Li Hongzhang is indeed a tragic hero. In the special era of the late Qing Dynasty, when the country was at a critical stage of survival, due to the Qing Dynasty's lack of enterprising spirit and the rigidity within the ruling class, corruption abounded in the court. The country's development process was seriously lagging behind, and it was about to be eliminated by history. The inevitable outcome! Among the controversies in his life, the failure of the Sino-Japanese War was the most important. However, five years before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, due to the disagreement between Weng Tonghe, the teacher of Emperor Guangxu, and Li Hongzhang, the allocation of military expenditures for acquisition and improvement had been stopped.

If Li Hongzhang hadn’t founded the Steamship Merchants Company and other companies to make profits and subsidize the Beiyang Fleet, he might not have been able to fight in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, let alone pose a military threat to Japan. Li Hongzhang.

The Huai Army was also defeated one after another in the Korean battlefield. Later generations called it Li Hongzhang's retreat to preserve his strength. However, if you think about it carefully, although many officers and soldiers were from the Huai Army, military power is the foundation of the country, and it is the Manchu Qing Dynasty that holds the real power. My dear.

Even if Li Hongzhang had the intention to preserve the country, he could not really mobilize the more than 100,000 troops stationed in North Korea. The relationship between the generals led to internal discord and a disastrous defeat in the face of the Japanese attack.

Li Hongzhang was assassinated during the negotiations on the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Li Hongzhang continued the negotiations with blood, saving the Qing Dynasty 100 million taels of silver compensation. This greatly preserved China's vitality. His spirit of sacrifice is worthy of admiration. .

When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, all the leaders of the Southeast Governorate supported Li Hongzhang as president. However, Li Hongzhang thought over and over again and decided to negotiate with the coalition forces on his knees for the sake of the future of the people. Finally, on his sick bed, he reduced the compensation. to the lowest.

Li Hongzhang used his efforts to maintain the stability of the Qing Dynasty and was loyal to the country. In order to prevent the independence of Jiangnan, warlords threatened the people with civil war, but he was kind to the people.

So, Li Hongzhang is a well-known hero.

If Li Hongzhang really had such general knowledge, could plan for the country, and make far-sighted plans, how could the Qing Dynasty deteriorate while he was in power? When the great powers are surrounding and bullying China, they should work hard to push the court to make up its mind to carry out reforms and get out of the predicament. Why can it only lose battles time and time again, sign traitorous treaties that humiliate the country, and move China from one abyss to another? The abyss has never been able to get out of the trough of history.