Senior commander Li wanted to avoid battle until the fleet obtained working ammunition, but the imperial court dismissed the warning as cowardice. Without sufficient serviceable rounds, crews could not practice gunnery often enough to become proficient. Some shells were thirteen years old or condemned, while reports described others filled with cement or porcelain. Purchases in the wrong caliber show how a favorable price can become a readiness failure when procurement is detached from the weapon it must supply.
Notable Point · 1:03:09-1:04:58
How defective ammunition hollowed out paper strength
Old, condemned, incorrectly filled, and wrong-caliber shells prevented the Beiyang Fleet from practicing regularly or realizing its nominal firepower.