Chinese losses were never stated, but they are believed to have been
much less than was expected. The entire crews of the Lai Yuen and Wei
Yuen were lost, and most of those in the Ching Yuen.
Wei-hai-wei was won chiefly through sheer human inability to stand
the strain of the everlasting bombardment and torpedo menace. Guns
accomplished practically nothing directly towards it, and even the
torpedo _per se_ was not decisive. The principal factor was Admiral
Ito’s persistent and unremitting attack.
With Wei-hai-wei the war was practically over. The only remaining
incident of note was an attack on Formosa, in which, if all accounts
are true, the Japanese did not shine very greatly, or else there are
problems in war which in peace cannot be conceived. It is stated that
the Japanese began to bombard at 8 a.m. The Chinese had loaded all
guns; they left a few men to fire them, and then retired. Reply ceased
about 8.30, but the Japanese did not, it is said, discover it till
about 2 p.m. An explanation, of course, is that they did not trust the
silence of the forts—which is reasonable enough. That they did not
notice it is the accusation of their critics.