On March 14, 1895, the huihe team represented by Li Hongzhang boarded a steamship to Japan with Cixi's "full expectations". On March 19 of the same year, Li Hongzhang's delegation finally arrived in Maguan, Japan, and began negotiations with Japan the next day. The place of negotiation is set at the Chunfan Building. The Chunfan Building has also been preserved to this day because of this negotiation.
The Japanese representative who negotiated with Li Hongzhang this time was Li Hongzhang's "old friend" Ito Hirobumi. The last confrontation between the two of them dates back 10 years, and on April 18, 1885, Li Hongzhang, as a representative of the Qing Dynasty, signed the Treaty of Tianjin with Japanese Senator Itō Hirobumi. Only at that time, the Qing Dynasty was the victorious party, and Li Hongzhang naturally had the upper hand in that negotiation. However, what I did not expect was that 10 years later, although the two sides met at the negotiating table once, their status changed dramatically. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine what a difficult situation Li Hongzhang will face.
From March 20 until March 24, Japan and the Qing Dynasty held three rounds of negotiations. As the defeated side, Li Hongzhang's first task was naturally to stop the war. But how could the Japanese side so easily miss the opportunity to blackmail the Qing Dynasty? They not only wanted the Qing government to cede the three places of Dagukou, Tianjin, and Shanhaiguan, but also wanted the Qing government to compensate up to 300 million taels of silver for the war damage. In the face of the Japanese lion's big opening, Li Hongzhang naturally did not dare to respond. In this way, the negotiations were once again temporarily terminated due to disagreement between the two sides.
It wasn't until the afternoon of March 24, in Shimonoseki, that a "strong man" named Rokunosuke Koyama jumped into history. On this day, he resolutely blocked the road on the daily round-trip of the Qing Dynasty deputies, and aimed a shot at Li Hongzhang's head! Li Hongzhang's injuries were not fatal, and the bullet hit an inch under his eyes. He couldn't ask for a shot. Because of this shot, perhaps the Chinese people will not scold other thieves too much. His face was full of blood, and he shouted 7 words to the sky: "This blood can repay the country!" ......”
After Li Hongzhang was attacked, after Japan heard about it, the negotiations were eased slightly because of Li Hongzhang's bullet. Because Li Hongzhang, as the representative of the peacemaker, was attacked in Japan, which was extremely unfavorable to Japan's image in the international community, in order to make up for this mistake, the Japanese side made concessions in the amount of indemnity, from the original plan of 300 million silver to 200 million silver. Although the amount is still huge, at least it is a relatively good start for the Qing Dynasty. For this reason, Li Hongzhang even laughed at himself and said that this shot was worth it!