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Wuwei Corps

February 08, 2023

The Wuwei Corps[1] (simplified Chinese: 武卫军; traditional Chinese: 武衛軍; pinyin: Wǔwèijūn; Wade–Giles: Wu-wei chün)[2] or Guards Army[2][3] was a modernised army unit of the Qing dynasty. Made up of infantry, cavalry and artillery, it was formed in May[3] or June 1899 and trained by western military advisers. The guard took responsibility for the security of Peking (Beijing) and the Forbidden City, with Ronglu as its supreme commander. This move was an attempt by the Qing imperial court to create a western-style army equipped with modern weaponry following the Qing Empire's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Three out of the five divisions of the Wuwei Corps were disbanded after two years due to attrition caused by the Boxer Rebellion.

Troops of the Wuwei Corps led by Yuan Shikai escorting Empress Dowager Cixi back to the Forbidden City in 1902

Formation

Empress Dowager Cixi held supreme power at the Qing imperial court after she placed the Guangxu Emperor under house arrest. Ronglu, who controlled the Grand Council and the Ministry of Defence, subsequently received orders to recruit a 90,000-men army drawn from various units under the control of Nie Shicheng, Song Qing, Dong Fuxiang and Yuan Shikai.[4][5][6]

Five Divisions of the Wuwei

The corps consisted of five "divisions" described as "regiments" by some sources:[1] Left, Right, Front, Rear, and Center[2][3][a]

Wuwei Divisions
Division Commander
Front Nie Shicheng
Rear Dong Fuxiang
Left Song Qing
Right Yuan Shikai
Centre Ronglu

Of these, "by far the strongest"[2] was Yuan Shikai's Right Division, which was merely a rebranding of his existing New Army formed in 1895,[3] while Nie Shicheng's Front Division, trained by German military advisers, ranked as second best.[7] These two divisions enjoyed the advantage of a modernised infantry military system and training, while the other three divisions still employed the traditional Manchu Banners Army system. Differences in the prowess of the divisions became apparent during training, even though the entire Guards Army had the same modern weaponry.

Prior to the creation of the Wuwei Corps, Nie Shicheng's Front Division was known as the "Tenacious Army" (武毅軍 Wuyi jun,[b]),[2] while Song Qing's troops previously bore the name "Resolute Army" (毅軍 Yi jun).[8] These armies were similarly armed with Mauser rifles and Maxim machine guns.[2]

Dong Fuxiang (Tung Fu-hsiang) led an army of Muslim warriors, dubbed "the 10,000 Islamic rabble" in the West at the time.[7] In China, Dong's troops were familiarly known as the "Gan army" (甘軍[c]) which used the abbreviated name of Gansu Province where many of these soldiers originated. "Gan army" is a literal translation, but English sources usually use the paraphrased name "Kansu Braves".[7]

By imperial edict, Ronglu received nominal command of the entire Wuwei Corps.[9] His initial task was to incorporate the four pre-existing divisions within the new structure of the Wuwei Corps.[9] Ronglu later added the Centre Division with himself as commander, a unit composed mostly of Manchu bannermen.[9][d]

Boxer Uprising

Main article: Boxer Uprising

During the war against the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Front Division, Rear Division and the Center Division suffered heavy casualties and were disbanded following signature of the Boxer Protocol. The Right Division and the Left Division remained in Shandong Province to suppress a group of Boxers known as the Yihetuan rebels. Both these units remained at full strength as they had not come up against troops of the foreign powers.

