Liang Qichao respected, cherished and lamented Li Hongzhang in the late Qing Dynasty. He "respected Li Hongzhang's talent" and "cherished Li Hongzhang's knowledge", and at the same time "sad for Li Hongzhang's encounter".
This evaluation by Liang Qichao actually implies that Li Hongzhang is a very controversial person. He, Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong, and Zuo Zongtang are jointly known as the "Four Famous Ministers of ZTE", and they also made Japan Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito takes a different view. From this point of view, he should be an extraordinary figure, but some people have once compared him with Qin Hui. This is undoubtedly the most severe "negative" of Li Hongzhang.
Some people say he is "good" and some people say he is "bad". Why is this?
Although Li Hongzhang was said to have led the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty, he also signed a number of unequal treaties on behalf of the Qing Dynasty, such as the "Xinchou Treaty", and the Chinese people denied him. At the same time, his life There are also signs of "corruption" on his resume. Therefore, even though he tried his best to minimize "losses" when signing the treaty, he still could not extinguish people's raging anger caused by the "treaty".
It is worth noting that although the treaty was signed by Li Hongzhang, he was an important minister of the Qing Dynasty and had a very high reputation. He could not only focus on personal impulse, but his decisions were more about Under the situation, weigh the strength of all parties, and do what you can.
For example, when signing the "Xinchou Treaty", Li Hongzhang signed his name in the shape of the word "Su". From this, we can easily see that Li Hongzhang was unwilling to "sign the treaty" ", but there is nothing we can do. However, just such a word "su" is also Li Hongzhang's final "struggle" and "reservation". 1. Li Hongzhang and the "Xinchou Treaty" - "Prisoners" who were treated with courtesy
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the situation was turbulent. Even the famous officials of the late Qing Dynasty were unable to fight back in the face of foreign guns and cannons. In this era, there will be times when you know you will be despised by thousands of people, but you have no choice but to do it.
Li Hongzhang’s later years were like this.
Li Hongzhang was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties on behalf of the Qing government under the plans of Cixi, himself, and the overall situation. The "Xinchou Treaty" was the last treaty signed by Li Hongzhang before his death. A "treaty".
According to records, in 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded, Cixi wanted to "appease" the Boxer Rebellion, but he failed to control the complex situation well, and northern China fell into chaos.
When the situation became increasingly uncontrollable, Cixi, who was on the run, sent a telegram to Li Hongzhang, urging him to go north. On October 5, more than a hundred Russian troops "escorted" Li Hongzhang and left Tianjin for the north.
At that time, foreign media jokingly called Li Hongzhang a "prisoner" who received courtesy.
After arriving at his destination, Li Hongzhang started nine months of negotiations with foreign powers.
In the long-term tug-of-war, facing the difficult foreign powers, Li Hongzhang's old illness relapsed. He knew that his time was short, and while he was ill, he directed his subordinates to reduce compensation and reduce losses. Finally, the "Xinchou Treaty" was reduced from the initial 1 billion taels of silver to 450 million taels. 2. On the "Xin Chou Treaty", Li Hongzhang signed his last "reservation"
Although Li Hongzhang tried his best in the last time to make the inevitable "Xin Chou Treaty" bring great consequences to the Qing Dynasty The recent losses have been minimized, but the people still rank him with "Qin Hui". Yan Xiaoer now seems to have mixed feelings.
Someone has to do some "humiliating" things.
But the world only saw the humiliating results, but did not chew on the difficult struggles Li Hongzhang made in order to reduce losses.
As for Li Hongzhang's final "struggle" at the risk of his life in signing the "Xinchou Treaty", Yan Xiaoer boldly said that there are not many people today who can compare with him.
It is worth noting that by signing the "Xin Chou Treaty", Li Hongzhang earned himself the last bit of "respect" in a special way, which was also his last bit of "reservation."
On the treaty, he signed his name with the word "Su".
Why is the word "Su" used?
"Su Yibo" is the name given to him by the Qing court, and the "Su" signed by Li Hongzhang before his death, in my opinion, is his last "reservation" and "resistance" .
"Su Yibo" represents the imperial court, not Li Hongzhang himself.
As a man of flesh and blood, even on his deathbed, Li Hongzhang must be able to understand the "humiliation" of this contract. Once signed, he will be despised by thousands of people. And he was already aware of this kind of despised thing behind his back.
However, signing this treaty was not his original intention, and he was absolutely unwilling to do so. However, due to the weakness of the Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang could only sign it. Bitter, weak, sad and angry, but also powerless, Li Hongzhang used "su" to express his true intention to future generations.
A famous minister of a generation vomited a large mouthful of blood on his way back after signing a treaty, and then his body took a turn for the worse.
On November 7, 1901, Li Hongzhang was almost exhausted, but he seemed to have unfinished things on his mind, until someone around him said to him:
"The Russians said, After Zhongtang leaves, we will never embarrass China! Also, the two palaces will arrive in Beijing soon... We will take care of the unfinished business, please don't worry!"
At this point, 78-year-old Li Hongzhang closed his eyes. 3. The controversial Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang also made many efforts to revitalize the country. However, some of the national salvation measures he made in his later years, such as the Westernization Movement, were ineffective due to reasons such as too strong foreign enemies. It is not very obvious. At the same time, he also has personal corruption cases and some decision-making errors, which has caused him to be greatly criticized by the outside world, including some "treaties" he signed.
However, what is undeniable is that when the "Xin Chou Treaty" was signed, the "su" written by Li Hongzhang contained unwillingness, sadness, and humiliation, which we can understand.
At this point, in Yan Xiaoer’s heart, Li Hongzhang had the heart to protect the country, and he also worked hard with foreign powers for this purpose, so Liang Qichao called him "respectful"; although he tried his best to protect the country, it was humiliating. He also signed the treaty, but Liang Qichao felt helpless. Although Li Hongzhang himself was once among the "Four Famous Officials of ZTE", he also had corruption experience and made failed decisions. This was "pity" in Liang Qichao's eyes. sad".
Taking history as a guide, Li Hongzhang’s ups and downs life in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, which was undergoing great changes, was not perfect. So, did Li Hongzhang, who signed a series of treaties, have "merits" or "mistakes" for future generations? There is room for discussion for everyone.
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