After 1896, Li Hongzhang swaggered around the world. He originally planned to make a comeback and return to the position of governor of Zhili. What I saw and heard after the global inspection changed Li Hongzhang's thoughts to some extent. While he sincerely admired the western social system, he also saw the trend of historical development. But the court was obviously unwilling to give Li Hongzhang a chance. Ironically, Li Hongzhang passed the Yuanmingyuan in the evening after reporting to the Empress Dowager Cixi on his return to Beijing the next day. On a whim, he stepped in to see the remains of Yuanmingyuan. I didn't know that Yuanmingyuan was being rebuilt at that time. Cixi and Guangxu came to visit the project in person every once in a while, so Yuanmingyuan has always been listed as a restricted area. Li Hongzhang had just returned from overseas, but he didn't know this rule, so he was punished by Guangxu for trespassing for one year, which could not be offset. Li Hongzhang was unlucky this time because Emperor Guangxu had always had a problem with Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang returned to Xianliang Temple and continued his leisurely life.
1April, 898, because of an incident in Shandong, the capital was busy again.
There is a reason for this: some German soldiers who invaded Shandong wandered into a Confucius Temple one day. They treated the clay statue of Confucius in the temple as a prank, poked two holes in the clay figurine's eyes and broke an arm of the clay statue. This matter was known by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. They think that foreigners have insulted China's Confucianism, so they wrote an article entitled "The icon is destroyed, the holy religion can be worried, the beggar asks the court, and strictly abides by the holy religion", which was circulated among all juren who came to Beijing. Kang Liang pointed out in his article that the actions of the Germans to destroy our sacred religion are actually a test for China. If they don't stand up, Confucianism will perish and the country will perish with it.
Kang Youwei's propaganda has aroused widespread discussion from all walks of life. The phenomenon of bus congestion appeared again in front of the court's Duchayuan. Within a few days, many books were sent to the court, asking the court to properly handle this matter. At the same time, many officials submitted their memorials and asked Emperor Guangxu to carry out political reform.
Snowflakes of letters aroused the ambition of Guangxu's political reform. The timid and introverted emperor decided to imitate Chu Zhuangwang in the Spring and Autumn Period and prepare for a blockbuster.
1On May 29th, 898, a piece of news inspired Kang Youwei and his Reform Party. Prince DD Palace is dead. At that time, the smartest and most capable person in the royal family, in his life, his love and responsibility for the royal family was far greater than his love and responsibility for the world. Such motivation made him unable to break through himself in the end. Before he died, Prince Gong said categorically to Guangxu: I heard that Kang Youwei, a Guangdong juren, advocated political reform. Please think twice and don't trust the villain. Guangxu said nothing, he has made up his mind.
Two days later, on June 1898 and 1 day, Guangxu received the memorial DD handed by Kang Youwei in the name of Yang Shenxiu. Because the official is too small, he has no right to play DD, and he has no right to ask the emperor to issue a decree. On June 6, Guangxu received a memorial from Kang Youwei in the name of bachelor Xu Zhijing, demanding that the emperor immediately announce the political reform.
Surprisingly, when Guangxu decided to carry out political reform, he had never seen Kang Youwei. It was only because Kang Youwei's memorial aroused his enthusiasm that Guangxu, who was full of blood, hastily decided to reform, and he had no idea about the specific steps and ideas of reform and political reform in western countries. Before the Reform Movement of 1898, Weng Tonghe, a senior minister and teacher of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, gave advice to Guangxu. However, on the fourth day of the political reform, Weng Tonghe was removed from his post by Empress Dowager Cixi and deported back to his hometown because of the collective corruption case of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In this way, Guangxu had few intimate assistants and counselors around him. In the whole process of political reform, Kang Youwei only gave advice to Guangxu by memorial. During that time, Kang Youwei seemed to have endless energy. He wrote books almost crazily, and the memorials submitted to Guangxu in various names add up to a person's height.
Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in power at first, did not oppose such reform and reform. In Cixi's view, this reform was the last chance of the Qing Dynasty. It is better to change it than to sit here and wait for death. At first, Kang Youwei gave Guangxu several memorials about the reform of the Qing regime through various channels, and Guangxu gave them to Cixi. Cixi has also read it carefully, and she is quite appreciative of some of Kang Youwei's views and practices.
1On June 9th, 898, Guangxu took the opportunity to pay a visit to Cixi in the Summer Palace and formally proposed his own reform plan to Cixi, but Cixi did not object. 10 June, Guangxu ordered Weng Tonghe to draft "Ming Ding Guo as an Imperial Decree" and sent it to Cixi for examination and approval. 1 1 In June, Guangxu promulgated the imperial edict on political reform, and the political reform of the Qing Dynasty began.
