Chapter 40 Eye-opening visit to Europe and America

On June 11, 1896, Li Hongzhang left Russia for Germany.He arrived in Berlin, Germany by train on the 13th and lived in the Kaiser Building. In Germany, what greeted Li Hongzhang was an unprecedented grand welcome ceremony.The Kaiser sent a royal chariot to pick up Li Hongzhang. On the afternoon of June 14, Li Hongzhang paid a visit to Kaiser Wilhelm II and, on behalf of the Chinese emperor, thanked the Kaiser for his intervention in returning the Liao Dynasty to the Kaiser.The Kaiser expressed the hope that the friendship between the two countries will last forever and that the Great Qing will last forever.On the 15th, Li Hongzhang visited German Foreign Minister Marshall, talking about Britain's abandonment of China, short-sightedness and selfishness, and China had to be friendly with Russia.

In the next few days, at the invitation of the Kaiser, Li Hongzhang visited the German army.The Kaiser specially prepared a tiger leather chair for Li Hongzhang.Seeing the excellent equipment and high morale of the German army, Li Hongzhang couldn't help saying, if I had an army like ten battalions, I wouldn't be afraid of Little Japan. In addition, Li Hongzhang also met with the retired former Prime Minister Bismarck and had a brief talk.During Li Hongzhang's visit to Germany for more than 20 days, he always wanted to ask the secret of Germany's prosperity, but he did not complete the mission of increasing the import tax on foreign goods.

Li Hongzhang is called the Bismarck of the East by the Westerners. In the hotel where Li Hongzhang stayed this time, there were photos of Li Hongzhang and Bismarck hanging on the wall. Bismarck, born in Prussia in 1815, is a famous statesman, military strategist and diplomat in German history. He served as prime minister from 1862 to 1890, with the support of King William I of Prussia , Bismarck vigorously promoted his policy of iron and blood. After launching a series of wars with Denmark, Austria, and France, in 1870, the unification of Germany was finally realized, making Germany a world power alongside Britain and Tsarist Russia.

In this process, Bismarck's reputation as the iron-blooded prime minister was well-known in the European continent.But in 1890, due to disagreement with the new Kaiser Wilhelm II's political views, Bismarck was forced to resign from his post and spent his leisure time in his Hamburg mansion, where he raised flowers and grass to support his life. Although Li Hongzhang's experience is not as legendary as that of Bismarck, there are similarities. He suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army Uprising in his early years, and later became the Governor of Zhili, Minister of Beiyang, and Bachelor of Wenhuadian. It should be said that it is equivalent to Bismarck.It's just that in the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War of 1899-1895, it just fell into the sand and lost all face.

The reason why Li Hongzhang was called the Eastern Shensmarck has a history.That was when he was preparing to build the Beiyang Navy. Once the German Navy Minister Konard visited Li Hongzhang in Tianjin and told him: Mr. Zhongtang, the warship I am on this time is a world-class warship with the most advanced technology and equipment. You are welcome. Have time to visit.Li Hongzhang was most interested in weapons ships, so he agreed and made an appointment to watch them. Unfortunately, it was windy and rainy that day, which was not conducive to going to sea. Li Hongzhang braved the wind and rain to come to Dagukou, but the German warship was still dozens of nautical miles away from the port. It was difficult for their ships to move forward in the wind and waves. At this time, Kona De sent a small boat to contact, and brought a message: The wind and rain are too strong today, and sailing in the sea will be dangerous. At your age, you don't have to take this risk. You can visit another day.

The entourage also dissuaded them one after another, but Li Hongzhang was eager to visit and didn't want to be looked down upon by foreigners, so he resolutely took the translator and got off his boat, boarded the boat and went.Konard was very surprised to see Li Hongzhang's arrival, and he said with emotion: Master Zhongtang is really a person who keeps the promise, such a big wind and rain came as scheduled, such a resolute character, really like our Prime Minister Bismarck.From then on, Konard said that Li Hongzhang was the Eastern Bismarck, and the name of the Eastern Bismarck spread from China and Germany.

