100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 35 6 The Three Kingdoms Intervened to Return Liao Dynasty

Chapter 46 The Three Kingdoms Intervention and Return to Liao Dynasty
——Self-improvement is the real strength. When many people encounter difficulties, their first reaction is to ask someone for help, but many times, the person who helps you is not sincerely for your own good, but for himself. It is better to ask yourself, please believe at any time, self-improvement is strong.

At the end of September 1894, the Empress Dowager Cixi reappointed Yixin, who had been dismissed during the Sino-French War, as Prime Minister to seek foreign mediation and peace with Japan. In October, Yixin personally came forward and begged the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries to mediate. At the beginning of November, after the Japanese army invaded Liaodong, the Qing government asked the U.S. Minister to China, Tian Bei, to intervene and ask the foreign powers to intervene. In January 9, the Qing government sent Zhang Yinhuan, Minister of the Household Department, and Shao Youlian, Governor of Hunan, as ministers with full powers to Japan to seek peace.At this time, just as the Japanese army was attacking Weihaiwei, the Japanese government refused to negotiate on the pretext that the Qing government's representative for peace was "insufficient in power".Zhang and Shao lived in Hiroshima for 10 days, but failed to achieve anything, so they were forced to return home.After Weihaiwei fell, the Qing government appointed Li Hongzhang as the first-class plenipotentiary minister and went to Japan to seek peace. On March 11, Li Hongzhang went to Japan with Wu Tingfang, the American consultant Costa, and his son Li Jingfang. On the 1895th, Li Hongzhang started negotiations with Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi and Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu in Shimonoseki Shunho Building.During the negotiation process, Li Hongzhang begged Japan to "save a little face" for the Qing Dynasty, while Ito Hirobumi and Mutsu Munemitsu frequently threatened the resumption of war and wantonly blackmailed. On the 1th, the Japanese Toyotaro Koyama also regarded Li Hongzhang as an important obstacle to their blackmail, and shot Li Hongzhang on the way back to the hotel, injuring the lower corner of his left eye.According to international practice, the Japanese authorities bear serious responsibility for the injury of Li Hongzhang, a diplomatic representative.Some countries have condemned the Japanese government.The Japanese rulers were very worried that this would cause side effects, so that Japan's blackmailing of China "will fall into a situation where it has to make great concessions."However, Li Hongzhang and others are still servile.According to Mutsu Munemitsu’s recollection, when he came to visit Li Hongzhang’s sickbed, he saw that Li Hongzhang squinted the other eye even though one eye was covered by the gauze dressing the wound, chatting with him with a very happy expression, repeatedly Thank you for the "favor" from the Japanese side and beg for an early treaty negotiation.The Japanese government was afraid of creating an excuse for the intervention of a third country, and at the same time, because it was unable to continue fighting, it signed an armistice treaty on March 10.But the truce lasts only 3 days, and only in the north.However, the Japanese invading army took advantage of the time of the armistice and peace talks to occupy the Penghu Islands of our country.

On April 4, Japan put forward a draft peace treaty with sky-high prices, threatening Li Hongzhang wantonly. On the 1th, they took out the "real price" with the "revised" draft, and asked Li Hongzhang to "reply within four days", only "allow and disallow two sentences". On April 14, Li Hongzhang was forced to sign the treaty.

The main contents of the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" are: (2) China's recognition of North Korea's "independence" is actually a recognition of Japan's control over North Korea. ([-]) China cedes the Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and all affiliated islands and the Penghu Islands to Japan. ([-]) Compensation of [-] million taels of silver for Japan's military expenses. ([-]) Add Shashi, Chongqing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou as commercial ports, and Japanese ships can enter the above ports along the inland river. ([-]) Allow Japan to set up factories in China's treaty ports. When products are shipped to the mainland, they will only pay import taxes and set up warehouses in the mainland.

On the sixth day after the signing of the "Treaty of Shimonoseki", Tsarist Russia, fearing that Japan's occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula would endanger its interests, called France and Germany to intervene and forced Japan to give up the occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula.Japan was unable to resist and was forced to accept the terms of the Three Kingdoms.As a result, China redeemed the Liaodong Peninsula with 3000 million taels of silver.

Wisdom Interpretation:

When many people interact with us, they first consider their own interests, and only after weighing their own interests will they do it.In the above story, if Japan occupies the Liaodong Peninsula, it will directly threaten the interests of Tsarist Russia in the Far East, so it joined forces with France and Germany to force Japan to return it to China, instead of seeing China being bullied and doing so for justice.

Fundamentally speaking, we should keep a vigilance for ourselves when we do things, and the long-term strategy is to have our own strength.

(End of this chapter)