Age of Conquest: A Kings and Generals Podcast
241 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 198 ratingsKings and Generals Podcast
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Episodes
3.95 Fall and Rise of China: Feng Yuxiang, Zhang Zongchang: the Angel and Devil
April 15, 2024 10:00 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBLast time we spoke about the Northern Warlords and their respective factions. We covered the three big names, Duan Qirui and his Anhui clique; Wu Peifu and his Zhili cliques and Zhang Zuolin and his Fengtian clique. We also went into the smaller ones like Yan Xishan’s Shanxi clique, Feng Yuxiang’s Guominjun clique, the Ma clique of the three Ma’s, Ma Bufang, Ma Hongkui and Ma Hongbin known as the Xibei San Ma “thee Ma of the northwest”; the Xinjiang clique of Yang Zengxin and we barely scr...
3.94 Fall and Rise of China: Meet the Northern Warlords
April 08, 2024 17:11 - 38 minutes - 53.4 MBLast time we spoke about the May fourth movement of 1919 . The Xinhai Revolution of 1911 sparked the May Fourth Movement marked by nationalism, anti-imperialism, and a quest for modernization. Disillusioned with traditional values and foreign encroachments, Chinese intellectuals, students, and workers embraced Western ideals, particularly Marxism, to reform Chinese society. The movement led to the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party and a broader alliance against warlordism and Japane...
3.93 Fall and Rise of China: May Fourth Movement of 1919
April 01, 2024 22:28 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MBLast time we spoke about the New Culture Movement. China had seen humiliation after humiliation and her population was fed up. The leaking of secret dealings by foreign powers, Japan and members of the Chinese government alongside a weak stance at the Paris Peace Conference broke the camels back. The New Culture Movement that was brewing under these circumstances saw the Chinese public begin to question their traditions, confucianism and this feeling of always looking into the past, rather...
3.92 Fall and Rise of China: New Culture Movement
March 26, 2024 04:44 - 34 minutes - 47 MBLast time we spoke about the end of WW1 and China’s bitter experience at the Paris Peace conference. Yes it WW1 brought a lot of drama to China. Yuan Shikai and later prominent figures like Duan Qirui took the poor habit of making secret deals with the Japanese that would very much bite them in the ass later in Paris. The Chinese delegation came to Paris hoping to secure major demands, most notably to solve the ongoing Shandong Problem. Instead they quite literally found out there were sec...
3.91 Fall and Rise of China: China & the Treaty of Versailles
March 18, 2024 23:37 - 32 minutes - 44.4 MBLast time we spoke about the Twenty-One Demands and the rise of the Walrus Emperor, Yuan Shikai. Japan certainly had their work cut out for them during WW1. Seizing upon every possible opportunity Japan occupied Shandong province after the siege of Tsingtao and forced China to accept the unbelievable twenty-one demands. Yuan Shikai tried to stall and negotiate, eventually reaching thirteen demands, but yet again China was served a terrible humiliation that even became a national day hencef...
3.90 Fall and Rise of China: Twenty-Demands & the Walrus emperor
March 12, 2024 00:27 - 37 minutes - 51.1 MBLast time we spoke about Chinese laborers during the Great War. Although China took upa stance of neutrality at the offset of WW1, there was still this enormous desire to join the Entente side. The new Republic of China wanted to get a seat at the peace table to hopefully undue some of the terrible unequal treaties. To procure that seat, China approached France, Britain, Russia and by the end of the war America to send their workers to help the war effort. On the western and eastern fronts...
3.89 Fall and Rise of China: China’s forgotten role during the Great War
March 04, 2024 22:35 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBLast time we spoke about the rise of Yuan Shikai, the outbreak of WW1 and the siege of Tsingtao. Yuan Shikai used every dirty little trick to seize and maintain his authority in the new republic. He forced the KMT’s hand, prompting Dr. Sun Yat-sen to usher in a second revolution, but it ultimately failed as Yuan Shikai controlled the best army in China. Simultaneously world war one broke out and this placed China in an awkward position. Multiple nations held special territorial concessions...
