If you don't think deeply, you can't make the Tao. Those who do not think deeply and get it are easy to lose. - Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan is known as half of the "two and a half saints" in China, and his life has achieved meritorious service. From serving the country to educating families, there are unique insights, even if the soldiers and horses in the world are still cautious, the "Zeng Guofan Family Letter" left behind has a very high educational significance.
But such a "perfect man" often advises his brother to find others to borrow more money, why is this? People say that "talking about money hurts feelings", ordinary people will not borrow money from others until they have to, because it is easy to affect the interaction and feelings between the two sides, why does Zeng Guofan encourage his brother to borrow money? In fact, this is where Zeng Guofan's cleverness lies.
Zeng Guofan was born in 1811 in Shuangfeng County, Loudi, Hunan Province, although his father was born in Xiucai, Zeng Guofan's talent has always been unsatisfactory. It was not until he was 28 years old that he won the third meeting test. And he is also very low-key in life, well versed in the truth of Taoguang and obscurity.
"When the water is full, it overflows, and when it is full, it is taboo" is the most reasonable saying of the officialdom, and when Zeng Guofan formed the Xiang Army and pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he repeatedly gave credit to the Manchu Qing disciples, and was careful to deal with things and behave in a low-key manner. For his younger brother Zeng Guoquan, he patiently taught him how to behave in the world, so that he often found someone to borrow money. Zeng Guofan himself often borrowed money from the outside world, and when Zeng Guoquan asked about this question, Zeng Guofan explained to him the reasons for doing so.
The reason why they find others to borrow money, the first is to show weakness, such as Zeng Guofan, such a Han minister, high power is easy to be jealous, borrowing money is to want others to show weakness, but also to show that their family is poor, don't look at it as a big official, in fact, there is no much property. In this way, the imperial court will let down its vigilance, and those relatives who want to find Zeng Guofan to help Manchu are not embarrassed to open their mouths again, whether they finally borrow money or not, Zeng Guofan's main purpose has been achieved.
The second is to help recognize people and enhance feelings. By borrowing money, we can know how a person's family is, if the family is well-off but shirks the person who does not borrow, it means that the moral character is not suitable for contact. If you are willing to lend a little even if your family is poor, then it means that you can make friends. At the same time, with the process of borrowing money to repay money alternately back and forth, today you borrow me, tomorrow I borrow you, it is easier to increase the feelings of both sides in the long run, and once there is difficulty in the future, you can take care of each other.
And the ultimate point is to improve their reputation and integrity, borrow money and do not return everyone shouts, but every time they borrow money is returned on time, then in the eyes of the creditor is naturally a person with integrity and punctuality, and other things will believe in their conduct in the future. After a long time, Zeng Guofan's reputation for honesty and reliability will naturally spread outside.
Borrowing money is a small thing, and from this small thing you can explore so many philosophies, I have to say that Zeng Guofan does have great wisdom. No wonder people in later generations often said: "When an official needs to learn from Zeng Guofan, when doing business, he should look at Hu Xueyan", and he can draw a big truth from every small matter of daily life and use it to educate his family.