The Beiyang Fleet Ironclads 北洋铁甲舰队

The shock of the Opium Wars defeats disturbed the slumber of the Qing dynasty. Whereas once the Manchu-led Qing had believed they were supreme in both Asia and also the wider world, the empire was thoroughly shaken by the humiliating defeat it suffered at the hands of only a paltry number of western ships and soldiers. In the following segment, we will examine the road map that led the Qing dynasty to employ some of the most sophisticated iron hulled warships of the 19th century and study 2 of the fleet's leading warships in detail.

Feeding Frenzy: Ein Spuk am hellen, lichten Tage, or "A Haunting in Broad Daylight" German satire published from the German Magazine Der Wahre Jacob (1884–1933) depicting the various western empires' (portrayed as bloodthirsty vampires) ruthless scramble for China and drain it of resources "in broad daylight."

Sea-Borne Threats: "Situation in the Far East" by the Chinese revolutionary Tse Tsan Tai, which depicts the British bulldog, the French frog, the American eagle, the Russian bear and the Japanese sun disk all positioning themselves to take more out of China. The British would first war with the Qing in the Opium Wars, followed by the French in and Russians in the 1880s, then- after the conclusion of our story, followed by the Germans and Japanese in the 1890s and the Americans in the 1900s. With the coming of each new wave of powerful foreigners, the defeated Qing would be forced to give portion of the empire to them.

The Dragon Sleeps: "Empress Dowager Cixi and Four Imperial Physicians" by Huang Zhongyang. During this period, power of the Qing imperial court resides in the hands of Dowager Empress Cixi, an arch- conservative thoroughly ignorant of the west's ways, she presided over a deeply corrupt court over a rebellious realm that was primed to explode into rebellion. Her provinces were governed by wolfish sycophants- each with a private army that backs his local power. Most of all, she repeatedly underestimated the west in the age of high imperialism.

For many within the empire who observed these defeats closely, they realized the dangerous technological gap between the Celestial Empire and these sea-borne westerners. For China to survive in tact, it must urgently modernize to close the gap and achieve parity. Some of the first officials to have seen the full map of the world and saw the world- spanning empires of the west, that was likened to the lion, the bear, the eagle and the bulldog, they knew that it was paramount that their empire reform and transform to strengthen itself- to steel itself against a looming, predatory world. The Qing was dwarfed by these giants that have dominated almost all of the rest of the world and each would wish to rip a part of China for itself. They are out there, and they are already coming.

SELF-STRENGTHENING

Qing Minister Li Hongzhang was a controversial figure in China because much of his career is overshadowed and deeply pegged with that of his patron (matron,) the Dowager Empress Cixi. Li proved his usefulness as a general when he aided in crushing the Taiping Rebellion and supported the rise of the Cixi Empress. However Li was also deeply aware the vulnerability of the Qing when compared to western powers. In his attempt to close the technological gap, Li became one of the chief architect of the "Self Strengthening Movements" where the Qing attempted to reform its military and industry upon western models. 

Ulysses S Grant and General Li: The young Li Hongzhang seated next to the ex- US President

Ulysses S. Grant on his grand tour of the world.

He was the father of both the modernized Beiyang Navy and Beiyang Army, which were originally raised from his regional Huai Army. Time and again Li tried to modernize China based upon the western model but was repeatedly overruled by the Dowager Empress. As such, Li was also saddled with the distinct misfortune of speaking to westerners as China's ambassador after most of Qing's disastrous defeats. Thus, it could be said that it was through Li's fingers that the empire was portioned away to the westerners. 

For his failures to ultimately save China from the western powers, Li Hongzhang was reviled in 20th century China. However, despite all, men like Li were the rare ones to be sober enough to fully see the danger his empire was in during this period of high imperialism. Despite repeated setbacks and defeats, he did not stop preparing the empire for the future (and the very present) they were already lagging behind. 

THE SEA THREAT

One of the key areas Li Hongzhang outlined for reform was the empire's navy. By the 1880s the Qing had not only suffered 2 lopsided defeats at the hand of the British, then the Anglo- French alliance in the 2 Opium Wars but also suffered another major defeat at the French hands in the Sino-French War of  1884- 1885. Although on land, the Qing was able to violently put down many of the massive rebellions within the empire (Taiping, Dungan, Xinjiang etc) on its old terms, whenever wars erupted between the Qing and the western powers, the Qing would loose much of its navy against only a handful of western ships and landed forces. 