3.88 Fall and Rise of China: Great War and the Siege of Tsingtao
February 27, 2024 02:24 - 45 minutes - 63.2 MBLast time we spoke about the Wuchang Uprising and the Xinhai revolution. The revolutionary armies formed a massive assault, managing to seize Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankou. However, the Qing Dynasty had a card up their sleeve in the form of Yuan Shikai and his Beiyang Army. Yuan Shikai defeated the rebel armies with ease, but when the time came to eradicate them for good, he held back. Instead he plotted with the revolutionaries, to coerce the emperor to abdicate in order for himself to be m...
3.87 Fall and Rise of China: Xinhai Revolution of 1911
February 19, 2024 21:39 - 34 minutes - 48.1 MBLast time we spoke about the Railway Protection Movement and the Wuchang Uprising. Emperor Guangxi and Empress Dowager Cixi were dead leaving regent Zaifeng in charge of the ailing dynasty. Alongside their deaths, the Guangzhou-Hankou and Sichuan-Hankow railway lines would become the trigger to end the Qing dynasty. The people were already angry, but would become furious when news came that the railway lines were going to be nationalized using foreign loans. Some in Sichuan attempted finan...
3.86 Fall and Rise of China: Wuchang Uprising
February 12, 2024 11:00 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBLast time we spoke about the New Policies of the ailing Qing Dynasty and the rise of revolutionaries, such as Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Empress Dowager Cixi begrudgingly had to endorse major reforms to try and keep her ailing dynasty alive. It was a step in the right direction, however it came far too late. The Qing dynasty was simultaneously trying to please the foreign powers and her populace. Yet her populace were being strangled with taxes, their faith in their government had never sunk so low ...
3.85 Fall and Rise of China: Old Ways Meet New Policies
February 05, 2024 11:00 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MBLast time we spoke about the invasion of Sakhalin and the Portsmouth Treaty. The Japanese had defeated their enemy upon the land and sea, yet the reality was, both empires were ailing. They were both verging bankruptcy, but Russia held the edge in more troops and deeper allied pockets for loans. The Japanese sought the aid of President Theodore Roosevelt to usher a peace, but more importantly one that favored Japan’s war aims. With his advice, Japan seized Sakhalin to improve their poker h...
3.84 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #11: Portsmouth
January 29, 2024 20:49 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBLast time we spoke about the legendary battle of Tsushima. Admiral Rozhdestvenski traveled across the globe to bring the Baltic fleet to the Pacific to give a climactic fight to Admiral Togo’s combined fleet. Yet during the journey, Port Arthur fell leaving the only destination to be Vladivostok and they would have to take a perilous journey through the Tsushima strait to get to her. Rozhdestvenski’s grand journey meant his ships were ill maintained and the crews had no time for training. ...
3.83 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #10: Tsushima
January 22, 2024 22:46 - 46 minutes - 64.3 MBLast time we spoke about the end of the land campaign for the Russo-Japanese War, the battle of Mukden. Kuropatkin had been served defeat after defeat after defeat and found himself against the wall at Mukden. Meanwhile Oyama received reinforcements in the form of General Nogi’s 3rd IJA and created a 5th IJA under Kawamura. Pretending the 5th IJA was a full strength army, Oyama unleashed a devilish deception against Kuropatkin’s eastern flank. Kuropatkin took a defensive stance, handing th...
3.82 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #9: Fall of Mukden
January 16, 2024 03:14 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MBLast time we spoke about the bitter stalemate the emerged during the battles of Shaho and Sandepu. General Kuropatkin had finally rid himself of the nuisance that was Admiral Alexeiev. However his quasi replacement would turn out to perhaps be much worse. The battle of Shaho resulted in nothing, but disaster for the Russians. The battle of Sandepu would go even worse. The megalomaniac General Grippenberg was overly zealous in the offensive maneuvers and made numerous mistakes while ref...
