Xiang Army And The Sino-French War

The Sino-French War lasted from 1883 to 1885.It was the only anti-invasion war in which the late Qing government won but still regarded defeated.The victory on the battlefield failed to get any benefits for the Qing government on the negotiation table.An unequal treaty surrendering China’s sovereign rights under humiliating terms was signed.The victory on the battlefield was due to many factors.Among them,the Xiang Army played an important role.Before the Sino-French War,high-ranking officials of the Xiang Army including Zuo Zongtang,Peng Yulin and Liu Kunyi advocated fighting against invasion of the French.They were the backbone of the war party.Besides,during the Sino-French War,medium-and low-ranking patriotic generals,including Su Yuanchun,Wang Debang,Ouyang Lijian,Cao Zhizhong and Sun Kaihua,led the Xiang Army to fight dauntlessly.All in all,the role of the Xiang Army in the Sino-French War was beyond doubt.The victory of the Qing government on the battlefield could not be separated from efforts of the Xiang Army.Based on research findings of previous scholars,this paper focuses on discussing efforts and contributions of the Xiang Army in the Sino-French War at an attempt to explore its influence on the Sino-French war.The research question is explored in the following four parts.Section 1 expounds on the historical background for the formation of the anti-French Xiang Arm.In this section,the emergence and characteristics of the Xiang Army are first introduced.Then,causes behind formation of the anti-French Xiang Army are examined.It is pointed out that the formation is associated with the influence of the political situation,the modern patriotism and individual factors.Section 2 discusses how persistence of the Xiang Army in fighting against the French invaders firmed up the determination of the Qing government to resist against the foreign invasion.On the Qing court,there was not an agreement on “to fight or to seek peace”.However,high-ranking officials,including Zuo Zongtang,Peng Yulin and Liu Kunyi,insisted on fighting against the French and opposed against seeking peace.Their analysis of the French army and the domestic political situation of France as well as measurement of the military power and the joint anti-invasion patriotism among Chinese soldiers and people provided a forward-looking prediction of the war.Moreover,they actively planned how to defeat the French army with good preparation.All these efforts increased the determination of the Qing government to resist against French invasion.Section 3 analyzes the extraordinary contributions of the Xiang Army to the anti-French war.On the southwestern battlefield,Wang Debang led the Kejing Army to achieve critical success in Zhennanguan War and Liangshan War.On the Taiwan battlefield,generals and soldiers of the Xiang Army fought dauntlessly to protect Taiwan.On the southeastern battlefield,generals of the Xiang Army and Ouyang Lijian,commander-in chief in Zhejiang,effectively guided the fighting against the French army.The extraordinary contributions of the Xiang Army on different battlefields of the Sino-French War constituted the linchpin to the final victory of the Qing government.Section 4 examines the historical position and influence of the Xiang Army in the Sino-French War.The focus is on discussing the historical position and influence of the Xiang Army in the Sino-French War.