This sentence comes from Lafayette and the Empress Dowager Cixi.

1. Meaning: Friends are the imperial powers, domestic slaves are the rulers of the people. Those who "would rather give to friends" refer to the political reform of "constitutional monarchy" that refers to the survival rights of the people under the rule and the "constitutional monarchy" in order to protect their rule.

2. Expansion: In the late Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was powerful and resisted and fought against the Qing government. The Qing government decided to borrow troops from foreign countries to fight back. At this time, the British and French countries took the opportunity to blackmail, and Empress Dowager Cixi did not stop, thinking He came up with the plan of "rather giving gifts to friendly countries than domestic slaves", so he hurriedly summoned several ambassadors to the palace to discuss how to deal with the Taiping Army.