 Chinese troops from the Huai Army, were stationed in Asan, south of Seoul, numbering 3,000 men in early July, could be effectively supplied only by sea through the Bay of Asan.The Japanese plan was to blockade the entrance of the Bay of Asan, while her land forces moved overland to encircle the Chinese detachment in Asan before reinforcements arrived by sea.In the early months of 1894 the Donghak Rebellion broke out in southern Korea, and soon spread throughout the rest of the country, threatening the Korean capital, Seoul, itself.