Battle of Jiuliancheng The Battle of Jiuliancheng ( 九連城之戰 ) was a land battle of the First Sino - Japanese War between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China . It is sometimes referred to as the Battle of the Yalu River ( ) , thus creating confusion with the previous naval conflict of the same name of 17 September , and the subsequent naval and ground battles of the Russo - Japanese War , with the same name and occurring at much the same location . Background . After their defeat at the Battle of Pyongyang , the Beiyang Army made its next stand at the crossing of the Yalu River , the border between Korea and Manchuria . On the Manchurian side , Qing general Song Qing established his headquarters at the walled town of Jiuliancheng ( 九連城 ) , and fortified the banks of the Yalu River south to the local district capital of Dandong and north to the village of Hushanqian ( 虎山 ) for about 16 kilometers in either direction with over a hundred redoubts and trenches manned by around 23 , 000 troops . On the Korean side of the Yalu River , Japanese general Yamagata Aritomo occupied the walled town of Uiju on 23 October 1894 with approximately 10 , 000 troops of the Japanese First Army , consisting of the IJA 3rd Division and IJA 5th Division s . Although Yamagata and the main Japanese force did not arrive until 23 October , Japanese scouts and engineers had been present since early that month , surveying the river and laying a telegraph line to Pyongyang . The battle . Yamagata ’ s strategy was to feint a frontal assault on the main Beiyang Army positions at Jiuliancheng , while his main forces turned the Chinese flank at Hushan . During the night of 24 October the Japanese succeeded in placing a pontoon bridge over the Yalu River undetected , immediately in front of the Chinese fortifications . The IJA 3rd Division under General Katsura Tarō staged a night attack on Hushan on 25 October 1894 only to discover that the bulk of the Chinese garrison had deserted their fortifications the night before . Likewise , the IJA 5th Division under General Nozu Michitsura upon crossing to Jiuliancheng found positions deserted , with only a rear guard making a token resistance , and after less than three hours the fortifications of both Jiuliancheng and Hushan were in Japanese hands . Dadong was likewise occupied on the following day without resistance , with the Beiyang Army leaving behind large quantities of weapons and supplies . Aftermath . A provisional Japanese civilian administration led by Baron Komura Jutarō ( and later succeeded by Lieutenant General Yasumasa Fukushima ) was established in the areas of Manchuria which came under Japanese control . The Japanese First Army was divided into two groups . One group , commanded by Lieutenant General Katsura Tarō pursued the fleeing Antung garrison ( which included General Nie Shicheng ) north to Fenghaungcheng , which fell to the Japanese on 30 October , and to Xiuyan to the west of Fenghaungcheng , which was captured on 15 November . This served to isolate the land approaches to the strategic port of Lüshunkou ( Port Arthur ) . The second group under Lieutenant General Oku Yasukata marched north under severe winter conditions to threaten the Manchurian capital of Mukden . General Song and the garrison of Jiuliancheng occupied Liaoyang on the road to Mukden to block the Japanese advance , and both armies went into winter quarters .