On the day of the political reform, Guangxu made a special trip to the Summer Palace to tell Cixi. Moreover, Guangxu also brought several memorials about political reform to Cixi, among which Kang Youwei introduced the grand theory of political reform of world powers. Emperor Guangxu reported in front of Cixi's bed. Cixi leaned back on the couch and narrowed her eyes. She lamented that these memorials were thorough and could be tried. Seeing that Cixi was happy, Guangxu suggested that the contents of these folders should be printed, with one for ministers and one for petty officials. Cixi nodded: Let's do it.
Emperor Guangxu's reform orders involved economic, cultural, educational, military, political and other aspects, including more than 70 orders such as economic system reform, encouraging private investment in agriculture, industry and commerce, vigorously developing railways and mining, developing banks, reducing or exempting taxes, and reforming the financial system. There are more than 80 decrees on cultural and educational reform, which explicitly change the past method of selecting talents by books, abolish eight-part essay, and take three exams in the future: one is historical politics, the other is current affairs strategy, and the third is four books and five classics. There are more than 90 political reform orders, including streamlining institutions and reducing officials, and immediately canceling the General Political Department, Guanglu Department, Taibu Temple and Dali Temple. In the change order, it is also strongly advocated to encourage the government and the people to discuss politics together.
It is worth noting that it was not until June of 16 that Emperor Guangxu summoned Kang Youwei. This is the first time Guangxu saw Kang Youwei, and it is also the only time in the Reform and Reform.
In this way, the Reform Movement of 1898 was full of mysterious and difficult factors.
When Kang Youwei entered the waiting room, it happened that Rong Lu also entered the room. Rong Lu was appointed by the Governor of Zhili yesterday and thanked him according to the rules of the imperial court. After seeing Kang Youwei, Rong Lu took the initiative to greet Kang Youwei: You are a great talent. Do you have any good ideas about the current situation? Kang Youwei replied stiffly: You can't save China without changing the law! Rong Lu said: I also know that laws need to be changed, but the question is, can laws formed over hundreds of years be changed? Kang Youwei replied categorically: If you kill a few senior officials who are good at one or two things, the new law will work. Kang Youwei's words made Yung Wing have a cold war. Yung Wing felt a sudden jerk around his neck and a cold wind swept through his body.
This time Guangxu met Kang Youwei for two hours. After seeing Guangxu, Kang Youwei came straight to the point and said: The Great Qing Dynasty is about to perish. Guangxu said that it was all caused by those conservative guys. Kang Youwei said: the emperor relies on them to innovate, that is, to seek fish from the wood. Guangxu asked: What's your opinion? Kang Youwei took the time to explain his own political reform thoughts. First, he denied the imperial examinations because they made the whole country addicted to outdated knowledge and left foreign countries in darkness. Then, Kang Youwei formally expounded his ideas. Starting with the necessity of change, he talked about how and to what extent it should be changed. Kang Youwei elaborated on this. Guangxu listened patiently. Because Kang Youwei spoke Cantonese, Guangxu listened a little hard, but he was still patient. It was a long time before Guangxu signaled the end of the talks.
A few days later, Kang Youwei was very disappointed by Emperor Guangxu's will. Guangxu approved in the Ministry of War to give Kang Youwei six products, and Kang Youwei was appointed to walk in the Prime Minister's Affairs Office, Zhang Jing. This is a six-product officer. Kang Youwei was a six-product officer three years ago.
Kang Youwei couldn't figure out what Guangxu thought. Liang Qichao was also very discouraged. Kang Youwei was not promoted, indicating that Liang Qichao was even more hopeless. Half a month later, Emperor Guangxu also summoned Liang Qichao. As a result of the summons, Liang Qichao was also given six officials: handling the affairs of the translation bureau. Liang Qichao left Beijing in a fit of pique and was too lazy to participate in such a New Deal.
In this way, in the reform, an incredible phenomenon appeared: during the 100 days of the reform, Emperor Guangxu, as the promoter of the reform, and Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, the backbone of the reform, met only once. Tan sitong and others have never seen Guangxu. I really don't know what Guangxu is doing. Perhaps, according to Guangxu's intuition, he thought Kang Youwei was a difficult person to take on a big responsibility. Perhaps, Guangxu didn't consider how to oppose Gan Kun at all, thinking that everything was a piece of cake? Thus, in the process of 100 days' political reform, a situation was formed. All ideas were decided by Emperor Guangxu, which obviously showed inexperience, sometimes acting arbitrarily, and sometimes breaking constantly, leaving the following at a loss. A naive political strategy and skill, not only failed to promote political reform and reform, but intensified contradictions, causing widespread dissatisfaction among court ministers.
