Chapter 3 Chapter 2 The Position of Li Hongzhang

The relationship between Chinese history and Li Hongzhang The relationship between the history of this dynasty and Li Hongzhang If you want to comment on the character of Li Hongzhang, you must be familiar with the country where Li Hongzhang lived and the era in which he was born. One said that Li Hongzhang lived in a country where the monarchy had been autocratic for thousands of years, and when the autocratic regime had evolved completely and reached its peak. The second is that the place where Li Hongzhang lived was the time when the Manchurians entered the kingdom of Zhongxia, and they had been mixed for a long time, and the rights of the Han people were gradually restored.

The commentator said: Li Hongzhang is also a powerful minister in modern China.I don't know what the definition of the so-called power minister is.Although, if Li Hongzhang is compared with Huo Guang and Cao Cao in the Han Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng in the Ming Dynasty, and the ministers of the so-called constitutional monarchies in Europe, America and Japan in modern times, their powers are inherently different.To make Hongzhang a powerful minister, to see the powerful ministers in ancient China, who are good at power and blessing, hold hostages hostage, the world looks sideways, endanger the society, and Hongzhang is a bandit who has nothing to covet, so he can be called a pure minister.Let Hongzhang be a minister of power, and look at the ministers of power in modern countries, who are vigorous and vigorous, reform common government, manipulate well, and do not avoid resentment.Although, Li Hongzhang's situation is inherently different from those of them, I try to discuss it with readers, from ancient to modern times.

China is a country with an autocratic regime, and the world knows it.Although, its autocratic regime also follows the axiom of evolution, gradually developed, and has only been perfected since the present generation, so the power of the powerful ministers has been eroded so far.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period, the three Huan of Lu, the Liuqing of Jin, and Chen Tian of Qi were the giants of powerful officials through the ages.At that time, it was a purely aristocratic regime, and the ministers were in the country, and they took a thousand from a thousand, and took a hundred from a thousand.It is inevitable that the strong branches will hurt the trunk.In the two Han dynasties, the world was one, and the centralized political system gradually emerged, but its foundation was not solid, so the disaster of foreign relatives was very serious.The families of Huo, Deng, Dou, and Liang rose up one after another, and became very popular. Wang's transfer of Han Zuo was the aftermath of aristocratic politics.If you are not a powerful person, you dare not covet power.Fan Ye's post-Han book discusses Zhang Huan's disciples of Huangfu's rules. His merits determine half of the world, and his voice is known all over the world. If he looks up and looks forward, his destiny can be shifted, but he still bows in embarrassment and has no regrets. Therefore, it is natural to attribute the effect of Confucianism .However, the aristocratic style of power has not declined, so non-nobles dare not have different aspirations.Sri Lanka is the first type of official.After Dong Zhuo, heroes rose up one after another, and Cao Cao took advantage of them to steal the big position, and those who used martial arts as powerful ministers started to use themselves.Since then, Sima Yi, Huan Wen, Liu Yu, Xiao Yan, Chen Baxian, Gao Huan, and disciples named Wentai all followed this track.Sri Lanka is the second type of power minister.Another example is Shang Yang in Qin Dynasty, Huo Guang and Zhuge Liang in Han Dynasty, Wang Anshi in Song Dynasty, and Zhang Juzheng in Ming Dynasty. For a while, Shu almost had the position of minister of a constitutional state in modern times.This is the third category of ministers of power.Those below are those who speak cleverly, flatter their masters, steal the status of the country, and poison the people, such as Zhao Gao in Thailand, Ten Changshi in Han Dynasty, Lu Qi and Li Linfu in Tang Dynasty, Cai Jing, Qin Hui, and Han Wabi in Song Dynasty, Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian, who wears a shackle, is incomparable.This is the fourth category of power ministers.The above four, what China has called power ministers for thousands of years, is a little exhausted.

