Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang had a mentor-apprentice relationship and had different personalities, but their descendants came out of many diplomats. For example, Zeng Jize, the second son of Zeng Guofan, Li Jingfang, the eldest son of Li Hongzhang, and Li Jingmai, the third son.
Li Hongzhang's third son, Li Jingmai, served as a minister to Austria at the age of 29, and was the youngest diplomat of the Qing Dynasty at that time. However, he did not engage in diplomatic activities for a long time, accumulating only two or three years, far less than his brother Li Jingfang. Therefore, we will compare Zeng Jize and Li Jingfang to see who is more prominent in their achievements in diplomatic activities.
First, let's look at Zeng Jize.
Zeng Jize was born in 1839, the first year of the First Opium War, and was the second son of Zeng Guofan. Due to the early death of Zeng Jidi, the eldest son of Zeng Guofan, Zeng Jize was in the position of the eldest son in the family. Later, after Zeng Guofan died of illness, it was Zeng Jize who inherited his first-class Marquis of Yiyong.
We know that Zeng Guofan was a typical Confucian intellectual, and Zeng Jize naturally received a strict education in scripture and history from an early age. However, after Zeng Guofan presided over the launch of the Western Affairs Movement, Zeng Jize was deeply influenced and began to learn English and study Western science and technology culture. This laid a good foundation for him to engage in diplomatic activities in the future.
In 1872, Zeng Guofan died of illness. In 1877, Zeng Jize completed his father's term of observance and was ordered to enter Beijing to meet Empress Dowager Cixi, Empress Dowager Ci'an, and the young Guangxu Emperor. In response, Empress Dowager Cixi carefully understood Zeng Jize's views on foreign affairs and foreign language proficiency. Zeng Jize said: "The difficulty in handling foreign affairs lies in the fact that foreigners are unreasonable and Chinese do not know the situation. Needless to say, Chinese subjects should hate foreigners, but xu tu must be self-reliant, but he can help, and if he destroys a church and kills a foreigner, he will be considered a revenge for shame. Now Chinese do not know this reason, so there is the matter of Ma Jiali in Yunnan, and the empress dowager and the emperor are industrious. ”
Empress Dowager Cixi was deeply impressed, nodded and replied, "But isn't it?" How can we forget this vendetta for a day, but we must slowly strengthen ourselves. Your words are clear, if you kill a person or burn a house, you will take revenge. ”
The following year, Zeng Jize was ordered to go to England and France.
In 1880, Zeng Jize was ordered to send an envoy to Russia to conduct diplomatic negotiations with Russia on issues such as Ili in Xinjiang.
Previously, chonghou, the minister of the Qing Dynasty, was too weak in negotiations with Russia, and was coerced by Russia to sign the eighteen articles of the Treaty of Livadia. Although the treaty nominally recovered Ili in Xinjiang, it ceded to Russia a large area of territory west of the Theks River in the southern part of Ili and west of the Khorgos River, seriously damaging China's territorial integrity. Zuo Zongtang said angrily: "I have only a desolate suburb left in Ili, and the northern realm is all Russian subordinates for one or two hundred miles, and it is desperate to survive." ”
The Qing Dynasty dismissed Chonghou from his post and sent Zeng Jize to Russia to revise the treaty.
How easy is it to revise a treaty that has already been signed? So, this is destined to be a difficult diplomatic negotiation. During the negotiations, Zeng Jize argued on the basis of reason, coupled with Zuo Zongtang's military cooperation, successfully revised part of the treaty, reclaimed the nine cities of Ili and the area around Turks, and won back some of China's rights and interests. Zuo Zongtang praised: "Jie Gang's trip has been of great benefit to the situation, and he is in love with China and foreign countries, and he is not very satisfactory." ”
Zuo Zongtang had a very high opinion of himself, and it was very rare that Zeng Jize could get his "unsatisfactory" evaluation.
Let's look at Li Jingfang.
Li Jingfang was born in 1855. He was originally the son of Li Zhaoqing, the sixth brother of Li Hongzhang, and since Li Hongzhang had not had a son for a long time, he passed on to him as the eldest son. Later, Li Hongzhang gave birth to Li Jingshu, replaced Li Jingfang as heir, and was able to inherit Li Hongzhang's first-class Marquis of Suyi.
When Li Hongzhang presided over the Foreign Affairs Movement, he asked Li Jingfang to learn English. In 1882, after the 27-year-old Li Jingfang was admitted to the examination, he came to Li Hongzhang's Beiyang Minister of Trade and Commerce, Yamen, and accompanied Li Hongzhang in handling foreign affairs. In 1886, he became the Counsellor of the Qing Dynasty in Britain. In 1890, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs to Japan. In 1895, he accompanied Li Hongzhang to Maguan, Japan, and participated in the famous "Maguan Treaty" negotiations. In 1896, he accompanied Li Hongzhang on a visit to 8 European and American countries. In 1907, he became Minister of State for Mission to Britain.
Li Jingfang has been engaged in diplomatic activities for more than 20 years and has witnessed many major diplomatic events in the late Qing Dynasty, far exceeding Zeng Jize. However, Li Jingfang did not achieve much decent, mainly because he lived in Li Hongzhang's shadow most of the time. Li Hongzhang was so conspicuous that everyone around him lost their luster.
Taking the Sino-Japanese "Maguan Treaty" negotiations as an example, when Li Hongzhang was shot by Japanese assassins, the Qing Dynasty appointed Li Jingfang as plenipotentiary to continue negotiations with Japan. In the face of japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi's coercion and coercion, Li Jingfang deliberately took a tough attitude, but did not get Li Hongzhang's permission. In the end, Li Hongzhang signed the Treaty of Maguan with Ito Hirobumi.