Daoguang's thirtieth year, the old emperor Daoguang passed away at the age of twenty, and the high-spirited Xianfeng ascended the throne. This year, Zeng Guofan was thirty-nine years old, nearly twenty years older than the new emperor, which was already considered two generations.
In the eyes of the world, Xianfeng was not only physically weak, but also a mediocre master who could not be supported. In terms of imperial qualifications, he was far inferior to the Prince Gong whom he suppressed, and Yixin, who was known as the "Japanese Six".
However, after passing through the deep palace walls and brushing away the historical dust on the Xianfeng imperial case, in the eyes of a small number of wise men who refuse to follow others' opinions, Xianfeng was just too unlucky in luck and not strong enough as a king. But when it came to the emperor's scheming, control of his ministers, and planning, he was not only not weak, but could even be said to have the "family heritage" of Aisin Gioro .
Someone once said that Xianfeng's inscrutability is another state. He is not as wise as a fool, but as wise as a faint, impenetrable and incomprehensible. You may laugh at him, but once you wake up, he will give you a chilling feeling.
There was a figure in the officialdom of the late Qing Dynasty, named Zhang Jixin. This person took the imperial examination very successfully in his early years and had a high starting point in his official career. He once wrote a book " Dao Xian Huan Hai Seeing and Hearing ", which recorded many secrets of the officialdom at that time, including the anecdote of Xianfeng summoning him twice.
When Zhang Jixin was summoned in the sixth year of Xianfeng, he had an injury on his leg and had difficulty walking. Xianfeng asked: "Why did you fall off your horse and get injured?" The rebels waved their flags and shouted, but the horse was frightened and could not be restrained, causing it to fall. The horse was kicked and he was carried back to the tent. He could not lead the team. After being informed by Shengbao, he went to the nearest provincial capital for treatment. After hearing this, Xianfeng asked again: "Are you in your fifties?" Zhang Jixin replied: "I am the minister of Geng Shen Ming. I am fifty-seven years old this year." Xin replied: "In the Xidan Archway."
Xianfeng asked again: "What alley?"
Zhang Jixin responded: "Piku Hutong."
Three years later, in the ninth year of Xianfeng, Xianfeng summoned Zhang Jixin again, and the questions he asked made him shake his head.
Xianfeng asked: "Where do you live in the capital?"
Zhang Jixin replied: "In Xidan Archway Piku Hutong."
Xianfeng asked again: "Is this your own house?"
Zhang Jixin responded: "Yes. "
Xianfeng asked again: "Have you ever led a team in the military camp?"
Zhang Jixin replied: "I led the team when I first arrived at the camp. Later, I injured my leg and couldn't ride, so I stopped leading the team."
Xianfeng asked again: "What injury did you receive?"
Zhang Jixin replied: "The horse was injured after falling off the horse."
Xianfeng asked again: "Should I chase the thief, or should I be suppressed by the thief?"
Zhang Jixin responded: "During the war, the bandits called out, and the horse was frightened and fell off the horse, and was kicked by the horse's hoof."
Xianfeng asked again: "Are you in your fifties this year?"
Zhang Jixin replied: "Sixty years old."
After recording the two calls, Zhang Jixin said with disappointment and emotion that after three years, the questions asked were almost the same, which was really a sigh. The implication is that Xianfeng has little energy, poor memory, and is a completely dim-witted king.
However, some experts in the temple read this anecdote and gave a completely opposite view - why do I feel that the most fearful thing is this kind of repetition? If there is a ghost in your heart, aren't you afraid? If you tell lies and try to get away with it, don't you feel like you're on pins and needles? It's like, you have heard clearly, but what you said is what you just said! What you think is faint is actually scrutiny and oppression. It is a way of showing faintness to induce you to relax your vigilance and show your tail.
Because he was not weak at all and had the strong color of a jealous lord, Xianfeng did two major things as soon as he came to the throne. The first was to use thunderous means to remove the powerful minister of the Daoguang Dynasty and the chief military minister Mu Zhang'a .
