Guo Songtao was a scholar in the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang, and from the fourth year of Xianfeng to the sixth year of Xianfeng, he was the commander of the Zeng Kingdom.In the first year of Tongzhi, he was awarded the Susong grain storage road, and the two Huai salt transportation envoys were transferred.In the second year of Tongzhi, he served as the governor of Guangdong, and in the fifth year of Tongzhi, he was dismissed and returned to his hometown, and lectured in Changsha Chengnan Academy and Sixian Lecture House.In the first year of Guangxu, he was recommended by Wen Xiang, Minister of Military Aircraft, to enter the Prime Minister's Yamen.During this period, President Meng needed a person like Guo Songtao to join him to show his political success, but this was not easy to do.President Meng sent someone to meet Guo Songtao, three times, and sent someone to meet three times, fortunately, not many people knew about this matter, otherwise Guo Songtao would have been beaten to death by the people of Huaguo.Guo Songtao didn't want to come to the president's mansion, and President Meng was atmospheric enough, if you don't come, I'll go.Guo Songtao, a second-class official, lives in a small broken courtyard, and is still shared by several officials of the Prime Minister's Yamen, and the tragic situation is unbearable to witness.Guo Songtao didn't expect President Huaguo to come in person, and he was also surprised, so he had to come out to greet him.Outside the small courtyard were the soldiers of the President's Guard, lined up in two columns, and the momentum was extraordinary.Guo Songtao didn't know what to call President Meng, and practiced the etiquette of a scholar.President Meng got off the carriage with a smile, Princess Katrina Kafu and Wang Zhankui led President Meng to get out of the car, and then President Meng held Princess Katrina Kafu's hand and said to Guo Songtao: "You don't want to go to the President's Mansion, just right, I'll come to see you, Lord Guo won't be unwelcome" Guo Songtao smiled bitterly and shook his head, "A Hanru, how dare you work as a president, please." ”Several officials of the Prime Minister's Yamen, also small officials, heard that President Meng was coming, with his family, stood in a row respectfully, I don't know whether to kneel, it stands to reason that President Meng is equivalent to the emperor of Huaguo, and it seems that they should kneel down in etiquette, but they are all officials of the Qing court, and it seems that they should not kneel.President Meng and Princess Katrina Kafu followed Guo Songtao into the courtyard, and when they saw this situation, they said generously: "Hello everyone, don't be restrained, I just came out to bask in the sun, and this courtyard is just here to enjoy the snow." ”Today is sunny, and it is indeed a good weather to enjoy the snow and bask in the sun, as President Meng said.Everyone saw that President Meng was so amiable, and they didn't think that President Meng was a child, but there were a few children who were very curious about President Meng, the older one was only in his early tens, and the younger one was a little older than President Meng, six or seven years old, staring at President Meng one by one, as if he had seen a monster, President Meng did not have the habit of greeting children."
Lord Guo, I want to hear your views on foreign affairs."
President Meng sat down on a chair and smiled straight to the point.Guo Songtao was stunned, the Qing court called for foreign affairs, but Huaguo is full of foreign affairs, as far as Guo Songtao saw and heard, every move in Huaguo was something he couldn't think of, and he still needed to ask him, "President, for example, if I am an official of Huaguo, I don't know what to do, Huaguo's internal and foreign affairs are more advanced than Westerners, do you still need to ask me" President Meng smiled: "This is different, Huaguo is Huaguo, I want to hear the opinions of the insightful ministers of the Qing court." ”Guo Songtao was not pretentious in setting up a strategy for foreign affairs, nodded, set up a table in the courtyard, and wrote down his ideas and views on foreign affairs as a matter of Chen Haifeng.Guo Songtao believes that it is very wrong to attribute the strength of the West to the strength of ships and artillery, and that if China simply learns the "last skills" of Western military science, it will not be able to play the role of enriching the country and strengthening the army.Only by studying the politics and economics of the West and developing China's industry and commerce is the way out.President Meng read Guo Songtao's article and nodded, Guo Songtao can have such an understanding in this era, and he has always had prestige, and he also has an understanding of Western science, such a talent is the person that President Meng needs most, if a person like Guo Songtao can defect, it will be a heavy blow to the Qing court, whether it is a diehard or a Westernist."
Self-improvement and seeking prosperity" is a progressive trend of thought in modern China, but the understanding of "prosperity and strength" is very different.The Westernists believed that as long as the military and economic strength of the feudal regime was strengthened through the organization of shipbuilding and economic activities by the state, the goal of prosperity and strength would be achieved.Guo Songtao expressed a different view on this.Guo Songtao's "concept of prosperity and strength" contains the following meanings: the "original plan" of China's "prosperity and strength" lies in following the "Western politics and religion" and clarifying the foundation of governing the country, which is to revitalize the discipline and refresh the rule of officials; In the case of "the original is not missing", it is better to "take care of the end", that is, to learn Western skills, develop modern industry and commerce, and "establish the foundation of Western law"; Reforming the traditional education system, opening Western schools, and cultivating "talents for change" are the "top priorities" for seeking prosperity and strength.Guo Songtao's "concept of prosperity and strength" and "mercantilism" proposition.It broke through the theoretical system of Chinese and Western use, and opened up another source for the emergence of the bourgeois reform trend.Guo Songtao believes that the birth of foreign disasters in China is a major change in modern China, and it is the result of the situation.Therefore, he opposed the "great defense of Yanyi Xia" and advocated openness.He said: "The people of the vast world with knowledge, this heart and this reason are so in line with the heavens, how can there be any difference and say that the corner of the East is China, and the rest are all Yi Di also, I dare to know" President Meng smiled: "Since there is such an understanding, it should be seen that the political system of the Qing court remains unchanged, such a court, purely on behalf of the royal family, is a small part of the ruling class, not on behalf of the whole of China, with such a court, do you think, your views, is it possible to realize" Guo Songtao Although he had long expected President Meng to ask, But he was speechless, and at the same time his heart was warm, and the fool also knew that President Meng had been invited repeatedly, and what it meant to visit in person at this moment, if he didn't understand, he didn't know how to lift."
President, the old man and Master Xuan Zonglu also knew each other in their early years, and they both served under the old Zhongtang of Zeng Guofan, so they relied on the old man to sell the old man, and there are some things that he knows he can't do."
President Meng smiled and nodded, "Then tell me what diplomatic point of view Huaguo should use to treat the world now." ”Guo Songtao was very curious that President Meng didn't continue to talk about letting him go to China, but he was a little embarrassed, and he didn't meet in person, but it seemed that he was amorous himself.Guo Songtao also talked about his own diplomatic philosophy, and one of the basic contents of Guo Songtao's diplomatic outlook is to oppose the Western countries as "Yidi" and advocate treating them as independent civilized countries.In view of the "arrogant" habit of feudal scholars, Guo Songtao believes that China has no other way than to "take the law" from the West.t1706231537: