Beiyang Army
| Beiyang Army | |
|---|---|
| 北洋軍 | |
 |
|
| Country |
 Qing Dynasty1880s–1912  Republic of China (Beiyang Government)1912–1928 |
| Role | New Army |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Yuan Shikai Yinchang Feng Guozhang |
The Beiyang Army (Pei-yang Army; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Běi Yáng Jūn; Wade–Giles: Pei3-yang2 Chün1; literally: "North Ocean Army") was a powerful, Western-style Imperial Chinese Army established by the Qing Dynasty government in the late 19th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of Qing China's military system. The Beiyang Army played a major role in Chinese politics for at least three decades and arguably right up to 1949. It made the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 possible, and, by dividing into warlord factions known as the Beiyang Clique (Pei-yang Clique; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Běiyáng Jūnfá; Wade–Giles: Pei3-yang2 Chün1-fa2), ushered in a period of regional division.
The Beiyang Army was created from Li Hongzhang's Huai Army, which first saw action during the Taiping Rebellion. Unlike the traditional Green Standard or Banner forces of the Qing, the Huai Army was largely a militia army based on personal, rather than institutional, loyalties. The Huai Army was at first equipped with a mixture of traditional and modern weapons. Its creator, Li Hongzhang, used the customs and tax revenues of the five provinces under his control in the 1880s and 1890s to modernize segments of the Huai Army, and to build a modern navy (the Beiyang Fleet). It is around this time that the term "Beiyang Army" began to be used to refer to the military forces under his control. The term "Beiyang", meaning literally "Northern Ocean", refers to the customs revenues collected in North China, which were used first to fund the Beiyang Fleet and later the Beiyang Army. However, funding was usually irregular and training by no means systematic. It was said "In the end there is no doubt that Japan must be utterly crushed." by the British military adviser Captain William M. Lang.
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