As a first-hand historical material, the letters did not formally establish their important position until the Republic of China period. Mr. Lu Xun said that from the letters, we can gain insight into the "truth of a member of society."
In fact, just as he said, Peng Yulin once wrote to Zhang Zhidong, in which he said: "The words of the teacher are like thunderclaps in the air, especially the death penalty of the brother." Analyzing his meaning, it can be understood that Peng Yulin had received a letter from Zhang Zhidong before that, in which Zhang Zhidong expressed a strong desire to worship Peng Yulin as a teacher. After reading, Peng Yulin felt very scared, so he quickly replied and expressed a euphemistic refusal.
Letters, usually only the two parties know the content, so they are often not over-embellished, but really express their ideas.
Although we do not have the original of the letter in this case, the investigation of other indications, including the status of their interaction, can indicate that there was indeed such a thing between the two men.
So, how did the two of them meet?
In the 1880s, France launched the Vietnamese-French War to annex northern Vietnam, which also posed a threat to China's southwestern border defenses. Therefore, the Qing government, under duress, made an urgent military deployment, not only sending troops to reinforce the Sino-Vietnamese border, but also letting Li Hongzhang lead the army to Guangdong to deal with the Vietnamese war.
As for the order, Li Hongzhang not only did not want to obey the order, but also complained to people: "If you know the soldiers with contempt, you will be white-headed, and it is inevitable that you will use the beads to play birds, and the dispatch of the Cardinal Government is so rash that it is particularly chilling." "He played one after another, used various reasons to shirk it, and did not go to the post. After that, the Qing government had to send the military department Shangshu Peng Yulin to Guangdong to supervise military affairs, and asked him to set off immediately "without delay."
At this time, Peng Yulin had already contracted a serious illness, and had even asked to be removed from his post and retired from the post of Shangshu of the Bingbu Department. However, in the end, when he received the order, he immediately left for Guangdong.
In times of war crisis, there have always been two kinds of ideas for dealing with external threats.
The same was true of the Sino-French War, as early as the time of the French war, there was a debate within the Qing court about whether to confront or negotiate peace. Peng Yulin, on the other hand, strongly supported the confrontation, saying in a word: "The Purpose of the French daring to swallow Vietnam alone is to spy on the border of Yunnan and intend to occupy the minerals." If they succeed, France will seize the opportunity to become rich and strong, which will surely lead to difficulties in other countries. And countries are destined to consult with China, so that China will inevitably fall into crisis again and lose more power. ”
"Those who have the heart of the world, think in the night, and really if the thorn is in the back." Therefore, "there is no strategy for self-improvement except for the main battle" and "for the sake of the present, we must work together and fight a decisive battle with it." If it is tolerated again, what kind of state will it become? "Of course, there must be a difference between victory and defeat in war, and the so-called victory or defeat is a common affair of soldiers. Peng Yulin said: The Sino-French battle "If we really grasp it, even if the Hanchen Zhuge Liang regenerates, he does not dare to say that he has a chance of winning." "But when the soldiers are from another country, I have no choice but to be the enemy's division," If I must borrow everything and fear my head and tail, what if he is like a foreign insult. ”
It can be seen that Guo Songtao's words are not objective, and Peng Yulin is not a person who uses words to incite scholars and doctors, he thinks of the enemy's strength and weakness, and the disparity in strength. Therefore, "I dare not say the odds of winning". However, he believes that in the face of foreign invasion, we must resolutely resist, otherwise, let others slaughter and let them gain inches, and the harm will be even greater. The success or failure of the war is affected by many factors, and if our side can unite as one and work together, it will not necessarily lose to France. Therefore, as Weng Tonggong said, he "asked for action with all his might."