To put it simply, the more ancient there are, the more powerful ministers there are, and the more modern there are, the fewer powerful ministers. What is the reason for this?The growth and decline of powerful ministers is proportional to the evolution of the autocratic regime, and the development of autocratic politics in China has two major forces: one is due to the immersion of teachings, and the other is due to the planning of the lord.Confucius appraised the aristocrats of the Zhou Dynasty, and thought that one statue would be safe for the world. Therefore, because of the serious illness of the wealthy family, he set out to teach and pay three respects.Disciples of Uncle Sun Tong and Gong Sunhong of Han Xing, predestinedly adorn Confucianism in order to establish their prestige.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty introduced the six arts and deposed hundreds of schools. He specialized in promoting this art to transform the world.For the next two thousand years, taking this righteousness as the central point of national education, Song Xian made great strides in it, and the foundation was established. All the gentry and high-ranking people, who are self-conscious, are all cautious.Since righteousness has entered the hearts of the people, it can naturally dispel its domineering spirit, and is bound by famous teachings to achieve its scope.For example, Zhuge in the Han Dynasty, Fenyang in the Tang Dynasty, and Zeng, Zuo, and even Li Hongzhang in modern times, all received gifts from him.Also, the monarchs of successive dynasties learned the reasons for their rise and fall, and talked about remedial techniques, and their methods became more and more secret. Therefore, the traces of aristocratic power disappeared at the end of the Han Dynasty.Han Guangwu, Song Taizu treated the heroes, he was superior and high-ranking, and relieved his military handles;Although the usage of tolerance is different, the way of cutting power and self-strengthening is the same.In almost modern times, the world is united in prefectures and counties, land mining is cut off hereditary, and internal and external are mutually restrained, and the emperor holds a long whip to flog the animals.Although he has returned to serve for ten years, opened a mansion for thousands of miles, and once the imperial edict is issued, the seal and ribbon are released overnight, and he is no different from officials. Must it be better than the ancients?It is also a matter of course.Because of these two reasons, the cunning people have scruples and dare not let their ambitions go, so the world can use it to be less peaceful.Those who are self-reliant often have the precept of the abyss and thin ice, and do not want to be in a place of suspicion. Although there are important national affairs, those who know their benefits should be responsible for themselves, and dare not join the crowd to argue against the high order to bear the brunt.The proverb says that a monk who hits the clock for a day, and people in the court all adhere to this doctrine.

There is another special reason for being caught in this dynasty.In this dynasty, a tribe in the northeast rose up and became the ruler of Zhongxia, and controlled tens of millions of people with hundreds of thousands of Hakkas.Since the San Francisco of Yunnan, Fujian and Guangdong, the subordinate generals have established the government, and they have formed a shape that cannot be lost. They have tried their best to restrain them, and then the authority began to be unified. Therefore, for two hundred years, only the full members have the right ministers, while the Han members have no power ministers.If the turtles worship, if Heshen, if the disciples of Sushun and Duanhua are not enough to compare with those of the previous generation, they are all full of people.In addition to the fact that the beginning of Ding Ding is not the same, if the San Francisco, Junggar, Qinghai, Huibu, Kazakh Brut, Aohan Badak, Ainiaohan, Tibet Gurkha, Jinchuan, Daxie, etc. Ping Miao, Ping Bailian Sect Tianli Sect, Ping Kashgar, sent out more than a dozen divisions, all of them used the banner battalion, and the prince Baylor or the Minister of Manchu supervised the army.If Ruofu is in peacetime, the inside is the shufu, and the outside is the frontier. The Han people are just preparing staff, and they don't have any questions about political affairs.For example, Hong Chengchou in Shunzhi and Kangxi, and Zhang Tingyu in Yongzheng and Qianlong, although they are respected and respected, they are really fools.From more than a hundred bureaucrats, it is even more insignificant.Therefore, before Xianfeng, there were no Han people in the important positions of generals (there were one or two generals who were Han army bannermen).As well as Hong Yang's attack, Saishang Aqishan all used university scholars as imperial envoys, and led the Eight Banners elite soldiers to go on an expedition, delaying the opportunity and causing the enemy to take the lead, until he realized that the banner soldiers were not available, so he appointed the Han people. , So it happened.Therefore, the Battle of Jintian was actually the last moment of the decline and fall of Manchu and Han power.And Zeng Hu Zhugong, who originated in Hunan and Hubei, was the backbone of the Pingjiang River, but he still ordered the official to lead the imperial ministers with university scholars.Although the imperial court had to rely heavily on the Han people at that time, how could they suddenly push their hearts to the Han people?Zeng Hu used all his strength to make friends with the officials. Whenever there was a military meeting, he would always be the leader of the department to give credit for the incident.Try to read Zeng Wenzheng's collection. Since the victory in Jinling, I have been trembling and trembling, like a light on my back.With Zeng's learning and cultivation, it's still the same. Besides, Li Hongzhang's self-confidence is not as good as Zeng's?My old man said: Li Hongzhang's status is quite different from that of Huo Guang, Cao Cao of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty, and the ministers of the so-called constitutional monarchies of modern Europe and Japan.

