Type: documentary
Produced by: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin
First broadcast: January 8, 2009
Number of episodes: 10
Single episode length: 36 minutes
Also known as Huai Jun
The Huai Army is another famous local armed force following the Xiang Army in modern Chinese history. The Huai Army (1862-1900), which lasted for nearly 40 years from its establishment to its demise, coincided with the bitter years of frequent internal and external troubles of the Chinese nation. From the Huai Army to the later Huai clique, it covered and greatly influenced the political, military, economic, diplomatic, cultural and educational fields of the late Qing Dynasty. Some experts say that the history of Huai Army is almost a history of the late Qing Dynasty, a complete military history of the late Qing Dynasty.
Li Hongzhang has a poem on his deathbed: "If you work hard and don't leave the saddle, you will know that you will die. For three hundred years, you have hurt the country and hanged people eight thousand miles away. The autumn wind, the sword, the lonely minister, the tears, the setting sun, the flag and the great general altar; the overseas atmosphere is still not over, so please don't wait and see."
This ten part documentary, from the establishment and suppression of the Huai army to the signing of the "Xinchou Treaty" on behalf of the Qing government, records in detail the 40 year history of the late Qing Dynasty and the rise and fall of Li Hongzhang and his Huai army. The history of the late Qing Dynasty has no reference significance for the present.
The Huai Army recruited by Li Hongzhang, who was under the guidance of Zeng Guofan, was initially organized entirely according to the Hunan Army. The rescue of Shanghai became the starting point for the development of the Huai Army. Li Hongzhang had a wise vision. Seeing the strength of Western ships, he actively introduced western military technology, making the Huai Army the most modern force in the Qing Dynasty.
This army will become the mainstay of the army of the Qing Dynasty in the next thirty years. Li Hongzhang also started his career with the Huai army, presided over the Westernization Movement, and served as the governor of Zhili to firmly hold the political rights of the Qing Dynasty.
The Sino Japanese Sino Japanese War of 1894 made the Huai Army never recover, and also broke the myth of the Beiyang Water Army. This war has two special descriptions in this documentary. Why did the Beiyang Navy, No. 10 in the world and No. 1 in Asia, lose so badly? When you look at what the top leaders of the two countries were doing, it is not difficult to understand.
The Qing Dynasty was at the end of its life and the people were not enlightened. The tragedy of Li Zhongtang lies in the era he lived in. Maybe every dynasty, when it is exhausted, has some lonely martyrs, Wang Guowei and Li Hongzhang.
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