Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-10-30
CHINA'S WAR MATERIAL.
The Proposed Invasion and the Men at Hand
Fighting Capacity Of Her Soldiers
Forces Needed IN Overcome Them

is but one route, that OF the Red river
which is barred by the citadel o
Hong-Hua, with, in second line, tn,
fortress of Son-Tay. Between tn,
Quong-Li frontier and Hanoi tn,
ground is extremely broken, and tn,
French holding every fort command
ing the lines of communication witt
the Thai-Bink delta, a Chinese arm,
operating by the Lang-Sou road must
before it can reach Song-Cau, beseig,
and capture the citadel of Phu-Lang
Giang-rather big undertaking fol
the Celcstials, and which must be fol
lowed by still bigger one-the reduc
tion Of the strategic position of Bac
Mini, situated at the debouchure of al
the roads leading into the plain, and
quite strong enough to check any at.
tcmpts at invasion from that side.
And at what figure may the strength
- Tho irvnd;"cJ F~~"~ l. -'i---'''S"
How many French troops ought to suf
/ flee for its defeatp The effective army o.
the Moons First Cousin was, on paper
39y, 900 men, but his counselors de-
creed the increase of the troops at Ger,
tain points, and therefore, ways and
means of locomotion in the Celestial
empire being very incomplete, the ex'
isting "regiments"-I use this word,
although "bands would be more cor.
rcct-6aye been reinforced bv n beyy
of mcrccnaries, decorated with tn,
name of "braves"-Tchwang Yung-
the remains of those other =" bands y
who were disbandcd when, after the
suppression of the Tai-Ping rebellion,
the government had no further need OF
their services. These mercenaries,
composed of rufians, beggars. and
yapabonds. ready for the Commission
of any crime. without means of liveli.
hood save pillace and robbery, are
quite GOOD enoIIgh to fight against
Corcans and the Anamites and
the population along the Rus.
sian frontier, who are as badly
armed MS themselves; but, notwiti-
standing the great Gordon's opinion of
their merits as partisans, they are mt.
tcrly GOOD for nothing in an encoun-
ter with Disciplined troops. Witness
the results of every encapement he.
tween tbo French detecbments and
the black llacs. the most formidable
snecimcns Of their class. Still. as the
viccroys of LANG. Kuan Canton and
Kwnnsi) and of Yan.Kouyo (Yun-Nan
and Kweicho). who are nearest TO the
bose Of opcrations. could only furnish,
toCethcr "a 600 men. tbev have been
ohIigcd to add an cnual' number nj
..braycs'' who are recruited at the rate
of from 81 tn S10 montblv nav. which
NAV he raised 70 - shonld tbc Tch.
wang. o.Yunr dcmond birher WAGES
than the first offers. Thus recruited.
thc ..ormv of invosionn NAV he csti.
mated at from 10 600 to 30 00O strong.
which is \ maximum. not only becouse
tho number of individnoIs willing to
ho cnrolIcd is limit.d hmt bocanse tho
intcnJonce service .oI,artcrmaster and
commissorvN-ho;ng nnlnown in China
The troon. are obIi9ed to Iivo mon the
countrv where tbsv are oneroting
which would snoediiy bc exhausted hy
a TOO humorous arm csneciaIlv in n
rcgion 90 unnroductivc os northern
T6nnnin of which thc rrsources arc
scarcely ADEQUATE to the needs of the
rosidonf nonmIot;on II is cortoin
tbcn that tbo ..invoding armvm of
China will not exceed 10000 men. of
whom > 600 arc armed with imnroved
riCles Ii 600 with flintlock muskots
and motchlocks and over 6O 600 with
sneors, bows. and arrows. Its ortil.
larv will consist nrincinallv of ouns
borroyod from, thn local forts With
nerhons ono or two batteries bronoht
from Canton, But This "invading
army is merely n nucleus. il will be
ioin.d ON the wav Inv n certain number
Of natives and by the black flars, who
have NOT bcen utterly broken nm. as
was stated bv Gen, Millot. All these
elements unifed NAV swell the Chinese
..ormy of opcrotions', in Tonouin to
about 100. 600 men, and to defeat these,
taking the ordinary estimate that one
EuroSean c5ldier is n match for fifteen
Chinese soldiers. not more than II. 600
Frcnchmcn will be reouired,
So much for the "inyasion" from
which The London Standard and other
Gollinhohic ncwsnopcrs aroue such
terrible disasters to French "ms. But
thc warrior there is n state of war. even
If Mother Marty bc disnoscd 70 assume
tbc resnonsibii,tv Of its declaration-
thc war can not he confined to A mere
resistoncc to invos,on military necessi-
t;os viii obligo tbo French n oncrato
oslnnsivclv and if NAV he interesting
70 nyhihit tbc forces With which China
nromosos to defend her strategic noints
r. pTSi ISion.Isin SHANGHAI Foo chow and
Canton and rcs;st noss;hle march
on palm For tho defense of Canton
its vicerov can gct tocetbcr abont so
600 m mon }or w6om 3 5Oo ore nrovided
vii With Mansors Peabodys and Reming.
TONS ~ oo0 with oId. fashioned mnzzle-
ioaJnrs G5 ooo with snoors and bows
sD"O, ama orrows v and who aro sunnorted bv
tho @ hoavv amns of tbo Vessels in the
rni no;rhhorhdSod Ill., oud hv ,50 mountain
ho hoH9i,oona oO Lon,on,od t,on, ,ha sn,aIIor
mUmtMvto mUmhoats. NJ F"o Chow 70 600 men
snn,oJ " s;n,i,ar rronortions arc enc
J sainoG hr n | tho nowperf,t, ar,iiiorv of tho
H,n0u Soa. ~ in0 ,piromori', pUmi handiod MIGHT
o'1, i,o I,n'aninn "m 70 a dn,;raI Comrhot nj.
thonnh s,,cb woa not b;s exnerienee m
thO O Si;n. S ot Shan@b,; % we hear of tbe
',ro,onnn .nO ' q" as IGS n5n rorr;orS Wv bav;n ~
'SSc r. ISnir h, bonJs nIV'V9T 600 breecb,oaders
m on onn 9 a;nt naoo Ioo,,S 0'u v,ororss;nn 'IoctS
oU,yVU ouS y, toh vN lnoro nitb lac oo0 arcbers %
"nI I ,na.A na",,,,ou S,oLod ,'SH hu soot ort;I'