Plague, military disasters and natural disasters followed. In the late Qing dynasty, the wind and rain were tottering and disasters continued. In troubled times, you should go with the flow and muddle along? Still brave and alert? Zeng Guofan lamented that he was in troubled times, which was unfortunate.
Faced with bullying, slander, fame and temptation, he followed the tradition with trepidation and was diligent in self-cultivation. After many difficulties and setbacks, I finally stood out in troubled times. He made meritorious service and was the first civil servant to seal the marquis of Wu in the Qing Dynasty. Although he is a very important official, his contribution to Gao Zhen can still be completed from beginning to end.
We collect Zeng Guofan's family letters, diaries and historical manuscripts, and present the traditional values inherited by Zeng Guofan from different levels, such as wealth view, self-cultivation thought, housekeeping wisdom and health care, so as to reproduce the forgotten essence tradition for readers.
In the first year of Tongzhi (1862), a plague occurred in the Qing Dynasty. A large number of infected soldiers and civilians died, and the bodies flowed down the river. Because of the smell of dead bodies, 89% people get sick when they smell dirty air. Zeng Guofan looked at the bodies piled up in the river and sighed: "If the universe is robbed, the military merits will be extremely bitter." Explain that this situation is really a catastrophe in the universe, and it is a strange suffering encountered in marching and fighting!
In addition to the outbreak of the plague, the Qing Dynasty fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at home and faced oppression from foreign powers. Zeng Guofan is in troubled times. In the face of fame and slander, he insisted on introspection and self-cultivation and often wrote letters to encourage his brothers.
The Qing army needs to buy a large number of foreign guns to defend against the enemy. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862), when Zeng Guofan bought a gun, he heard many people talking about his brother's fault. So he reminded his younger brothers to be cautious in what they say and do, and insisted that "mistakes must be corrected, and if they are not, they will be encouraged." Hubei officialdom began to deliberately make things difficult for his brother Zeng. Zeng Guofan comforted Ji Di, saying that when a person has fame, right and wrong will follow. To this end, he cited an example and mentioned Jin Anqing.
Jin Anqing is also a very talented person. In the fourth year of Daoguang reign of Xuanzong in Qing Dynasty (1842), he met Lin Zexu when he was managing water in Henan. Lin Zexu wrote a letter to the official department and recommended Jin Anqing. Jin Anqing thus entered the official career. He has served as a Tongzhi in Taizhou, Jiangsu, a Tongzhi in Hai 'an, and an official to a Taoist (positive four products). After the Taiping Rebellion, Jin Anqing joined the camp of the governor to win the war. In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (186 1), Jin Anqing was appointed as a member of the North-South Salary Raising Committee, and was dismissed for "donating money to enrich his own pocket", which was said to be because he had offended Yuan Jiasan and Wu Tang, two governors of grain transportation.
After Jin Anqing and others were impeached, the government confiscated the property of the Jin family and left Jin's wife and son standing in the street in the middle of the night. Zeng Guofan said: "Is it really because they have committed extremely serious crimes? That's because fame is too great, and rewards and punishments follow. At first, I didn't know where slander began or how to stop it. Talented people hate these slanders, so they ignore them flagrantly, but they are still rampant. Those virtuous people are afraid of these unfounded slanders, and they stick to Xiu De in a low-key manner, and the slanders gradually subside. " He hoped that his younger brothers would restrain themselves from slandering, instead of ignoring them and going their own way. Zeng Guofan, as his elder brother, served as a college assistant to the governor of Liangjiang, always worried that he would fall from the peak. He surveyed the deeds of ancient and modern people, and it is rare for a prestigious and powerful person like him to be able to save a good death. He was worried that he couldn't protect his brothers when he was at his peak. Once he falls down in the future, it will implicate his brothers. Therefore, in his letter, he earnestly advised his younger brothers not to care about the victory or defeat between the brothers in the portal, and to forget the foreign invasion and the eyebrows of the outside world.
