Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-17
THE CHINESE ARMY.
Since Reorganization II Has Become
Very FormidabIe-Influence of Two
Of tho Foremost Military vieeroys.


Of the Foremost Military vieeroys.
Chinese neutrality Is something that
lies beyond the dictum Of the Emperor
of China, and the recent attack upon
the Russian administrative force near
Port Adams-the Chinese being led by
no lesser authority than the governor
of Foo Chow-is ample proof Of the
temper of the Celestials near the bor-
derland Of the present struggle. Just
how long imperial influences may be
able to hold the Chinese authorities and
their retinues in check is a matter Of
grave speculation. Once the Chinese
are carried off their feet by joy over
Japanese victories Russia's problem
will be sorely vexing one, indeed.
The Chinese army. per Sc. Is properly
that force, nominally Of 100000 men,
descendants Of the Manchu conquerors
and their allies, officially termed the
Eight Banners. The force Is commonly
maintained on footing Of about 100,-
900 and 40 per cent Of these are kept in
Northern China and near the court of
Peking. The National army, called
also the Green Flags or the Five Camps
Is an independent organization or Sc
ries of organizations. It is divided in
to eighteen corps, one for each prov
ince, under the governor or governor
general. The nominal strength Of this
force is nearly 100000, and Of these the
most important contingent Is the Tien-
tsin army corps, which, under General
Ma, has been made thoroughly eff
cient fighting force.
It Is not worth while considering the
Chinese army from the viewpoint Of a
national organizations; but, measured
by the work accomplished in some OF
the provinces, notably under the vice
roys, -Shi-Khai and Tcheng-
Tchi-Tong, not to mention the Euro
pean-drilled forces at Pekin, Tientsin
Nankin, Foo Chow. Shantung and the
two Kiangs, the viceroys and governors
Of these districts possess the nucleus
Of a very promising military organi-
zation, and since 1900 a great deal OF
work has been done in the direction OF
equipping and training these troops.
The emperor has taken very en-
lightened interest in this question and
by royal proclamation has said:
Many Of US have an absolute conf
dence in international laws, but they
are as stupid as those who trust in dis
armament and universal peace. Be-
tween countries equally we'll armed, in
ternational laws may serve purpose;
but what can these laws do to settle
serious disputes between strong and
. weak nation? 1.-THE troops" he fur
ther proclaimed, "are to country
what breathing is to the body. No
man can live without breathing; no
country can exist without an army"
Viceroy Tcheng- -Tchi-Tong has said:
when We have acquired the treasures
Of European science we shall have to
guard them, and to guard them we
must have an army. 1t Is proposed to-
day, by some writer's, who see the state
Of China becoming more and more crit
ical, that we should join the European
Disarmament society. This project is
Of nature to bring upon us yet more
terrible humiliation. All the world
speaks of peace, but nobody cares to
keep it. OF truth, these projects OF
disarmament would have no other re-
suits than to precipitate our ruin. The
other Powers, seeing us reduced to
such a point of feebleness and irresolu-
ton, would without doubt proceed to
divide the empire"
With these beliefs in mind, Tcheng-
Tchi-Tong, In Ou-Tchang, gave to
them practical application, by making
the mandarins place one Of their sons
in the new military schools, which he
organized, to enhance the prestige OF
the military calling; and, in addition
to this, he required that every volun-
teer should know how to read and to
write, and insisted that each recruit
should come Of an honorable family
By these steps this wise viceroy at
one stroke placed the soldier upon a
social plane hitherto denied him and
put the mandarin at the same time In
personal touch with men, their direc-
tion, and that attention to details here
tofore considered beneath the dignity OF
the ruling class Of China Measures
have also been taken to exclude or ex-
pei from the military forces Of the two
leading military provinces all gamblers
and opium smokers and everything is
being done to strengthen the moral
fibre Of the soldier personnel. In the
province Of Pechili, Viceroy Yuan-Shi-
Khai, with the assistance Of that ad-
mirable soldier, General Ma, has en-
barked upon a revolutionary movement
for the betterment Of the fighting force
Of his district. He has enlisted able
bodied men of fine stature, between the
ages only Of twenty to twenty-five. He
requires that they shall be able to read
and write, and their moral conduct
must be vouched for by the village
from which they are drawn. Great
pains and no modest expense have been
taken to make these men excellent
marksmen, and to their military apti-
tude must be added docility, sobriety,
endurance and contempt for death
qualities that are the making Of the
finest of disciplined fighting material.
Just how many men have been train
ed by these two foremost military vice.
roys it would be hard to say; but the
influence has gone even deeper than
the training Of those directly brought