In the story shared before, Zeng Guofan once taught Li Hongzhang to be "sincere" when he was late for dinner; Because Li Hongzhang has a bad temper, he was taught The Classics of the Court, and he was taught to be modest and to "stand up". Zeng Guofan has been instructing and educating Li Hongzhang, which has restrained his arrogance to some extent and played a vital role in shaping his character in the future. ?
However, some readers have questioned this: Li Hongzhang has been engaged in diplomacy for so many years, and the result is to cede land compensation for peace. Since Zeng Guofan's education level is so high, why not teach Li Hongzhang how to engage in diplomacy? ?
In fact, Zeng Guofan did teach Li Hongzhang how to engage in diplomacy. ?
When Zeng Guofan became the governor of Zhili, the Westernization Movement in China had just begun, and many diplomatic activities with foreigners were in the charge of Zeng Guofan. After the "Tianjin Religious Plan" happened, Zeng Guofan was criticized by the ruling and opposition parties for humiliating peace, so he had to take a back seat and let Li Hongzhang take his place. ?
After Li Hongzhang took office, Zeng Guofan wrote to him many times to teach him so many years of experience in dealing with westernization. These letters have been kept in Li Hongzhang's home. After Li Hongzhang's death, his assistant Wu Rulun recorded some letterheads so that these words could be read again. ?
There is a letter like this. ?
"You handed over to the enemy, quite arrogant, high status, you should always behave yourself. When communicating with foreigners, we should be tactful and decent, and we should not mistake Jane's pride for her character. Those who have a backbone are self-reliant inside, have nothing to ask for outside, and are not arrogant. " ?
It turns out that Zeng Guofan has been educating Li Hongzhang, but a leopard cannot change his spots. Li Hongzhang is respectful to the superior, but still arrogant to the subordinate. Therefore, Zeng Guofan emphatically warned him that he should be more cautious now that he is in a high position. When dealing with foreigners, we should not look down on them, but treat them smoothly. ?
Zeng Guofan was right to warn Li Hongzhang not to be arrogant. However, Zeng Guofan still seems to look at foreigners with the eyes of "Yi Di". He warned Li Hongzhang to be obedient to foreigners, meaning that foreigners are "under the enemy", not as good as Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. ?
Another letter said so. ?
"Yi Wu is difficult to deal with, but it is nothing more than loyalty and respect. Loyal and honest. Respect, caution. Believe, even if you don't lie, it is extremely difficult. We should start now, and what we say today will not change tomorrow because of small interests. " ?
There is also a letter. ?
"As a general, although I have the ambition of Goujian Habitat, Tian Chan keeps the ambition of Jimo, but it is very peaceful outside. For the military and civilians in China, it is more meaningful to have peace. " ?
Does Zeng Guofan's diplomatic secret make sense? Zeng Guofan emphasized "loyalty, faithfulness, loyalty and respect", which means keeping promises to people. This is the golden rule of running the army and treating others. However, it is a bit too pedantic to use it on the diplomatic table where you get what you pay for. ?
The diplomatic principle of foreigners is that there are no eternal friends and enemies, only eternal interests. As a qualified diplomat, you need to constantly adjust your diplomatic strategy according to the changes in the situation. Foreigners' diplomacy is not limited to their beliefs, but what has been decided cannot be changed, which will make the country's diplomatic work passive. ?
In addition, Zeng Guofan also asked Li Hongzhang to learn from Gou Jian and Tian Dan. When he encountered difficulties in diplomacy, he had to endure a moment of anger, try his best to make a comeback and show a conciliatory attitude on the surface. As for ordinary people, we should teach them to live in peace with foreigners and not let them have any xenophobic ideas. ?
On the whole, the word "Rang" is Zeng Guofan's skill of keeping fit. He also practiced this principle when dealing with the "Tianjin religious lesson plan". Although it was a good intention to avoid war, it was too weak for foreigners, and instead * * * frustrated foreigners' ambition to invade China. ?
Later, in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the year of Xin Chou, Li Hongzhang negotiated with foreigners. It was by inheriting the diplomatic principles advocated by Zeng Guofan that he endured a temporary humiliation. However, after the crisis was settled, Qing * * * did not have the courage to work hard, and still muddled along, not to mention the so-called revenge?
Zeng Guofan himself is not good at diplomacy, so he wants to guide Li Hongzhang in this respect, which is of little help to enhance Li Hongzhang's diplomatic ability.