When it comes to the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, many people will think of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Hu Linyi, but for the name Peng Yulin, it may be more or less unfamiliar, but this able minister, in the chaotic world of the late Qing Dynasty, not only with his superior Zeng Guoquan, that is, Zeng Guofan's brother Ding Niu, and even repeatedly advised Zeng Guofan to kill Zeng Guofan, which made Zeng Guofan feel helpless, until he was bedridden, and even beheaded Li Hongzhang as his own nephew. After the completion of the work, he also told Li Hongzhang as if to "don't thank him"! Such a person not only finally died a good death, but also gave the crown prince Taibao after his death, the title of upright, and built a special shrine to worship.
Peng Yulin (14 December 1816 – 6 March 1890), courtesy name Xueqin, was a retired nunnery master and YinXiang Waishi whose ancestral home was Hengyang County , Hengyang County , Hengyang County , Hengyang City , Hengyang Province , and was born in Anqing Province , Anhui Province ( present-day Anqing City ) . A famous politician, military figure, calligrapher and painter of the Qing Dynasty, known as Xue Shuai. Together with Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, he was called the Three Masters of the Qing Dynasty, and together with Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang and Hu Linyi, he was called the four famous ministers of Zhongxing, the founder of the Xiang Army Marine Division, and the founder of the modern Chinese Navy. He was appointed governor of Liangjiang and minister of trade and commerce in Nanyang, Shangshu of the Bingbu Department, and a lieutenant of the first class.
However, Peng Yulin was called "The Living King of Yan" by some of his disciples, and as to why he was called so, because he specially cleaned up these disciples during his official duties, so that he sometimes offended many colleagues, the most famous of which was his interrogation of Li Hongzhang's nephew Li Qiusheng.
Once, he was ordered to check on the practice of the water master, but when he was passing through Anhui, he accidentally bumped into Li Hongzhang's nephew Li Qiusheng's ugly act of bullying men and women. Li Qiusheng suppressed people to death at the level of his uncle's official, flirted with the women of the good family every day, fought and fought, and had a very bad influence in the local area.
In the face of the forces behind Li Qiusheng, the magistrate did not dare to do anything to him, and could only choose to turn a blind eye. It just so happened that Peng Yulin was passing through Anhui, and he heard that there was a local bully, and how could he sit idly by with a righteous body! So he immediately led the soldiers to arrest people.
Li Qiusheng on the yamen still behaved very flamboyantly, not only did he not recognize the crime, but also asked Peng Yulin, who was sitting on the stage: "What can you do with me!" These words directly stimulated Peng Yulin, who announced the great punishment on the spot!
Directly on the fire stick, this remark frightened the magistrates, this Li Qiusheng is Li Hongzhang's nephew! How do you make a mistake if you break yourself?
However, Peng Yulin was the largest above the court, and the fire stick was hit down at once, directly knocking Li Qiusheng to the ground. This incident alarmed the inspector, and he hurried over to say that he wanted to see Peng Yulin. Peng Yulin closed the door and said Inspector you wait, I will come to see you as soon as I clean up.
After coming out after a while, they found that this Li Qiusheng had already been asked to be beheaded, which frightened the people around them to look at each other, and Peng Yulin stood above the public hall, like The Prince of Yan of the ExtremeLy Underground Mansion.
Before Li Hongzhang came to the door, Peng Yulin first wrote him a letter, saying that your nephew was doing many evils outside, and that you, as a court official, had no time to take care of me, and that this kind of bullying was also a kind of corruption to your family's style.
So old Li, you don't have to thank me, everyone is serving the people!
Li Hongzhang's hand holding the letter trembled, and he almost spewed out a mouthful of old blood and died on the spot. But in order not to affect the relationship between the two, Li Hongzhang still chose to compromise, and he replied with a letter that thanked Peng Yulin for helping me get rid of a harm.
Peng Yulin is indeed a righteous person, but he is not sleek enough, and it is indeed a miracle that such a person can survive in the official field. What did Peng Yulin, who was given the nickname "Living Yama King" by such a person, rely on to be able to blend in the treacherous official field of the late Qing Dynasty and die well? The answer is hidden in the legendary life of this man.
