Chapter 10 Chapter Nine: Li Hongzhang as a Diplomat (Part 2)

The secret treaty between China and Russia in Liaodong on behalf of the Three Kingdoms The battle of Jiaozhou in the era of Li Hongzhang's appointment as a diplomat in Europe Lushun Dalian Weihai Guangzhou Bay Kowloon Battle Li Hongzhang leaves the General Administration At the end of the nineteenth century, there was the Middle East War, just as at the end of the eighteenth century, there was the French Revolution.The French Revolution opened up Europe in the nineteenth century, and the Middle East war opened up Asia in the twentieth century.For example, the red sun is about to rise, the rooster is the first to crow, the wind and rain are about to come, and the moon is the first to faint. Those with knowledge can predict it.Before the war between China and Japan, the relationship between the Europeans and the Chinese was nothing more than missionary trade.And in the years after the war, the closeness of their relationship has increased several times depending on the former.To this day, every move of China is as if it belongs to the same body as the Europeans, and they want to be separated but cannot be separated.Half of the reason for this is due to the failure of internal governance, and half is due to the lack of strategy in diplomacy.When a gentleman reads the history of Sino-foreign relations over the past ten years, he can't help but hide his tears from running down his sleeves.

Before the war, China first sought mediation with Britain and Russia, which actually led to the gradual intervention.At that time, people in Japan repeatedly said, "For the affairs of the East, I hope that the two countries in the East will settle it by themselves, and do nothing to allow other countries to participate in it."Gu our government is so angry that it can't bear it, but it wants to bully the Europeans and threaten Japan with force.The Russian envoy replied: "Russia will contribute, but now is not the right time."Because of his deliberate deliberations and the use of cameras to succeed, he has already achieved success.In the third month of Yiwei, Li Hongzhang will send to Japan, and first discuss with the ministers of various countries.The Russian envoy Kashini said: Our Russia can resist Japan vigorously and preserve China's territory, but China must pay for it with the convenience of military defense and railway transportation.Li Nai and Kashini bound each other in private, covering the days and nights of secret discussions in the Russian embassy.The opportunity of Ouli's eastward expansion is covered.

At that time, Li Hongzhang was not the only one who wanted to use Ouli to resist the Japanese, and almost everyone else did.At the time of Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Jiang, he played a teleconference and said: If you bribe the Japanese and turn to Russia, you will lose less than half, and you can turn defeat into victory.I implore the General Administration of Order and the Minister of Envoy to negotiate a secret agreement with Russia. If you are willing to help me attack the Japanese and threaten the Japanese to abolish the entire agreement, then I will divide the land in Xinjiang as a reward and allow it to promote business.If Ying is willing to help me, the reward will be the same, and so on.The so-called diplomats at that time, their vision and methods were mostly similar, which is a pity.

It was less than a month after Shimonoseki signed an agreement, Russia then negotiated with Germany and France to force Japan to return Liaodong to us.The Russians took Liao on my behalf, not for my own sake, but for their own.He regards this place as his sphere of influence, and he bandits Iraq day and night.Therefore, we absolutely do not want the Japanese to snore and sleep on the side of their couches.Therefore, let me return Liaodong to Japan with 30 trillion yuan for two generations.The ingenuity of Russian diplomacy is incredible.However, Li Hongzhang’s fault for wronging the country throughout his life was never greater than that. The history of Li Hongzhang’s diplomacy is indeed a history of failure.