From March 1899 onwards at the height of the Boxer conflict, Ma Yukun (馬玉崑) and Jiang Guiti became co-commanders alongside Song Qing at the head of the Left Division.[10]

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Although the Chinese names for these units featured the stem 軍 jun, literally "corps" or "army", recent studies in English appear to coalesce around referring to these units as "divisions" (Purcell 2010, Wang 1995, etc. probably after Powell 1972). The transition from "army" to "divisions" was expressed in one study as follows: "Jung-lu [Ronglu] then proceeded to reorganize the four armies (now divisions)".Purcell 2010, p. 29
  2. ^ 武毅軍; Wǔyì jūn; Wu-i chün
  3. ^ 甘军; 甘軍; Gān Jūn; Kan Chün
  4. ^ During this period, despite his appointment to the Grand Council, Ronglu retained command of the Beiyang Army that defended the capital region.[2]

Citations

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wuwei Troop.
  1. ^ a b Ding 1986, p. 47.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Powell 1972, pp. 102–103.
  3. ^ a b c d Wang 1995, p. 71: "In May 1899, Yuan Shikai, commander of China's strongest army, the Wuwei Youjun or the Right Division (new name for Yuan's Newly Created Army) of the Guards Army [Note: The Guards Army or Wuwei Jun included Left, Right, Front, Rear, and Center Divisions]..."
  4. ^ Liu 1978.
  5. ^ Guo Hui 郭辉 (2009). "An Account of Ronglu's Military Activities" 荣禄军事活动述论 (Thesis) (in Chinese). M.A. Thesis, Hebei University.
  6. ^ . Xinhai Net (辛亥革命网) (in Chinese). 2010-12-06. Archived from the original on 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  7. ^ a b c Bodin 1979, p. 26.
  8. ^ Powell 1972, pp. 102–103; Bodin 1979, p. 26.
  9. ^ a b c Purcell 2010, p. 29.
  10. ^ Ding 1986, p. 47 ("On the Chinese side, the left regiment of the Wuwei division led by Ma Yukun and the Lian division of Zhili led by He Yongsheng were putting up a stubborn defence within the city"; Rhoads 2011, p. 82 ("It looked to Jian Guiti (1843-1922), commander of the Left Division of the Guards Army"; Liu 1978, p. 98 ("時間：光緒二十五年二月至宣統三年九月(1899年3月至1911年12月)... 總統: 宋慶 馬玉崑 姜桂題 二十一～三十五營 武衛左軍" [translation: "Time: March 1899 to December 1911, commander: Song Qing, Ma Yukun, Jiang Guiti. 21–35 battalions. Guards Army's Left Division"].

References

  • Bodin, Lynn (1979). The Boxer Rebellion (preview). Chris Warner (illus.). Osprey Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 9780850453355. ISBN 978-0-850-45335-5
  • Ding, Mingnan (Summer 1986). "A Decade of Japan's Aggressive Tactics toward China Oriented by Its" National Policy" of Waging a Final War with Russia (1895-1904)" (snippet). Chinese Studies in History. 19 (4): 37–62. doi:10.2753/CSH0009-4633190437. abstract
  • Liu, Fenghan 劉鳳翰 (1978). The Wuwei Army 武衛軍 (PDF) (in Chinese). Taipei: Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica 中央研究院近代史研究所. OCLC 706894661.
  • Powell, Ralph L. (1972). The Rise of Chinese Military Power 1895-1912 (snippet). Princeton: Kennikat Press. ISBN 9780804616454. (Cited by Wang 1995 below as a reference for English translation of terminology.)
  • Purcell, Victor (2010). The Boxer Uprising: A Background Study (preview). Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780804616454. ISBN 978-0-521-14812-2
  • Rhoads, Edward J. M. (2011). Manchus and Han: Ethnic Relations and Political Power in Late Qing and Early Republican China, 1861–1928 (preview). University of Washington Press. p. 82. ISBN 9780295804125. ISBN 978-0-295-80412-5
  • Wang, Jianhua (Spring–Summer 1995). "Military Reforms, 1895-1908" (snippet). Chinese Studies in History. 28 (3–4): 67–84. doi:10.2753/CSH0009-463328030467. abstract. Reprinted in Douglas R. Reynolds (ed. and trans.) (1995). China, 1895-1912: State Sponsored Reforms and China's Late-Qing (preview). A special issue of Chinese Studies in History, a journal of translations. M. E. Sharpe. pp. 67–84. ISBN 1-56-324749-6. ISBN 978-1-563-24749-1.