3.81 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #8: Stalemate at Shaho and Sandepu
January 08, 2024 20:40 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBLast time we spoke about the bloody siege of Port Arthur. General Maresuke Nogi lost a lot during the Russo-Japanese War, at Port Arthur it would cost him thousands of young men, his last son and in many ways his soul. The 3rd IJA fought tooth and nail to take each feature one by one, inching closer to the port city. Nogi’s initial strategy to target the east was a terrible failure, costing countless men and nearly his command. When prodded by Baron Kodama to target 203 meter Hill, Nogi’s ...
3.80 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #7: Siege of Port Arthur
January 01, 2024 22:18 - 55 minutes - 76.8 MBLast time we spoke about the battle of Liaoyang. Kuropatkin yet again was forced to fight a battle he did not want to fight. The Russians had just suffered a string of defeats, gradually being pushed further and further north in Manchuria. While Kuropatkin would have liked to pull back and await more reinforcements, Alexeiev sought action. Despite the circumstances, the 3 layered defenses of Liaoyang were formidable, and better yet, the Russians outnumbered the Japanese. Yet Kuropatkin’s i...
3.79 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #6: Liaoyang
December 26, 2023 00:09 - 51 minutes - 71.1 MBLast time we spoke about theJapanese advance to Liaoyang. After the loss at Telissu, the Russians began to scramble to defend multiple locations in Manchuria. With multiple Japanese armies advancing simultaneously, Kuropatkin could not be sure where they would hit next and found himself making matters worse when he ordered troops to hold too many places. The Russian losses at Tashihciao, the passes a Fenshuiling and Motien, Chiaotou, Hsimucheng, Tawan, and Yangtzuling. The Russians were in...
3.78 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #5: Road to Liaoyang
December 18, 2023 22:47 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MBLast time we spoke about the Russian counter offensive at Telissu. Kuropatkin sought to maintain a defensive posture and wait for reinforcements before launching offensives, but his superiors forced him to perform a hopeless attempt to rescue Port Arthur. With multiple Japanese armies on the move, Kuropatkin could not send the appropriate numbers necessary to relieve the city, and this led to utter disaster. Lt General Stakelberg was given the unfortunate job of advancing southwest to Prot...
3.77 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #4: Telissu
December 11, 2023 11:00 - 30 minutes - 42.3 MBLast time we spoke about the battle of Nanshan. After their loss at the battle of Yalu, the Russians began a withdrawal while trying to delay the Japanese advance upon Port Arthur. The 2nd IJA of General Oku landed at Pitzuwo along the Liaodong peninsula. To open the path to Port Arthur and cut her off from reinforcements from the rest of Manchuria. General Oku first had the 4th IJA division seize Chinchou before bombarding Nanshan both from land and sea. The Russian defenders led by Colon...
3.76 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #3: Battle of Nanshan
December 04, 2023 17:42 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBLast time we spoke about Admiral Togo’s struggle to destroy or firmly blockade the Russian fleet at Port Arthur and the bloody battle along the Yalu river. Togo had a tough time getting the Russians to come out to play with him. Ultimately Admiral Makarov had been a gleaming hope for the Russian navy, but his death spelt utter doom to them as well. Now that the Russian navy was effectively bottled up in Port Arthur and unwilling to come out again, the land campaigns of the war could begin....
3.75 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #2: Battle of Yalu
November 28, 2023 01:20 - 44 minutes - 60.6 MBLast time we spoke about the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war. The Japanese knew to have any chance in the war against the Russians, they needed to deliver a deadly surprise attack against her fleet within the harbor of Port Arthur. Admiral Togo took the combined fleet and dispatched a force under Uriu to neutralize Chemulpo and land forces of the IJA 12th division. Meanwhile Togo ordered 10 destroyers to toss torpedoes at the Russian warships at anchor in Port Arthur, landing a few hit...