On October 28, the 30th year of Daoguang, Xianfeng issued an edict:
"The first task of an honest man is to appoint virtuous people and eliminate evil spirits. If evil spirits are constantly eliminated, then the virtuous people will not be professional. Today's world is in a state of corruption and corruption. It is my fault that the officials are deteriorating day by day and the people's hearts are watered day by day. ······Mu Zhang'a is a great scholar, and he is burdened by the kindness of the court. It is difficult to think about it, but to be cautious is to protect the position and harm the country. A small loyal and trustworthy person sells his treachery; he pretends to be a scholar and a fake talent, trying to figure out his own ideas... I think of Mu Zhang'a as an old minister of the three dynasties.
However, for the thirty-nine-year-old Zeng Guofan, the sight of a wise young master doing wise things made him feel worried. The reason is very simple. Everyone in the official circles of the capital knows that he is an important disciple of Mu Zhang'a. In the past, he relied on clinging to Mu Zhang'a and rose through the ranks in the Daoguang Dynasty. Within ten years, he rose from a concubine in the Hanlin Academy to a second-rank official.
is fine now, Mu Zhang'a is down.
According to the practice of one emperor and one courtier, and Xianfeng is sensitive and easy to guess, it is self-evident what Zeng Guofan will encounter next, ranging from losing a foothold in the capital to falling into the same cliff as Mu Zhang'a.
In almost all biographies about Zeng Guofan, Zeng Guofan's official situation at this time has been ignored. Everyone has focused on the second major event done by Xianfeng and Zeng Guofan. During this period, the offender Yan came to remonstrate, and then they came to the conclusion that Xianfeng's tiger's butt could not be touched, and he was definitely not a British master; Zeng Guofan was too sharp and sharp, and in terms of officialdom, he was still a fledgling and could not join the mainstream.
Looking at it this way not only underestimates history, but also underestimates the pair of monarchs and ministers of the Xianfeng Dynasty who left a strong mark on history.
In fact, as long as you put yourself in the shoes and inject flesh and blood and pulse into history, things may still be the same, but the truth is already different and profound.
Xianfeng was not impatient at all when he eliminated Mu Zhang'a's party members. What he wanted was not to catch them all and implicate them, but to knock down the big tree and use the new dynasty to force these people.
The "New Dynasty and New Atmosphere" launched by Xianfeng was the second major thing he did after ascending the throne, issuing an edict to "seek words." He showed an attitude of humbly accepting advice and encouraged courtiers to speak freely about all matters such as court employment and administration. "Everything must be stated truthfully and reported secretly."
In Xianfeng's view, this was not only an effort to govern, but also the way to govern people.
He wanted to see what kind of people Mu Zhang'a's gang members were after this. How many people dare to stand up, and how many people can offer their true knowledge and insights.
Zeng Guofan tried to figure out Xianfeng's emperor's intentions. He was by no means arrogant and arrogant, but very deep and calm. He knew that for an important member of the Muslim Party like him, Xianfeng's so-called "asking for words" was both an opportunity and a trap. If you avoid speaking, you will be punished afterwards; if you speak inappropriately and are caught, the result will be tantamount to being shackled.
Zeng Guofan's ability to play with words and talk about political patterns was developed over many years, and his strength should not be underestimated in the early Xianfeng Dynasty. In order to protect himself, pass the test, and win Xianfeng's new recognition, he tried his best to choose an angle that resonated most with Xianfeng and wrote a "Chen Yanshu in Yingzhao".
Under the subtext of "deposing Mu Zhang'a, he was extremely wise", this book talks about the four common problems in the officialdom at that time -
Beijing officials have always had two major problems: one is to shrink from things; the other is to be trivial and incompetent, focusing on small things rather than big things.
Local officials also have two major shortcomings: one is perfunctory, using the word "drag" when encountering conflicts and problems; the other is man han, doing everything superficially, but in fact it is already rotten inside.