February 08, 2023
wuwei, corps, simplified, chinese, 武卫军, traditional, chinese, 武衛軍, pinyin, wǔwèijūn, wade, giles, chün, guards, army, modernised, army, unit, qing, dynasty, made, infantry, cavalry, artillery, formed, june, 1899, trained, western, military, advisers, guard, to. The Wuwei Corps 1 simplified Chinese 武卫军 traditional Chinese 武衛軍 pinyin Wǔweijun Wade Giles Wu wei chun 2 or Guards Army 2 3 was a modernised army unit of the Qing dynasty Made up of infantry cavalry and artillery it was formed in May 3 or June 1899 and trained by western military advisers The guard took responsibility for the security of Peking Beijing and the Forbidden City with Ronglu as its supreme commander This move was an attempt by the Qing imperial court to create a western style army equipped with modern weaponry following the Qing Empire s defeat in the First Sino Japanese War Three out of the five divisions of the Wuwei Corps were disbanded after two years due to attrition caused by the Boxer Rebellion Troops of the Wuwei Corps led by Yuan Shikai escorting Empress Dowager Cixi back to the Forbidden City in 1902 Contents 1 Formation 2 Five Divisions of the Wuwei 3 Boxer Uprising 4 Explanatory notes 5 Citations 6 ReferencesFormation EditEmpress Dowager Cixi held supreme power at the Qing imperial court after she placed the Guangxu Emperor under house arrest Ronglu who controlled the Grand Council and the Ministry of Defence subsequently received orders to recruit a 90 000 men army drawn from various units under the control of Nie Shicheng Song Qing Dong Fuxiang and Yuan Shikai 4 5 6 Five Divisions of the Wuwei EditThe corps consisted of five divisions described as regiments by some sources 1 Left Right Front Rear and Center 2 3 a Wuwei Divisions Division CommanderFront Nie ShichengRear Dong FuxiangLeft Song QingRight Yuan ShikaiCentre RongluOf these by far the strongest 2 was Yuan Shikai s Right Division which was merely a rebranding of his existing New Army formed in 1895 3 while Nie Shicheng s Front Division trained by German military advisers ranked as second best 7 These two divisions enjoyed the advantage of a modernised infantry military system and training while the other three divisions still employed the traditional Manchu Banners Army system Differences in the prowess of the divisions became apparent during training even though the entire Guards Army had the same modern weaponry Prior to the creation of the Wuwei Corps Nie Shicheng s Front Division was known as the Tenacious Army 武毅軍 Wuyi jun b 2 while Song Qing s troops previously bore the name Resolute Army 毅軍 Yi jun 8 These armies were similarly armed with Mauser rifles and Maxim machine guns 2 Dong Fuxiang Tung Fu hsiang led an army of Muslim warriors dubbed the 10 000 Islamic rabble in the West at the time 7 In China Dong s troops were familiarly known as the Gan army 甘軍 c which used the abbreviated name of Gansu Province where many of these soldiers originated Gan army is a literal translation but English sources usually use the paraphrased name Kansu Braves 7 By imperial edict Ronglu received nominal command of the entire Wuwei Corps 9 His initial task was to incorporate the four pre existing divisions within the new structure of the Wuwei Corps 9 Ronglu later added the Centre Division with himself as commander a unit composed mostly of Manchu bannermen 9 d Boxer Uprising EditMain article Boxer Uprising During the war against the Eight Nation Alliance the Front Division Rear Division and the Center Division suffered heavy casualties and were disbanded following signature of the Boxer Protocol The Right Division and the Left Division remained in Shandong Province to suppress a group of Boxers known as the Yihetuan rebels Both these units remained at