3.74 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Japanese War #1: The Surprise attack on Port Arthur
November 21, 2023 00:10 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBLast time we spoke about the failure of diplomacy between the Empires of Russian and Japan as well as the Yellow Peril. The Russians said they would demobilize and pull out of Manchuria, but when the time actually came to do so, they suddenly had a change of heart. Japan felt threated, but extended the hand of diplomacy trying to thwart beginning a war against a great power. Tsar Nicholas II was being egged on by his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II, who utilized Yellow Peril rhetory to push Russ...
3.73 Fall and Rise of China: Yellow Peril and a War in the East
November 13, 2023 18:25 - 40 minutes - 55.3 MBLast time we spoke about the Red Bearded Honghuzi Bandits. Yes Manchuria and many parts of China proper have had a bandit problem going back to ancient times. The borderlands between the Russian Empire and Qing Dynasty proved to be the perfect grounds for bandits to evolve. The Honghuzi were getting larger, more organized and certain leaders amongst them would have long lasting impacts on the history of China. Such names that come to mind are Zhang Zuolin and the Dogmeat General Zhang Zong...
3.72 Fall and Rise of China: Red Bearded Honghuzi
November 07, 2023 01:02 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBLast time we spoke about the conquest of southern Manchuria. The Russians had consolidated their hold over northern Manchuria and now had the necessary amount of forces to quell the chaos in the south. The two last major strongholds held by the Qing and their Boxer allies were Liaoyang and Mukden. The Russians consolidated their forces while the Qing spread themselves out far too thinly. Each engagement saw Russian victories, despite the fact the Qing had the necessary numbers and weaponry...
3.71 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Chinese War #4: Conquest of Southern Manchuria
October 30, 2023 23:10 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBLast time we spoke about the conquest of Northern Manchuria. The outbreak of violence all over Manchuria and even across the Amur river resulted in a full scale Russian invasion. Beginning in northern Manchuria, the Russian gradually advanced across the border to first secure endangered Russian pockets of civilians and forces, but soon cities all over northern manchurian were being seized. The Chinese attempted many offensives, but instead of consolidating a large force to defeat each Russ...
3.70 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Chinese War #3: Conquest of Northern Manchuria
October 24, 2023 01:33 - 33 minutes - 45.6 MBLast time we spoke about the Blagoveshchensk massacre and war over the Amur river. The Chinese began a bombardment of the city of Blagoveshchensk striking panic and fear into her Russian inhabitants. The panic and fear led the Russian commanders ordered the deportation of many Chinese over the Amur river and this soon became a large-scale massacre. Countless Chinese drowned or were killed under the orders of the local Russian commanders. After the horrors on the Amur river the russians gra...
3.69 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Chinese War #2: Massacre on the Amur River
October 09, 2023 23:38 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBLast time we spoke about the beginning of the Russo-Chinese War of 1900. Though its been only referred to as the Russian invasion of Manchuria during the Boxer Rebellion, this event was far larger and more impactful than it seems. The recent Russian acquisitions after the Triple Intervention brought numerous railway workers and guards into the Manchu homelands. It was a joint venture between the Qing and Russian empires, but the year of 1900 brought the Boxer movement into the mix. The Rus...
3.68 Fall and Rise of China: Russo-Chinese War #1: Manchuria rises up
October 02, 2023 23:48 - 34 minutes - 46.8 MBLast time we spoke about the 8 nation alliances occupation of Beijing, the flight of the royal family and the Boxer Protocol. You would think after taking the city, everything was won and done, but not necessarily. Empress Dowager Cixi with her faithful guardian Dong Fuxiang fled to the northwest of China. Meanwhile Peitang waited longer than most for their rescue, enduring an unbelievable amount of hardship during their siege. Poor Li Hongzhang was forced to endure another humiliation on ...