In order to show his "concern for the country's heart and love for his children," at the end of this book, Zeng Guofan also deliberately pointed out that in the past ten years, none of the ministers in the DPRK and China had told the emperor about any serious problems in the country. None of the local officials told the emperor about any local conflicts. None of the officials responsible for admonishing pointed out anything the emperor had done wrong.No one in the government is loyal to the country. How terrible this is!
Xianfeng looked at this memorial and thought that Zeng Guofan's remonstrance not only had certain insights, but also supported his own rebellion, which had merits. So he issued an edict to commend Zeng Guofan, "I will review the strategy of Chen's employment in detail. I can clearly discern and hit the mark. Love is deeply appreciated. "
After receiving such feedback, Zeng Guofan's spirit was lifted. He thought that he had grasped Xianfeng's pulse. Next, as long as he struck while the iron was hot and further increased Xianfeng's favor for him, he might be able to easily take off the hat of being a member of the Muslim Party.
Zeng Guofan respected honesty and sincerity throughout his life, which made him feel clumsy in his actions many times. This was the case this time. In the following period, like clockwork, he actually delivered "Advance" notes to Xianfeng one after another. The content covered almost every aspect he could think of, such as "Tiao Chen Ri Talks About Matters", "Elaborating on the Elimination of Soldiers", "Bei Chen Notes on Folk Sufferings", "Pingyin Price Notes" and so on.
Xianfeng's reaction after receiving these "advices" was very interesting. He no longer praised Zeng Guofan, and only said "I know" perfunctorily. Then he continued to assign new errands to Zeng Guofan. Today he was appointed as Minister of Works, and tomorrow he was appointed as Minister of Staff. At most, he was assigned to five errands.
Some people may say, this is a good thing! This shows that Xianfeng has put aside his past suspicions and began to reuse Zeng Guofan. Is this really the case with
?
If you have an old official in the officialdom around you, he may tell you that Xianfeng only assigned jobs to Zeng Guofan and did not promote Zeng Guofan. This is not reuse, but a beating with praise instead of criticism. When there are too many errands, difficulties arise. If you get stuck in them, you will inevitably become slack, irritable, tired, and make mistakes. What will be the result? Either he fell down because he was tired, or he was beaten down by others.
Zeng Guofan's IQ is not low. He certainly knows that he is in a subtle dilemma. Xianfeng's previous appreciation was just an illusion. He has not changed his view at all. Now he keeps driving, which is essentially another kind of chilling driving.
Zeng Guofan later summarized his life's cultivation into one word: "ting". He believes that we should not retreat from anything and should not remain in a stalemate, but should try our best to push through.
This is a profound knowledge that needs to be accumulated in the world. At that time, although Zeng Guofan had already understood the concept of "support", he still fell short of the standard.
How can we survive this experience?
Zeng Guofan thought about it over and over again, and finally thought that only by shocking the world and taking the wrong approach could he possibly break the current fatal dilemma. In short, he wanted to follow the example of remonstrating ministers in history and criticize Xianfeng outspokenly. If Xianfeng really has the wisdom of a British master, he will definitely be shocked, completely change his view of himself, and no longer exert terrible imperial intentions on himself. If you step back ten thousand steps, even if you anger Xianfeng and get convicted and imprisoned, you can still get the name of an admonisher, which is better than being consumed and died in the officialdom.
In this way, in the first year of Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan wrote the famous admonition "Respecting Chen Shengde's Three Rules to Prevent Malpractice", which pointed directly at Xianfeng's three major shortcomings:
First, seeing the small but not the big, being shrewd in small things and confused in big things.
Second, "it is only a literary decoration" without seeking reality. One sentence is particularly dazzling, "It is difficult to observe the true meaning of what is said, and it is only a false article to accept remonstrances."
Third, being stubborn, pretending to be wrong, refusing advice, going back on one's word, and breaking one's word.