After returning to the Liao Dynasty, Kashini wanted to submit the private contract with Li as an official document to request it from the General Administration.The value debate is boiling.The emperor was furious, Hongzhang dismissed him, and went to live in the cabinet, so he postponed his request to wait for the opportunity.In the spring of Bingshen, there was the coronation of the Russian emperor, and all countries sent first-class envoys to congratulate him.China also dispatched as usual, and Wang Zhichun served as a condolence envoy, so he was sent as a congratulatory envoy.Kashini protested, saying: The emperor's coronation is the most important ceremony in Russia. Therefore, those who serve in Sri Lanka must be the most famous people in the country, and only those who have a reputation among other countries can do so.Wang Zhichun's words are light, and he is not worthy of this responsibility.The person who can do it is Li Zhongtang alone.So Li was reassigned as the first-class minister.Kashini replied｜Bribe the Empress Dowager in person, willing to lure and coerce, saying that the righteous act of returning the Liao Dynasty must be rewarded, and Li Hongzhang has full power to ask for leave.Discuss the matter.When Li Hongzhang asked for training, the Empress Dowager summoned him, and within half a day, all the conspiracies with Russia were decided.

When Li Hongzhang arrived in St. Petersburg, the Russian capital, he discussed with the Russian government the draft treaty drafted by Kashini.And the time for the coronation was approaching, so he went to Moscow, the old capital of Russia, to deposit the agreement on calligraphy and painting.When the discussion was held, the Russians avoided the attention of foreign countries, and did not hold discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but made the Minister of Household Affairs bear the brunt.So when all the guests gathered in the Huanghuang Judian, he made a plan to build a plank road and cross Chencang secretly.And this matter, which is related to the overall situation of the earth, is not a few days, but depends on the relationship between the Zun and Zu.The aggressiveness and quickness of Russian diplomacy is really admirable and formidable.Shi Bingshen April also.

The secret agreement was made in such a secret that almost no one knew about it except for the few people involved in China and Russia.It is the Linxi Newspaper of Shanghai, which obtained the original text of Li Hongzhang's secret agreement when Li Hongzhang had not returned from his previous employment, and translated it for publication in the newspaper.Its full text is as follows: After the great emperor of the Qing Dynasty started a war between China and Japan, he was willing to negotiate a compromise with the great emperor of the Great Russian Empire, and he was willing to make a compromise on the border and trade between the two countries for the mutual benefit of the two countries. Therefore, Minister Wang of the Military Affairs Department was specially appointed by the Qing Dynasty as the Minister of Plenipotentiary, and together with the imperial envoy of the Great Russian State, the first-class Minister of Plenipotentiary of China, Count Ka, agreed in Beijing to connect the three eastern provinces of China to the province of Siberia in Russia. The train road is intended to facilitate the rapid trade between the two countries, and the coastal and border defenses will be strong, and a special article will be discussed to answer the meaning of Liaodong and other places.

The first Trans-Siberian Railway near Russia will be completed soon.China allowed Russia to continue the construction of the railway from Vladivostok, Russia to Hunchun City, Jilin, China, and then continue northwest to the city of Jilin Province.One continued from the railway station of a certain city in Russia to the city of Aihui in Heilongjiang, China, continued to the northwest to the provincial capital of Qiqihar, and then to Boduna in Jilin, and continued to the southeast to the provincial capital of Jilin. Article 2 All the railways in Heilongjiang and Jilin that continue to be built in China will be financed by Russia itself, and all the rules and regulations of the railways will also be in accordance with the regulations of Russian trains, and China will not hear about them.The right to manage it also belongs to Russia for the time being.for a period of thirty years.After the expiry date, the railway track and all train machinery factory houses, etc. shall be redeemed by China's preparatory capital valuation.But how to redeem the law will be decided later.

The third existing train road in China is planned to continue construction from Shanhaiguan to Fengtian Shengjing City, and from Shengjing to Jilin.If it is not convenient for China to build this railway immediately in the future, it will be redeemed by Jilin City with funds prepared by Russia for redemption in ten years.From where the railway should be built, it will continue to Shengjing Bingniuzhuang and other places according to the roads that have been surveyed in China. Article 4 The railways that China intends to continue to build, from Fengtian to Shanhaiguan to Niuzhuang to Gaiping to Jinzhou to Lushunkou and to Dalian Bay, etc., should be modeled after Russian trains, with a view to the mutual exchange and trade between China and Russia. convenient.

