Did Li Hongzhang, known as a jester, make any contribution to the late Qing Dynasty?

Li Hongzhang is a controversial figure in modern history. When the late Qing Dynasty was ravaged by western powers, Cixi sent Li Hongzhang to deal with it. Although the battle was defeated in nine cases out of ten, and every time the unequal treaties were handled by Li Hongzhang, why didn't his position fall but rise?

The most important thing is that Cixi fully trusts Li Hongzhang. As far as the world is concerned, Li Hongzhang has seen much more than those ministers in the imperial court. He travels around western countries, learning from others and learning from foreigners how to control them. Most of the ministers in the DPRK are pedantic and complacent, and even things that benefit the people, such as building railways, are regarded by them as destroying Feng Shui. As far as negotiation skills are concerned, except Li Hongzhang, it is estimated that the court is difficult to be competent for this position, which is why Li Hongzhang has to negotiate every time he is defeated. Although later generations called Li Hongzhang a traitor, he was actually just a traitor. He wouldn't have dared to sign such a humiliating treaty if Cixi hadn't appointed him to sign it.

However, in modern history, in the eyes of Americans, Li Hongzhang was a jester. Why is Li labeled like this? Take the Sino-Japanese War as an example. Li Hongzhang spent a lot of energy, manpower and material resources to train Beiyang Navy, but the battle ended in fiasco. One of the reasons is that Li Hongzhang is not fully prepared and has been considering using other forces to suppress Japan in public opinion, which is somewhat naive. Secondly, when the country needs money, the court is full of corrupt officials, from top to bottom, from big to small, bullying each other. It is common for corruption in the army to eat empty salaries for personal gain, steal public property and deduct wages. More importantly, Li Hongzhang is a parasite. His reputation is mainly due to his friendliness to outsiders and his concern for material progress.

When dealing with the North Korea issue, Li Hongzhang was even more embarrassed by the Japanese. Japan wanted to interfere in North Korea's political affairs, but Li Hongzhang mishandled it, allowing North Korea to enter into treaties and trade with outsiders, calling it a vassal state, which was naive. Americans even publicly stated in magazines: "Everyone said that Cixi trusted Li Hongzhang and supported her power. However, it is hard to say that she is knowledgeable when she governs the country like this. " So to sum up, in the eyes of Americans at that time, Li Hongzhang was a jester.