Tongzhi for three years (1864), the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has gone, and the Qing army besieged Jinling. Ceng Guoquan led troops to recapture Changzhou, Danyang and other cities, but Jinling was slow to capture. The Qing court fought all the year round and signed the Beijing Treaty with Britain, France and Russia (186 1). State affairs are difficult, military salaries are scarce, and many things are not progressing smoothly. Various ugly criticisms were heard by Zeng Guofan one after another. This year, officials in the capital wanted to spite Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan was very depressed. On March 25th of the same year, he said, "If we spend too much time, people may suspect that our military strength is too heavy and powerful. I want to remove my military power and retire for several years to stop my doubts. " In order to dispel people's denigration and suspicion of him, he drafted a sick leave note, ready to lift his military power and go home to recuperate. At this time, it was the critical moment for the Qing army to besiege the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The war was difficult and fruitless. Jinling was not conquered, Jiangxi Taiping Army was revived, and the Qing army needed huge salaries. Zeng Guofan is in charge of these important tasks. If Zeng Guofan goes home on sick leave, once the Qing army mutinies because of insufficient pay, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will turn defeat into victory, and the hard work of the Qing army for many years will fall short. Zeng Guofan never left. Faced with the difficulties of the current situation, the criticism of the people and the constraints of courtiers, Zeng Guofan became depressed into a disease. However, he is more distressed by his younger brother, who has been fighting outside all the year round, suffering physically and mentally, so he often writes letters to comfort Ceng Guoquan.
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom occupied half of the Central Plains. Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guokui both tried their best to save the situation for the Qing Dynasty. In July of the third year of Tongzhi, the Qing army invaded Jinling, and the court made Ceng Guoquan a first-class earl, tin sealed Wei Yi, and gave him a Henaan. Zeng Guofan was made a first-class marquis, hereditary, and awarded a pair of discerning eyes. Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, civil servants have been appointed since then. Up and down in one's hand, Zeng Guofan did not dare to take credit. As usual, he is treading on thin ice.
Ceng Guoquan contributed to the country, but because of his propaganda, he was jealous and impeached by courtiers. One day, Zeng Guofan read Di Bao and learned that the court played in the royal spring and impeached party member, the Soviet Party, which should be punished. When it comes to anti-Party, it involves a palace coup. In the 11th year of Xianfeng (186 1), before the death of Emperor Xianfeng, eight ministers, including Su Shun and Zai Yuan, were appointed to assist the Emperor Tongzhi, and at the same time, they were awarded the seal of the Empress Dowager. After Minister Gu ordered the imperial edict to be made, the imperial edict must be stamped with the seal of Empress Dowager Cixi before it can take effect. However, the Empress Dowager of the two palaces intended to listen to politics and disagreed with the Minister of Fuzheng, so the Empress Dowager played a game with Prince Gong? Jointly launched a coup and dismissed the minister of the auxiliary government. Among them, Zai Yuan and Duan Hua committed suicide in Zongren House, Su Shun was beheaded, and others were sent to Juntai. This is the coup in the heart, also known as the coup in Qixiang.
Su Shun is a relative of the royal family. He likes to make friends with celebrities and adopt their opinions, so he is trusted by Emperor Xianfeng. However, Su Shun was spoiled and arrogant, with great power and prestige, and raised Dayu several times, causing public outrage; He also demanded that the salary of the Eight Banners be reduced, which aroused the resentment of the royal nobility. When they saw him executed, they rushed at him and threw rubble and clapped their hands and cheered. Su Shun had a bad relationship with the Queen Mother of the Palace. Shi Yu Foer Guo Chun's impeachment of Ceng Guoquan was anti-Party, and it was undoubtedly intended to kill him. After investigation, it was found that this was slander and framing, and the court acquitted Ceng Guoquan, and a storm subsided. Zeng Guofan said: "My family is an official, and everyone is surprised." The Tseng brothers are powerful people in the DPRK, and their every move is noticed by everyone. If they are not careful, they will leave something for impeachment. Zeng Guofan felt great fear when he remembered it.
When Ceng Guoquan was forty-one, that is, in August of the third year of Tongzhi (1864), Zeng Guofan gave him thirteen groups of poems. The tenth is:
"Left column bells right slander books, there are multiplication and division methods everywhere in the world.
Bow your head and worship the sheep and say everything about space. "-"Yuan Pu's younger brother read at the beginning of forty-one "excerpt.
The main idea of the poem is that for a powerful person, the exploits recorded by Zhong Ding are often displayed on his left, while the slanderers are on his right. The world is unpredictable everywhere, and those invisible risks follow, just like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in arithmetic, there is no fixed number. Zeng Guofan advised his younger brother to look down on fame, refuse the reward of the monarch, and be cautious and low-key, just like the theory of slaughtering sheep in Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Because everything on the earth, like clouds in the sky, will eventually disappear.
References:
Diary of Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan's letter
Draft of Qing Dynasty (Volume 387 /4 13)
Chronicle of Zeng Official, Volume 9
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