I. Outstanding Achievements:
Peng Yulin's life is full of legends. In his early years, he was a scholar, and then he threw pens from Rong and joined the Xiang Army. Because of his bravery, strategy, and innovation in his battles with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army, Xianfeng iii years (1853), at the behest of Zeng Guofan, founded the Xiang Army Water Division and reorganized the armament. In the following year, he led the Xiang Army's water division to defeat the Taiping Army at Xiangtan, and then accompanied the army to attack Yuezhou, and defeated the Taiping Army's water division in Wuhan and Tianjiazhen. Later, he led the Xiang Army's marine division to cooperate with the army to defeat the Taiping Army in Zhangshu Town, Linjiang and other places. Subsequently, he led the Xiang Army's water division to capture Hukou, Jiujiang, and Anqing, and was promoted to the position of admiral of the water division and the right attendant of the military department. In the campaign to capture Tianjing (present-day Nanjing), he personally led the water division to respond to Zeng Guoquan's land division to go east along the Yangtze River and block the mouth of the Tianjing Moat. The following year, he led an army to capture Jiangpu, Jiuhuanzhou, and Pukou, cutting off the Tianjing grain route, and becoming a great hero in the capture of Tianjing.
After destroying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he devoted himself to the construction of the Qing Army's Yangtze River Water Division, and devoted himself to the Qing Army's water division. Later, the Yangtze River Water Division was completely accepted by Li Hongzhang and became the most important force of the Beiyang Water Division. Peng Yulin became the founder of the modern Chinese Navy.
2. Honesty and honesty:
Peng Yulin is in a high position and has always adhered to a "no money" life rule. In the winter of the fourth year of Xianfeng (1854), after Peng Yulin led the Xiang Army's marine division to cooperate with the Lu division to capture the town of Tianjia, the Qing court rewarded 4,000 taels of silver, but he turned it to relief for his hometown. In a letter to his uncle, he said: "If you want to be a bitter people and relatives in your hometown, it is just a matter of convenience to use this silver, and you are also happy." He also asked his uncle to take out some silver and set up a school in his hometown, hoping to "create a few talents" for his hometown. He was very strict with himself and his family. When he learned that his son had spent two thousand strings of copper money to repair the old house in the family, he wrote a stern rebuke: "Why Haoferos, deeply lamented." It is said that he has always regarded "buying a house and buying a field as a vice of eunuchs, and he has sworn not to do it." Unexpectedly, Ru did not write to me to inform me, and he built up the civil engineering; after the construction of the civil engineering, he did not expect that Ru was extravagant and luxurious. Outsiders don't know, if I am abnormal and cannot practice, then I will see people!" In fact, his son's old house after repair is just three earthen wall tile houses.
In the third year of Tongzhi (1864), he once said: "For more than ten years, Gu has served as a prefect, promoted to inspector, and appointed as a viceroy and a waiter. The money to be received shall be given to the silver two, and the slightest shall be received from the end. ...... Not a single tile of the camp, but an acre of breeding to shelter the wife. Peng Yulin said this and did the same. According to the Qing Dynasty system, all civil and military officials were paid a separate copy of the maintenance fee by the state in addition to the official salary, which was paid once on the day of resignation, in order to reward the officials and put an end to corruption. According to this calculation, Peng Yulin from the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855) to the first year of Tongzhi (1861), seven years, should be raised with more than 21,500 pieces of incorruptible silver, but he did not take any money, and handed over all the money to the state treasury for military pay. Peng Yulin considered that doing so alone might make people suspect that he was selling his reputation and reputation, so he asked Zeng Guofan to explain to the imperial court. Zeng Guofan said: What Zeng Guofan said is indeed not excessive.
