This person said that I am an American, and who dares to kill me in Chinese, Li Hongzhang said drown him
In the late Qing Dynasty, due to the incompetence and corruption of the Qing Dynasty, the country was in internal and external difficulties, and rebellions broke out frequently in various places. The Western powers are eyeing China's territory, and because of the weakness of the Qing Dynasty, foreign forces are arrogant and arrogant against the Chinese people. Among them, there was an American named Bai Qiwen, who traveled all over China and participated in the organization of foreign gun teams to support the Qing ** against the Taiping army, but was seriously wounded in the battle.
Although Bai Qiwen made a lot of contributions, because of his conceit and arrogance, he disdained the Chinese, and even acted domineering in China, hurting local residents and extorting large sums of money. This incident sparked the anger of the people. After Qing ** learned of this, he immediately ordered Bai Qiwen to be removed from his post and sent someone to arrest him.
When the diplomatic representatives of the United States and Britain learned of this, they strongly condemned the immoral behavior of Qing ** and demanded that Bai Qiwen be reinstated. However, Li Hongzhang strongly opposed this request. Bai Qiwen held a grudge against the actions of the Qing ** and decided to take refuge in the Taiping army in retaliation. However, with the Taiping army's repeated defeats, he returned to Shanghai. Despite the fact that he was an American, no one dared to stop him. In order to maintain Sino-American relations, the American consul sent Bai Qiwen to Japan and forbade him to return to China. However, Bai Qiwen secretly returned to China several times.
Once, he planned to take refuge in the servant Li Shixian, but was discovered and arrested by Qing **. Due to the seriousness of his crime, Qing ** was ready to execute him. Bai Qiwen was not afraid, claiming that as an American, no one dared to kill him. However, due to his nationality, Qing ** could not execute him. Li Hongzhang ordered him to be drowned to avoid a diplomatic dispute. Qing ** claimed that Bai Qiwen was accidentally drowned, avoiding unnecessary trouble.