3.67 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #7: Boxer Protocol
September 25, 2023 16:21 - 39 minutes - 54.4 MBLast time we spoke about the battle of Beijing. General Gaselee and the 8 nation alliance began a grand march upon Beijing. They fought numerous battles at places like Beicang and Yangcun utterly routing the Qing and Boxer forces. The road to Beijing was laid bare open to them, lest it not be for the extreme summer heat which took the lives of many. The Russians attempted to outrace everyone else to Beijing, but quickly bit off more than they could chew. Ultimately the British were the fir...
3.66 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #6: Fall of Beijing
September 19, 2023 00:22 - 34 minutes - 47.9 MBLast time we spoke about the battle for Tientsin. Tientsin had be relieved momentarily of its siege, but the Boxers and Qing forces quickly went back to work assaulting the foreign held part of the city. Forces from the great powers began arriving at Taku, heading for Tientsin to finally lift its siege once and for all. The battle against the Chinese held part of the city was to be the bloodiest battle of the Boxer Rebellion and it was the Japanese who ushered in victory. The southern and ...
3.65 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #5: Battle for Tientsin
September 11, 2023 17:38 - 36 minutes - 50.4 MBLast time we spoke about the darkest days of the siege of the foreign legation quarters in Beijing. The Hanlin Academy was burnt down taking with it irreplaceable books. The Fu Palace and French Legation were falling to pieces. Colonel Shiba and his men fought for weeks without changing their closes or sleeping more than 3-4 hours. Countless friends and colleagues were dead or wounded, funerals were becoming a daily event. Ammunition was running low, men were running low, medical supplies ...
3.64 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #4: Darkest Days before the Dawn in Beijing
September 05, 2023 00:53 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBLast time we spoke about the battle of the Taku Forts and the siege of Tientsin. The allied admirals gave an ultimatum to the Qing to hand over the Taku Forts, which they declined. The western navies attacked the Taku Forts officially beginning a war with the Qing dynasty. The seizure of the Taku Forts led the Qing to fully support the Boxers who raised a siege against the foreign legations in Beijing and the foreign settlement in Tientsin. The foreign community at Tientsin found themselve...
3.63 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #3: Siege of Tientsin & Battle of the Taku Forts
August 29, 2023 00:19 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBLast time we spoke about the Qing - Boxer siege of Beijing and the 8 nation alliance expedition led by Seymour. Baron Von Ketteler was murdered by Kansu soldiers, ushering in a real siege of the foreign legation’s in Beijing. The situation was dire, communications were cut and soon the railways also. The foreign ministers called for aid and thus came an expedition of 8 nations led by Seymour to the rescue. Seymours expedition started out quite well, but soon the Boxers disrupted the tracks...
3.62 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #2: Seymour's 8 Nation expedition
August 22, 2023 00:35 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBLast time we spoke about the Boxers march upon Beijing. The situation in China escalated until the point of no return. The Boxers began attacked Christians and foreigners, seeing less and less opposition from the Qing government. The Qing court were hard pressed to do anything to suppression the boxers lest they fall into a full blown rebellion. The foreign community in Beijing scrambled to call for help from their navies before the Boxers cut the railways and telegraph lines to the capita...
3.61 Fall and Rise of China: Boxer Rebellion #1: The Boxer's March on Beijing
August 14, 2023 23:28 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MBLast time we spoke about the road to the Boxer Rebellion. Christians and foreigners were encroaching into China. Boxers and other anti-foreign groups were emerging in places like Shandong and Zhili. Conflicts were growing rapidly as the two forces converged, leaving the Qing government in a terrible situation trying to please both. It seems for a time, they were keeping the hawks of war at bay, but the more incidents flared up the tougher each side became. Then came an evolution to the may...