Also, in 1874, a Japanese incursion into Taiwan exposed the vulnerability of China at sea. The 1874 invasion of the island ended in humiliation for the Qing and the Qing was forced to pay Japan with indemnities with 18.7 tons of silver. Sir Harry Parkes, the British minister to Japan, characterized this transaction as "China's willingness to pay to be invaded". A proposal was made to establish three modern coastal fleets: the Northern Sea or Beiyang Fleet, to defend the Yellow Sea, the Southern Sea or Nanyang Fleet, to defend the East China Sea, and the Canton Sea or Yueyang Fleet, to defend the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The Beiyang Fleet, with a remit to defend the section of coastline closest to the capital Beijing, was prioritized. 

The technological gap between the Qing and western powers was made especially clear when only a small number of French ships and topedo boats destroyed many of Qing's giant western-styled ships in Fuzhou (Fuchow) in 1884. The battle showed that despite the Qing's attempts to copy western styled technology such as steam boilers and employing western officers for training, they were still not prepared for an innovative enemy who excelled at surprising use of technology and a high initiative to exploit shock and confusion generated by such attacks. 

On the naval front, the late 1880s was a remarkable time for the Qing. After the defeats at the hands of the French in 1884 and 1885, many military leaders and a number of high officials in the imperial court saw a need to greatly coordinate the overall military modernization with the creation of the Navy Board and foster native industrialists to create more nationalized factories to expand the nation's raw productivity. 

Naval productivity reached its peak in the 3 years follwing the French war and the Beiyang Fleet's total ships was raised to 78 ships, with a total tonnage of 83,900 tons. A naval academy was established in Lüshun (modern Dalian, or Port Arthur as it was known in early 20th century.) A naval college was inaugurated in Guangzhou in 1887, and another at Weihai in 1889, and one at Nanjing in 1891. 

Key late Qing naval academies, arsenals, and forts marked in white, the twin military port of Lüshun (modern Dalian, or Port Arthur) and Wei Hai are grouped together in the red circle: in the aftermath of the Sino-French War, the Qing devoted greater resources to modernize its navy. Two of the key military ports in the north were Lüshun- which was situated on the southern most extent of the Liaodong Peninsula and Wei Hai, which was located on the northern side of the extended Shandong Peninsula. The combination of these 2 fortified harbors effectively created a defensive line that acted as a gate to any shipping traffic that would enter into the harbor- shaped Bohai Sea. Further more, they served as a looming defense against a possible Japanese invasion of Taiwan.

THE BEIYANG FLEET EXPANSION 

Most importantly, Li began to devote much of the imperial revenue to purchase some of the most modern ships from across the western empires, including the most modern ironclad battleships from Germany and also the most modern cruisers from the British shipyards. More than anything else, the availability of these ships made a great difference in achieving (at least on paper) a level of parity between the Qing and the rest of the great powers. 

Music: Anthem of the Beiyang Fleet

Ship innovations during this period was nothing less than revolutionary, and it was during these years that navies across the great powers abandoned sails and instead relied entirely on their engine powers, it was also in this decade that standard warships were produced surrounded by iron hulls on all sides. These expensive procurement orders ensured that the Qing could field ships that in terms of displacement, armor and firepower would raise the Beiyang Fleet to an equal status with the fleets of the European powers stationed in the Far East. 

Massive armored turrets on "Ding Yuan," the new flagship of the Beiyang Fleet. Constructed in Stettin, Germany, Ding Yuan boasted some of the most advanced naval firepower in the 1880s. (Ding Yuan Replica museum ship)

Due to Li's influence in the imperial court, the Beiyang Fleet garnered much greater resources than the other Chinese fleets (at this time the Qing military was very decentralized) and soon became the dominant navy in both the empire and East Asia. The raw potential of the Beiyang Navy was immediately noticed by the rest of the world and the western media reported much of the progress made by the Qing. During this rapid phase of modernization, it's ships were staffed with western officers and advisers, and the sailors and gunners were drilled along western lines. The western officers were known as Yang Yuan or foreign officers, who worked for the fleet and aided the shipyards in helping China with its modern navy 

The crew of the cruiser Zhi Yuan, Captain Deng Shichang (Center left) stands with Captain William M. Lang, a British military adviser. Lang was intimately embedded in the ranks of the Beiyang officers and was seen as an uncle of the men.

