"Backwardness will be beaten" and "weak will be beaten", such words are generally recognized by us.
However, if we study the history of ancient and modern China and foreign countries, we will find that this statement is not entirely correct. In fact, many countries, because they are backward and weak, have no one to fight them, and they have survived. What's going on?
(Southern Mongolian Expedition)
To answer this question, let's first look at how countries in ancient and modern China and abroad are easy to be beaten.
First, rich countries are vulnerable to beatings.
Why are rich countries so vulnerable? In ancient society, although civilization has progressed a little, between countries, the law of the jungle has always prevailed (not to mention ancient times, even now, this law still has a large market).
If a country in ancient times was relatively rich, it was naturally the object of coveting by other countries, and those countries naturally wanted to lay down these countries and rob the treasures of these countries. The ethnic minorities in northern China continued to plunder the wealthy Central Plains countries from the south.
In the colonial era, this situation was more common. Why was China invaded by the West many times at that time? It is because China has abundant resources. And in today's Middle East, why is it a powder keg? It is also because the Middle East is rich in oil. If the Middle East is poor and has nothing, the world may not pay much attention to it.
(Battle of Japan and Korea)
Second, countries in strategic locations are vulnerable to beatings.
There are some places that have always been strategic.
For example, in ancient China, the Korean Peninsula was a strategic place, and if Japan wanted to hit the mainland, it would inevitably attack the peninsula first, and then use the peninsula as a springboard to hit China. Some countries in the western region are also easy to be beaten, because these countries are also bridges into China.
This situation is also common in the world, such as the Balkan Peninsula, because it is a major road of sea and land transportation, so it is a place that must be contested in both World War I and World War II. Before World War II, Germany had to duel with the Soviet Union, and they also first fought for the Czech Republic, Poland and other countries sandwiched between them.
(Rise of The Later King)
Third, newly emerging countries are vulnerable to beatings.
When some countries rise, on the one hand, they will challenge the world order and re-establish their position in the world, so they will inevitably launch wars of aggression. Many superpowers in history, when they rose, invariably waged wars. If they want to go to war, they will naturally go to war with other countries.
On the other hand, some countries that originally had hegemonic status will certainly not sit idly by while the newly emerging countries challenge their status, and will naturally be highly vigilant against them and strike at such countries.
For example, in ancient China, when the Xiongnu, Turks, Mongols, Houjin and other countries rose, they were bound to start wars with the Central Plains countries. Some of these countries were beaten down by the Central Plains countries, such as the Xiongnu and the Turks. Some successfully challenged and replaced the status of the Central Plains countries, such as Mongolia, Houjin and so on.
Today's society is actually like this, when Russia rises again, britain, the United States and the West will naturally hit Russia. Our country is in such a situation at present.
From the above analysis, we can see that whether a country will be beaten or not is actually not absolutely related to whether it is weak or not, and whether it is backward or not.
Backward and weak countries, on the other hand, are not necessarily beaten.
For example, some backward and weak countries have received the protection of powerful countries.
This situation is very common in ancient and modern China and abroad. For example, in ancient China, there was a tributary system. As long as those countries around the Central Plains countries are willing to worship the Central Plains countries as suzerainty, then they can get the protection of the Central Plains countries. Once they have the protection of the Central Plains state, then they can exist forever.
Not only in ancient China, but also in the colonial era, those member countries of the British Commonwealth were also able to survive because of the protection of the British Commonwealth. Those in the "circle of friends" in the United States today, but also because of the asylum of the United States, whether rich or poor, can survive.
Since modern times, China has been lagging behind and being weak, but it has always been hit by Western powers. To this day, when China has begun to rise strongly, it is still hit.
So, when China is weak and backward, why is it always hit?
The most important reason is because China has not yielded, is unwilling to be the little brother of western countries, and is unwilling to be "sheltered" by Western countries, so Western countries will always target China.
However, even if China has always been targeted by Western countries, in order to maintain a strong backbone and maintain independence, we always insist on developing ourselves until we become no longer backward and weak, until other countries no longer dare to bully us.
(Reference: The Latest History of World Colonialism, etc.)