Introduction: Whether a person can become a talent depends not only on whether he has talent, but also on his magnanimity. Those who are magnanimous will naturally have a bright future.
Measures are more important than talents. Only those with talents can be used by others, and only those with abilities can employ people.
When Zeng Guofan was serving as the Minister of Rites, he opened a lecture hall dedicated to Confucianism. Both Manchu dignitaries and Han officials in the capital came to attend the lectures, including Li Hongzhang. Zeng Guofan admired him very much and often said to people: "This man will become a great person in the future and will be a pillar of talent." ?
But Li Hongzhang, who was serving as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy at the time, was really not very lucky. Every time he submitted a memorial to the emperor, he was put aside, which made him very depressed. Hearing that Zeng Guofan was going to lead the Hunan army out of the country, he immediately wanted to defect. At that time, the imperial court attached great importance to the construction of the army. Only in the army could there be opportunities for development. Besides, Zeng Guofan was his teacher, so it would be a mistake to join him.
On this day, Li Hongzhang carefully groomed himself and went to see Zeng Guofan. After handing in the post, the officer took him to the toilet and told Master Zeng that he was washing his feet and asked him to wait. They waited for two hours. When Li Hongzhang was feeling angry, the officer came at the right time. This time he led him directly to the door of the inner room and shouted: "Master Li is here!" Inside He replied: "Come in!" Li Hongzhang stepped in and saw Zeng Guofan holding a book and sitting leisurely on a chair. The basin in front of him was steaming. He showed no etiquette at all, and without raising his head, he lowered his head to soak his feet and said indifferently: "Sit down." ?Li Hongzhang was also an official in the DPRK and the Central Government, and he had never received such a cold reception. He finally failed to suppress his anger and asked loudly: "The guard told me earlier that you were washing your feet. I have been waiting for a long time, why haven't you finished washing your feet?" Zeng Guofan was not annoyed and answered slowly: "My feet" This is a place with hundreds of acupuncture points. Washing your feet is a major health matter, and all kinds of diseases can be eliminated with just one wash. ?Li Hongzhang was furious, what are you talking about? I came to see you to discuss important matters, and I didn’t come to listen to you talk about Chinese medicine. His face turned purple with anger, and the servants waiting outside the door began to laugh. This smile made Li Hongzhang feel even more embarrassed, so he stood up and walked away angrily. Zeng Guofan did not try to persuade him to stay. He said, "How can you do things if you are young and full of energy?", and then laughed. Hearing the harsh laughter, Li Hongzhang was ashamed and angry, and wanted to turn around and overturn Zeng Guofan's footbath. He suppressed his anger and strode out the door, vowing never to come to this place again.
After leaving the door, Li Hongzhang was still furious. He waved his riding whip and beat the horse hard. When I walked to the bridge, I suddenly heard a loud shout from behind: "Brother, walk slowly." ?Looking back, he saw his old classmate Cheng Xueqi riding on horseback, smiling at him. Li Hongzhang adjusted his mood, stopped his horse, and said hello to his old classmates. As soon as Cheng Xuedong opened his mouth, he told him that he had fallen into Zeng Guofan's plan. Cheng Xuedong said: "The teacher said that your talent is as big as the sea, but it is a pity that your sharpness is too exposed. If you can get rid of this problem, you will be an all-rounder." The teacher deliberately neglected you so that you could wake up on your own. No, he asked me to come to your house to talk. ?, Li Hongzhang was shocked and ashamed when he heard this. He had never realized the narrow-mindedness of his personality, let alone the teacher who had good intentions and came up with such a method. So he and Cheng Xueqi rode back to pay their respects to the teacher. Zeng Guofan was seen standing in the aisle to greet them in full dress, with a smile on his face, and he seemed to be a different person from before.
Why did Zeng Guofan humiliate Li Hongzhang in person? He has a famous saying: Measurement is more important than talent. Only those with talent can be used by others, and only those with measurement can use people. Zeng Guofan knew very well that Li Hongzhang was a talented person, but he had always been very talented and powerful. In order for him to become a pillar, his character must be mellow and understanding. Therefore, Zeng Guofan started from neglect and tempered him everywhere. Let Li Hongzhang participate in major events to exercise his decision-making ability; argue with eloquent people to restrain his energy; use all the people to wait for him to eat to force him to change his habit of going to bed early and getting up late; criticize him in front of everyone several times His problem with talking big words and so on. Under Zeng Guofan's painstaking efforts, Li Hongzhang's thoughts, personality and living habits have changed greatly.
For a rebellious person, conventional incentives cannot make him wake up. Only by touching the depths of his soul can he realize his shortcomings.