3.60 Fall and Rise of China: Spirit Boxers & the battle at Senluo Temple
August 07, 2023 16:55 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBLast time we spoke about the escalating situation in China involving foreigners and the emerging Yihequan Boxers. The incident in Liyuantun had reached a boiling point between the Yihequan and Christian’s backed by foreign actors. As hard as the Qing government tried to intermediate, they simply could not stop the boxer movement from growing. Boxers were gathering en masse in Shandong and Zhili trying to fight back against what they saw as a foreign enemy. Fight they did, but in the end t...
3.59 Fall and Rise of China: Yihequan "Why is everyone Kungfu fighting?"
July 31, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MBLast time we spoke about the Juye incident and the scramble for China. The Big Swords society and their armor of the golden bell technique certainly made some waves in the mid 1890’s. However it would seem to get them in trouble, at minimum by proxy. The Juye incident was quickly seen as another Big Sword attack on christians and Kaiser Wilhelm utilizes it to gain something he was looking for a long time, a naval port in China. Jiaozhou bay was quickly seized by the Germans and suddenly al...
3.58 Fall and Rise of China: Juye Incident & Scramble for China
July 24, 2023 10:00 - 34 minutes - 46.9 MBLast time we spoke about the origins of the Big Sword Society and the invulnerability technique known as the Armor of the Golden Bell. China was certainly no stranger to sects and martial art groups. The Big Sword Society rose up to counteract the rebels and bandits that plagued parts of China like good old Shandong province. However when Christian missionaries began to get involved in the mix things got ugly quick. Bandits would exploit the conversion to christianity to protect themselves...
3.57 Fall and Rise of China: Big Sword Society & the Armor of the Golden Bell
July 17, 2023 22:00 - 36 minutes - 49.5 MBLast time we spoke about Shandong province. Yes this one province of China just always seems to be the breeding grounds for trouble, its actual a common saying haha. Historically Shandong was unique in many ways; geographically its densely populated, almost exclusively with farmers, the majority of whom are quiet impoverished in its western portion. Just about all invading armies have to go through it if coming from the north, leading the province to be very unstable. Bandits roamed its r...
3.56 Fall and Rise of China: Not always Sunny in Shandong
July 10, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBLast time we spoke about the conclusion of the first Sino-Japanese War and we took a side trip speaking about overseas Chinese in the 19th century. The treaty of Shimonoseki ended the war between Japan and the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty was humiliated yet again, but so too was Japan because of the triple intervention of Germany, France and Russia. The balance of power in the east had shifted dramatically. Such dramatic change that was seen in the 19th century led to massive emigration ...
3.55 Fall and Rise of China: Overseas Chinese in the 19th Century
July 03, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 56.7 MBLast time we spoke about the final days of the first Sino-Japanese War, the invasion of the Pescadores Islands, Taiwan and the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Japanese had taken Port Arthur, Weihaiwei and were on the verge of marching upon Beijing. The Qing were slow to action on the negotiation front leading to three attempts to reach a peace agreement. However in the meantime the Japanese prolonged things for just enough time to allow their amphibious forces to invade the Pescadore islands an...
3.54 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #6: Taiwan
June 26, 2023 10:00 - 39 minutes - 54.2 MBLast time we spoke about the Massacre at Port Arthur, actions in Manchuria and the fall of Weihaiwei. The Japanese had completely destroyed their meticulously cultivated public image when they let loose atrocities upon the Chinese at Port Arthur. Meanwhile, multiple Japanese and Chinese armies fought in Manchuria, culminating in a decisive blow at the battle of Yingkou. The Japanese advance was getting ever closer to Beijing, but the event that would inflict the most serious threat to Chin...
3.53 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #5: Battle of Weihaiwei
June 19, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBLast time we spoke about the situation after the disastrous losses at Pyongyang and the Yalu River as well as the battle for Port Arthur. Coming off their tremendous success at Pyongyang and the battle of Yalu, the Japanese performed an offensive fording the Yalu and easily defeating the Qing forces at Jiuliancheng. After this the Japanese began to advance into the Liaodong Peninsula. One by one, each town saw Qing forces fleeing while giving little battle. Eventually the Japanese seized J...
