"Don't believe in books, believe in luck; speak the word of the public, tell the world." In his later years, when Zeng Guofan chatted with his fellow countrymen Wu Minshu and Guo Songtao, he said this sentence as his epitaph. (See Zhu Kemin's "Rain Window Summer Record")
I once thought that Wen Zhenggong said this, which was a bit pretentious. A few days ago, I went to Yiyang to pay a visit to the "Hu Linyi Exhibition Hall", and Fang Realized that this was the big truth that Wen Zhenggong had achieved fame and had not spent much of his life. The greatest luck in life is actually the number of lifespans. Compared with zeng guofan and Zuo Zongtang of the same generation, the biggest difference between Hu Linyi and His contemporaries is that he only lived for 49 years.
Zeng Guofan was born in 1811 (the sixteenth year of Jiaqing) and died in 1872. Zuo Zongtang and Hu Linyi were both born in 1812, one year younger than Zeng Guofan. Hu Linyi died on September 30, 1861 (xianfeng eleventh year), and Zuo Zongtang died in 1885 (guangxu eleventh year). Zuo Gong lived 13 more years than Zeng Gong and 24 years longer than Hu Gong. This was The heavenly love for Zuo Zongtang, who was the last to be on the field of science and technology, so that after pacifying Hong Yang, he still had the opportunity to participate in the ping twist, create the Mawei Ship Politics School, quell the dispute between the northwestern Hui Han, and recover Xinjiang.
In the early morning of December 1st, I rushed to the "Hulin Wing Exhibition Hall" in the tea market in Yiyang City. Shaoyang and Yiyang belong to the zijiang river basin, I grew up in the upper reaches of the zijiang river, nearly thirty years away from Xiang, and returned to my hometown again and again, this time it was the first time to come to Yiyang. The gallery was not officially run, but was set up at the expense of a local businessman who admired Hu Linyi, on the second floor of a building. I came to the door at 8:30 in the morning, and what I saw was that the door was closed, and I didn't know which villager had put down a bag of turnips and vegetables harvested in his own field and gave it to the owner. So I went downstairs, and a person who was drying radish strips warmly asked me to sit in front of her shop and wait.
At 9:30, the director of the museum, a young man, came to open the door, and I followed. I was the only tourist, and he was extra enthusiastic, watching and chatting with me. He shared my opinion: "People still have to be in good health, Hu Wenzhong's life expectancy is too short, if he lived for five more years, then the historical status is very different." ”
There was no need to live for five more years, as long as Hu Linyi lived for three more years, he lived until the fall of Tianjing City in 1864. The Qing court was determined to be knighted above the bo (Zuo Zongtang and the junior Li Hongzhang were both counts), and his position would not end in the governorship - although he was given the viceroy after his death, it was only a posthumous mourning.
China is an official-based society, and most people comment on a political figure and pay more attention to what kind of official he was in his lifetime. Not to mention that Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang were marquises before they were born, served as governors, and were promoted to university scholars (that is, they can be honored as knights), and Peng Yulin, a 4-year-old official of Xiao Hulinyi, was appointed as the governor of Liangjiang and the minister of trade and commerce of Nanyang, the shangshu of the army, and was appointed a first-class light car lieutenant. Speaking of the four ministers of the Xiang clan in the Qing Dynasty, there is a saying of "Zeng Zuo Penghu", I think this arrangement is purely according to the official titles before death. Of course, Peng Yulin had outstanding merit and high moral character, but his historical status and contribution to the Qing court were probably inferior to those of Zeng, Zuo, and Hu Sangong.
The political and military figures of the late Qing Dynasty and Xiang clan can be described as shining stars, and the only people who can be called the leaders of the Xiang Army should be Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Hu Linyi. And Hu died in the middle of the road, and did not witness the full work of the southeast bottom.
If you use the analogy of occupation or daily necessities, Hu Linyi is the nanny of the Xiang Army and the candle of the Xiang Army. He protected, recommended, and recognized many xiangjun leaders; he burned himself to illuminate others.