Article 5. The places where the above-mentioned Russian self-built railways pass through shall be protected by Chinese civil and military officials as usual, and the Russian civil and military officials and all craftsmen at the railway stations shall be given preferential treatment.However, most of the places that the railway passes through are deserted. I am afraid that Chinese officials will not be able to protect them carefully at all times. Russia should be allowed to send several teams of horse and infantry troops to station at each important station in order to protect the business. Article 6 Since the construction of the railways, the goods imported by the two countries from each other shall be taxed.On the fourth day of February in the first year of Tongzhi, the Sino-Russian Land Trade Treaty was completed.

Article 7 There are regulations prohibiting the mining of hardware mines produced in places such as Heilongjiang and Changbai Mountain in Jilin.After this agreement, Russia and its own merchants are allowed to mine at any time, but they must first report to the Chinese local officials to obtain passports, and follow the mining regulations of the Chinese mainland before they are allowed to dig. Article 8 Although there is military training in the three eastern provinces, most of the barracks are still handled according to the ancient system.In the future, if China intends to reform the entire provinces and banks to imitate the Western law, it is allowed to borrow soldiers from Russia who are familiar with battalion affairs to come to China to rectify everything. Article 9 Russia has always had no ice-free seaports in Asia. If the continent has military affairs at any time, the Russian East Sea and Pacific Navy will be inconvenient and cannot sail at any time.In view of this, China today is willing to temporarily lease the Jiaozhou area in Shandong Province to Russia for a limit of 15 years.The barracks, warehouses, machine factories, shipyards, etc. built in Russia are expected to be purchased by China after the expiration of the period.However, if there is no urgent military affairs, Russia should not immediately deploy troops to take over as needed, in order to avoid suspicion from other countries.How to deal with the payment of the rent will be discussed in the future with additional clauses. Article 10 Places such as Liaodong Journey Shunkou and Dalian Bay were originally dangerous places.China should act as soon as possible to rectify all affairs and repair various forts and other important tasks, in case of emergency.Now that this covenant is made, Russia agrees to protect these two places and prevent other countries from invading them.China's promise will never be allowed to be occupied by other countries in the future.However, if Russia suddenly has military affairs in the future, the Chinese Brigadier General Lushunkou and Dalian Bay will temporarily transfer the Russian navy and army camps here to facilitate the Russian army's attack and defense. Article 11 If there is no danger of Russia's military affairs in Lushunkou, Dalian Bay and other places, China will manage them on its own without any involvement with Russia.However, the railways in the three eastern provinces and the excavation of metal mines are allowed to be carried out at a low cost immediately after the contract is renewed.Wherever Russian civil and military officials and merchants and people go, Chinese officials should give special treatment and protection, and they should not be blocked from traveling to various places. Article 12 After this treaty is approved by the royal pens of the two countries, each will implement the treaty.Except for the Lushun Port, Dalian Bay and Jiaozhou, the whole bank has informed all local officials to abide by it.Where should the contract be renewed in the future? Let's discuss it later.Since the date of the painting.for a period of six months. The Sino-Russian secret treaty was a situation before, and it will be a situation after the Sino-Russian secret treaty.In recent years, the reasons why various countries have taken China are all new laws: one is to lease a place, the other is to not allow a certain land to be given to another country, and the third is to build a railway on behalf of others, all of which are based on this secret agreement.Its ninth article is to lease Jiaozhou Bay, which is the later Jiao, Wei, Guang, Lu, and Dacheng Yasuo.Its tenth article, Gu Dalian, is not allowed to give up to others, which is the origin of the sphere of influence of various countries.And one end of the railway ruined the birthplace of the ancestors.It doesn't matter what speeds up the completion of the Siberian road, and whoever makes countries covet the beginning of disputes.Alas!Pulling one hair, moving the