After the 80s of the 19th century, in view of the gradual acceleration of the pace of Russian aggression into the Far East, the Japanese diplomatic authorities headed by Inoue Shin began to explore new strategies, trying to adopt softer and more covert means on the Korean issue, while seeking "coordination and cooperation" with the Qing government to ensure its expansionist goals.
China's Ili region was occupied by Tsarist Russia as early as 1864 when Aguba invaded Xinjiang on the grounds of "maintaining law and order". When Zuo Zongtang regained Xinjiang in 1877, the Qing government repeatedly demanded that Tsarist Russia return the Ili region, and Russia said that "if China can protect the security of its borders and compensate Russia for the military expenses of occupying Ili, Russia can accept China's demands."
In October 1879, Chonghou, a negotiator of the Qing government, signed the Treaty of Livagia with representatives of Tsarist Russia, which stipulated that Russia would return the Ili region, and China would cede Russia west of the Khorgos River and the Turks River basin, and change the border between the two countries in the Tarbahatai and Kashgar regions as appropriate.
(Tsarist Russia's attempt to control Central Asia was a threat to British India, and Aguba was a pawn in Britain's confrontation with the Qing and Russia)
Chonghou's unauthorized agreement to the "cession of the Turks River basin to Russia" without the Qing government's approval would seriously threaten the security of northwest China.
(Zuo Zongtang retakes Xinjiang)
The Qing government refused to recognize the treaty on the grounds that "the treaty negotiated between the Russians and Chonghou was very bad", which greatly annoyed Tsarist Russia. The latter protested through diplomatic channels on the one hand, and on the other hand, they amassed troops on China's western border and coast to carry out armed intimidation, and the Qing government also sent officials to Xinjiang to sort out armaments, and war between China and Russia was on the verge of breaking out.
(After Yan Chonghou, a minister at the end of the Qing Dynasty, raised people during the Daoguang period, served as a minister of trade and commerce in the eleventh year of Xianfeng, handled foreign affairs, and was directly subordinate to the governor of the Tongzhi year.) Guangxu sent an envoy to Russia in four years, was impeached and imprisoned for signing the Treaty of Livachia without authorization, and was later demoted and released)
The "Ili problem" has also seriously plagued Japan. If China and Russia go to war, Japan's geographical position will force it to take sides: if Japan is strictly neutral, the closure of the Tsushima Strait will cause problems for Tsarist Russia's military movements, and judging from Russia's recent diplomatic style, it is not impossible to force it to seize several Japanese island harbors, which Japan is unable to resist.
Therefore, as a diplomatic concept that can be used as a reference in the new stage, at that time, the Japanese government and opposition gradually appeared to use North Korea as a "barrier against Russia" and seek "alliance and rejection of Russia" on the Korean Peninsula issue.
"Few people have trusted the Qing Kingdom in the past, and if they work with them at this time... It is not difficult to ensure the independence of the country and maintain peace on one side. The Korean government knows that Russia can be feared, and if Japan and Qing are combined, it can break its isolation theory and open its country without using troops. ”
It can be seen from this that on the one hand, Japan hopes to get a piece of the wave of colonial aggression, and on the other hand, it is afraid of the gap in strength.
But for the Japanese aggressors, good luck was coming: North Korea gave it the opportunity to further intervene in the mainland.
On July 23, 1882 (the ninth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar), a soldiers' uprising broke out in Seoul, North Korea, and the rebels invaded the Japanese embassy and killed several Japanese ministers and instructors.