Shortly after Emperor Guangxu summoned Kang Youwei, one day Cixi summoned Li Hongzhang. Cixi is worried about Guangxu. After all, she is the most familiar with Guangxu. While chatting, Cixi asked Li Hongzhang what this man Kang Youwei looked like. Li Hongzhang described Kang Youwei as a naive and impetuous scholar: this person is a scholar and a person who likes to compete for strength and win lawsuits in the market. Cixi continued her incomprehension: Then, why should foreigners support them? Li Hongzhang said grumpily: That's because foreigners don't understand China's national conditions and regard China intellectuals as their intellectuals. It's too late for foreigners to say "support" or "avoid" after they know what roles the literati in China are. Li Hongzhang's words have subtext and experience. Li Hongzhang is too familiar with the old intellectuals in China and their way of thinking and ability. In Li Hongzhang's view, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao are also literati, just empty talk and blood, lacking political strategy and experience, and lacking the minimum political skill and spirit of compromise. And relying on them to carry out reforms will certainly be difficult to succeed.
Li Hongzhang's disapproval of political reform lies in his profound understanding of Guangxu. It is just that Li Hongzhang's direct evaluation of the emperor is not good. Li Hongzhang is well aware that in a country with a traditional imperial system, the quality of the emperor himself is too important for the future of the country. It can even be said that the lifeblood of a country is tied to one person. Under such a system, the supreme power is the only lever to incite social progress. What kind of person is Guangxu, who has high hopes? He is pedantic, cowardly, weak-willed and neurotic. His character, talent, willpower, etc. Far from taking on a big responsibility, let alone turning to Gan Kun. Li Can Hongzhang, who has insight into human feelings, doesn't understand this?
During the Reform Movement of 1898, someone suggested to Li Hongzhang: Now the queen mother and the emperor disagree, and you are an important minister of the country, so you should come out and reconcile. Li hongzhang sighed and said, what do you children know? Li Hongzhang really doesn't want to get involved in this muddy water. He just wants to watch from a distance and stand by. Of course, Li Hongzhang hopes that the situation of low morale will be improved, and he also hopes that those decadent ideas and figures will be washed away in the storm. Sometimes, Li Hongzhang even wants a sudden storm to wash away this decadent court. Of course, this idea is Li Hongzhang's point of view when he is angry. In most cases, Li Hongzhang tried his best to remedy it. In Li Hongzhang's view, washing is more important than the way. There is no way, and even the best motivation will only be wishful thinking. With the growth of age, Li Hongzhang has lost a lot of interest in slogans and propositions. In fact, between Li Hongzhang and Kang Youwei, there are many similarities in ideas and propositions about political reform. Both the Chinese style advocated by Guangxu and Kang Youwei's right to respect the monarch are consistent with or similar to Li Hongzhang's proposition. But Li Hongzhang has never been so radical and high-profile, and he doesn't want to put forward slogans in a big way. More often, Li Hongzhang always puts a low profile and, like a farmer, seeks change bit by bit in the years by means of humiliation and compromise.
From the first day of the political reform, Li Hongzhang was skeptical about Guangxu and Kang Liang's abilities and methods. During the Reform Movement of 1898, the wily Li Hongzhang had been hiding in Xianliang Temple.
1in September, 898, a ultimate revenge in Guangxu caused the Xuan Ran.
At the beginning of September, Wang Zhao, the director of Liupin, who is closely related to Kang Youwei, saw the subtle relationship between the emperor and the empress dowager, and boldly played, suggesting that Guangxu's mother and son visit foreign countries, with Japan as the first stop. Whitehead, the minister of rites, thinks that the memorial is too out of line and will give it a discount. Guangxu was furious when he learned about this. He thought that the Minister of Rites unreasonably obstructed his speech, dismissed the Ministers of Rites, Huaitabu and Xu Yinglian, together with four other assistant ministers, and promoted Wang Zhao to the third class and the official to the third class as a sign of encouragement.