whole body, uniting Kyushu, making a big mistake, I can't forgive Li Hongzhang for this move. In other words, this agreement was presided over by the Empress Dowager, and Minister Wang, who supervised the Military Affairs Department, praised it, which was not Hong Zhang's original intention.Although, the draft agreement in Moscow was decided in the hands of someone?This is absolutely incompetent as a taboo!Since then, after the original text of the contract was published in newspapers, newspapers and e-books in various countries have been flooded, with mixed doubts and letters.When Hongzhang traveled to Europe, various countries questioned each other, but they just hesitated and evaded.In July of that year, the draft contract signed by Moscow reached Beijing.Kashini directly held it to negotiate with the General Administration.Neither the emperor nor the general administration knew about this matter, they were extremely shocked and angry, and refused to agree.Kashini bribed the Queen Mother again, spoke French willingly, and lured and threatened Wanduan.The Empress Dowager severely reprimanded the Emperor, and directly ordered the Supervising Military Affairs Office to handle it quickly, without going through the Prime Minister's Yamen.On the 30th day of the ninth month in the Western calendar, the emperor approved the secret agreement with tears. Li Hongzhang's congratulations on Russia's coronation, and his successive appointments to Europe, are nothing more than normal communication. If it is about negotiating, it is just a matter of making a secret agreement and discussing tax increases.According to China's old tax rules, all imported goods are worth 50% of the price.This time, for the sake of compensation, I want to increase the value to seventy-five percent.The first merchants in Russia.Russia allows it.In the second business, Germany and France, Germany and France said that they waited for the British to advance and stop.Since Zhiying, he proposed with Prime Minister Shakesbury.At that time, the relationship between Britain and China was very cold, and because of the secret agreement between China and Russia, Li Hongzhang was deeply suspected. Sha's excused businessmen from all over Shanghai and resigned.Nothing happened. Li Zhili's appointment is also treated with respect by all countries, especially German people. The world thinks that this trip will inevitably buy a lot of ships, guns and ammunition, and the great benefits of doing business with her husband are all because of this.And when Li Zhi went, there was nothing to buy, and the Europeans were greatly disappointed.Li Zhide also visited Bismarck, and Li Zhiying also visited Glanston. They had a great time meeting each other. They are all giants of the nineteenth-century world.In August, Hongzhang returned from America.On September 18, Feng Zhi visited the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs.Since the end of July in the 24th year of Guangxu, it is actually the era of Li Hongzhang's full-time diplomacy.In this era, Germany occupied Jiaozhou, Russia occupied Lushunkou and Dalian Bay, Britain occupied Weihaiwei and Kowloon, and France occupied Guangzhou Bay. In the battle of returning to the Liao Dynasty, those who advocated it were Russia, and those who praised it were virtue and law.Since the Russians made a secret agreement, they were able to obtain vast and unlimited rights in the north. They were full of ambitions. In the spring and summer of the 22nd year of Guangxu, the legal person also obtained the Outuo land between Yunnan, Burma, and Yue, and also the land from Zhennanguan to Longzhou in Guangxi. Railways, but Germany is still unknown.In the spring of the 23rd year, the German envoy asked the prime minister's office for Jinmen Island in Fujian, but he refused to allow it. In October, the Jiaozhou incident began. It's a slavery, and everyone sees the injustice of Germany.Although, Chinese diplomats are inherently responsible.If you start out without relying on others, you have already heard it, and if you rely on others, you have to pay for it.If you don't pay for everything, that's enough. If A and B are paid, then C should also be rewarded.The Three Kingdoms returned to the Liao Dynasty, but the virtues were lost. Is there anyone who does not arouse their anger and speed up their changes?Not to mention this, the Sino-Russian secret treaty states that the Russians will borrow the Jiaozhou Bay to the Russians, and the Russians will not just invade Shandong in the three eastern provinces.It is now a time when countries are competing for superiority and inferiority.Other countries can not be jealous of it.It is Germany who made such a rebellious and inhuman act, and it is also China who forced it to do so.In October of the year, the