There is no hero in the world who is not arrogant. Xianfeng had a heart but no resources. Especially in his early years, he fell from a horse and injured his hip, leaving him disabled, which gave him a lingering inferiority complex and sensitivity. Therefore, when he saw Zeng Guofan's remonstrance in the court, he could not think of any lessons from loyalty, but only thought that it was arrogant and abominable.
According to historical records: "The emperor read the memorial and was furious. He smashed (thrown) the land and summoned the military ministers to punish him."
It can be seen from this that Zeng Guofan ended up in a disastrous defeat due to excessive force in this game between emperor and minister.
Fortunately, when Xian Shengsheng was angry and wanted to punish Zeng Guofan for his serious crimes, the chief military minister Qi Zuozao and another military minister and Zeng Guofan's advisor Ji Zhichang stepped forward in time and provided key assistance.
Qi Zuozao advised Xianfeng. The emperor had just issued an edict asking for advice. If Zeng Guofan was convicted now, wouldn't it be contrary to his words and confirm the accusations in Zeng Guofan's memorial? According to the veteran minister, instead of punishing the emperor, he wanted to praise Zeng Guofan. This shows that the emperor's extraordinary magnanimity made the world surrender.
These words played into Xianfeng’s imperial vanity.
Then he first issued a long edict to defend himself, and then symbolically "loosened" Zeng Guofan and gave him a mild praise.
When the situation evolved to this point, Zeng Guofan's mood was extremely gloomy. He finally realized that Xianfeng was difficult to serve, and he understood that his career in the capital had come to an end.
At this time, Zeng Guofan's mother died.
This was a tragic thing, but Zeng Guofan breathed a sigh of relief, because he finally had a reason to stay away from the officialdom of the capital and exile himself.
This history could have come to an end at this point, but as it continues, it truly has the flavor of Zeng Guofan - things in the world are never simple; fortunes are all ups and downs.
According to the general officialdom logic, in the second year of Xianfeng's reign, Zeng Guofan and Ding You returned to his hometown. If he wanted to get back on his feet in the future, he might not have a chance to step up. However, just when he was in a life-and-death situation, the Hongyang Rebellion swept half of China. In order to suppress its power, Xianfeng issued a series of edicts to encourage existing officials to set up regiment training to encircle and suppress the bandits.
Zeng Guofan was already honest and tenacious, and he wanted to get out of officialdom, so it became obligatory for him to compile and train xiangyong.
However, it is not easy to gather grass and become an army to support half of the country. Therefore, in the next three years, he suffered continuous blows, one fight after another, and in the end he could only knock out his teeth and swallow blood, and hold on hard.
For all the problems and dilemmas in the world, when ingenuity cannot be solved, strength can often create miracles.
Zeng Guofan relied on this strong strength with sincerity as his backbone, and in the following four years of Xianfeng, he broke out in one fell swoop and created an exciting situation. This year, he led the Hunan Army, which had been trained hard, to regain Wuchang, Wuchang, and Hanyang, which were occupied by the Taiping Army in one fell swoop.
In the past, he tried his best but could not impress Xianfeng; now, he has succeeded by himself and made Xianfeng look at him with admiration.
At that time, Xianfeng issued an edict: "This time we conquered the two cities. Within three days, we burned more than a thousand boats and leveled all the enemy bases. We planned and made decisions. It was very appropriate. It was appropriate to set up special favors to reward our achievements. Yang Pei wrote a supplement Governor of Huguang. Zeng Guofan was awarded the second rank, acting as governor of Hubei, and rewarded with flower feathers. "
This edict is like rain after a severe drought. Putting aside the black hat of the Muslim Party that was previously worn on my head, since I led the Hunan Army to fight in various places, I have always felt the sadness and hardship of having a guest army under the fence. Now it's better. Xianfeng didn't play tricks and gave him real power as governor. This not only meant acceptance, but also important use.
However, who would have thought that just when the willows were dim and the world was bright, a man quietly stood up and poured a basin of cold water with a knife on Zeng Guofan.
This person is none other than the chief military minister Qi Zuozao who saved Zeng Guofan's life four years ago.
