CHINESE STRATEGY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3798, 17 September 1883, Page 4

CHINESE STRATEGY.

AVai-san Taipo, a Chinese paper published in Hongkong, gives the following strategical opinions on tho course to be pursued by China when confronted by all the modern appliances of AVestern nations:—"lt is quite possible for China to possess herself of all those appliances, and to face a foreign enemy in tho open field ; but it is vain to trust to strength—strategy is the great thing. The enemy should bo tempted to advance so far that avc can cut off their retreat and slay them, or dexterous men should lie in iiank, or pitfalls should be dug where they may bo entrapped and slain, or the face of tho country should be altered so that they may be bewildered, and then attacked aud conquered Avith ease. So much for strategy on land. Sec how it has been practised by the Black Flags to tho discomfiture of tho French. Those Europeans trust to their musketry, but Aye -will not fear musketry ; Aye Avill show them something better than musketry, which they cannot fatTsom, and against Avhich their strength Avill bo nil and their hearts Avill quail. They will have to be conquered, however much thoy may dislike it. Then on the water the}- trust to their great and strong ships of Avar. Tbe Black Flags havo no such ships to attack tho enemy with. But also there strategy is tho > only resort. Before the Avarships have arrived, if wo could hurry up and fill up tho sea with stones thoy could not approach us, or if, Avhen they are just arriving, avc could interpose a barrier of sand or Avood, that would keep them out; or again, Aye might burn them, as Chan Yu burnt the ships of Ts'au Ts'au in the Sam Kwok, reducing them to ashes. Since avc have not tho same strong ships that tho enemy has so handy, avo must baffle them by our superior skill. Nothing else Avill do if avc aro not to be shattered to pieces by them. The dread of our military pOAver, ourprestige, can be uphold in this way and in no other,

Tlia city of Canton, for instance, might soon bo desolate under the boom of their cannons, if two or three of their warships were once anchored iv front of it; but let Fumun be strongly held and let the approaches of tho city be at the same time promptly filled up with sand and stones, and we can defy them. AVhether there is to be Avar Avith France or not it Avould be hard to say ; but whenever war comes with a European power depend upon it wo arc bound to conquer by skill and not by strength." ____________