Caozhou teaching case started, and two German priests were killed.When the Germans heard the news, they broke into Jiaozhou Bay with warships, pulled out the flags of China and set up the flags of virtue, and Zhang Gaoyuan, the commander-in-chief, took Yan Yan into captivity.The alarm was sent to the General Administration, and a discussion was held with the German envoy.Hai Jing, the envoy of virtue, only threatened and intimidated, and all those who begged for business were rejected.If you want to beg for help from other countries, there is no one who speaks uprightly, and is the one who litigates for me.The move was postponed for more than two months, but he swallowed the six things threatened, and agreed to them one by one. The land near Jiao'ao, which is a hundred miles away, will be leased to Germany for ninety-nine years. It is also. The glue thing is over, and there is a big wave.At the beginning of Li Hongzhang's Maguan Treaty, it was agreed that if it can be repaid within three years, it will be free of interest, and the interest paid by the former will be returned to me, and it can save the Weihai garrison for four years, saving a total of 23.25 million taels of silver.As the three-year period is about to expire, the government intends to continue borrowing from foreign countries for this public case.In November of the 23rd year, the Russians agreed to borrow this project, asking for the establishment of railways in the northern provinces, and dismissing the general taxation secretary Hede.The British heard this, stood up and confronted each other, and wanted to borrow this money. The interest was relatively light. The requirements were: first, to supervise China's finances; 4. Open Dalian Bay as a treaty port; 5. Promote business in the Mainland;At that time, the prime minister's office wanted to promise it, but Russia and France suddenly opposed it, saying that if they borrowed money from Britain, it would break the balance of power among the countries.In the first month of the first month, all countries were rejected, and they refused to borrow at all, and negotiated with Japan to postpone the repayment for 20 years, hoping to alleviate this emergency.Unexpectedly, Japan does not allow it.At this time, there was nowhere to go and there was no way to advance or retreat, so Hurd borrowed 16 million pounds from HSBC and Dehua Bank, and suffered a heavy loss. Jiaozhou Bay was originally a place within the Sino-Russian secret treaty circle, but now Germany suddenly snatched it into its arms.So in the first and second months of the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, the incident of Russia's request for Lushun Dalian Bay began.Li Hongzhang was the one who made the secret agreement personally, and there was nothing to do if he wanted to do it, and there was no excuse to shirk if he wanted to. So he made a new agreement with Pablo Fu, the Russian envoy, to lease two places in Dalian Bay at the mouth of Lushun and the adjacent sea surface to Russia. For a period of twenty-five years, the Russians will be allowed to build a railway from Yingkou and the middle of the Yalu River to a convenient place along the coast. Since the Russians occupied Lushun and Dalian, the British claimed Weihaiwei under the pretext of a balance of power.At that time, Japan's indemnity was cleared, and the garrison troops retreated. The British aided Russia and rented this port for a period of 25 years. The treaty was based on the story of Lushun Dalian.At that time, Li Hongzhang and the British envoy repeatedly debated, and the British envoy reprimanded him, saying: You should appeal to the Russian envoy, not me.The Russian envoy will rest, and I will rest immediately.Li has no words to answer, the feeling of embarrassment is pitiful and lamentable.The one who bears the slightest sympathy is that if China revitalizes the navy in the future, it can use Weihaiwei to moor ships. As a result, China's move to cede land is almost as commonplace as commonplace.When Russia, France, and Britain clashed over borrowing matters, the legal person borrowed Russia's power to demand that Guangzhou Bay be used as a naval base in the south.At that time, the British forced our government to open a treaty port along the Xijiang River to monopolize the rights. The legal person was in a hurry, but followed the wisdom of Germany and broke into Guangzhou Bay, and then negotiated to lease it for a period of 99 years.China has no power to refuse, so it agrees. The United Kingdom also supports the theory of balance of power, please lease Kowloon to resist, and the period is also 99 years.One day before the agreement was made, Li Hongzhang and the British envoy Dou Nale fought fiercely. Li said: "Although you rent Kowloon, you cannot build a fort on