In a parallel to the contemporary world, mass media in the west during this era portrayed China as a rising military power due to its modernization programs and as a major threat to the western world, invoking fears that China would successfully conquer western colonies like Australia. 

A Disturbing Possiblility In The East - the Painting depicts the "Awakening of China" as a looming Sword of Damocles over the various leaders of the west while they enjoy a mean that was labelled as "Chinese Indemnities" - giving great warning that as the western powers loose themselves in the short termed pursuit of carving up China that a strong reactionary spirit would be provoked from its outraged citizenry.

Simultaneously, western observers also remarked upon this, the Chinese armies, were praised by John Russell Young, US envoy, who commented that "nothing seemed more perfect" in military capabilities, predicting a future confrontation between America and China."

WORLD CLASS SHIPS

定远 "DING YUAN"~ Stabilizer of the Reaches

The massive bows of Ding Yuan's sister ship, Zhen Yuan in at Lüshun Dry Docks.

Sea Fortress: The German made Ding Yuan 定远 (lit. "Stabilizer of the Reaches" - which became the flagship of the Beiyang Fleet was one of the most modern ships of her era. She possessed monstrous firepower. 2 massive armored turrets, each boasted two 305mm Krupp guns was arranged on each side of her sides. However, they were arranged in an asymmetrical en echelon configuration (like the contemporary USS Maine and Italian Caio Duilio) so that when the situation required, both gun turrets could be simultaneously turned toward the same target along the ship's broadside and deliver a full blast with its 4 heavy side guns together. 

This alone already made her a world- class formidable foe, however, on top of these main batteries- which were already what most of the great powers were fielding, the Ding Yuan was further augmented with two additional 150mm Krupps guns encased in a front and aft turret. Each of its 4 heavy turrets would act as a bunker. This made her very dangerous, for if the situation was required, this fortress could fire in all directions with her turrets. Three 356 mm (14.0 in) torpedo tubes rounded out the armament; one was mounted in the stern, and the other two were placed forward of the main battery, all above water.

A man of his times: Admiral Ding Ruchang- like his patron Li Hongzhang was once a military man who earned his stripes by putting down the Taiping rebellion (the very rebellion that he was once a rebel in.) Li appreciated Ding's skills as a cavalry commander and made him a commander of the newly created Beiyang navy. 

During the preparations and assembly of the great fleet, Ding was able to tour many parts of western Europe, including Britain, France, and Germany. Like Li, Ding was also one of the few ardent ones within the Chinese echelons who saw the great state of danger his empire was in. He was one of the chief officers who oversaw the construction and fortifications of the 2 military harbors of Lüshun and Wei Hai. "Ding Yuan" was his flagship.

American Officer: Philo McGiffin was an America naval adviser and 

captain. During the later wars with Japan, McGiffin was in charge of the Ding Yuan's 

sister ship Zhen Yuan as its captain. Both ships would endure some the heaviest volume

of enemy fire in the war to come. 

Art by ld810103: Flagship Ding Yuan, Protected Cruiser Zhi Yuan, Gun Boat Guang Yi, Cruiser Chao Yong, and Torpedo Boat Zuo Yi. (Below): Circled: size of crewmen compared to the great front turret of the 150mm Krupps guns at the bow of the battleship. Unlike most of the already powerful contemporary warships in the world, Ding Yuan and her sister ship, the Zhen Yuan were further armed to be able to fire on all four directions with her great guns.

The Beiyang battleships were the trump card of the the Qing fleet, it was one that they desperately needed. Since the 1870s, Meiji Japan had eyed the Qing island of Taiwan and attempted to annex the island with interventions. The 1874 invasion of the island ended in humiliation for the Qing and the Qing was forced to pay Japan with indemnities with 18.7 tons of silver. Sir Harry Parkes, the British minister to Japan, characterized this transaction as "China's willingness to pay to be invaded". As of the 1880s and even into the 1890s, Japan was not able to procure their own battleships.

