What characteristics of foreigners make Cixi firmly believe that the Qing Dynasty will win?

On the eve of the First Opium War, people from Daoguang to ordinary people thought that foreigners would lose. Why? Foreigners' knees will not bend! Although foreigners are rampant at sea, the artillery is in full swing, and once it lands, it will be finished immediately. In the memorial, the Governor of Liangjiang said that "barbarians have straight waist and legs, and they will fall when they strike"; The backbone of the main war faction and the former minister of Dali Temple even put forward a killing skill to the court: "The best way to deal with foreigners is to send people to ambush in the grass and hit their legs with a long bamboo pole, which is sure to win."

Even Lin Zexu, the first person who opened his eyes to see the world, was full of confidence when he first came to Guangzhou to ban smoking. He thought he had two "trump cards" in his hand: one was that foreign devils ate beef powder every day, and if there were no tea and rhubarb from China, they would have bad stools and swell to death; The other is that foreigners can't bend their knees, and once they land, they are vulnerable.

After a real battle, Lin Zexu and Daoguang finally understood that foreigners, not the Qing army, were the winners. Foreigners are not only good at naval warfare, but also good at land warfare, with flexible knees. Arguably, money has been lost, land has been cut, and the lesson is painful, so it is time for China people to wake up. Unfortunately, no, once Daoguang's son Xianfeng came to power, foreigners' knees could not be bent any more.

It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years, but it is a little late for a monarch to take revenge for ten years. 1850, when Xianfeng ascended the throne, he had already held back his anger. First, I was bullied and my son wanted revenge. Xianfeng was angry at the thought of his father Daoguang's injustice in front of foreigners. Secondly, foreigners are shameless and push their luck, which is becoming more and more outrageous. They actually asked to go to Beijing to see the emperor. Not bad. Why not? Xianfeng immediately called on the coastal governors to step up preparations for a war with foreigners.

Although the war has been defeated for ten years, many civil and military officials still believe that foreigners can't bend their knees and are not good at land warfare. Officials from all over Xinjiang have said that there is no need for fortification at all. If the British army comes and lures it ashore, it will take advantage of its strengths and attack its weaknesses. Winning on land is a good plan to defeat the enemy. As a result, during the Second Opium War, foreigners easily entered Beijing and set fire to Yuanmingyuan. Xianfeng had to flee to chengde mountain resort and die there.

Nearly half a century later, in 1900, the reigning Empress Dowager Cixi was furious, mainly caused by foreigners. She wants to replace the disobedient Guangxu, but foreigners don't agree. In a rage, Cixi declared war on the eight countries. Before the war, the leader of the dry army, who was highly valued by the imperial court, was arrogant and said to Cixi, "I have nothing but killing foreigners!" When asked about the strategy of defending the enemy, the leader said that foreigners had nothing to be afraid of. They couldn't bend their knees, so they poked down with bamboo poles. As a result, the war was over and the foreigners were not poked. Cixi escaped from Beijing and was driven west by foreigners.

Can foreigners bend their knees? From 1840 to 1900, China people have spent 60 years, but they still seem to be puzzled. Daoguang is ignorant, closed to the outside world and entertains himself. After his failure, he was ashamed of it and didn't want to cheer up. He just doesn't want to admit that foreigners can bend their knees. Xianfeng grew up in the deep palace compound and read sages' books. He doesn't know that foreigners' knees can bend. Cixi Lafayette was completely hysterical, lost his mind for his power, and simply forgot that foreigners' knees could be bent.

The minister who opened his eyes to see the world was dismissed; Well-informed, cool off by the side; Clear-headed, irrational ... Anyone who can't vibrate at the same frequency as the emperor and empress dowager will be regarded as a different kind and enter another book. In this case, whether foreigners can bend their knees is really a problem.

Therefore, whether foreigners can bend their knees seems to be a problem for foreigners, but it is actually a problem for China people; The seemingly knee problem is actually a problem of thought; What seems to be a human problem is actually an institutional problem. The system of "one person thinks for everyone and everyone looks at a person's face" will not change, and jokes that foreigners can't bend their knees will emerge one after another. I didn't find the cause at all, but I saw the scar on the epidermis and couldn't remove the root of the disease, which led to the gradual decline of the Qing Dynasty and then its demise ~