In his spare time, Li Hongzhang remembered that he wanted to pay a visit to Bismarck, the iron-blooded prime minister whom he had been friends with for a long time. Hearing that Li Hongzhang, the Eastern Bismarck, was coming to Hamburg, the local people rushed to tell each other, they walked to both sides of the road and stopped to look at each other, hoping to witness the legendary prime minister of the eastern power.Naturally, Bismarck was also very happy. He put on the crown bestowed on him by William I, the cross, and the best attire, and prepared for Li Hongzhang's arrival with the highest standard of etiquette.

Li Hongzhang and Bismarck talked happily.During the conversation between the two parties, Li Hongzhang mentioned that he was called the Bismarck of the East.Bismarck then smiled and said: But I have no hope of becoming the Li Hongzhang of the West! Here is another little story about them. Bismarck was very curious about Chinese archery, so he wanted to see what Chinese archery looked like, and Li Hongzhang readily agreed.Li Hongzhang sent people to perform foot and horse arrows, etc., which made Bismarck very happy.After the performance, the captain of the guard reported to Li Hongzhang that a total of 100 arrows had been fired, and 99 of them were on the target, and one arrow was missing.After a while, the captain of the guard reported that there were twenty shooters, but now there are only nineteen, one less.So Bismarck sent someone to look for it, and found that the archer was lying on the ground with an arrow in his head.It turned out that the shooter was Zhang Letang, and he was accidentally injured by another shooter, and the arrows just passed through his temples on both sides.Li Hongzhang immediately ordered someone to see a doctor for Zhang.Surgeons sawed off the arrows on either side of the shooter's temples and said they were cured.Li Hongzhang asked angrily: What about the arrow in the head?The doctor said: That is a matter of internal medicine.The adults can send him to a physician.Li Hongzhang said: He can't stand up now, how can he find a doctor?The surgeon said: As long as the adults tell you, who dares to disobey?So Li Hongzhang ordered: Zhang Letang stand up!So Zhang Letang really stood up and went to find a physician.When Bismarck saw all this, he was very surprised, so he asked Li Hongzhang: What kind of power made this soldier stand up?Li Hongzhang said proudly: This is the obedience spirit of Chinese soldiers. They take obeying the orders of their officers as their bounden duty.After hearing this, Bismarck was so impressed that he was speechless for a while.

Li Hongzhang did not come here to chat, he came to ask Bismarck for advice on the strategy of governing the country and the army.He quickly got to the point and said: I have made a special trip to visit you this time, and I really have a question to ask.Bismarck asked: What is it?Li Hongzhang then asked: What is the feasible way to realize the great cause of China's rejuvenation?Bismarck pondered for a while and replied: I'm really sorry, our two countries are far apart, and I usually don't pay much attention to the situation in your country, and now I'm old and foolish, so I really don't dare to make rash judgments.However, I believe that if we want to make the country prosperous and strong, we must be united as one.Bismarck thought of the tacit relationship between himself and the late Emperor William I, and couldn't help feeling deeply.

These words also touched Li Hongzhang's heartstrings.Over the years, the Queen's Party and the Imperial Party have never stopped fighting, and the ministers are fighting each other. How many people have come out to really do something for the country?How can we talk about concentricity! Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang had the next question: Then I would like to ask you again, how can we win the competition with the government?Of course, the government Li Hongzhang was referring to was not the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu, but the conservatives in the Military Aircraft Department, because they were always against him and prevented the establishment of Westernization.Of course, Bismarck didn't understand what Li Hongzhang was thinking. He only replied in a general way: As a courtier, you can never compete with the government.In case of disagreement or disagreement with the government, either follow the government's arrangements or speak out.