Unlike Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, who were born in a hansu family of half cultivation and half reading, Hu Linyi was a standard second generation official. His father, Hu Dayuan, was the third jinshi (commonly known as Tanhua) in the twenty-fourth year of Jiaqing (1819). Shi Tu started from the Zhihanlin Academy and became an official in sipin jingtang. Growing up in such a family, coupled with extreme intelligence, Hu Linyi inevitably had some clumsy habits when he was a teenager. Some people also said that because he frequently went in and out of the Qin Lou Chu Pavilion when he was a teenager, his physique became weak, and he did not have the strength of Zuo Zongtang who was as strong as a calf.
Hu Lin Yi Daoguang was a mid-six-year scholar, and was selected as a Shu Jishi of Hanlin Academy, and was taught editing after the library was dispersed. Father and son Hanlin may not be much in culturally developed provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but in Huxiang in the Qing Dynasty, it is a rare good story in the province. In the early stage of his career, Hu Linyi's official fortunes were far inferior to those of Zeng Guofan, who had become a waiter within ten years, and in the twentieth year of Daoguang (1840), Hu Linyi was the deputy chief examiner of the Jiangnan Township Examination, because the main examiner and the Manchu and Mongolian magnate Wenqing carried Xiong Shaomu into the examination papers, and was implicated and demoted to a lower level. Then, because of the death of his father, he returned to Yiyang Shou system and stayed for five years. Seeing that there was no hope of recovery, and finally with the support of relatives and friends, a huge amount of money was donated, and Hu Linyi was re-used as a prefect and distributed to Guizhou. In other words, Hu Linyi bought the opportunity to bow down for the imperial court with money and die. As soon as he took office, he encountered the Miao uprisings in Huangping, Taigong, Qingjiang, Tianzhu and other places, and from then on, this noble prince began a career of war between blood and fire.
In the early stages when Zeng Guofan led the Xiang army out of the province to fight, the imperial court, out of jealousy of the high-ranking Han officials and leaders, did not give him real power for local officials such as inspectors, and Zeng Guofan sat in Jiangxi and was very tormented. At that time, Hu Linyi was serving as the governor of Hubei and fully supported Zeng Guofan. Famous generals of the Xiang Army, such as Luo Zenan, Li Xubin, Li Xuyi, Bao Chao, and others, were once dispatched by Hu Linyi.
Hu Linyi recommended Zuo Zongtang to the point of "saying Xiangsi everywhere". Zuo Zongtang was angry with the governor of Huguang, Guan Wen, because of his humiliation of Fan Jiao, and the defendant Hei Zhao was almost killed by the Xianfeng Emperor, and it was also Hu Linyi and Guo Songtao who mediated in many ways, which not only saved his life, but also allowed Zuo Zongtang to lead an army on his own, and from then on soared into the sky. This is well known.
It is really rare for a person with a superior birth, a young kodi, and outstanding talents, who understands the officialdom and is good at using power techniques, but who can be kind and generous in heart and upright. Hu Linyi is such a man. He was loyal to the court, righteous to his friends, generous and tolerant to his colleagues, but he was good at being mellow and flexible. According to the comprehensive ability of the dangda leader, I think that Hu Linyi surpassed Zeng and Zuo. Zeng Guofan commented that Hu Linyi's "runzhi talent is ten times better than me", which is not entirely self-effacing.
Hu Linyi died more than a month after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, and Zeng Guofan said:
In Wuzhong, It was the dying hatred between Emperor Xian and Emperor Xingchen; The world is full of recommended talents, and I hope that future generations will make up for my father's unfinished name.
Hu's "unfinished name" was finally made up by Zeng, Zuo and others, which is a historical opportunity and a glory in life for Zeng and Zuo. For Hu Linyi, the candle of the Xiang Army, it is a historical regret that can never be completed.