its mountain."The British envoy angrily clapped the case and said: No more words!Our country invites this place, for your country to let Guangzhou Bay be in the law to endanger Hong Kong!If the public can abolish the Guangzhou Bay agreement, then my proposal will be withdrawn immediately.Hongzhang just swallowed his voice and drank tears.It is also on April 17th in the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu. Until May, there was another incident of fierce conflict between Britain and Russia, that is, the incident between the Luhan Railway and the Niuzhuang Railway.Chusheng Xuanhuai undertook the Luhan Railway. In March 23rd, he made a loan agreement with a Belgian company. The first payment will be made in the first lunar month of this year.And after the German occupation of Jiaozhou, the company made a sudden alliance with Chongqing, saying that unless the contract was changed, there would be nothing to pay.Sheng Xuanhuai negotiated with Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong and others, and made a contract with them.As for the new agreement, the Belgian company was used as a puppet, and the real power was in the hands of Sino-Russian Bank.The Sino-Russian Bank is no different from the Russian Government Bank.Because of this covenant, the land north of the Yellow River will be completely within the sovereignty of Russia, and the Russian-Siberian Railway will start from Petersburg and end at Hankow.The British were so jealous that they proposed that the railway from Shanhaiguan to Niuzhuang should be undertaken by Britain, which would cross the Russian line.When the Russian minister came to the General Administration, he refused to fight. Britain and Russia were on the verge of going to war, and there was no time for it.Thousands of problems are concentrated in several diplomats.At that time, the emperor personally ruled the big government, and he hated Li Hongzhang for harming the country by uniting with Russia. On July 24, he ordered Hongzhang not to go to the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs, so the diplomatic turmoil stopped, and Li Hongzhang His career as a diplomat is over. Li Hongzhang's diplomacy in the Boxer era is discussed in Chapter 11. Westerners say: Li Hongzhang is also a diplomat with great means.Or say: Li Hongzhang is a little cunning diplomat.The husband's means are cunning, not the evil virtue of a diplomat.Countries stand side by side; competition for survival, mercenary.Therefore, Xizhe often said that individuals have morality, but the country has no morality.Let's look at the great diplomats called by various countries, which one is not famous for their cunning and cunning methods.Although Li Hongzhang's diplomacy is truly top-notch in China, it is far behind in the world.Li Hongzhang's method is mainly to unite a certain country to rule a certain country, and the so-called alliance is not formed in ordinary times, but only temporarily. In the battle of Yue, they wanted to attack Britain and Germany to control the law; in the battle between China and Japan, they wanted to attack Russia and Britain to control Japan; in the battle of Jiaozhou, they wanted to attack Russia, Britain and France to control morality. , And often because of this reason, a lot of losses.With regard to the affairs of Jiaozhou, Lushun, Dalian, Weihaiwei, Guangzhou Bay, and Kowloon, we have to say that this policy is extremely strict.There is no one in the world who can survive by relying on others.Western diplomats have also tried their best to form alliances with other countries, but I must have a way to stand on my own, and then, I can lead others without harming others.If today's China is to associate with a certain country and a certain country, no matter who is connected to me, it may not necessarily be associated with me.How could Li Hongzhang not know this?I mean that I know it too, but there is no other way to change it.More importantly, if internal governance is not improved, there is no reason for diplomacy.With China's current national power, although Li Hongzhang is only ten times stronger than Li Hongzhang, his foreign policy must be tolerated and accommodated for a while.This is why I deeply feel pity for Li Hongzhang.Although Li Hongzhang served in other countries, I have not seen that he can use means. The secret agreement between China and Russia is the result of his means against Japan.How can I feel sorry for creating all kinds of difficulties in the future by using this method, and suffering from self-inflicted problems? According to the post-Jiaozhou campaigns, Li Hongzhang was not solely responsible. Prince Gai Gong and Zhang Yinhuan were all important people in the prime minister's yamen, and they shared the responsibility with Li. Readers must know.