Since the Opium War, China has waged many anti-aggression wars. However, every time there is an anti-aggression war, there will be two different camps within the rulers of the Qing Dynasty: the main war faction and the main peace faction. However, in the Sino-French War of 1883, the camps of hawks and pacifists were very distinct, and the debate between the two sides was very fierce, which had a very obvious impact on the war process. Let's take a closer look. First of all, introduce the representatives of hawks and pacifists respectively. The core figures of the main war faction: Zuo and Zhang Zhidong, and the main peace faction: Li Hongzhang and Guo Songtao. In the Sino-French war, because of their different understanding of the current situation, their attitudes towards France were also different, which can be described as distinct. The Battle of Ma Jiang between China and France I. Understanding and Advocating Warlords 1883 12. France invaded Vietnam, then tried to spy on China through Vietnam, and then invaded China. In the face of Vietnam's reckless behavior, the warring factions of the Qing court advocated actively preparing for war, aiding Vietnam to resist the law, and put forward the following reasons. (1) Once the French invade Vietnam, the security of China's southwest border will be seriously threatened. Zuo, then governor of the two rivers, said: "The Northern Qi Dynasty was bordered by China, especially by clouds and Guangdong. The mine of hardware is very prosperous, and the legal person has coveted it for a long time. If left unchecked, the prosperity of legal persons is almost based on the law. How can our country rest easy in the future? Ceng Jize, then ambassador to Britain and France, also pointed out: "The wish of a legal person is not to suddenly merge with Vietnam, but to take Vietnam as its root. Coal mines in Guangdong and gold mines in central Yunnan are all mouth-watering. The more you die, the stronger your enemies will be as your neighbors. How to rest at the border? "At the same time, Shanxi Governor Zhang Zhidong also said:" In this strong neighborhood, the princes are in urgent need, and when Xinjiang is in danger, they are also angry and want to raise the border. "So, from Zuo and Zhang Zhidong's remarks, we can see that the hawks unanimously advocated accepting the invitation of Vietnam * * *, hoping that Qing * * * would actively prepare for the war and help Vietnam resist the French in order to defend the frontier. (2) Once the French invasion of Vietnam is successful, it will deepen the crisis in the entire Chinese frontier. Zuo said: "If France's plot to occupy Vietnam succeeds, Britain, Russia, Japan and other countries will follow suit and spy on China's northeast and southwest borders. Ceng Jize pointed out: "Once China is captured by the French, people from other countries who covet China will inevitably follow suit. Then what can we do to resist? " Tu Shouren, Minister of Guanglu Temple, also pointed out: "If you win Vietnam, Britain and Russia will be weak, and other countries will be weak, and self-improvement will begin today." "As you can see from the above, the hawks' views are basically the same, and they all want to persuade Qing * * * to aid Vietnam to resist the law through the truth of' the lips are dead and the teeth are cold'. Feng Zicai (3) France, a famous anti-French fighter, has insurmountable weaknesses. If he can fight, he will win. After analyzing the situation between the enemy and ourselves, the hawk faction thought: "Although France's military strength is strong, it is not invincible. In this regard, Ceng Jize put forward his own views. He believes that France has two major weaknesses: instability in the rear. He believes that the French are not as rich as they thought. They are at odds with justice and Germany, and it is impossible to fight a protracted war. It is not easy to go on an expedition to raise the salary of soldiers. Vietnam is too far away from France, and because it is a few Wan Li apart, it is not so easy to raise troops and raise salaries. " "YueYuan, the ancients is particularly difficult. Besides, it is not easy to raise troops from tens of thousands of miles away. The map of the law is getting bigger and bigger. If we send 20,000 troops eastward, we must exhaust the power to connect the whole country. " In this respect, Zuo and He have basically the same understanding. They think that although China is weak, the situation in all aspects is very different from that during the two Opium Wars. As long as we persist in a protracted war, we will certainly defeat the French army. (4) From Liu Yongfu's help in the struggle against France, they saw the hope of defeating the French army. During the French attack on Vietnam, Liu Yongfu fought back, and every battle was basically a victory. Under the resistance of Liu Yongfu, the French army has not been able to cross Shanxi and BAC ninh. Zhang Zhidong called Liu Yongfu a "brave man" and put forward the idea of "relying on Liu for real assistance", and advocated paying for armaments to make him a pioneer in the war against France. Schematic diagram of Sino-French naval battle Therefore, it can be seen from the above remarks of