A Naval Battle In The Yellow Sea From The Perspective Of The Officers And Soldiers Of The Beiyang Fleet

Before the Yellow Sea War,the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet had different perceptions of the real strength of the China and Japanese navies,as well as the battlefield performance in the Yellow Sea War and the reflection after the Yellow Sea War,which reproduced from another perspective different from the traditional narrative of the Yellow Sea War.After the intensification of the contradiction between China and Japan,the grass-roots officers and soldiers of Beiyang Fleet had a strong desire to fight.Out of their pursuit of meritorious service and high remuneration,and confident in their knowledge and service for many years,they are optimistic about the prospects of the naval war.Fang Boqian’s modest report on the results of the war convinced them that the Japanese navy was vulnerable;the high-ranking and middle-ranking naval generals were under pressure from the rulers,criticism from the China faction and criticism from the public.More importantly,they had a certain understanding of the gap between the China and Japanese navies,and had a pessimistic attitude towards the prospect of the China and Japanese naval battles.The escort Yashan met the main force of the Japanese Navy unexpectedly.Before the war,the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet remained high-spirited.Many of the officers and soldiers serving on the ship recorded their high-spirited desire to fight with Japan in order to avenge the battle of Toyoshima.The middle and high ranking officers are worried about the performance of their warships,the poor quality of coal burning and the slow firing speed of artillery.After the war,Beiyang fleet once gained local advantage by using the range advantage of naval guns,but the disparity of warship performance between the two countries in China and Japan made Beiyang fleet get into trouble quickly.Although Ding Ruchang and his commanders fought in bloody battles,the Beiyang Fleet was still in the downturn,and the officers and soldiers were in high morale and stayed in combat positions despite bullets and rains.After the sinking of Zhiyuan,the escape of Jiyuan and Guangjia depressed the morale of the Beiyang fleet.After more than five hours of fighting,Japanese warships first withdrew from the battlefield.Four warships of the Beiyang Fleet were sunk and one stranded,resulting in many casualties among officers and soldiers.The psychological changes of the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet before and after the naval battle reflected their gradual recognition of the China-Japanese War and their opponents as the Yellow Sea War went on.The controversy over Fang Boqian’s case also reflectsthe true views of the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet.For a long time,the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet believed that the Yellow Sea War was a short cut.They believed that the Japanese navy was as badly damaged as them and could not fight in the ocean again in a short time.But the fact broke their assumption that the Japanese warships that were constantly cruising along the coast of China,and the successive alarms made the high-ranking officials of the China frightened and sent them out to sea.Operational instructions.At this time,the joy of victory brought about by the sea battle was replaced by anxiety and fear.