With the procurement and fitting of the new navy, the Qing ordered the Beiyang Fleet to tour around East Asia as a show of force.  In 1886, Ding Yuan, the flagship of the Beiyang Fleet participated in a regional show of force, touring Hong Kong, the Japanese port of Nagasaki, Korean ports of Busan and Wonsan, and the Russian naval base of Vladivostok together with her sister ship the Zhen Yuan and four cruisers. And it was during these years that the Beiyang Fleet procured some of the most advanced cruisers in the world as well. 

FIRST TRUE CRUISERS
致远 "ZHI YUAN"~ Pacifier of the Reaches

The protected cruiser Zhi Yuan (also spelled "Chih Yuen") was one of the most advanced cruisers of its day. And it was the Qing's great fortune to be able to capitalize on one of the most pivotal innovations the Royal Navy made during this era. It was during the mid 1880s that one of the major limitations that had long constrained ship designs was resolved. As previously mentioned, during this era, ship builders began to discard the sails in favor of relying on engine power with large stash of coal reserves to propel the iron- hulled warships. The confluence of good engine power and armored hulls converged to form a new breed of warships- the cruisers.  

The availability of well armored ships with high speed, formidable guns and armor, paired with a robust engine that was kitted for long operations across huge distances empowered the contemporary great powers to patrol their global- spanning empires with these new ships. Cruisers soon became the maritime police of the colonial empires and became the protector of each empire's vulnerable shipping lanes. It was right during this time that the British designer Sir William Henry White, one of the greatest minds of ship design created the famous Elswick class cruisers which greatly astounded the 19th century world. Incidentally White was also one of the designers that was responsible for the prototypes which eventually became the Dreadnaughts, thus it could be argued that he was the father of both the true cruisers and battleships. This time, the Qing was on the cutting edge.

Zhi Yuan (spelled "Chih Yuen" in traditional Wade–Giles) was so modern it would not look out of place fighting in the First World War some 20 years later. Built from the Elswick Shipyards, Zhi Yuan belonged to the 1st generation of true cruisers The Elswick class cruisers were arguably the ancestor of all future gun-cruisers.

Fair looking with an aristocratic bearing. The captain of Zhi Yuan, the 44 year old Deng Shichang was an insatiable student and a career officer. 

Deng Shichang was one of the 1st generation of Chinese officers who grew up in the wake of the disastrous Opium Wars and devoted his life in learning and adopting western forms of warfare. His service saw him serving with both native Chinese and many western officers on his ship. He would be the sole captain of the Zhi Yuan for its entire naval career.

THE ELSWICK CRUISERS

The Elswick Cruisers- known for being produced from the Elswick Shipyards soon became a global standard and was sought after by virtually all of the major and minor powers of the world, from the Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the United States, the Ottoman Empire, to Spain, Italy, Japan and China. The demand was such that the shipyard was flooded with orders from nations all across the world. Eventually the Armstrong Company (the builders of the Elswicks) licensed out design patents for these ships whenever the shipyard were at full capacity because they figured that if they do not lease out these designs, soon other nations will inevitably either reverse engineer the said designs or develop their own competing indigenous designs.

The Zhi Yuan: armed with 2 fierce main guns and 2 side cannons- while its sides were kitted with machine guns and anti- personel weapons. Like many such Elswicks, Zhi Yuan was an Armstrong made ship completed in Elswick, England, she was one of two Zhi Yuan-class protected cruisers built, alongside her sister ship Jing Yuan. Both ships were assigned to the Beiyang Fleet, and she was captained by Deng Shichang throughout her life.

Almost all derivative types of cruisers were stemmed from the designs perfected by the Elswick. It was one of the first ships to adopt a powerful full turtleback configuration in its armor layout. The turtlebacks featured sloped armor deck behind the outer belt, sitting low in the ship so the slopes protect the citadel from incoming fire. Even should an enemy shell penetrate the outer armor of the ship, the curved nature of the sloped inner armor of the citadel would likely dissipate the power of the shell, and prevent the large stash of flammable coal engines and coal reserves from exploding. Thus the the Elswick Protected Cruisers combined a powerful hull and a high speed of 18 knots, faster than almost all contemporary ships and a powerful set of main guns and secondary guns on its sides.

In short, almost no ships could challenger these long stalking patrol ships except another cruiser or a battleship. What's more, the ship featured a low profile with very little superstructure above its hull- making it a relatively small target for enemies firing from afar, and if the ship turned bow on (with its narrow front pointed foward) it could still fire 1 of its powerful heavy turrets while presenting only a very thin target for the incoming shells.

