“他们有点怕英国提督”:皇家海军中国区舰队与甲午战争,1894～1895

"They Are a Little Afraid of the British Admiral" The China Station of the Royal Navy during the First Sino-Japanese War,1894-1895

本文讨论英国皇家海军在甲午战争中的角色。虽然英国政府在战争中希望保持中立并与俄国合作调停清日两国,但英国皇家海军中国区舰队(China Station)的存在却无形中影响了清日两国的战略。可是,由于英国政府低估了自身的海军力量,亦可能高估了其潜在对手的力量,中国区舰队在保护英国利益的过程中,并没有扮演太重要的角色。因此,俄国得以利用较弱的舰队来达成其领土及政治目的,英国却要被迫在东亚增加其军事与海军的资源投入。虽然英国政府希望维持地区的稳定并阻止俄国扩张其影响力,但战争的结果却事与愿违。

This article looks at the role of the British Royal Navy during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894—1895.Although the British government decided to stay neutral and work with Russia to mediate between Japan and China,the presence of the China Station of the Royal Navy played a subtle role in influencing the strategies adopted by China and Japan.However,as the British government underestimated its own naval power and possibly overestimated that of its potential opponents,the China Station played only a limited role in protecting British interests.As a result,Russia used a much weaker fleet to achieve its territorial and political goals, while Britain was forced to increase its military and naval investment in East Asia.The result of the war was the opposite of the intention of the British government, namely,to maintain stability in the area and check the spread of Russian influence.