The New Army, more fully called the Newly Created Army, was the modernised army corps formed under the Qing dynasty in December 1895, following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. It was envisioned as a regular and professional fully trained and equipped according to Western standards with a reserve. In 1903 an imperial edict expanded it to 36 divisions of 12,500 men each, or total of 450,000 in peacetime supplemented by a further 523,000 reservists in wartime though it never achieved a strength above 300,000.
Chinese soldiers in 1899–1901. Left: three infantrymen of the New Imperial Army. Front: drum major of the regular army. Seated on the trunk: field artilleryman. Right: Boxers.
A prominent advocate of military reform
Ronglu a prominent Manchu military official and nominal commander of the Wuwei Corps
Troops of the Wuwei Corps escorting Dowager Empress Cixi.
The First Sino-Japanese War or the First China–Japan War was a conflict between the Qing dynasty and Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the port of Weihaiwei, the Qing government sued for peace in February 1895.
First Sino-Japanese War
Image: Battle of Phungdo
Image: Battle of the Yellow Sea by Korechika
Image: 16126.d.1(14) The Battle of Pyongyang