Then, Guangxu made an even more shocking imperial edict: Zhang Jing was appointed as four new military aircraft, namely, Yang Rui, the alternate assistant minister of cabinet, Liu Guangdi, the alternate director of punishments, Xu Lin, the alternate secretary of cabinet, and Tan Sitong, the alternate magistrate of Jiangsu. It is clearly stipulated that all memorials will be read by four people; All the imperial edicts were drawn up by four people. The original Ministry of War governors and military affairs ministers were put aside. Although this way of dealing with problems expressed Guangxu's determination to reform, it obviously exposed Guangxu's carelessness and recklessness in handling affairs. After all, the name is not right, how can you command ministers who are just four products with one product and two products? The old court officials were suddenly dissatisfied and rushed to the Summer Palace to cry to the Queen Mother.
A few days later, it was Li Hongzhang's turn to be idle at home. Guangxu suddenly issued a decree: Li Hongzhang was removed from his post as Minister of General Affairs, so that he could not walk around the Prime Minister's yamen. Li Hongzhang, who received the imperial edict, couldn't help feeling naught. Li Hongzhang is basically at home at this time.
After that, the situation got even more out of control. About Guangxu felt great pressure and the reform policy could not be promoted. He flew into a rage in the palace all day, which made his ministers and eunuchs nervous all day. The old court minister did not dare to blame Emperor Guangxu, so he took his anger out on the reformists. By the end of September, the political situation in Beijing had become more subtle. With rich political experience, Cixi felt that the reform situation was getting out of control and felt the shadow of threats. Guangxu was in chaos at this time. I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't listen to other people's opinions. To make matters worse, Guangxu knew the danger signal in advance, and he suddenly ordered Kang Youwei to leave the capital. Later, in the Summer Palace, something shocked Cixi. DD Former Japanese Prime Minister Ito Bowen visited China, and Guangxu arranged to meet him in the palace on the 20th. It is rumored that Guangxu plans to hire Ito Bowen as a reform consultant of the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, timothy richard, an American, will be invited as an adviser to the Qing Dynasty. This statement made Cixi very angry. After all, Ito and Japan are enemies of the Qing dynasty, and old grievances have not disappeared. However, the emperor has such a plan in private, which really hurts the system! Cixi has always been a face-saving person. In her view, face is the most fundamental thing in life. What makes Cixi feel more dangerous is that it is said that Guangxu summoned Yuan Shikai, the leader of the new army in tianjin railway station!
On September 20, this day was spent in a subtle atmosphere: in the morning, Guangxu summoned Yuan Shikai for the third time in the palace; In the morning, Kang Youwei left the Nanhai Guild Hall where he had lived for several years and was ordered to leave Beijing quietly. At noon, Yuan Shikai returned to Tianjin by train; In the afternoon, Guangxu met with Ito Bowen. At the same time, Cixi listened on the screen. On 2 1 day, Cixi announced that she would be politically remonstrated, and ordered the arrest of Kang Youwei and Kang Ren Guang, brothers who engaged in cronyism and abused politics. On the 24th, the court announced the dismissal of Zhang, Xu Zhijing, Yang Rui, Tan Sitong and Liu Guangdi. On the 26th, the imperial edict sent the commanding minister to hear the case together with the Minister of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Punishment and the Douchayuan. On the 28th, the Minister of War issued a letter to the Ministry of Punishment, tying Tan Sitong and other six people together to the food market. The six people who were killed were called the six gentlemen of the 1898 Movement.
The result of the reform was indeed expected by Li Hongzhang. Due to the lack of necessary means, foundation and strategy, careful implementation plan, direction, struggle and compromise, the reform inevitably turned into tragic wishful thinking and willfulness, which led to the ultimate failure. Li Hongzhang was shocked to hear such a change at the Xianliang Hall for the first time. Li Hongzhang is also very sad. For the political reform, Li Hongzhang's heart has always been very complicated. After all, the Reform Movement of 1898 was a step that should be taken, and as soon as the first step was taken, it was a mess.
During that time, Li Hongzhang shut himself up in Xianliang Temple. He did not take part in Cixi's imprisonment of Guangxu, nor did he show sympathy for Guangxu's reform. He kept his distance from all this, but secretly tried to protect some new party member. On September 24th, Li Hongzhang hosted a banquet in honor of Ito Bowen and his entourage Dai Gang Yuzao. After three rounds of drinking, he talked about the kangliang reform. Li Hongzhang first tested Ito Bowen's attitude, and then defended Kang Liang, saying that his charges were nothing more than stirring people's hearts and causing public outrage. Li Hongzhang's view of the guilty people in the imperial court is still different from theirs, but he just downplayed and predicted that Kang Liang would make great achievements in the future!
