The signing of the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" and the crisis of the great powers carving up China greatly shocked all classes and strata, and promoted the awakening of the Chinese people's patriotic consciousness. When the terms of the peace talks came out, the whole country strongly opposed it. Officials from the main war factions complained one after another, accusing Li Hongzhang of harming the country by flattering the enemy and demanding that he refuse to sign the treaty. At that time, the provincial governors' assembly was being held in Beijing. Kang Youwei drafted a letter to the emperor, proposing "rejection of peace, moving the capital, training troops, and reform." More than 1,300 governors signed, setting off a huge movement against surrender. This is the famous "letter on the bus".