Changes

==The Expedition==

==The Expedition==

Japanese troops first landed on Taiwanese shores on May 2nd, 1874. On the 22nd of that month, they fought the [[Battle of Stone Gate]], which would be the chief battle of the conflict. Saigô himself first arrived within the next week or so, and the fighting ended in June.

Japanese troops (along with some number of Americans)<ref>"China's Worst Diplomat," ''The Economist'', 21 Dec 2013, 72.</ref> first landed on Taiwanese shores on May 2nd, 1874. On the 22nd of that month, they fought the [[Battle of Stone Gate]], which would be the chief battle of the conflict. Saigô himself first arrived within the next week or so, and the fighting ended in June.

Though the Japanese were ultimately victorious, the expedition suffered from numerous difficulties. The initial landing on the island is said to have been poorly executed, and the Japanese forces were, in various ways, ill-prepared for the tropical climate. Many men lost their lives to disease, and much equipment was useless in that environment and had to be abandoned.<ref>Conrad Schirokauer, David Lurie, and Suzanne Gay, ''A Brief History of Japanese Civilization'', Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 192.</ref>

Though the Japanese were ultimately victorious, the expedition suffered from numerous difficulties. The initial landing on the island is said to have been poorly executed, and the Japanese forces were, in various ways, ill-prepared for the tropical climate. Many men lost their lives to disease, and much equipment was useless in that environment and had to be abandoned.<ref>Conrad Schirokauer, David Lurie, and Suzanne Gay, ''A Brief History of Japanese Civilization'', Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 192.</ref>