen." These two ironclads,
together with the torpedo boats, succeeded in making their escape, but
five of the Chinese vessels were sunk or destroyed. In men, the Chinese
lost 700 killed or drowned and 300 wounded, while the Japanese lost 115
killed and 150 wounded. The result of this victory was that the Chinese
never afterward attempted to dispute the control of the sea, and their
water communication with the Yalu was effectually cut off.
After the battle of Pingyang, the Japanese army halted, and it was not
until after they received re-enforcements under Marshal Yamagata that they
resumed their forward movement.
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