Gunboats, sloops, and Yangtze presence

Ocean-going sloops are separated from low-freeboard gunboats intended for coastal and river work. Bramble-, Insect-, and Fly-class vessels show why shallow draft and hot-climate service shaped ships that had to travel far inland. On the Yangtze, a gunboat combined armed personnel, protected evacuation space, and enough firepower to make a visible political point. Fractured Chinese authority was more complicated than a simple vacuum: competing warlords and outside powers each claimed state-like authority without consistently controlling the river system.