Abstract: During the Sino-Japanese War there emerged us the Qing government two factions ---a pro-war group led by Wong Tonghe and a pro-Peace group around Li Hongzhang.How should we assess these factions?Could war have been prevented if China had sued for peace？Who was responsible for China’s defeat?These major question of principle must be discussed.This essay argues that the Sino-Japanese War was entirely the result of Japanese plots and instigation.There are many reasons for China’s defeat，but it is a mistake to view it as a result of Wang and his faction’s opposition to peace and advocacy of a war of resistance.