After the Sino-Japanese War, the controversy between Li Hongzhang, Ding Richang, and others that they had argued with Zuo Zongtang and others about "who is China's first enemy" came to fruition. The Qing court uniformly understood two points: first, China must reform; second, Japan was China's most dangerous enemy.
To that end, the entire bureaucracy is thinking about how to deal with this threat. The local power faction, represented by Li Hongzhang, commander of the Huai Army, and Liu Kunyi, commander of the Xiang Army, held that Japan is now planning to establish a military base in northeast China, and this is bound to contradict Tsarist Russia. Therefore, it is advisable to "fight with yi" and cooperate with Tsarist Russia to resist Japan.
On the 27th day of the 21st month of Guangxu (February 10, 1896), the Qing court decided to reactivate Li Hongzhang, who led a team to visit Tsarist Russia, on the one hand, to represent the Qing government in the coronation ceremony of the Tsar. On the one hand, he solemnly thanked Tsarist Russia, together with Germany and Austria-Hungary, for helping to regain Liaodong. On the one hand, the joint plan for Japan was secretly laid out.
On the sixteenth day of the first month of the twenty-second year of Guangxu (February 28, 1896), Cixi summoned Li Hongzhang; on March 1, Li Hongzhang resigned to the emperor and the empress dowager, once again accepting the important entrustment of this trip, hoping that Li Hongzhang would not live up to the heavy trust. On March 3, Li Hongzhang left Beijing and headed south for Shanghai, where he arrived on March 14.
The news that Li Hongzhang was going to visit Russia had long been known to all countries in the world, and for the sake of their own interests, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries immediately asked Li Hongzhang to visit his own country first, and then go to Tsarist Russia.
Why do European and American countries do this? The answer can be answered by the American diplomatic historian Warren I. Cohen's "American Reaction to China": Japan won a great victory in the Sino-Japanese War, and European imperialism fought in desperate China for what remained to be seized. Whoever robs Li Hongzhang of his first visit may grab the biggest piece.
The Nicholas II family
At that time, for its own economic interests, especially for the sake of better control of China, the Russian side very much hoped to build a Eurasian railway. As early as 1894, the Trans-Siberian Railway had been built to the Transbaikal region, and with the help of Li Hongzhang's visit to Tsarist Russia, the railway from China to Vladivostok was finalized.
Werther, then Chancellor of the Tsarist Finance, suggested from a cost-saving perspective that in order to save money and speed up the schedule (saving 546 kilometers), it was possible to reach Vladivostok through Mongolia and northeast China. To this end, in 1895, Russia secretly sent people to secretly survey the route.
In order to get China to agree to build a railway as soon as possible, the Russian side has done enough work. After the three countries forced Japan to return Liaodong, Tsarist Russia had already seen China's confusion in resisting foreign insults, and tried its best to show China that Tsarist Russia was peaceful and friendly with China.
In order to accommodate China's "sovereignty" concerns, the Russian side proposed that a company could be set up to circumvent the sovereignty issue in the name of corporate operation. Subsequently, Tsarist Russia saw that China intended to form an alliance against Japan, and even more wanted to use this as bait to trick China into agreeing to build a railway.
On the Russian side, seeing that the great powers were anxious to invite Li Hongzhang to visit, they were afraid that Li Hongzhang's "extensive knowledge" would be unfavorable to the construction of the railway, so he immediately agreed on a route with Li Hongzhang. At the same time, various methods were also exhausted, such as sending the prince abroad to greet him.
When Li Hongzhang arrived at the Suez Canal on his way to Russia, he was greeted by Duke Ukhtomsky, a close associate of Emperor Nicholas II at the time. This was done on my suggestion, and I have learned that all the Anglo-German and Austrian countries are wooing Li Hongzhang, and they want him to pass through Western Europe before going to St. Petersburg.
On the contrary, I hope that he will not visit any European country before he arrives in Russia, because I know very well that once Li Hongzhang arrives in Europe, he will certainly become the object of competition among European politicians. Memoirs of Count Witt
On March 28, Li Hongzhang led his eldest son Li Jingfang (inheritor), Li Jingshu (his own) and 45 other people to take the French cruise ship "Ainas Desimo" from Shanghai to the East China Sea. In order to facilitate exchanges with various countries, Li Hongzhang also led a group of Russian, German, French, British, and American staff groups. The group passed through the East China Sea, crossed the South China Sea, crossed the Strait of Malacca, crossed the Indian Ocean, crossed the Red Sea and Suez, and on April 22, Li Hongzhang and his party arrived at Port Said in Egypt.
As a sign of the Sincerity of the Russians, the Tsar sent Duke Ukhtomsky to Port Said to wait. In order to prevent Britain, France and other countries from discovering, the duke also carried out disguise, and the secrecy was very tight. After changing to a Russian steamer, he traveled from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. There was a small storm in this wheel change.
Before Li Hongzhang arrived in Egypt, he heard that the Russian ship "Prince Dante of Constantine" who picked him up was small in tonnage, so he was afraid that it would be difficult to withstand the wind and waves of the Black Sea and be in danger of life. I hope that the Russian side will change a ship. As a result, the Russian side severely refused, demanding that Li Hongzhang abide by the agreement. In desperation, Li Hongzhang had to decide to keep the contract, and when he arrived in Egypt, he found the duke waiting here, and he was very surprised to see it.
On April 27, Li Hongzhang arrived in Odessa and began an official visit to Tsarist Russia. In order to facilitate secret business, on the 30th, arrived in Petersburg. In order to please Li Hongzhang, in his place of residence, from food to indoor furnishings, from living to speech, everything is Chinese things and Chinese people. There are two ways to please outsiders: one is to be afraid of him; the other is to hope to make more profits from him.
Li Hongzhang really drifted away, and after winning the benefits given by Tsarist Russia, he was once again warmly received by Germany, France, Britain, the United States and other countries. Li Hongzhang found almost nothing during this long trip, and all he got was to be touted.
The world is full of high-ranking officials who are "the friendliest to foreigners" and hope that he will give the most back. However, the Guangxu Emperor just couldn't look up to him, and Li Hongzhang didn't get the official position he wanted for a long time.