And when it comes to Li Hongzhang's status, one must not be ignorant of China's official system.Li Hongzhang's successive officials include academicians, ministers of Beiyang, ministers of the Prime Minister's Yamen, ministers of commerce, governors of Jiangsu, Huguang, Liangjiang, Liangjiang, and Zhili.On the surface, it can be said that he is an extremely human minister.Although, since Yongzheng in this dynasty, the real power of the government has been in the Minister of Military Affairs (since Tongzhi, although the power of governors has become more and more powerful, but it still exists in their own hands, it is not an exception), so the political meritorious crimes of a country should be borne by the Minister of Military Affairs. half of its responsibility.Although Li Hongzhang's role as a governor is different from ordinary governors, if the loss of power in the past forty years is attributed to Li alone, then Li will not accept anyone.The following is a list of powerful Ministers of Military Aircraft since Tongzhi Zhongxing:

The first years of Tongzhi in the era of Wenxiang and Shen Guifen The second era of Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe in the last years of Tongzhi and the early years of Guangxu The third era of Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi Fourth Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe era Guangxu 21st to Guangxu 24th year The Fifth Fortitude, the Ronglu Era, Guangxu Twenty-Four Years to the Present Looking at this table, we can also see the ebb and flow of power in the Manchu and Han Dynasties.Before the self-discovery, the Han people had no real rulers, and Wen Wenzhong's promotion of Shen Wending was actually the target of the Han people's power.Afterwards, Li Wenzheng and Weng taught Sun Xu Liang Shangshu to succeed him. Although it doesn't matter whether he is a virtuous person or not, after Tongzhi, not only the big officials in the frontier, but the Han people are half of them, that is, the land of the shufu, and their strength has also increased suddenly .Since August of 1898, the situation has changed again. The news here is very long, so it is not related to the purpose of this book.

From this point of view, we can know the people Li Hongzhang has worked with for decades.Although it is difficult to discuss in detail whether he is a talented person or not, the main point is that he is not a person who is of the same heart and strength with Li Hongzhang.What Li Hongzhang said about Bismarck is true.It is said to be true, but what's more, there are other things that the Minister of Military Aircraft admires and inherits. This is why I feel sorry for Li Hongzhang.Yiwu's theory is not intended to liberate Li Hongzhang by showing favor to him.Even if Li Hongzhang had real power and fulfilled his ambitions, I know that his achievements would never be farther than today.Why?Yi Hongzhang is also a person who has no knowledge.And even if Li Hongzhang is truly a hero, by virtue of his inherent status, he will not be able to continue to grow and grow, and he will spread his influence in order to implement his policies in the world.Is it possible that Bislanston and Bismarck should be the former without any resistance?Therefore, it is impossible to be Li Hongzhang's defender.Although, if the failure of China's government should be attributed to Li Hongzhang alone, Li Hongzhang alone would not be a pity, but the ministers who governed and wronged the country would have to excuse their axe, and the 400 million of us who gave up the responsibility of the people, and He no longer knows his crime.This is my position in Li Hongzhang, so I can't argue with it.If its merits and crimes and its characters, please briefly discuss them at the end.