Unlike the other ships of its class (which were made according to the individual specifications of the nations that procured them), Zhi Yuan was armed with a smaller number of large sized naval guns, as opposed to later Elswick ships which instead carried a larger number of smaller guns. Note this factor, as although the larger number of distant- firing large guns would make Zhi Yuan remarkably ahead of it's age, it would also be a key factor in being disadvantageous IN its own age. 

THE TROUBLE BENEATH THE SURFACE

However, beneath the surface, trouble lurked for the great modernized Beiyang fleet. For one thing, despite the great investments the Qing dynasty put into the procurement of the fleet, by the 1880s, the Beiyang Fleet was neglected by the imperial court. Funds to the fleet were slashed by the new Guangxu Emperor and due to the general ignorance of many of its officials who were unfamiliar with the crippling amount of military spending and military innovation among western empires, many of the powerful figures in court simply thought that the newly purchased fleet would remain powerful and relevant for many decades to come without much updates. Thus throughout the years, the fleet languished and many essential components such as gun shells and engine parts were expended and were only re-equipped with cheap replacements. A large amount of the explosive shells were instead made with solid cast or so poorly made they cannot even explode upon impact.

For the century after the disastrous Century of Humiliation. There is a prevailing narrative that out of touch and corrupt Empress Cixi during this period purposely shifted funds away from the Beiyang Navy in order to only satisfy her leisures in the construction of the new Summer Palace of Beijing. However in recent years- this caricature has largely been debunked among modern Chinese historians who studied the Qing documents from this era. As a power monger and a conservative hardliner, it's extremely unlikely that she would so callously disregard the foundations of her power. Instead, it was the newly ascended Guangxu Emperor who slashed much of the funds from the navy. Still- Cixi was largely ignorant of the west. And for the Beiyang commanders, it was clear that the fleet was in a precarious position.

THE COBBLED FLEET 

Another factor that greatly hampered the Fleet was that it was a messy hodge podge of foreign designs mixed together. Because these mastless ships were the cutting edge technology of their day (even to the western powers) the Qing did not have a full understanding of which type from the western empires was truly the ultimate effective design for the new age of upcoming warfare. So they opted to be very experimental. Thus they relied on cobbling from many foreign makers and bought ships with vastly different layouts from the British and the Germans. 

The problem with this over-reliance on foreign and often time clashing incompatible designs made operations and coordination difficult. However- in general, the Qing preferred ships with powerful long distance, but slow firing guns. A warship's firepower at the time was largely a function of individual shell weight rather than volume of fire. In the 1880s it was certainly the prevailing preference among many nations. However- by the 1890s, armored cruisers and light cruisers produced by the Americans, the French, and the Germans began to rely on many medium-calibre quick-firing guns. The introduction of these ships were a game changer, and unlike the underfunded Qing, the neighbor of the empire- Japan, took full advantage of these developments on their new ships.

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Music: Yuki no Shingun

THE DUEL OF EAST ASIA 

It is here we should briefly cover the strides Meiji Japan has made since their contact with western powers. Since the 1600s, the Japanese under the Tokugawa Shogunate had pursued over 260 years of isolation with the rest of the world and peace with its Asian neighbors. However the catastrophic defeats Qing China suffered at the hands of the western empires greatly alarmed the leaders in Japan- and thus also shaped their political outlook for the next century. Unlike the stubbornly defiant Qing- who tried repeatedly (and failed) to resist the incoming foreigners, Japan tactically submitted to the westerners and rapidly transformed themselves to become more like the western powers.

Black Iron Behemoth: In this mid 19th century painting, the Japanese artist depicted the iron hulled and steam-powered paddle ships as if it's a floating monster. It is through the native's eyes that we understand how they regarded the coming foreigners as monsters astride on top of monstrous ships. 

Despite having only arrived with a relatively small fleet, Commodore Matthew Perry made such an impression upon the Japanese with his iron-hulled steam ships: the "Kurofune" (lit. "Black Ships") made the Japanese believe that he was a powerful God- like conqueror. The acquiescence of the Shogunate to the Americans and other western powers in a series of unequal treaties would greatly humiliate and de-legitimize the Shogunate and usher in its destruction at the hands of the imperial Meiji faction. The the rhetoric of 尊皇攘夷 "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" (itself an allusion based on a Zhou dynasty chant) was used to stoke nationalist fervor. However, the architects of the Meiji Restoration would cleverly use this fervor to modernize Japan.

