Li Hongzhang s biography, Li Hongzhang s biography introduction

Biography of Li Hongzhang (by Liang Qichao).

"The Biography of Li Hongzhang".This book begins with Li Hongzhang's early years, and writes about his life of participating in the suppression of the Taiping Army, the First Sino-Japanese Naval War, the founding of the Westernization Movement, and maneuvering on the world diplomatic stage until his death.

Brief introduction: Li Hongzhang started from the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and then founded the Westernization Movement to bring his prestige to the peak. However, in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, the navy and army he painstakingly managed were completely annihilated.

At that time, the Japanese countries had been civilized, and the people were far ahead in the world's vision and enthusiasm for participating in politics, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty still imprisoned the people's wisdom and people's power, and failure was inevitable.

The failure of the Westernization Movement announced the inevitable failure of the bureaucratic capitalism of "official supervision and commercial management" founded by Li Hongzhang. Because the bureaucracy does not understand the technology and management of industry and commerce, but uses it as a tool for profit, this makes the enterprises inefficient, suppresses the development of national industry and commerce, limits their enthusiasm for participation, and stifles the development of capitalist industry and commerce and the transformation of society.

Li Hongzhang's main deeds include the Taiping Army's battles, the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the establishment of foreign affairs.

1. In the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang (1847), he was a jinshi. At the same time, under the family of Zeng Guo, he emphasized the study of the world. In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), he was ordered to return to his hometown to run regimental training, and led his troops to fight against the Taiping Army many times.

2. Xuan Jing was recommended by Zeng Guofan to be the governor of Jiangsu. The local government held real power, and vigorously expanded the army in Jiangsu, using new Western guns, so that the Huai army increased from more than 6,000 people in two years.

60,000 to 70,000 people became a well-equipped and relatively strong local armed force in the Qing army. The Later Huai warlord group gradually formed on this basis. After Li Hongzhang arrived in Shanghai, he and foreign mercenaries (later formed into the Changsheng Army) invaded the Taiping Army.

In 1863 and 1864, he led the Huai army to capture Suzhou, Changzhou and other places, and suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom together with the Hunan army.

3. Since the 70s of the 19th century, Li Hongzhang has further expanded his foreign affairs business, and has established a series of civilian enterprises mainly in the form of "official supervision and commercial office" because of his flaunting "self-improvement" and then "seeking wealth". At the same time, he also began to prepare for the establishment of Beiyang coastal defense, mainly based on foreign purchases, supplemented by self-manufacturing, and built the Beiyang Navy in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888). In order to cultivate talents needed for "self-improvement" and "seeking prosperity", various new schools have also been established, and people have been sent to study in Europe and the United States.

All these Western-style undertakings have had a profound impact on the development of modern Chinese society.

Li Hongzhang is the great-grandfather of Lin Boqu (Zhang Zhizhong). Tan Sitong father-in-law.

Li Hongzhang established the Huai Army and destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with Zeng and Zuo. and the left to extinguish the Twist Army.

Westernization Movement, the establishment of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau (planned by Zeng Guofan, Zeng, Zuo, Zhang, and Li all served as supervisors, and Li served as the longest). The manufacture of gunboats with guns is expensive, low in production and of extremely poor quality. The money to build one ship can buy two of better quality.

However, the quality of books translated and introduced to the West by the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau is better than that of other translations of the same era.

In the First Sino-Japanese War, Ye Zhichao was used in land warfare (greedy for life and afraid of death, and then defeated in the battle of Pyongyang and fled to Anzhou, which was despised by North Korea, and Anzhou was extremely terrainous, so he abandoned Anzhou and abandoned Dingzhou and fled back to China). Ding Ruchang for naval warfare (Liu Buyun believed that he lacked naval experience, so he refused to accept his management. In the end, he ran out of ammunition and food, and committed suicide and martyrdom).

Both belonged to Li's Huaijun faction.

Diplomatic treaties and unequal treaties should not be entirely the responsibility of Li Hongzhang, but unequal treaties will never give Li Hongzhang extra points. Li Hongzhang's diplomatic ability should be a thing that exists, and there is an 8 point on a 100-point scale, but it is too much to be blown up at present.

Others: After Li Hongzhang's death, his family had about 40 million**, 2.57 million acres of land; In order to deal with Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang once made Youlian owe Hu Xueyan money, causing Hu Xueyan to eventually go bankrupt; From the beginning to the end of the Sino-French War, Li Hongzhang bore some responsibility; Bismarck looked down on Li Hongzhang.