In 1888, Qing Dynasty China splashed out some 1,350 tonnes of silver to buy its North Sea Fleet, which almost overnight became the world's eighth largest navy and, supposedly, the most formidable in Asia. That fiction was dramatically exposed just six years later when China's shiny new armada was crushed by the much better organised Imperial Navy of Japan in the Battle of the Yalu River. The humiliating defeat accelerated the decline of China and the rise of Japan, a shift in power cemented a decade later by Japan's stunning naval victory over Russia.
1888年，北洋水师宣告成立。此前manbetx3.0 清政府为此耗费了大约1350吨白银购置军舰。几乎一夜之间，北洋水师成为世界第八大海军，并且照理也是亚洲最强大的舰队。但这一幻觉仅在6年后就被戏剧性地击碎了。这支耀眼的新舰队在中日甲午海战中，被更为组织有方的日本帝国海军打得全军覆没。这场耻辱的失败，加速了manbetx3.0 的衰落和日本的崛起。10年后，日本在日俄海战中令人震惊地获胜，巩固了这一实力转移。