These two answers from Bismarck actually disappointed Li Hongzhang. How could Bismarck, who claims to have a policy of iron and blood, be so weak?Is it because you are old and have lost your vigor?Li Hongzhang did not give up, and then asked: If you think about the country, how should you govern it?This time I asked about Bismarck's expertise, and he immediately replied: Based on many years of experience, I believe that the army is the foundation of the country, and there is no better support for it.Li Hongzhang agrees with this point of view. For so many years, he has been working hard to build his own army and navy. However, the imperial court and those rotten scholars either embezzled the arrears of military salaries, or passively treated army building. Relying on the merits of our ancestors, idle, ignorant and incompetent, how can we talk about going to the battlefield to charge? Li Hongzhang went on to say: Your Excellency's words are reasonable, and I would like to hear the details.Bismarck saw that Li Hongzhang was interested, so he replied: "Training troops is not about the number, but the quality. Fifty thousand people from all over the country are enough, and they must be young and strong, and their military skills must be excellent. Such troops will have no future." And win.In addition, the whole country only needs one main force, and there is no need to disperse the troops to various places. Of course, some pass fortresses need to be guarded by troops. In this way, once the troops are needed, they can be mobilized at any time and dispatched quickly.Bismarck's point of view was mainly based on those small countries. Of course, he didn't know that China had a vast territory. How could a mere 50,000 troops solve the problem?Li Hongzhang naturally disagreed with this, but he was in the mood to refute it.So he said politely: Thank you for your teaching, which has benefited me a lot.In fact, our country does not lack outstanding young soldiers, what is lacking is coaches and advanced military knowledge.For thirty years, I have worked hard and solitary, lobbying for the construction of the army. Unfortunately, there are very few people in my country who can understand me, so I have not achieved much so far. It is really a pity.This time I went to your country to visit and study, and I saw your country's elite soldiers and generals, who are really exemplary.I want to train recruits according to your country's military system after returning to China. Of course, I hope your country will help and support the military instructors needed.Hearing Li Hongzhang's flattery, Bismarck was delighted: "Naturally, naturally, in the future, your country will need your humble servant, even if you tell me, I will do my best." The meeting ended soon, and the two took a group photo, and Bismarck asked Li Hongzhang to keep his calligraphy as a souvenir. After a day's journey, Li Hongzhang and his party arrived in The Hague, the capital of the Netherlands, on July 5.He attended the welcome banquet and evening party held by the Dutch government that night, which made him very happy and grateful.Due to time constraints, Li Hongzhang only visited this low country for three days, and left the Netherlands on July 8 to arrive in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. On the second day after arriving in Belgium, Li Hongzhang had an audience with King Leopold II of Belgium and discussed with him the construction of the Luhan Railway.During his stay in Belgium, Li Hongzhang watched the military exercises of the Belgian army, visited military factories, and saw the latest products of the Kegler Gun Company, which left a deep impression on him.Seeing that Li Hongzhang liked a new type of cannon very much, the factory manager expressed his willingness to present one to Li Hongzhang.Li Hongzhang was worried that the journey would be so long that his own ship could not afford it, so he expressed his hope that it could be sent to China.Afterwards, the factory manager asked the king of Belgium to send an envoy to transport the cannon to Beijing. After finishing his study visit to Belgium, Li Hongzhang and his party arrived in Paris, France on July 13th.It happened to be the eve of the French National Day, and the next day he went to the Elysee Palace to meet with French President Faure. He was invited to visit the military performance held by the French army for the National Day and participated in the French National Day activities.In the evening, Li Hongzhang visited the Seine River at night and felt the romance of the French.Li Hongzhang negotiated with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hannoteau on the matter of raising taxes according to the pound, and visited newspaper offices, schools, museums, and factories and mines successively. These visits made him very satisfied.He didn't end his visit to France until August 2, and then took a special ferry sent by the French government to cross the English Channel and start his visit to Britain. After arriving in the UK, Li Hongzhang had an audience with Queen Victoria, visited former British Prime Minister Gladstone, and held talks with British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Salisbury on the issue of raising taxes in pounds.In order to understand the Western political system, Li Hongzhang also visited the British House of Representatives. He first went to the House of Commons to observe the members discussing state affairs, and then went to the House of Lords to watch the special throne of the monarch in the house and chat with the members.In Portsmouth Naval Port, he visited the British Navy Fleet, and praised the ranks of the British Navy for their cleanliness and grandeur.He also visited British shipyards, gun factories, steel factories, telegraph offices, banks, etc. He