Third, just and not a:
When Peng Yulin was serving as the inspector of the Yangtze River to govern the water division and the shangshu of the military department, he acted impartially, treated the evil forces severely, and even did not hesitate to offend Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. Zeng Guoquan was Zeng Guofan's brother, and Zeng Guofan was his own Bole and benefactor, but when Peng Yulin discovered that Zeng Guoquan's discipline was in ruins and was quite dissatisfied with Zeng Guoquan's slaughter of the city, he resolutely raised his pen to impeach Zeng Guofan three times, regardless of the friendship between teachers and students, causing Zeng Guofan to write to him angrily to ask him where his brother had offended him. In addition, Li Hongzhang regarded Li Qiusheng as his own nephew, who ran amok in the townships of Anqing and seized wives and daughters, and Peng Yulin, when he had enough evidence, that is, he did not care about li Hongzhang's brother Li Kui's intercession, nor did he care about Li Hongzhang's feelings, and categorically ordered: "If this person is not removed, Anqing will not be at peace." He directly sentenced this stupid disciple Ming Zheng to death, and afterwards wrote a letter to Li Hongzhang, telling him that he had helped the Li family clean up the portal.
During his term of office, Peng Yulin also impeached and disposed of more than 200 corrupt and incompetent officials, including many high-ranking officials. In addition, one of Peng Yulin's nephews, who served as prefects, was also killed by him for missing a military plane. What he did was a good saying in the folk circulation at that time: "As soon as Peng Gong came out, the rivers and lakes were solemn." ”
Four or six resignations:
Peng Yulin took the initiative to resign six times in his life, and the post he resigned was either a feudal official or a central official, regardless of the reason for Peng Yulin's resignation, as far as his indifferent mentality of fame and fortune was concerned, it was enough to reassure the rulers at that time about this talented and outstanding warlord and able minister, of course, there was no so-called bird full of bows, rabbit dead dog cooking.
After Peng Yulin's death, whether it was his former mentor, former friend, or opponent of the official field before his death, he made a very high evaluation of this person:
Zeng Guofan: Cha Peng Yulin led the army for more than ten years, ruled the army extremely strictly, and feared the hearts and minds of the soldiers, all because of the honesty and leadership, not a name and a penny. Now, because of the military salary, I am willing to raise two incorruptible silver and silver, report all the donations, and raise the military salary by the provinces, and dare not welcome the invitation to discuss, which is really indifferent to glory and profit, and the public forgets selfishness
Zeng Guoquan: The lower is Heyue, the upper is the Sun Star, a brigade from Hengxiang, Zhiliang is not three generations after the jianghu, the heart is Wei Que, the Great Xun is in the universe, and the Loyalty qing is worthy of the Nine Heavy Praises.
Li Hongzhang: Not honoring the official palace, not enjoying the room family, high achievements in hundreds of battles, this body will eventually be old in the rivers and lakes. No history books, no temple food, a thousand autumn names, and the rest of the things can still be poetry and painting.
Zuo Zongtang: The provenance is in a hurry, and it is not easy to be at ease, and among the ancient ministers who seek it, it is still rare, what about the present people?
Hu Linyi: Loyal champion, bold and resolute.
Zhang Zhidong: Shenzhou runs through the Yangtze River, and its southern boundary rises to the sea. The rivers and seas are blessed with the waves, and the pillars are now safe.
Throughout his life, Peng Yulin did not seek fame and fortune, did not avoid the powerful, did not rule private property, and did not take concubines. Even though he resigned six times in his life as a high-ranking official, when the country was in crisis, he held his old and sick body and was ordered to resist foreign enemies. All his life, he painted Mei chanted poems to commemorate Mei Gu, who fell in love with him and died early, obsessed with righteousness and righteousness, and never regretted it for life. During the years of Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu, and Xuantong, when the magnates were in charge and extremely corrupt, he became a rare famous courtier who was incorruptible, upright, indifferent, and serious about righteousness. As he himself said: "The subject is silently good, the family is happy, the sex is not delayed, the army has been ruled for more than ten years, and he has not tried to cover the camp with one acre and one acre, so as to shelter his wife." Seriously injured, overworked and sick, he did not take a day off to return home for treatment. In the midst of the wind and waves all year round, although he was even sick, he did not have a day to move to the shore", "The subject starts with the cold soldier, and is willing to return with the cold soldier".
Peng Yulin: The last strange man in the Empire! The last rays of the sun are gone! His paintings of plum blossoms are vivid, and more than 500 of his poems are included in history. In February 1890, Peng Yulin died of illness in Hengzhou, and this righteous person who had worked hard for the world all his life finally stopped his steps and chose to rest.