This pivotal choice of avoiding confrontation despite short term humiliation- while internally transforming themselves at a break neck speed would have profound effects on Japan's fortunes in the late 19th century and the 20th century. Within only decades, Japan would have a European styled government run by a Cabinet of powerful oligarchs. A constitution was introduced in 1889 and a Diet was also created. A mandatory western education system was introduced. Western styled businesses and heavy industry was expanded and relied on for national projects. Japan's countryside was connected and crisscrossed by western railroads and telegraphs, and even western styled fashion was worn from the Emperor and his imperial family to the common subjects. In short, western customs had became the national standard.

Emperor Meiji, his-wife and Prince-Haru in western clothing, such artworks not only have distinct commercial values for collection but also served as encouragements for the commoners to embrace western clothing- after all, if the revered Emperor and the imperial family have assimilated to the new norm, why not his loyal subjects? 

View of Takanawa Ushimachi under the Shrouded Moon, 1879

Perhaps more so than any other Japanese branches that modernized, was the Japanese army: In 1873, compulsory military education was implemented throughout the country where all young adult males were forced to be educated in the military for 3 years. The newly conscripted Japanese infantry were trained along German lines by German officers. Comparatively, the Imperial Japanese Navy was modeled after the British Royal Navy, at the time the foremost naval power. British advisers were sent to Japan to train the naval establishment, while Japanese students were in turn sent to Britain to study and observe the Royal Navy. Through drilling and tuition by Royal Navy instructors, Japan developed naval officers expert in the arts of gunnery and seamanship. At the start of the 1st Sino- Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Navy comprised a fleet of 12 modern warships.

However it should also be mentioned that all of the internal reforms in imitation of the completely foreign aggressors were deeply unpopular with the citizenry- especially the forced introduction of compulsory western education for both boys and girls. This policy was so unpopular that in one year alone over 2000 of such local schools were torched to the ground by the angry mobs. And the previously stated compulsory military education for all conscripted Japanese males saw more a dozen riots in the 1870s that attacked registration centers.

Shinbashi Railway Station, Kobayashi Kiyochika 1881

But despite these protestations, the government moved on with their reforms- through a keen understanding of achieving parity with western powers and simultaneous internal repression to achieve said aims. In such a way, Japan paved forward with its modernization with the ultimate intention of making Japan an equal to the Western powers. However, this zeal to achieve parity to the western empires would have its own local consequences. Namely, when the Japanese industrialists and government needed to secure new resources to power up the rising state, they began to look else where to their neighbors.

After having observed the sheer global- spanning size of many of the European powers and in an attempt to emulate them, Japan soon began to look out beyond its own periphery, in 1869, Japan annexed Hokkaido in northern Japan and incorporated it as part of the nation, in 1874, Japan attacked Qing held Taiwan and forced the Qing to apologize and pay them for the invasion of the island, and in 1879 Japan forcibly annexed Okinawa by deposing its Ryukyuan King and subjugated its native population. By the 1890s, the Japanese set their sight on Taiwan and Korea, and sought to dislodge both from Qing dynasty's control. And it was here- in respect to the internal politics of the Korea that war broke out between the Qing dynasty and Japan.

THE 1ST SINO-JAPANESE WAR

Map of Korea in 1822: The 1st Sino- Japanese War erupted over the control of Korea. Korea had been a historical tributary state of various Chinese dynasties, but Japan- at the behest of its merchants and its nationalists attempted to influence Korean politics through rival political factions within the Korean court for better deals, concessions, and direct political influence. Initially both the Qing and the Japanese conflicted through the struggles of the factions in the Korean court, then- then supported various rebel groups in order to influence the country through proxy wars. Until finally, open hostility erupted between the 2 empires. 

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This concludes the section about the creation and the listing of the Beiyang armored fleet, 

In the upcoming chapters, we will examine 2 of the largest 19th century naval battles in

East Asia, and see the might of the Beiyang Fleet dashed against the cunning of the Imperial 

Japanese Navy. Stay around for the battles of both the Yalu River and the Battle of Wei Haiwei

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