Friends, today I will talk to you about a sentence in "Kindergarten Qionglin", "Confrontation is confrontation, seeking peace is seeking success".
"Confrontation is confrontation, and seeking peace is called seeking success" means that confrontation is also called "confrontation", and seeking peace is also called "seeking success".
This sentence depicts the two opposing states of war and peace,
In conflict or competition, the two sides can choose to confront each other directly, or they can choose to seek a peaceful solution through negotiation or consultation.
It depends on the interests, strength, and willingness of both parties, as well as the influence of the external environment.
When it comes to seeking peace from one side to the other, I immediately think of the inglorious history of the Southern Song Dynasty, when the rulers of the Southern Song Dynasty took the initiative to sue for peace with the Jin Dynasty when their own side still had an advantage.
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The Southern Song Dynasty sought peace with the Jin Dynasty
In 1140 in the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous general Yue Fei led the Yuejia army to defeat the Jin army in the Battle of Yuncheng and successfully recovered Zhengzhou, Luoyang and other places, and the military superiority of the Southern Song Dynasty seemed to have been solid. However, there was an undercurrent within the Southern Song Dynasty, and there were constant disputes between the main peace faction and the main war faction.
Song Gaozong and Qin Hui and others were deeply afraid that the Northern Expedition would anger the Jin Dynasty, and they were even more worried that once Yue Fei won a great victory and welcomed back the Second Emperor of Huiqin, their position would be shaken.
So, they secretly plotted to frame Yue Fei in order to calm the calls of the main battle faction. Yue Fei's death undoubtedly paved the way for the Southern Song Dynasty's path to peace.
Subsequently, the Southern Song Dynasty court took Yue Fei's death as a "vote" and courted peace with the Jin Dynasty.
They expressed their willingness to recognize the status of the Jin Dynasty and pay annual tribute of gold, silver and silk, only asking the Jin Dynasty to call off the army and truce the war. Seeing that the Southern Song Dynasty had such a deferential attitude and had a rich tribute to receive, the Jin Dynasty was naturally happy to accept it.
After negotiations, the two sides finally reached the "Shaoxing Peace Conference". According to this peace agreement, the Southern Song Dynasty declared itself a vassal to the Jin Dynasty, and the Jin Dynasty canonized Zhao Gou, the king of Song Kang, as emperor. This was undoubtedly a great humiliation in the history of the Central Plains Dynasty, and the dignity of the Southern Song Dynasty was lost at this moment.
In addition, the Southern Song Dynasty also had to return the lost territory recovered by Yue Fei and cede large territories to the Jin Dynasty, which greatly reduced the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty. Every year, the Southern Song Dynasty also had to pay a tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 horses of silk to the Jin Dynasty to maintain this fragile peace.
On the birthday of the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty also had to send envoys to offer rich congratulatory gifts to show their submission.
Although this peace sue made the Southern Song Dynasty pay a heavy price, it also brought the country a short period of tranquility. However, behind this tranquility was the weakness and humiliation of the Southern Song court.
The Qing Dynasty sued for peace with the Japanese government
In addition to the Southern Song Dynasty, there was also the Qing Dynasty's practice of asking the Japanese government for peace, which was also astonishing. This was the case.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army drove straight in, Liaodong and Shandong were completely lost, and the Qing capital Beijing was in danger. Seeing the grim situation, the emperors and officials of the Qing Dynasty knew that it would be difficult to win any further war, so they came up with the idea of suing for peace with Japan.
The Qing Dynasty sent several important ministers to Japan, hoping to reach a peace agreement with Japan. However, the Japanese side took a tough attitude, believing that the Qing Dynasty's sincerity in seeking peace was insufficient, and turned away the Qing envoys. The Qing Dynasty felt that the road to peace was difficult, but it had to continue to try.
As a result, the Qing Dynasty sent an embassy again, this time inviting a former US secretary of state as an adviser to increase the bargaining chips. After the mission arrived in Japan, lengthy negotiations began with Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito. The two sides went back and forth, bargaining, and in the end, the Qing Dynasty, in desperation, agreed to the harsh conditions put forward by Japan.
These conditions included the cession of the Liaodong Peninsula and the island of Taiwan to Japan, as well as the payment of huge reparations. In desperation, the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan, announcing the end of the war.
This incident was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Qing Dynasty, and it also plunged China into an even deeper semi-colonial and semi-feudal situation.
Looking back on this period of history, the Qing Dynasty's request for peace with the Japanese government is very emotional. A once glorious dynasty had to sue for peace in humiliation under the devastation of war, which is undoubtedly a shame in the history of the Chinese nation.
epilogue
Friends, today I share with you the wisdom of "confrontation is confrontation, seeking harmony and seeking success" in "Kindergarten Qionglin". In the midst of conflict and competition, both sides can choose between sabre-rattling or seek peaceful dialogue.
In the long history, the road to peace between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty is particularly thought-provoking.
In the context of the changing times, these two dynasties chose to value harmony, and there is a complex decision-making logic behind it.
We cannot simply evaluate whether it is right or wrong, because every decision is influenced by multiple factors such as politics, economy, military, and culture at the time.
The evaluation of history is always diverse, and different people will have different opinions. But in any case, we should respect historical facts, draw wisdom from them, and provide reference for future development.