Li Hongzhang's mission to Russia was on March 12th, 22nd year of Guangxu (April 24, 1896), the year after the Qing Dynasty’s failure in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and the signing of the Shimonoseki Treaty (1895) with Japan, as a thank you "Three countries intervene to return to Liaoning" and the alliance with Russia to control Japan. What is more important is to examine the attitudes of European and American powers toward China, learn the way of governing the country, and "learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians." Under the instruction of Empress Dowager Cixi, at the invitation of the coronation ceremony of Tsar Nicholas II, the court sent Li Hongzhang as an envoy to Russia.
Let’s not talk about whether the Qing Dynasty was so poor that he could only travel to various countries in a carriage. For Li Hongzhang, who was already in his seventies, whether he could withstand the turbulence of a carriage for thousands of miles, climbing mountains and wading to Russia is a problem. problem. Li Hongzhang's mission to Russia was carried out under the banner of the tsar's coronation ceremony. Not only the Qing Dynasty, European and American powers, but also small countries around Tsarist Russia gathered together. This was an mission of the relevant state. Even if the Qing Dynasty was really poor enough to eat soil, I have to dig out the funds for this mission. No matter how bad it is, Li Hongzhang can't go abroad at his own expense, and he can't afford the money.
So Li Hongzhang's trip to Russia in a horse-drawn carriage is nothing, and even the wild history dare not write like that. According to historical data, Li Hongzhang took 45 people from various countries, including doctors, translators, and guides, and set off from Shanghai on the French cruise ship "Enas De Simon". In March of that year, he first went to Russia and then to Germany. , The Netherlands, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and then return home, which lasted half a year.
Li Hongzhang's mission to Russia
Regarding Li Hongzhang's mission to Russia, the most controversial thing is the signing of the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty". At that time, Russia was building the Trans-Siberian Railway across the Eurasian continent to gain more benefits in the Far East. And the advantage, as it involves the railway passing through the Liaodong region of the Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang's mission this time is to solve this matter. This payment was also written in the "Sino-Russian Secret Agreement" and was finally signed.
It is said that the reason why Li Hongzhang was willing to sign this traitorous treaty at that time was because Russian Finance Minister Witte gave Li Hongzhang three million rubles, plus two beauties, but in fact Li Hongzhang only got half a million rubles. He didn't even see the shadow, which made Li Hongzhang depressed after returning to China. However, neither Li Hongzhang nor Witte confessed this matter, and the secret agreement did not contain the content of the payment. It was only recorded in the memoirs of some foreigners at that time, but they were all just chasing after the wind, and there is no evidence for investigation.
The decision on whether to sign the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" lies with the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Forbidden City. Li Hongzhang has also repeatedly sent telegrams to ask for instructions. If there is any bribery, Li Hongzhang can't hide from the thousand-year-old fox Cixi. Besides, with Li Hongzhang's identity at the time, could a mere three million rubles be bribed to him? So this matter needs a big question mark.
The "China-Russia Secret Treaty" was signed for only one purpose: to require Russia to curb Japan's expansion in the Far East while ensuring the completeness of the Qing Dynasty's territory, and the two countries allied against Japan. From the content point of view, the secret agreement is in line with this purpose. Of course, the specific situation needs to be analyzed in detail. This is beyond the scope of today's discussion, so I won't repeat it for the time being.
After the secret agreement was signed, Li Hongzhang attended the coronation ceremony of Tsar Nicholas II as scheduled. There were crowds of people on the Hoden Square in Moscow. It was so lively, but because of poor organization, the stampede was caused. More than two thousand people died in the chaos. This is the "Horden Massacre". Regarding this, Witte was heartbroken and prepared to report the matter to the Czar. However, Li Hongzhang rejected Witte on the grounds of "don't disturb this grand meeting", and he also boasted that when he was governor of Zhili that year, the local plague broke out and died. There were tens of thousands of people, but when he wrote the memorial to the emperor, he still suppressed the matter, thinking that he didn't need to worry the emperor. The words of
also made Witt, who originally admired Li Hongzhang very much, felt contempt for the first time. This feeling was fatal. On the surface, he only despised Li Hongzhang alone, but in fact he began to say to the Qing Empire behind Li. "Bureaucracy" has produced a series of questions. It can be said that after the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China four years later, Russia had the second largest number of troops, second only to Japan. I think it has something to do with Witte’s contempt.