In the same way as Peng Yulin, Zhang Zhidong, who was an inspector in Shanxi at the time, also vigorously led the battle, although he understood that there was a huge disparity in strength between China and France. However, in a letter to his close friend Zhang Peilun, he made the reason very clear: "In Chinese and foreign military affairs, contempt is very different from respect and respect, and the people who speak in the Beijing Dynasty are very different. The princes mean that the Fa is not enough to be afraid, and I am easy to win the Fa, so they all fight the main battle. The contemptible people know that the law is strong and the Chinese are weak, and that they cannot be undefeated in the initial battle, that they cannot practice coastal defense without fighting, and that they cannot practice warfare without defeat. As long as you are determined and strong, after a few defeats, you will naturally know the way to win. ”
These two were brave and good at war, and they were even more Qingliu, and Qingliu took "Honoring the King" as a matter of time and advocated resisting the French army. However, "contempt is very different from respect for the people who have spoken and done things in the Jing Dynasty", and it is obvious that Zhang Zhidong, who has just been released and became a local official, has been different from the Qingliu that quotes scriptures and talks about it. That is: he is more pragmatic, understands the actual situation, does not blindly lead the battle, and covets fame.
Not only that, but his proposition also has a more practical basis, that is, his own analysis of the war situation and military strategy of the Sino-French war.
As early as the eighth year of Guangxu, when France and Vietnam were in trouble, Zhang Zhidong, who was in the north, was worried about the southern territory, and the connection was folded in two folds, offering advice and advice. He pointed out: "France's attempt to spy on Yunnan in Vietnam has long had ambitions, and at present, the French army has succeeded in occupying the capital of Vietnam, and China has absolutely no reason to sit idly by." "It is better to defend the four realms than to defend the four yi", "Only by sending envoys to lead troops to help and protect" can we win the initiative in the war.
However, his suggestion was not adopted by the Qing court.
The following year, the French army, under the forbearance of the Qing court, raised troops in a big way and attacked the northern part of Vietnam, and the Chinese and French armies met each other, and the war was ready to start.
Zhang Zhidong saw the current situation and was indignant. On the same day, he shouted with three folds: "The calamity of the Law has become a foregone conclusion, and now there is only one war." He stressed again: "Today's affairs should be determined and firm, it is advisable to go to the opportunity quickly, it is advisable to defend oneself, it is advisable to be solid, and it is advisable to judge the enemy, and it will be helpful after this." "For example, if you fight with people, if you want to attack them and are afraid of anger, even if you give them a soldier who is always victorious, and an invincible cannon, you will not be able to win."
Therefore, he asked the Qing court to make a decision on the spot and make up its mind to fight early. In order to promote resistance, he sternly refuted the remarks that the Qing army could not defeat the French army, pointing out: "Liu Yongfu is no more than a Cantonese ear, and the french people have been defeated repeatedly, and the Dian and Gui armies have also won, which is the fate of the Chinese soldiers to be able to defeat the French soldiers." He also analyzed the situation in China and France and held that this war was different from previous national wars.
This time, China has an advantage, France has no aid to the country, and second, there are troubles. And China can mobilize the Vietnamese people, Liu Yongfu's army has no internal worries, so as long as we work together and unite our forces, "solid border and rejuvenation of national prestige, it is today." Zhang Zhidong also predicted: "The situation is like this, the border troubles are urgent, and there will be actions in the spring and February."
Therefore, seventeen points of preparation and defense were put forward, namely: decisive battle planning, consolidating the fundamentals, planning the enemy's situation, choosing a battlefield, using Liu Tuan, using the Vietnamese people, serving a long time, dispersing enemy aid, defending Tianjin, defending Yantai, defending Lushun, defending Guangdong, defending Jiangnan and Fujian and Zhejiang, raising salaries, preparing arms, quick newspapers, and preparing heavy subjects.
Facts have proved that Zhang Zhidong is like a god, and within half a month of sending the song chapter, the Qing army's Vietnamese camp in Shanxi has already been fiercely attacked by the French army. The Sino-French war really began, and all this was even faster than Zhang Zhidong predicted.
After occupying Shanxi, the French army took advantage of the victory to pursue and launched a fierce offensive against Beining. When Benin was defeated, the imperial court was furious and mobilized the southwest and southeastern officials, and even the central officials were transferred on a large scale. Zhang Zhidong, on the other hand, because he had paid attention to the war for a long time, had also studied the war situation between the enemy and ourselves in advance, summed up tactics and strategic ideas, so he was treated differently by Empress Dowager Cixi and let him serve as the governor of Liangguang.
