A Concise History of the War between Japan and China - Paperback

by Jukichi Inouye (Author)

This book looks at the conflict between Japan and China during the late 19th century. From the preface: "The object of this little book is to give a succinct account of the progress of the war between Japan and China up to the time of its compilation. No one can be more sensible than the compiler, of the defects of a work of this kind. In writing of a war still in progress, we cannot grasp the true proportion of its events, as we are liable to be dazzled by brilliant achievements and to attach to them a greater importance than to those which, though no less vital to the accomplishment of the object of the war, fail to attract public attention through absence " of stirring victories. Such, for instance, are the operations in North Manchuria, for though the retention of positions like Haiching and Funghwangching will afterwards be found to have been as indispensable towards a successful termination of the war as the capture of Port Arthur or Wei-hai-wei, we are more fascinated by the brilliancy of the Japanese victories at those fortresses than by the stubborn resistance offered unflinchingly to inclement climate and harassing armies. While the size of this work frees it from the perplexity which would arise in a more complete history from the very multitude of newspaper reports, this same compactness exposes it to the sin of omission as regards those events, the important consequences of which we do not at present suspect. While recognising this fatal want of historical perspective, the compiler was led to produce the present work with the sole object of briefly recounting the principal events of the war, a survey of which is complicated by the operations of the Japanese armies in divers directions. The present work, therefore, makes no claim beyond facilitating this survey. The compiler has also studiously avoided entering into argument or treading on disputed ground, and believes that his compilation is at least free from rhetorical flourishes and from padding. He has with an effort confined himself to a plain, unvarnished relation, where it is so easy to let enthusiasm run riot; and whether this be a merit or otherwise, only the general interest taken in the war will probably induce the perusal of this work. In conclusion, the compiler desires to acknowledge his in¬debtedness to the Tokyo and Yokohama newspapers, upon whose accounts he has freely drawn in the compilation of this little history. March 10th, 1895."