the warring factions that they actively advocate the whole army to prepare for war, aid Vietnam to resist France, and defeat the ambition of French aggression. Second, the understanding and proposition of the peace faction is opposite to that of the war faction. In this case, the peace faction completely ignored the crisis in the southwest frontier, completely opposed aiding Vietnam and resisting France, and advocated compromise and peace. Their reasons are as follows. Opposing the French invasion will affect the normal foreign trade, which is called a real disaster. Li Hongzhang said: "The more you surrender to the law, and I am trying to collect business on your behalf, get rid of the legal person, and the soldiers will come and go, or disturb the overall trade situation of various countries, it seems worthless. "I am more afraid that if I attack, it will become a disaster." In this regard, he also believes that France is determined to trade and will not covet China, Yunnan, Guangxi and other provinces. On this basis, he thinks there is absolutely no need to go to war with France. (2) China's coastal defense is weak, and its troops are backward in equipment, so it is difficult to compete with the French army. Li Hongzhang said: "The coastal defense soldiers in all provinces are single-paid, and the navy has not been trained and cannot underestimate the European powers." "He took the trouble to explain that the French equipment is better than the Qing army, so it can't be lighter than words. He said, "Haiphong, Nanding, Haiyang and Shanxi, where the law is located, are surrounded by Hetao and use boats. The legal person is good at water warfare, and there are many shallow water boats, which are dependent on land and water and are the most stable. "This is the second reason why the pacifists oppose aiding Vietnam to resist the French. The war between China and France will lead to the exhaustion of people's wealth and easily lead to civil strife. Guo Songtao, former ambassador to Britain and France, said: "When there is no foreign rebellion, chaos and famine are not big problems. Once there is foreign provocation, both of them are much more serious than usual. """and the people are poor and defeated, and there are no soldiers left, how can they be worthy of the country!" Li Hongzhang also believes that in recent years, floods and droughts have occurred frequently in various provinces, and their vitality has not yet recovered. If they break away from the legal person, there will inevitably be a trend of people living in poverty, so we must be cautious. (4) It is harmful to support Liu Yongfu's resistance to the law. Li Hongzhang said: "Law and Liu Zhong are at odds. Liu Wu can trust him at all, relying only on China to put on a show. Although you lose your wings, you will eventually be tired of Liu, which will affect the overall situation. " He vilified Liu Yongfu's flexible tactics such as luring the enemy to attack him as "bandit tactics". Not only that, he also ignored the important role of Liu Yongfu and the Black Flag Army in the struggle to aid Vietnam and resist France, and regarded it as a burden, completely reversing right and wrong. Based on the above understanding, the main peace faction opposes aiding Vietnam to resist the law, advocates compromise and concessions, and strives to maintain peace. Guo Songtao completely distorted the facts, openly whitewashed the French invaders and put the responsibility for the war on China. Liu Yongfu summed up the dispute between the main war faction and the main peace faction, indicating that with the deepening of the national crisis, there was a division within the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. Admittedly, we can't regard the opinions of the hawk faction as completely correct, but they are completely wrong. However, comparing the opinions of the two factions, we can easily find the following differences: ① The hawk faction considers the necessity of resisting the law from the security of the southwest and even the whole frontier, while the hawk faction basically does not consider the problem from this aspect. (2) The hawk made a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the strength of the enemy and our side, and saw that France was stronger than China, but it also saw its insurmountable weaknesses, such as unstable defense, insufficient troops, difficult expedition, etc., thus establishing the confidence that victory could be achieved through hard work. The pacifists only saw that France had powerful ships and powerful guns, but did not see the weaknesses mentioned above, thus losing confidence in the French war. In short, the warring factions advocate resistance to the law, which is conducive to safeguarding national interests, boosting morale and people's hearts, and combating the arrogance of aggressors; The pacifists compromised and made peace, which harmed the national interests, dampened the enthusiasm of the military and civilians for the war of resistance against Japan, and encouraged the arrogance of French aggression and expansion. Text/Qin Huang Tang Zong Reference:

Sino-French war, current affairs notes, left and clear records and other related materials.