Zhang Zhidong was not afraid of fighting, and after receiving the order, he immediately rushed to Guangdong. In this way, Peng Yulin, the minister of Chincha, who had already arrived, served in the same place as him. Peng Yulin was born in 1817, when he was nearly old, and Zhang Zhidong was born in 1837, in his prime. One of them is a veteran general of the Xiang Army who is born in the ranks, and the other is a rising star from the Imperial Examination, a local official.
Before this, the two had no contact and communication, but because of a national war, they became colleagues and knew each other. Peng Yulin was a person with a distinct personality, he was famous all his life, but he resigned from the high-ranking official Houlu several times, insisting on starting with the cold and ending with the cold. In this regard, Zhang Zhidong is as unaccustomed as many people, believing that he is pretentious and arrogant.
Even, in private, he has bluntly said that Peng Shi "acted his own will and insisted on not holding office" and "people of insight, not without end".
However, when the Vietnam war broke out, Peng Yulin resolutely took the lead in the battle, and many views were slightly the same as zhang zhidong's heroic vision.
Especially at that time, when Li Hongzhang, who was younger than Peng Yulin, disobeyed his will and was unwilling to "fight with white heads", Peng Yulin immediately went to his post and was not afraid of hardships and dangers, which made Zhang Zhidong very moved and admired. Therefore, he changed his prejudices about him and turned to respect and admire Peng Yulin. Before taking office, Zhang Zhidong specially wrote to Peng Yulin, informed him of the itinerary, and expressed his dependence and admiration for him:
"The ruler does not worship, and rides the donkey on the lake for a long time; he obeys the commandment and acts, and vows to be a crocodile in the sea." In difficult times, It is Weng. Gong Wei a certain Guanling outside the Great Wall, the pillar of the Middle Dynasty. Alone in one house, Luo Meima was in front of the army; and with five materials, he walked Sun Wu under the tent. From afar, it enlightens the foolishness. A certain person came to shangguangjing, the right to move to the South China Sea, the Kong Gu of the Golden Soup, and the teacher of Huangshi. Everything is opportunistic, and it is exclusive to judgement. Now it is planned to ride out of the capital lightly on a certain month and day, and take a ferry to the sea. Up and down, for example, the dragon swims by the clouds. Teach me the Tao, and ask the Tiger Marshal to listen. First lay your chest and ask about living. ”
Peng Yulin was a minister of Chincha, sent from the central government to the localities, and was supposedly a guest marshal, while Zhang Zhidong, as the governor, was in charge of the localities and had even more authority. However, considering that Peng was a veteran who had made great achievements and was highly respected, in order to show respect, Zhang Zhidong was respectful and respectful, and used his junior status to receive Peng Yulin, and specifically proposed that "every opportunity is appropriate, and he is dedicated to judging."
Sure enough, he laid a good impression foundation in Peng Yulin's heart, and this also laid a solid foundation for them to help each other in the future and work together.
Sure enough, Peng Yulin and the newly appointed Zhang Zhidong got along harmoniously, overjoyed, and the defense improved compared with before. Earlier, Peng Yulin and the former governor Zhang Shusheng were in a tit-for-tat confrontation, so that "raising troops to raise food and defense, clever hands empty-handed, cooking without rice", very depressed. Now, Zhang Zhidong expressed his full support and assistance, he was not only full of motivation, but finally able to make a big punch.
At that time, there were rumors that France would send troops to attack the city of Guangdong province by sea, so the two first considered provincial defense. After careful planning, they strengthened the deployment of troops, respectively, on the land and water, layer by layer, greatly strengthening the defensive capability of the provincial city, and the defense was far tighter than before. During this time, Zhang Zhidong once again saw Peng Yulin's style of a general who led by example and regarded death as a homecoming, and could not help but be impressed by it.
Zhang Zhidong later recalled:
"Humen is the former enemy of Guangzhou, Huangpu is the secondary enemy, the former Governor of Guangdong defends Huangpu with the Huai Army, and the Governor of Guangdong leads the Guangdong Army to defend Humen. The Admiral complained, so that Guangdong and Huaibei made enemies. Gong built forts in Shajiao and Dajiao Ershan outside the Humen Gate, and defended them by the Xiang army. The two armies of Guangdong and Huaihuai were ashamed and obeyed the command, and there was no difference. ”
In addition to the provincial capital, Zhang Peng and his men also extended their defense work to Qiongzhou, Chaozhou and other places along the coast of Guangdong, and built a huge military-civilian joint defense network. During the Sino-French War, the French fleet attacked Fujian and Taiwan to the north, but never attacked Guangdong, indicating that their defensive work was sufficient and effective, and made the French army quite jealous.