was amazed by Britain's advanced technology and armaments.The visit of important officials from the Qing Dynasty aroused great concern from the British.An Englishman described the 73-year-old Li Hongzhang he saw in this way: He looks like a strangely tall and kind-looking foreigner from another world.His blue robes are resplendent, his steps and demeanor are dignified, and he smiles gratefully and gracefully at everyone.Judging from his appearance, people will think that Li Hongzhang is difficult to approach. This is not because he impresses you with a great sense of accomplishment or personality strength, but because his expression gives people a sense of majesty, like some kind of demigod. Self-confident and detached, yet refined and superior to the struggling masses.Li Hongzhang also participated in the reception held by HSBC with great interest. When the British businessmen expressed their intention to go to China to explore the market, Li Hongzhang, who was open-minded and well versed in economics, immediately blurted out: he really has the same heart. On August 22, Li Hongzhang and his party ended their last stop in Europe, England, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for a visit to the United States.After six days of sea voyage, it arrived in New York, USA on the 28th.When the passenger ship Li Hongzhang was on arrived in New York Harbor, the most powerful fleet of the U.S. Navy lined up in the harbor one by one, firing salutes to welcome the important ministers of the Qing Dynasty.To welcome Li Hongzhang's arrival, US President Cleveland, who was on vacation at the seaside, rushed to New York and met with Li Hongzhang the next day.During the meeting, the two sides discussed the issue of raising taxes according to the pound.Afterwards, Li Hongzhang conducted a series of frequent visits and inspection activities.On September 3, he met with leaders of American Christian churches in New York and praised the merits of American missionaries in China.After leaving New York, Li Hongzhang arrived in Philadelphia, where he visited the US Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and then arrived in Washington from Philadelphia to visit the US Congress and the Library.It was not until September 5 that Li Hongzhang and his party left Washington for British Canada. On the way to Canada, when he passed the US-Canada border, he visited Niagara Falls on the US-Canada border, enjoyed the natural scenery here, and then went to Toronto.After a short stay in Toronto, Li Hongzhang and his party came to Vancouver, a city on the west coast of Canada.So far, Li Hongzhang's visits to Europe and the United States have all come to an end. On September 14th, Li Hongzhang and his entourage crossed the Pacific Ocean on a ship of the American Pacific Shipping Company and embarked on a voyage back to China.Arriving at Yokohama Port, Japan requires a change of ship.When he left Maguan that year, Li Hongzhang once said that he would not live in the sun all his life. When changing ships, when he saw that the turnover was a Japanese ship, he resolutely refused to board the ship.He was determined not to let his spirit and body have any more relationship with the Japanese land.The attendants had no choice but to set up a springboard between the American ship and the China Merchants ship, and helped him onto the China Merchants ship at the risk of falling into the sea. Li Hongzhang's trip to Europe and America lasted 190 days from his departure from Shanghai on March 28 to his arrival in Tianjin on October 3.During this period, he passed through four continents, crossed three oceans, traveled more than 90,000 miles by land and water, and visited eight countries in Europe and America, especially the five major European and American countries at that time. As a senior in his seventies, it was not easy. It is also unprecedented in the world. It can be said that he was the first minister in the Qing Dynasty to visit the world.His visit has had its share of gains and losses.In terms of gain, it is his ideological gain.During this visit, because he personally inspected the politics, economy, military, science and technology and culture of the main capitalist countries in the West, he saw the social reality of the West with his own eyes, opened his eyes, and deeply realized the gap between China and the West. The Western countries are strong and prosperous, while China is poor and weak, so urgent efforts must be made to truthfully state what they have seen and heard in Europe and the United States to Emperor Guangxu and Cixi, hoping that China can catch up with the Western powers, and they also have ideological sympathy for the bourgeois reformers. It is the successful side of his visit.But there was also a side of the trip that he lost.Because he signed the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" with Russia on behalf of the Qing government, it damaged China's sovereignty and caused serious troubles.Just over a year after the signing of this secret agreement, Germany and Russia colluded with each other and worked in collusion. They successively leased Jiaozhou Bay, Lushun, and Dalian in China, and established spheres of influence. Other Western powers followed closely, dragging China to the Divide the edge.Of course, the cause of the partition crisis facing China cannot be entirely attributed to Li Hongzhang himself, but his diplomatic miscalculation in visiting Europe and the United States cannot but be said to be one of the triggers for Western powers to partition China. Time goes by, the sun and the moon fly by.Li Hongzhang has been dead for nearly a hundred years. History has long commented on his merits and demerits.His visit around the world, like his other words and deeds, has been permanently left in the modern history of China.