Late Qing Military Records, Volume 5-6

Author: Luo Ergang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-09-01
Features: Excerpt: Chapter on the Military Training School
The establishment of China's earliest military training school
The earliest military training school established in the Chinese Army was the Military Training School. Among these, the earliest was the Tianjin Military Training School. The Tianjin Military Training School was founded in the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1885), one year after the Sino-French War. Earlier, in the first year of the Guangxu reign (1875), the American Commodore Albert L. Maynard visited various countries in the East and West to examine military affairs in China. Li Hongzhang, the Viceroy of Zhili, met with him in Beijing. Maynard proposed to Li Hongzhang that China should promptly establish a military academy to reform its military, considering it a sound measure. Li Hongzhang then asked Maynard to draft the regulations for the military academy. Soon after, Maynard sent a concise proposal. Li Hongzhang, seeing the significance of the matter and the vast expenses involved, found it difficult to start and thus abandoned the idea. However, the idea of establishing a military academy in China actually began at this time. In the 10th year of the Guangxu reign (1884), the Sino-French War broke out, and China recruited over 20 German officers to come to China and serve as instructors in the Huai Army camps. The following year, with the peace treaty concluded, the commander of the Shengzi Brigade of the Huai Army, Zhou Shengchuan, proposed to establish a school modeled on Western military academies, selecting officers to serve as instructors and recruiting elite and intelligent soldiers with some knowledge of literature to study at the school. Li Hongzhang approved of this proposal and ordered Zhou Fu, the Tianjin Customs Commissioner and head of the Tianjin Military Affairs Office, to draft the regulations, leading to the establishment of the Tianjin Military Training School. Some say that when German officers were coaching in the Huai Army camps, they noticed many shortcomings in the army's military practices and repeatedly requested changes. The commanders disliked these changes as they were detrimental to their interests and thus drove the German officers out in a group. As a result, the Military Training School was established to accommodate the German officers.
When the Tianjin Military Training School was founded, Li Hongzhang submitted a memorial to the Qing court titled "Memorial on Establishing the Military Training School", outlining the purpose, methods, and future plans of the school. He stated:
"Memorial on Establishing the Military Training School in Tianjin According to Western Methods, with Funds from Coastal Defense Expenses, and Requesting Rewards for Successful Implementation"
It is hereby reported that in July of last year, following an imperial decree, I selected and employed German military officers to come to Tianjin. They were immediately sent to land and naval forces for rigorous training, as previously reported in an attached memorial. These officers either excelled in firearms and battle formations or were skilled in fortifications and siege tactics, all having graduated from the military academies of their country and possessing outstanding skills, making them suitable candidates for instructors. The commanders of the front-line armies, such as Lieutenant General Zhou Shengbo and Lieutenant General Zhou Shengchuan, proposed establishing a school modeled on Western military academies, selecting German officers as teachers and recruiting elite and intelligent soldiers with some knowledge of literature to study at the school. I approved of this proposal and ordered them to proceed. I also instructed Viceroy Li Changle of Zhili, Commodore Cao Kuzhong of the Guangdong Navy, Viceroy Tang Renlian of Guangxi, Viceroy Song Qing of Sichuan, Lieutenant General Liu Shengxiu of the Ming Army, Lieutenant General Ye Zhishuo of Zhengding, Lieutenant General Wu Yuren of Tongyun, Lieutenant General Xu Daokui of Dameng, and Lieutenant General Shi Hongzu of southern Anhui to select soldiers to study at the school.
I have observed that Western countries are dedicated to refining military skills. Their naval officers are trained in naval academies, and their land officers in military academies, ensuring they are well-versed in strategy from a young age. Their military academies are dotted with buildings, with grand scales, providing spaces for studying, drawing, and practicing skills. They select young, talented children from noble families to train them from a young age, later transferring them to the army, where they progress from corporals to officers. This is not an overnight achievement. When students first enroll, they live together, receive specialized instruction, and view battle tactics and defense as essential to their lives. They study diligently day and night without sparing effort. Their proficiency in firearms and tactics, as well as the precision and flexibility of their formations, is unparalleled. Without fully mastering the enemy's strengths, one cannot defeat them.
Postscript: This draft of "The History of the Arsenal" was completed in 1940 at the Central Academy of Social Sciences in Lizhuang, Nanxiang County, Sichuan. This supplement was made possible by my illness, with the entire work completed by Shu Cuanchun and Wen Qi. I hereby clarify this. Luo Ergang, July 20, 1996, Beijing.