I don't think Japan can destroy the Qing Dynasty, after all, the Qing Dynasty is too big a piece of meat for Japan to eat, and the great powers will not allow Japan to destroy the Qing Dynasty.
The Opium War wanted the Qing Dynasty to know the gap between itself and the world, in order to save itself and learn various Western technologies, and sent students to study comprehensively, just to change the backward and beaten situation, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was obsessed with ** and equipment, and did not intend to deeply reform domestic politics, which wanted the Westernization Movement to never fundamentally change China.
Through the Meiji Restoration, Japan embarked on the road of enriching the country and strengthening the army, and Japan was reborn and had enough strength to make a statement to the outside world. The General Staff Headquarters of Japan also formulated the "Qing National Expedition Policy" as a war guidebook, and it can be seen that Japan made complete preparations for a war with the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Meiji in order to be able to buy ** a day to eat, Cixi in order to repair the garden for herself, mobilized the navy military spending, resulting in the Beiyang Fleet has no money to buy ammunition, from the attitude of the supreme ruler, the Qing Dynasty this war is more auspicious.
There will be a war between China and Japan, and the Qing Dynasty will have more evil and less auspicious.
I believe that although the Qing Dynasty was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War, if it did not agree to negotiate with Japan, Japan could not destroy the Qing Dynasty.
The Beiyang Fleet has failed, the Nanyang Fleet is still there, if the Qing ** transfers its northward to theoretically be able to fight with Japan, and there is also that after Japan attacks Shanhaiguan, it does not dare to attack the Chinese mainland, that is, the domestic economy can no longer bear it, and timely peace talks to obtain the greatest interests is the best policy, Japan is afraid that the Qing ** will continue to fight, once it continues, Japan will lose.
Although the Qing ** was defeated, but the territory is vast, the population is large, there are many strategic places, Japan rashly attacked the inland, it will be the same as the eight-year war of resistance, the battle line is too long, the supply can not keep up, Japan can only see the good and receive, otherwise they will not be able to bear the protracted war, from the Qing ** to get the greatest benefits for the best policy.
The reason why the Qing ** made peace talks, they were afraid that Beijing would be lost, which would have a serious impact on the Qing ** rule, and in order to avoid this situation, they could only negotiate peace with Japan, and they did not hesitate to pay reparations and cede land.
To sum up, if the Qing Dynasty resolutely does not hold peace talks with Japan, Japan will not be able to destroy the Qing Dynasty, and at most it will continue to fight with another one, and Japan will definitely not be able to fight in order to obtain the greatest benefits, which is peace talks.