From what Li Hongzhang said.

Source of the allusion: In the sixth year of Guangxu's reign, the Russian crown prince gave Li Hongzhang a gold pistol. Li Hongzhang loved it so much that he often carried it with him. When I went out hunting, I couldn't help but want to try my skills.

Suddenly seeing the silent villages around him, he stopped and stopped using his pistol. The staff was curious and asked why. Li Hongzhang replied: This is what I want to remind myself, armed with sharp weapons and murderous intentions, be cautious and cautious. Li Hongzhang educated his staff that if a person has weapons, he will have the intention to harm others, just like a person has power, and he will never stop unless he uses his power to places it cannot reach.

Extended information:

Character introduction

Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901), whose real name was Zhang Tong and whose courtesy name was Jianfu , Zifu [fú], nicknamed Shaoquan (one is Shaoquan), in his later years, he called himself Yisou, nicknamed Shengxin, a native of Hefei, Anhui, a famous official in the late Qing Dynasty, and one of the main leaders of the Westernization Movement. People in the world often call him "Li Zhongtang". Because of his second behavior, the people also call him "Mr. Li Er".

As an important minister in the late Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang was the founder and commander-in-chief of the Huai Army and the Beiyang Navy, and one of the leaders of the Westernization Movement. He established China's first Western-style navy, the Beiyang Navy, and served as an official to the Third Palace of the East Palace. Master, Bachelor of Wenhua Palace, Minister of Commerce of Beiyang, Governor of Zhili, with the title of First Class Su Yibo.

He participated in a series of major historical events throughout his life: including the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the suppression of the Nian Army Uprising, the Westernization Movement, the Sino-Japanese War of 1898, etc., and represented the Qing government in signing the Treaty of Vietnam, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and the Sino-French Treaty. "Concise Treaty", "Xinchou Treaty" and a series of unequal treaties.

Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi regarded him as "the only person in the Qing Empire who could compete with the world's great powers", German Navy Minister Konard called him the "Bismarck of the East", and the Empress Dowager Cixi regarded him as "the Bismarck of the East". "The man who recreated Xuanhuang", together with Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong and Zuo Zongtang, was called the "Four Famous Officials of ZTE". After his death, he was awarded the posthumous title of Grand Tutor, and was granted the title of First-class Suyi Marquis of Jin Dynasty, with the posthumous title of Wenzhong. His works were collected in "The Complete Works of Duke Li Wenzhong".

On February 18, the 21st year of Guangxu (1895), Li Hongzhang was appointed minister plenipotentiary by Empress Dowager Cixi and rushed to Japan to negotiate peace. Although the Qing government had granted Li Hongzhang full authority to cede territory and pay compensation before leaving, he still hoped to "get every benefit he could get" and argued repeatedly with Japanese representatives.

After the third negotiation, Li Hongzhang was assassinated on the road to the meeting place. Public opinion in the world was in an uproar. Therefore, the Japanese side slightly restrained on the terms of the peace talks. On March 16, when Li Hongzhang recovered slightly from his injury, the two sides negotiated for the fourth time. Japan stated that it would no longer make concessions to China's demands for compensation of 250 million taels of silver (originally 300 million taels) and the cession of the Liaodong Peninsula and Taiwan Penghu.

Japanese peace negotiator Hirobumi Ito said that in front of Li Hongzhang, "there are only two sentences: yes and no." Afterwards, Japan continued to intimidate by increasing its troops and fighting again. Li Hongzhang and others sent telegrams to ask for instructions. Emperor Guangxu agreed to sign the contract and ordered "to make a contract with him in compliance with the previous decree."

It is said that at the last moment before signing, he once said in tears to the mission's American adviser Costa: "If the negotiations fail, the only way is to move the capital to Shaanxi and fight Japan for a long time. Japan will not be able to do so." Conquering China, China can resist forever. Japan will eventually be defeated and sue for peace." Later generations praised Li Hongzhang highly, thinking that he "saved 100 million silver for the Qing government with his bones and tears." , made a great contribution to the survival of the Qing government."

In fact, if Li Hongzhang had not overly grasped the power of the Beiyang Navy and adopted the policy of "preserving ships and avoiding war", the Qing government's funding for the Beiyang Navy would not have been reduced so much, and the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War of 1888-1888 might have changed. Those who were not cowards were wiped out in the Bohai Bay harbor.

Baidu Encyclopedia—Li Hongzhang