Generals Dong Fuxiang and Ma Haiyan were initially called to fight Japan with some of the better-trained troops available to the Qing state. Instead, renewed revolt in northwestern China forced them to take roughly 30,000 soldiers away from the main war. The diversion shows why China's much greater population did not translate automatically into superiority in Korea or Manchuria. Internal security demands consumed formations that could otherwise have reinforced the front against Japan.
Notable Point · 1:53:40-1:54:30
The Dungan Revolt diverts Qing strength
About 30,000 comparatively well-trained Qing troops were redirected from the Japanese war to suppress the Dungan Revolt in northwestern China.