The development of every country is not static, nor has it always been steady progress, and there are ups and downs in the middle, and the same is true for China. Before the Qing Dynasty, Chinese culture had a far-reaching influence, China's economy was very developed, and many Westerners came to this mysterious ancient country in the East to have a glimpse of the style of our yangyang country. The Qing government was satisfied with the current situation, felt that China did not need to communicate with the outside world, and was afraid that other countries would learn Chinese culture, so it closed the country and lived its own comfortable life.
When the British and French allies opened the door with artillery fire, the Qing government seemed to have been dragged out of the Garden of Eden, not knowing how to face this situation. The outside world is changing so fast that we are overwhelmed. The Qing government was weak and incompetent, knowing that it could not resist, and wanted to continue to live in the previous life, so it lost money and cut the land, lost the country and humiliated its rights. If the money is gone, it can be earned again, but if the territory is ceded, it is difficult to get it back. At that time, Tsarist Russia was the country that occupied the most mainland territory.
In fact, Tsarist Russia once wanted to return the territory, but the Beiyang government refused. Although Russia's national strength is getting worse and worse, it still has deterrent power for the Beiyang government, which has fallen behind. After the outbreak of the October Revolution, Lenin took control of Tsarist Russia. The Tsarist Russia's forces were deeply rooted and not so easily eliminated, and some forces fled to other countries, recuperating their strength and preparing to counterattack at any time. Lenin wanted to promote socialism in Tsarist Russia, but was suppressed by Britain and France. Lenin was faced with a very unoptimistic situation, and the best solution was to look for allies. The mainland was separated from Russia, and Lenin intended to cooperate with China. In order to show his sincerity, Lenin said that the occupied territories could be returned to China, and China would send troops to help him and become his backing. In Lenin's view, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for China, and China will certainly not refuse it. Unexpectedly, the Beiyang government did not agree to this request.
The reason is that Lenin put forward a condition for the mainland to abolish the unequal treaty with Britain and France. In the eyes of the Beiyang government, the Anglo-French coalition army is much stronger than Russia, and even if it takes back its territory, it will be divided up again. The Beiyang government missed this good opportunity and continued to enjoy a moment of tranquility.