The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-06
Nominally 300.00a Men Enrolled,
but Only One-Third on
a War Footing.
THREE RACES REPRESENTED.
Armed With Bows and Arrows,
Ancient Guns and Modern
Weapons-Report TO the
War Department.
pE.pTpTy,~ SpE,TAT.

REPURIIC SPECIAL.
Washington. July 5.-InterestinG infornia-
ton relative to the Chinese army is given
In a report lust completed by the office CT
Military Information OF the War Depart
nent
The total strength Of the standing army
Of China cannot be exactly ascertaiHed, the
report SAYS. and # a statement Of the num-
Der of m@n belonging to it could he given it
would he of little value. many OF the
men who are carried on the rolls are neither
armed nor equipped. and a great number o'
them are not even performing military SER
vice, but are following their usual civil aVo-
cations.
In the present plan OF Organization each
province Furnishes. and to some extent
maintains. an Ind pendent army CORPS
These troops are divided into eight ban
ncrs Of from ten TO twelve army corps eacn.
three of which are superior banners ana
five Inferior banners. These eight banners
rominai!y contain about S(a.0o men, but the
number maintained on war footing -
sayDo to IO0.Ga only. The imperial Guard 1t
Pekin contains about 1o.oH men.
The nationalities comprising the banner
force are three In number. viz; Manchu.
Mongolian and Chinese, the latter being tie
descendants Of those natives OF North
China who Joined the Manchu invaders dur
ing the period of their contest with the
Ming dynasty In the early part Of the
Seventeenth Century. The soldiers are dis
tributed under each color according TO their
nationality. Thus there being three nation
alities each banner is subdivided into three
parts ,Ku Sab. There are therefore, TWEEN
ty-four Ku Sai-tnree in each M. 1hs
HI Sal are more administrative than tacu-
cal units.
Descends pts of Soldiers Enroited.
Under one or other of these diVisioAs
all living Manchus and all descendants Oh
the Monaghan and Chinese soiGiery OF the
CONQUEST are enrolled These banners con-
etitute. in fact, the population OF Pekin.
with offshoots in various provincial gatri-
sons and certain number of the auuit
males of The force receive pay as mefir"' >
OF one of the military corps into Which
they have, from time to time. been or
sanized, in addition to the piitahce they Ie-
ceiye as soldiers of the banner.
The various corps are divided into COM
ranies Q.yanzat numbering 30 men each IN
the infantry and l59 in the cavalry.
The greater part 81 the banner forces have
not received any modern driil adhering TO
their old custom OF pracJicing with the DOW
and performing various athletic ana eHeii
acrobstic feajs. This is not remarkable.
considering that success In these exercises
is the qualification for the pension PAID by
the Government 10 every male Aanchu-
Up 10 a comparatively recent period moth
ing has been done to make these troops ef-
ficlent Many of them were armed with
only bows and arrows ana a KIND OF iroa
fall and such as carried rr-afmS POSSESSED
only the old national Matchbox A portion
or these forces has been armed ana trained
after European methods. There may be in
all JaOOo or Due of the banner forces that
have Received modern arms and more or
less military traini,ls.
The remainder of the banner forces are
Of course OF no value whatever as against
troops trained according to European
The Wing Ping, or national army, called
also the Green Flags, consists or eighteen
corps one for each province, under the
guide or Governor General. Its nominal
strength IS from $4,000 To 66r. 1CS men. of
whom about 3o.C0o are available for war
The mos; important contingent IL the Tien-
Tsin array CORPS nomina!ly l0t0D strong
ton. drill and arms, employed in garrison
duty at Tien-Tsin and al Taku ana other
forts
The Militia.
The militia is divided as follows: The
Brave. organized about the middle Of tho
Nineteenth Century. The men are enlisted
i The re Liam Dishiyum- Troops of later Or
gauizaticE. They do not constitute sep
arate unit. but are attached to the twenty
four divisions of the eight banners which
they are supposed to he trained for a Ger
tain period each year
The Luin-Territoriai militia, which is
called upon for local service. The men are
all Chinese and are enlisted for life.
The 1!ng-PlnS is recruited by voluntary
enlistments. with the exception OF the
trained contingent referred TO above, this
national army is not likely to be Of much
use. Ii seems, moreover. that in the past
the Chinese Government has discouraged
giving this part Of the forces any modern
efficiency. for. being under the control of
the yiceroys OF the provinces, they might
be- in tn. hands Of these powerful yassais
a source of danger instead of security to
the imperial government.
.'The irregular forces are troops raised
| in emergencies and Monaghan and other ir-
regular cavalry. nominaily 2a.19 strong
really about 2O.V10.
There is 10 medical service nor ORGANIZED,
| transport or commissary As rule reuui-
! sitions for supplies are made by comma nd
| ing officers upon their own provincial treas
| rries. subject TO approval of the Governor
But sometimes a province is unable to pay
and then application Is made to the Boa I'd Of
! Revenue at Pekin for relief
| In Northern China the wo-humpe,i camel
! is the principal means of transport But
they are not very satisfactory. for though
good beasts Of burden when carcfullv
nursed and driven, they cannot Withstand
cold and wind or extreme heat In the
| thickiy populated parts Of the Empir.
| mules and bullocks are used for transp5rta-
| ton while along the many canals the great
| rivers and seacoasis. hunks and small boats
| serve the same purpose.