However, the wily Li Hongzhang made a comeback with the help of the failure of the reform. Politics is a poker game. Many people sit around together, and even if their colleagues lose everything, they can still profit from it. Li Hongzhang knows politics well. 1898165438+10, the court decided to abolish Guangxu after quelling the Reform Movement of 1898. Cixi was most worried about the collective interference of foreigners, so she sent Rong Lu to see Li Hongzhang, asking him for information to appease foreigners. Li Hongzhang said: The direct attitude of foreigners may be difficult to ask directly. It is better to appoint yourself as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, let the consuls of various countries come to congratulate, and then communicate with foreigners easily. Rong Lu conveyed the meaning of Li Hongzhang to Cixi after he returned. After quelling the storm of political reform and reform, Cixi tried to stabilize the political situation with the help of her old ministers. In this case, the imperial edict was issued soon, and Li Hongzhang made a comeback and was appointed governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Li Hongzhang readily accepted the appointment.
In the winter sunshine, Li Hongzhang greeted the arrival of Claude Maxwell MacDonald, the British minister, on the porch of the Hall of Virtue. The British minister first congratulated Li Hongzhang on his re-election and said that he had come to see me off. Li Hongzhang arranged a family dinner for the minister. At the banquet, Claude Maxwell MacDonald suddenly asked: I heard that your country is going to abolish Emperor Guangxu?
While questioning, Claude Maxwell MacDonald kept staring at Li Hongzhang's face, trying to find some clues in this old face. Without any expression, Li Hongzhang said gently in standard diplomatic language: Minister, I think, in any case, this should be an internal issue of China, right? Not to be outdone, Claude Maxwell MacDonald said flatly, I am the British ambassador to China. If there are diplomatic representations in the future, the British Empire will not recognize anyone except Emperor Guangxu as the supreme head of China. Li Hongzhang nodded, and he understood the attitude of the British minister.
It is worth mentioning that Li Hongzhang has always adhered to his own views on the reform and reform, and has not changed at all because of the court's attitude towards Kang Youwei. After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, imperial edicts from all over the country took Kangliang. Before leaving, Li Hongzhang, who is about to become the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, met with Cixi to thank him. In the upward direction, Cixi showed him that someone had impeached him as a commemoration of the Kang Party. Unexpectedly, Li Hongzhang said stiffly: If the old law could strengthen the country, our country would have been strong. In other words, it is inevitable that the minister will be guilty of reforming the Kang Party, and the minister is actually the Kang Party. Cixi didn't expect Li Hongzhang to answer herself like this. She was startled and didn't know how to ask this topic. When Li Hongzhang arrived in Guangzhou, he was asked what he thought of Kang Youwei. Li Hongzhang blurted out again: You don't have to be afraid if the court wants to arrest the Kang Party. I am Kang Dang! Everyone present was shocked. In this matter, Li Hongzhang can be said to be both sad and angry. Li Hongzhang was heartbroken by the court's treatment of the reformists. In essence, Li Hongzhang has always been a person with personality, but many times, due to various interests and trade-offs, Li Hongzhang hides his personality and gives people the impression of wily. After a series of ups and downs, 77-year-old Li Hongzhang felt indifferent. He saw through the decay and stubbornness of the Qing Dynasty and was deeply disappointed with this stormy court. Although Li Hongzhang and Kang Youwei have different views and methods in many places, Kang Youwei's experience inevitably hurts Li Hongzhang's heart. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that Li Hongzhang made such remarks.
Moreover, Li Hongzhang also took a series of corresponding actions on the issue of Kang Liang. When Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao were in exile and were in shock, to their surprise, they received greetings from Li Hongzhang and even a personal letter from Li Hongzhang. In the letter, Li Hongzhang encouraged Kang Liang to learn western learning and practice his talents in order to serve the country in the future. There is no need to be disappointed with the status quo. It is naturally touching that a prominent senior official in the Qing Dynasty expressed condolences to the exiled criminals wanted by the imperial court. Kang Liang quickly wrote back to express his gratitude. For Kang Liang, Li Hongzhang did have an affair. Whether sympathizing with the reformists or leaving a way out for himself, Li Hongzhang at least showed his courage and opinion. China really needs talents who can come forward at critical times, and new intellectuals with new ideas, new ideas and new courage. Li Hongzhang fantasized that if one day the Qing Dynasty really transformed, talents like Kang Liang would be used.
1900 In June, Li Hongzhang left Beijing after living in Xianliang Temple for five years. It was only 10 days after receiving the letter of appointment from the imperial court, and Li Hongzhang flew to the south with his three-eyed feather like a migratory bird.