Qing Dynasty The Yangtze Naval Development Lag Study

After suppressing the Taiping rebellion, Zeng Guofan who took commamd of the Xiang Army summed up the experience of the fighting on the Changjiang River and entreated the Qing Government to redesignate the naval forces of the Xiang Army as the regular Changjiang River naval forces in the form of the Green Standards to maintain the stability of the southeastern areas. Considering the fact that the stability of the areas along the Changjiang River needed maintaining and the sailors who made great contributions to the extermination of the Taiping rebellion needed arranging, the Qing Government approved Zeng's suggestion. But later, the modern military reformation in the Changjiang River naval forces was always stagnant when the coastal defense in the Nangyang and Beiyang areas was strengthened. In order to investigate the concrete conditions of the Changjing River naval forces' backwardness and look into the reasons, this thesis will make a study of the concrete conditions of the weaponry and servicemen that were the two primary material factors affecting its combat effectiveness, its income and expenditure and the process of the Qing Government managing it.After the Changjiang River naval forces was founded, there was not much change in the number of officers and men and the weaponry wasn't also renewed for years. Wooden warships was always, used and the pace of the renewal of imported muzzle loaders, outdated shotguns and cold steel such as swards and spears was very slow. It almost never equipped itself with modern vessels. Though its commander in chief once commanded the modern vessels of the Nangyang Navy, those vessels didn't belong to it.The Changjiang River naval forces chose officers mainly from its own sailors who once made great contributions in the Xiang Army by the standard of seniority and relation and at the same time recruited the fishermen along the Changjiang River. This made it very difficult for modern military talents to join it. It always clung to the training ways and regulations of the naval forces of the Xiang Army and retained some rules of the Green Standards. In fact, it became a place where the past glory of the Xiang Army was commemorated and the sailors who made great contributions lived through their remaining years in peace, therefore it merely kept the combat effectiveness of the naval forces of the Xiang Army. The Changjiang River naval forces always shouldered many important duties, such as arresting bandits, seizing smugglers, protecting toll-gates where Likin was imposed on the goods being transported and resisting foreign aggression. It made contributions to maintaining the stability of the areas along the Changjiang River. However, it was not competent for all of the duties because of its backwardness.The funds earmarked for the Changjiang River naval forces were supplied mainly by five toll-gates along the Changjiang-River and 700 thousand taels of silver were spent every year. But they were occupied by a large amount of personnel cost. Though the funds were cut down because they were embezzled and this affected the Changjiang River naval forces' development to a certain degree, it was still possible...