full strength as they had not come up against troops of the foreign powers From March 1899 onwards at the height of the Boxer conflict Ma Yukun 馬玉崑 and Jiang Guiti became co commanders alongside Song Qing at the head of the Left Division 10 Explanatory notes Edit Although the Chinese names for these units featured the stem 軍 jun literally corps or army recent studies in English appear to coalesce around referring to these units as divisions Purcell 2010 Wang 1995 etc probably after Powell 1972 The transition from army to divisions was expressed in one study as follows Jung lu Ronglu then proceeded to reorganize the four armies now divisions Purcell 2010 p 29 武毅軍 Wǔyi jun Wu i chun 甘军 甘軍 Gan Jun Kan Chun During this period despite his appointment to the Grand Council Ronglu retained command of the Beiyang Army that defended the capital region 2 Citations Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wuwei Troop a b Ding 1986 p 47 a b c d e f g Powell 1972 pp 102 103 a b c d Wang 1995 p 71 In May 1899 Yuan Shikai commander of China s strongest army the Wuwei Youjun or the Right Division new name for Yuan s Newly Created Army of the Guards Army Note The Guards Army or Wuwei Jun included Left Right Front Rear and Center Divisions Liu 1978 Guo Hui 郭辉 2009 An Account of Ronglu s Military Activities 荣禄军事活动述论 Thesis in Chinese M A Thesis Hebei University The specifics of Cixi s westward journey 慈禧西行 始末 Xinhai Net 辛亥革命网 in Chinese 2010 12 06 Archived from the original on 2012 08 12 Retrieved 2014 02 15 a b c Bodin 1979 p 26 Powell 1972 pp 102 103 Bodin 1979 p 26 a b c Purcell 2010 p 29 Ding 1986 p 47 On the Chinese side the left regiment of the Wuwei division led by Ma Yukun and the Lian division of Zhili led by He Yongsheng were putting up a stubborn defence within the city Rhoads 2011 p 82 It looked to Jian Guiti 1843 1922 commander of the Left Division of the Guards Army Liu 1978 p 98 時間 光緒二十五年二月至宣統三年九月 1899年3月至1911年12月 總統 宋慶 馬玉崑 姜桂題 二十一 三十五營 武衛左軍 translation Time March 1899 to December 1911 commander Song Qing Ma Yukun Jiang Guiti 21 35 battalions Guards Army s Left Division References EditBodin Lynn 1979 The Boxer Rebellion preview Chris Warner illus Osprey Publishing p 26 ISBN 9780850453355 ISBN 978 0 850 45335 5 Ding Mingnan Summer 1986 A Decade of Japan s Aggressive Tactics toward China Oriented by Its National Policy of Waging a Final War with Russia 1895 1904 snippet Chinese Studies in History 19 4 37 62 doi 10 2753 CSH0009 4633190437 abstract Liu Fenghan 劉鳳翰 1978 The Wuwei Army 武衛軍 PDF in Chinese Taipei Institute of Modern History Academia Sinica 中央研究院近代史研究所 OCLC 706894661 Powell Ralph L 1972 The Rise of Chinese Military Power 1895 1912 snippet Princeton Kennikat Press ISBN 9780804616454 Cited by Wang 1995 below as a reference for English translation of terminology Purcell Victor 2010 The Boxer Uprising A Background Study preview Cambridge University Press p 29 ISBN 9780804616454 ISBN 978 0 521 14812 2 Rhoads Edward J M 2011 Manchus and Han Ethnic Relations and Political Power in Late Qing and Early Republican China 1861 1928 preview University of Washington Press p 82 ISBN 9780295804125 ISBN 978 0 295 80412 5 Wang Jianhua Spring Summer 1995 Military Reforms 1895 1908 snippet Chinese Studies in History 28 3 4 67 84 doi 10 2753 CSH0009 463328030467 abstract Reprinted in Douglas R Reynolds ed and trans 1995 China 1895 1912 State Sponsored Reforms and China s Late Qing preview A special issue of Chinese Studies in History a journal of translations M E Sharpe pp 67 84 ISBN 1 56 324749 6 ISBN 978 1 563 24749 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wuwei Corps amp oldid 1128684152, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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