The most distinguished minister in the late Qing Dynasty was Weng Tonghe, the emperor of the two dynasties. Because the civilian military commanders in the late Qing dynasty rarely got the eyes of this old minister. No wonder people easily won the title of number one scholar in their twenties, and then rose to the top with their erudition and the influence of their parents. While Weng Tonghe was promoted step by step in the imperial court, a group of generals also rose in the southeast. They are the Xiang army that suppressed the Taiping Army's repeated meritorious deeds. However, Weng Tonghe, who was in the imperial court, looked down on these fighters. Weng Tonghe thinks that they can be promoted to the rank only because the times make heroes. If there were no Tian Ping Uprising, they would have a chance to contribute, and they would be useless and unknown. Zeng Guofan, as the first hero who wiped out the Taiping Army, was named Hou, which was the first among the Han ministers at that time. But in Weng Tonghe's eyes, it is different. A top three and forty-two are not in the same class as his previous one at all. Weng Tonghe also hated Zeng Guofan's impeachment of his eldest brother Weng Shu Tong. Fortunately, the eldest brother Weng Shu Tong was not sentenced to death, but was sent and later reused. Otherwise, Weng Tonghe would definitely not associate with Zeng Guofan. However, in 1869 10, Zeng Guofan was transferred to the governor of Zhili, and Weng Tonghe went to visit Zeng Guofan out of courtesy. This is also the first meeting between Weng Tonghe and Zeng Guofan recorded in history. At this time, Weng Tonghe was 37 years old and Zeng Guofan was 58 years old. Both of them are old campaigners in officialdom, so naturally they won't mention unpleasant things before. Since then, Weng Tonghe and his wife have met many times, but they have never talked openly, which doomed their relationship to be unremarkable. 1March, 872 10, a few days after Zeng Guofan's death as governor of Liangjiang, Weng Tonghe read the news on the treasure. He just wrote lightly in his diary that Zeng Guofan, a great scholar, died in Liangjiang. It can be seen that although they didn't meet in advance at first, there is still a gap. This may also be a psychological confrontation between political experts. Some people can chat as soon as they meet, while others are doomed not to get together, but to communicate quietly. Weng Tonghe treated Zeng Guofan, who made outstanding contributions to the Qing Dynasty, in this way, not to mention Ceng Guoquan, the ninth brother of Zeng Guofan who only heard his voice but didn't see him. Before knowing Ceng Guoquan, Weng Tonghe had a bad impression of him and thought he was a reckless soldier. If it weren't for his brother, the hero who was destined to create the Taiping Rebellion, Ceng Guoquan would be miserable. Weng Tonghe, the second brother who suppressed Weng Tonghe, a Taiping Army, wrote a letter to his younger brother who was far away from Beijing. What is written in the letter is Weng Tonghe's evaluation of Hunan people at that time. It said: "Liu Yinzhuang (Liu Kunyi) was the first talented person in Hunan, who was sincere and Fu Yuan was modest and restrained. However, the temperament is a bit floating, and the work is close to being overbearing and slightly better. He doesn't seem as quiet as Yi Weng! " After hearing the second brother Weng Tonghe's evaluation of Ceng Guoquan, Weng Tonghe still thinks that he is a mediocre man with no obvious advantages. Weng Tonghe and Zeng Guofan first met in 1869, and his ninth brother Ceng Guoquan first met in 1875 six years later. That year, Zeng Guofan had been dead for three years, Emperor Tongzhi had just died, and Emperor Guangxu acceded to the throne. Ceng Guoquan went to Beijing to worship the Tongzhi Emperor Zi Gong, and Weng Tonghe treated him and Guo Songtao in Fayuan Temple. This time, they met for the first time and didn't go into it. On February 29th, Ceng Guoquan and Weng Tonghe visited again. This time, they talked for a long time because they found a common topic-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. Weng Tonghe recorded in his diary that "a long talk with each other was due to Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. In general, there are many famous sayings, and knowing its success is not a fluke. " Prior to this, Weng Tonghe and officials who stayed in Beijing believed that Ceng Guoquan had made great contributions in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. But after Weng Tonghe contacted him, he realized that this was not the case. He recorded in his diary: "It is said that times make heroes, but not everyone can be heroes. The key is cultural thought. In the final analysis, Ceng Guoquan's success is related to the influence of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. " In the eyes of many people, Ceng Guoquan and Ceng Guoquan seem to be the opposite of his brother Zeng Guofan. Brother Zeng Guofan is steady, slow and steady, and cautious, while Ceng Guoquan is reckless, impatient and impulsive, and lacks strategy. Before knowing Ceng Guoquan, Weng Tonghe shared the same views with many people. Ceng Guoquan's success was only accidental; he didn't surpass himself. However, after meeting Ceng Guoquan and having a long talk with him, Weng Tonghe changed a lot. He thought that Ceng Guoquan's success was not accidental, and his greatness was by no means comparable to that of ordinary people. Weng Tonghe thought of Zeng Guofan, who had died for three years. His younger brother, who was hand-picked, was still like this, not to mention his ability. There used to be hundreds of Yingyong in the whole country. Why did Zeng Guofan's Xiang army finally stand out and become the pillar of the Qing Dynasty to suppress the Taiping Army? It can only be said that the Xiang army that came from behind must have incomparable advantages over other armies, and all this depends on the boss Zeng Guofan.