According to the records of "The Collection of Xue Fucheng", after learning about the success of the recovery of Wuchang and Hanyang, Xianfeng was still very happy after he issued the imperial edict. He said to his ministers in the palace: "I didn't expect that Zeng Guofan, a scholar, could accomplish such a miracle."
Qi Zhuozao heard this and said quietly: "Zeng Guofan is a minister, and he is like a common man. When a common man lives in a village, with a call, more than 10,000 people jump up and follow him. This may not be a blessing to the country."
The jealous master will definitely react when he hears this kind of words. After hearing this, Xianfeng immediately withdrew his order and issued another edict, appointing Tao Enpei as the governor of Hubei, and only gave Zeng Guofan the false title of Minister of War.
This means that Xianfeng's trust in Zeng Guofan was once again shattered, and the dilemma and death situation were reunited.
is really a blessing and a curse.
succeeds in and fails in Qizhuozao.
What is significant is that Zeng Guofan later had no hatred for Qi Zuozao. He believed that Qi Zuozao's attack on him was a result of hard work and his own good luck.
Good things come in a long way and are easy to understand.
Why did Qi Zuozao attack him because he was lucky?
This is about a person.
This person is Qi Zuanzao's younger brotherQi Suzao. He and Zeng Guofan were of the same year, and both were Jinshi in the 18th year of Daoguang's reign. When he entered the Hanlin Academy, Qi Zuozao was forty-five years old and already the censor of Zuodu. Three years later, Qi Zuozao went to a higher level and was promoted to minister of household affairs, and then directly became minister of military aircraft.
Therefore, in terms of official background, someone paved the way. Even Zeng Guofan at that time could not compare with Qi Suzao.
In fact, during the Daoguang Dynasty, Qi Suzao, after practicing in the Hanlin Academy for a period of time, was quickly appointed as the prefect of Huangzhou Prefecture in Hubei Province, and soon he was transferred to the prefect of Wuchang Prefecture. In Wuchang Prefecture, because his political reputation was very good, Qi Suzao simply climbed up the straight stairs. He was first promoted to Guangdong Salt Transport Envoy, and later moved to Guangdong Inspector General and Hunan Chief Envoy.
In the Xianfeng Dynasty, when Zeng Guofan was in deep officialdom dilemma, Qi Suzao had been transferred to Jiangning Chief Envoy, and he was doing well in his post.
However, just when Qixuzao was going smoothly and its future was promising, in February of the second year of Xianfeng, the Taiping Army suddenly moved eastward along the river and besieged Jiangning City in one fell swoop. At that time, the governor of Liangjiang Lu Jianying was guilty of a crime and lacked prestige, so Qi Suzao had to take on the task of defending the city. As a result, in a desperate situation, Qi Suzao climbed onto the city wall angrily and held the city wall for three days. Before the city was broken, he vomited several liters of blood and died.
It is said that the tragic death of his younger brother made his elder brother Qi Zuozao still unable to let go - it was obvious that he was flying all the way and was never in danger or setback, but in the end, he climbed to a high place and fell off a cliff. On the other hand, Zeng Guofan saw delays in the front and ups and downs in the back. He worked hard one step at a time, but how could he slowly become a world that opened up and his fortune was like a rainbow?
I think back then, if my younger brother had been able to take a break, or if he had suffered some adverse blows like Zeng Guofan, would his fate have been changed?
There are good people who do good things, that’s for sure. If Qi Suzao was appointed as the chief envoy of Hunan and did not go to Jiangning, a prosperous place, then he would probably be promoted to governor of Hunan later, and he would survive by making great achievements in guarding Changsha. In that case, his future achievements may not be inferior to Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan believed this kind of logic, so when Qi Zuozao resented the injustice done to the Qi family and used words to attack Xianfeng, he would say that it was because he was so lucky. This understanding of
is actually the extraordinary state of Zeng Guofan.
The road is long and long...
If a man wants to achieve success, he must know how to accept his shortcomings and regrets, and he must also know how to move forward.
