In history, Li Hongzhang has signed about 30 treaties, most of which are unequal treaties, such as the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the Treaty of Xinchou. For many years, Li Hongzhang has been accused of being a "big professional traitor" by everyone, and has an iron case like a mountain. Historical figures are often multifaceted crystals with rich connotations, and can not be generally said to be good or bad, negative or positive figures. To deify and demonize (demonize) historical figures at will, or to label them blindly, and to generalize their faces (crabs) will certainly lead to metaphysics. Before a historical figure is presented, it is necessary to conduct a realistic study, master sufficient materials, and form a mature perspective to light up the outlook.
Nowadays, there are many opinions on Li Hongzhang's evaluation in the theoretical circle. I'd like to talk about them from the perspective of Fang Family.
Empress Dowager Cixi put forward the idea of "measuring the material resources of China and making friends with the country", and the Qing government (crab) office was truly "the court of foreigners". Li Hongzhang is a senior official of the imperial court. He can't get away from the fact that the imperial court is traitorous. However, in his heart, he was extremely dissatisfied with the flattery of the Qing court. The government (crab) of the Qing Dynasty was about to run out of steam. He regarded the dead horse as a living horse doctor, and tried his best to do a lot of things to "strive for wealth" and "defend the country", such as setting up westernization, building a strong navy, and so on. In modern China, machinery manufacturing, mountain opening and coal mining, wire and telegraph, running modern schools, sending overseas students and other aspects were all related to Li Hongzhang's efforts. These events reflected Li Hongzhang's concern about the fate of the Qing Dynasty, and he tried to make up for many bad acts of the Qing Dynasty with his actions. Whatever the outcome of these events, there is no doubt that the original intention is to serve the country in good faith.
Li Hongzhang was one of the few people in the Qing government (crab) mansion who had a world vision and a resolute character. The humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki has been signed, and Li Hongzhang returned from Japan, vowing "never to visit Japan for life". The next year, in 1896, Li Hongzhang completed his mission of visiting Europe and the United States, returned from the United States and changed ships in Yokohama, Japan. In order to fulfill his promise, he refused to set foot on the Yokohama Wharf in Japan in any case, so people had to put up a board between the American ship and the ship he was going to change, and the elderly Li Hongzhang stepped on the board and staggered to change the ship. What kind of emotion is this? The helplessness to the current situation of the country! Hate for vicious enemies! In the face of people's various criticisms, Li Hongzhang's painstaking efforts and grievances are hard to find a theory. On one occasion, all the military aircraft ministers presented a memorial to the emperor. There was a passage in the memorial: "China's defeat was due to non westernization, not Li Hongzhang's fault." Li Hongzhang was in tears after hearing this, and finally someone understood.
Some people said that Li Hongzhang did not run westernization affairs for "China", but for the Qing court, which belonged to the family of Aixin Jueluo. The Qing court repeatedly signed contracts with foreign powers, traded with them with national interests as a bargaining chip, and obtained their own survival. This was a betrayal of national interests. To help the Qing court was to deny national interests. However, before the Great Revolution, it can be said that the Qing court was not the owner of the country, but the owner was the people. However, it can be said that the Qing court was in charge of the national interests. In this sense, the Qing court represents China in a practical sense. Even though Li Hongzhang was serving the Qing Dynasty, it was good for China and the people would benefit from it. Li Hongzhang's struggle for the interests of the Qing government is objectively beneficial to the country. It is possible to infer his subjective ideas from his objective behavior and to affirm Li Hongzhang's national feelings in a limited way.
Based on this consideration, let's look at Li Hongzhang's foreign signing behavior. I think there are two points to be explained:
First, Li Hongzhang had to sign the contract. China's feudal autocratic system has not adapted to social development, and its end is irreversible. When dying, people are the prey, and I am the fisherman, which is not transferred by personal will. There must be someone to do things when the battle is defeated. Li Hongzhang, together with Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang and Zhang Zhidong, was called the four greatest eccentrics in the late Qing Dynasty. Li Hongzhang is familiar with international rules, and has experienced in dealing with foreigners. Both the Qing government and foreigners are optimistic. Therefore, Li Hongzhang was pushed to the front of history and signed many traitorous treaties with foreigners on behalf of the Qing Dynasty. No matter how shameless a person is, he will not willingly give away the beautiful rivers and mountains and the white silver. The country is under the control of others, so signing a contract is a must, and the government (crab) government is incompetent and has to be pushed around. Li Hongzhang's political identity determines that he must obey the imperial court. Otherwise, there will be Zhu Hongzhang, Niu Hongzhang and Ma Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang intended to change history, but he did not have the practical ability.
Second, Li Hongzhang has done his best for the national interests. The corruption and backwardness of the late Qing Dynasty doomed the treaty signed between the Qing government and the foreign powers to be a treaty of loss of power and humiliation. Li Hongzhang was ordered to act. This kind of betrayal was the betrayal of the Qing government (crab). However, at the same time, Li Hongzhang, with his unique personal ability, tried to minimize the losses of the Qing government (crab) and safeguard the national interests. When the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, Li Hongzhang repeatedly negotiated and bargained with Japanese Prime Minister Itangbo Wen, and said, "You can let tens of thousands of taels of silver, even if it's Sichuan investment from my hometown!" So that Japanese right-wing thugs still wanted to assassinate Li Hongzhang. At the time of the signing of the "Xinchou Treaty", Li Hongzhang was already old, holding his sick body and fighting with the foreign powers, almost at the top of his voice. However, weak countries have no diplomacy. At this time, it may be difficult to send a very patriotic person to sign a treaty that is more capable of signing than Li Hongzhang.
In September 1901, Li Hongzhang signed the "Xinchou Treaty", and the Qing government (crab) government compensated 450 million taels of silver, 450 million Chinese people "one or two per capita", which was a humiliation to all Chinese people by the great powers. When Li Hongzhang came back after signing, he was angry and embarrassed. He vomited blood. The doctor diagnosed that the stomach blood vessel was broken. Two months later, Russia, which was relied on by Li Hongzhang as a strong supporter, raised the issue again and proposed to conclude a treaty with China that would be more harmful to China's sovereignty. Li Hongzhang was so angry that he could not afford to vomit blood. He died on September 27. With endless regret, he completed the tortuous life journey at the age of 78. An hour before he died, the Russian envoy stood at the head of Li Hongzhang's bed, still threatening Li Hongzhang to sign the treaty that Russia occupied Northeast China. Li Hongzhang, who had argued with foreigners all his life for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, could no longer speak, only shed tears. When he died, "his eyes were still bright and not closed".
Li Hongzhang's youth passed the imperial examinations, his youth enlisted in the army, his middle age sealed the border, and in his heyday of westernization, he was branded "traitors and traitors" in his later years. Li Hongzhang's tragedy is a tragedy in the historical process, and he is a tragic figure in the historical inevitability. Liang Qichao had different political views from Li Hongzhang, but wrote the Emperor's masterpiece Biography of Li Hongzhang: "Respect Li Hongzhang's talent", "Cherish Li Hongzhang's knowledge", "Grief Li Hongzhang's encounter", and called Li Hongzhang a figure in Chinese history for thousands of years. Anyway, there is a pertinent comment.
