In May 1896, the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II was held in Moscow. Li Hongzhang was also invited. In fact, these great powers look down on the Qing Dynasty, let alone Li Hongzhang. It's just that behind it is a lot of rights and interests, and that's it, Li Hongzhang, who was in a state of flux, opened his only overseas visit.
While in Russia, Li Hongzhang signed the Sino-Russian Secret Treaty in Moscow with the Russian Chancellor of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Later, some people said that Li Hongzhang signed the treaty as a bribe. However, this statement is only used as unilateral evidence in the Russian archives, and some scholars believe that there is not yet sufficient evidence to confirm that Li Hongzhang did take bribes.
Whether or not this statement is true or not, whether it is true or not, it does not affect the signing of this treaty.
So is there another hidden plot behind Li Hongzhang's signing of the Sino-Russian secret treaty?
The Sino-Russian Secret Treaty also has a name called the Treaty of Mutual Assistance to the Enemy, which can be seen from this name that it was signed for a third party.
There are only six articles in the treaty, not to mention the small number, but the impact on both countries is very large. The treaty stipulated that if Japan invaded either of the two countries or Korea, the two countries would jointly send troops and help each other. This is probably also what the Qing government attaches the most importance to. As for the rest, it was all in Russia's favor, especially allowing Russia to build railways in the northeast. Since then, the tsarist forces of aggression have further penetrated into the three northeastern provinces of China.
For Russia, the most important thing is the railway and the privilege of being in the northeast, and it would be nice to be able to kick Japan out of the game as a competitor. For the Qing Dynasty, more important is Japan.
After the Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty no longer dared to underestimate Japan as an opponent. Originally, the Qing Dynasty never regarded Japan as an opponent, especially when it was strong, although after the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was bullied, but Japan was not much better.
However, after nearly thirty years of foreign affairs movement, the Qing Dynasty was actually vulnerable to Japan, which was not only a loss of face, but also a loss of Lizi, and the Qing government had to guard against it.
Just after the rise of Japan, when it invaded Taiwan, it triggered a dispute between "coastal defense" and "Cypriot defense" in the imperial court. Li Hongzhang is the representative of coastal defense. In Li Hongzhang's view, since the Opium War, the main opponents of the Qing Dynasty have all come from the sea, especially Japan, and the threat to the Qing Dynasty is huge. And distant Xinjiang and other places, for the Qing Dynasty, even if it is lost, there is no loss, it is better not to take it back.
It can be seen that Li Hongzhang himself is still wary of Japan. But how to prevent it? Daqing thought of Russia.
In fact, the Qing government made a strategic judgment based on the situation at that time, and it was the best strategy to suppress the destruction with the yi. Apart from Russia, there are not many countries to rely on.
When the Treaty of Maguan was signed, the Qing government actually ceded the Liaodong Peninsula, but it was under Russian intervention that Japan spit it out. Of course, Russia's aim is not to be well-intentioned. German power in the Far East is not worth mentioning, and although France has a considerable presence, France is a bit weak, and in terms of combat effectiveness, it was also a defeated general under the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, the best target for the fight against the destruction can only rely on Russia.
In itself, the signing of a treaty with Russia is tantamount to a conspiracy with a tiger, and there is no advantage at all, and it is not easy to achieve one's own goals diplomatically without the strength.
Before the signing of the secret treaty, Li Hongzhang also sent a telegram to the Qing court, asking that the words "However, this matter of giving way to the construction of railways shall not be allowed to encroach on Chinese land by means of a pretext, nor shall it hinder the power of the great emperor of the Qing Dynasty."
It can be seen that Li Hongzhang also understands what it means to sign a treaty with Russia, but there is no way to ask for help.