A particular chain of events resulted in catastrophe. China was in a weakened state as it had no centralized government and the country was divided into parts; each ruled by a different warlord. Both Japanese and Russian forces were taking advantage of China's weakness to seize land. In 1904 Russian occupational forces were attacked by the Japanese army in Manchuria. A major battle ensued for the next 18 months. In the end the Japanese and Russians signed Manchuria over to China through the treaty of Portsmouth in 1905. However, both invading nations were allocated a railway line they coul…