3.52 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #4: Battle for Port Arthur
June 12, 2023 10:00 - 45 minutes - 62.8 MBLast time we spoke about the battle of the Yalu River. It was an absolutely catastrophic week for the Qing dynasty. Within just two days they suffered a major land defeat and now a defeat at sea that practically annihilated the Beiyang fleet. Corruption and incompetence ran rampant as the Beiyang fleet crews found themselves undertrained, understaffed, lacking ammunition and what ammunition they did have, some of it was filled with concrete and porcelain. The Qing dynasty’s corruption prob...
3.51 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #3: battle of the Yalu River
June 05, 2023 17:59 - 38 minutes - 52.5 MBLast time we spoke about about the first large land battles of the First Sino-Japanese War: the battles of Seonghwan and Pyongyang. The Qing’s plan to perform a pincer attack from the north and south of Korea was smashed when they lost Asan. However not all was lost, they still held the extremely formidable defensive position at Pyongyang with some of their best units and best equipment. The Japanese 1st Army deceived the Qing defenders and made an incredible victory at Pyongyang sending t...
3.50 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #2: battle of Pyongyang
May 29, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBLast time we spoke about about the emerging war between Big brother China and Little brother Japan. Li Hongzhang struggled to do everything he possible could to thwart the outbreak of war with Japan, but he could not stop the inevitable. The Japanese began landing troops and soon seized King Gojong trying to force Korea to take up the reforms they wanted them to. Li Hongzhang tried to keep the Qing forces at a distance, but the Japanese would not stop reinforcing their position in Korea. E...
3.49 Fall and Rise of China: First Sino-Japanese War #1: Battle of Pungdo
May 22, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 50.4 MBLast time we spoke about the assassination of Kim Ok-kyun and the Donhak Rebellion. Conflicts between China and Japan had heated up to the boiling point at last. The pro Japanese politician Kim Ok-kyun was assassinated serving also as an insult towards Japan. The Beiyang Fleet’s visit to Nagasaki resulted in embarrassment and an awkward threat for Japan. Japan was not happy with the SINO situation and actively began building her navy to have the capability of facing off against the Beiyang...
3.48 Fall and Rise of China: Donghak Rebellion
May 15, 2023 17:12 - 32 minutes - 45.4 MBLast time we spoke about the Gapsin Coup. Li Hongzhang snipped the bud of war before it could bloom after the Imo uprising and the Daewongun stole back power in Korea. The Daewongun was spanked and sent into exile yet again, but now Korea had become greatly factionalized. The progressives and conservatives were fighting bitterly to set Korea on a Japanese or Chinese path to modernization. This led radicals like Kim Ok-kyun to perform the Gapsin coup which was terribly planned and failed sp...
3.47 Fall and Rise of China: Sino-French War of 1884-1885 #4: War and Peace
May 08, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 44.4 MBLast time we spoke about the final battles to push the Qing forces out of Tonkin. The Qing, Black Flag and Vietnamese forces were fighting bitterly, on the open field and as guerillas to kick France out of Tonkin. The guerilla activity led to bloody months at the isolated outposts of Thai Nguyen, Hung Hoa and Tuyen Quang. To dislodge the Qing army from Tonkin, the French attacked them at Nui Bop and seized Lang son thus saving the outposts from being taken. After securing their outposts th...
3.46 Fall and Rise of China: Sino-French War of 1884-1885 #3: Great Push out of Tonkin
May 01, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBLast time we spoke about the Sino-French War at Sea. Admiral Courbet’s Far East Squadron dealt a decisive crushing blow to the Fujian Fleet at the battle of Fuzhou. 9 ships were sunk with another 12 severely damaged, forcing the Qing to toss the Nanyang fleet to meet the French menace. However the corrupt nature of the Qing fleets led to a disastrous situation and Admiral Wu of the Nanyang fleet would be quite a victim to it. He attempted to scare the French away, only to be attacked, then...