"Better be friends than slaves" is a famous saying in modern history. It is generally believed that it came from the mouth of Empress Dowager Cixi, which is the ironclad evidence that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty betrayed the country.
Actually, this is not right. This sentence is not said by Cixi, but a myth.
"Better be a friend than a slave" evolved from Cixi's mouth and actually walked several times. Its earliest source is 1898 Liang Qichao's political reform coup.
According to Liang Qichao's records, this sentence was said by a persistent conservative minister. His original words were: "My family's property can be given to friends, not slaves".
Who is tough? He is a blue flag bearer, an old school, and a Manchu eagle. During the Sino-Japanese War, Jiang Yi was appointed as the governor of Shaanxi Province. Because of his determination to fight, he was promoted to military affairs minister and assistant minister of rites.
Resolutely oppose all political reform propositions. At the same time, he is extremely xenophobic. He advocated that the Boxer Rebellion should go to war with Eight-Nation Alliance, and was appointed as the minister of operations and the joint organizer of the university students to personally command the Boxer Rebellion. The siege of embassies and churches and the slaughter of priests and parishioners were carried out with firm recognition. This is one of the major war criminals demanded by an unswerving and persevering G8.
However, tenacity is more competitive. On the way to follow Cixi's "Western Expedition", Hou Ma died of illness in Shanxi, which did not let the allies succeed.
Resolutely regard a big country as a deadly enemy. His words literally mean that family property would rather be given to friends than to domestic servants.
So how did this famous saying become Cixi? In Chen Tianhua's "Alarm Bell", it was simplified to a more emotional "Better give it to friends than slaves", and then in Zou Rong's "Revolutionary Army", Zou Rong put it on Rong Lu's head. "Rong Lu, a loyal minister of Manchu National People's Congress, has a saying,' Better give a neighbor than a slave'. '
This sentence is becoming more and more famous. As for who said it, no one has studied it carefully. On behalf of the Qing government of Cixi, some people think that this was said by Cixi herself. Later it became a word of mouth.
"Being a friend is better than being a slave" was not said by Cixi, but another famous saying was said by Cixi, "Measuring China's material resources to please China".
This sentence comes from the imperial edict of Cixi during the negotiations in Xinzhou. "I still urge the plenipotentiary to carefully review the detailed plan, measure China's material resources and win the favor of the country." . But I still ordered him to carefully study and consider the details, and make compensation according to China's material resources to ensure the satisfaction of all countries. The word "quantity" in classical Chinese is thoughtful; The meaning of consideration.
Although Cixi went crazy in the late Qing Dynasty and lost the stability of a mature politician, she didn't say that, and she can't be blamed. She still needs to be realistic.
Of course, it is an undeniable fact that the Qing government repeatedly signed traitorous treaties and betrayed national interests.
In fact, many things in history are inaccurate. If you are really interested, you can draw your own judgment through the materials. Liang Qichao's 1898 coup is a good book. As a witness, he objectively told that history, which is now widely recognized. Friends who are interested in the history of the late Qing Dynasty can have a look.