The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-12-27
CHIN


! She Has a Chance If the .gaps VIII Allow 1t.
fHarpers Week,BI
4 German authority declares it wrong 10
assume that Things military are as they
always were N China. There has been i'm
provernent, mainly in armament, reforms in
tactics aud strategy being opposed to the
Chinese character. 4 few years ago Ii Hung
Chang, who, with his province of Pe-cti-Ii,
has unfortunately had to bear the brunt
OF this var, ventured TO carry out energeti-
cally the reforms proposed by the European
instructors who had been before employed,
/ but without power. TO bring about progress
Two German instructors trained the Pe-chi-li
infantry, and their influence is still appar-
emit.
The exercises, slew and quick march espe-
cially, are admirably performed, but most
| imperfect knowledge and valuation of fight
ing tactics is observable. Out of these
troops some trained non-commissioned drill
masters were sent to all parts of the empire {;
but this second hand method, this deputiz-
ing OF unskiiled instructors 10 do the work
OF Europeans, has resulted in such a COM
promise with ancient native habits that
little of the original teaching is left, ard
the result is little better than the simple old
Chinese drill. Originally, in Pe-chi-li, the
Germans drilled the officers and the men.
| Finally, III the other provinces, the officers
were left in their original plight of iguo-
rance.
The best reform was in the arms. The
Pt-chi-li troops are mainly armed with the
German infantry rife. China, my authority
says will never possess 4 true cavalry arm.
She can get no suitable horses Her steeG is
| the MongoI pony, and he is too small and
=. 4
regarded with pride as being able to get away
from au enemy quicker than the rest of the
army. The cavairymen carry Winchester
carbines, ard fight by riding around in a
ring and firing one piece at q time as each
rider comes into position. The artillery is
China's fayOri,e weapon, whether or not the
reason be that ii is liked because of the noise
it makes. At ali events, the Germans, aided
by Ii Hung Chang, have organized and
armed an excellent artillery III Pe-chi-li,
the pieces being ali krupp, kept IN good
Orier and we'll manned, aimed and fired by
weil-taught gunners. The armies OF the
other Provinces are not to be compared with
Pe-ehi-ii's. The horses OF the other Provinces
are but II hands high.
China has no true Engineer Corps and no
proper army train. The commanders OF the
encampments receive rOund sums FOR the
purchase and support of horses and the
maintenance of troops, and here comes iii
the Squeezing that makes Chinese Off
cial life the most corrupt on earth The
proper quota OF troops is not kept up,
though the Government is charged for the
full limit even then the men in the ranks
are not always or often fully paid.
In spite of all this, the German writer
said, NJ the breaking out of the war, that if
the struggle was Il long one The Japanese
would enjoy early successes and be whip
ped in the end And when | left China,
before the news of Port Arthur's fall was
abroad, every European military and naval
man was saying The same thing. All agreed
that if Japan was TO win the final victory
she must forge straight ahead to Picking, or
stand a chance of being beaten Mt the end. !
The reason was and is that cessation OF |
hostilities during whole Winter will give !
China a chance to develop or to obtain |
skilled leaders, and to mass her mighty |
millions (of both men and doIlars) into |
mountain that the japanese would soon ex-
haust themselves in storming.