Of course, Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin's anti-French struggle was not only in Guangdong Province, they also looked at the overall situation, always paid attention to the course of the war, and took corresponding measures.
For example, under the condition of "legal persons focusing on Minkou, gathering many ships, and fujian defense is tight", they broke through the geographical boundaries, raised 100,000 taels of silver, and sent people to help Fuzhou. As for Liu Yongfu, who had "repeatedly defeated the fierce fronts and commanded his commanders" in the wars between Vietnam and France, and who had performed well, and the Black Flag Army led by him, both of them believed that liu should not be prejudiced against him, resigned to his fate, and let them go unchecked, but should be granted official positions, given him legal status, supplied them with arms and salaries, let them be used by our side, and grow into an important defensive force of our side.
In response to the French army's practice of disrupting Fujian and then encircling Taiwan, they pointed out: "Taiwan and the mainland are separated by straits, and at this time they are fighting alone, and they should immediately make a decision, break through the siege, and seek rescue." However, the only way to truly solve Taiwan's predicament and save the situation is to besiege the city and provide assistance -- if france attacks its strategic points, France will certainly turn back to rescue them. Therefore, only by retaking back the lost land of Vietnam can we be able to break the siege of Taiwan. ”
In Vietnam, the Qing army only sent two armies, Yunnan and Guizhou, which were weak and difficult to resist the French army. In this situation, Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin decided to use the veteran general Feng Zicai, and the soldiers were divided into two routes, sending a total of four Guangdong troops into Vietnam to participate in the war.
Led by Tang Jingsong, the six battalions led by him and the Dian army and Liu Yongfu's black flag army attacked Xuanguang after a round.
On the other road, the eighteenth battalion led by Feng Zicai crossed the border from Qinzhou and Shangsizhou into Vietnam and marched toward Nayang; Wang Xiaoqi, leading the eighth battalion, entering Vietnam from Longzhou, marched toward Langshan; Mo Shanxi and Chen Ronghui led the eighth battalion from Qinzhou Dongxing out of Xinjiang and marched to Haiyang to cooperate with the Gui army.
These four armies took the road separately, entered Vietnam, coordinated with each other, and achieved good results.
Zhennanguan - Langshan Great Victory at the epicenter of the epicenter, "is the first time that China and foreign soldiers clashed with each other called victory." This battle, which turned the tide of the war in one fell swoop, directly led to the downfall of the French cabinet and the request for peace with the Qing government. The Qing government also pointed out to the end and accepted the peace. After Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin heard about it, they expressed strong opposition, but to no avail.
Although the end of this war was not satisfactory, there are also places to be proud of in this battle. In particular, the turning point of Zhennanguan, the great victory of Langshan, also triggered a controversy. Some people think that the general Feng Zicai is the credit of the general Feng Zicai, who is firmly in charge of the victory and reversing the situation, which is all the credit of himself; some people feel that Zhang Zhidong knows people and is good at detecting people, holding the chips and paintings, and should remember the first merit.
In fact, the victory of this battle should be attributed to everyone's unity and cooperation, the front and the rear cooperate with each other, and those involved have credit. Peng Yulin also played a role in planning and making decisions, and Zhang Zhidong was also very sure of this.
After Peng Yulin's death, Zhang Zhidong wrote a letter for him:
"Five years ago, when the miasma was in the same robe, the hardships and dangers were even laid by the heavy waves."
The elegy says:
"I am also in danger, and I stink like a blue-eyed man.
The argument plays out corruption, and the fallacy is aggregatable. ”
Zhu Yun: "All the things that prevent the sea from crossing the border, plan the food of the soldiers, and advise the withdrawal of the armistice, the rest of the intentions are in harmony with the public." Folding and playing electric music, all remaining manuscripts, joint titles will be played, not easy to say a word. ”
It can be seen that in the Sino-French war, Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin fought with the same enemy, cooperated closely, and did their best to resist the war. Therefore, some palm scholars have commented: "The most powerful thing about the cave overseeing Yue and playing the victory of the mountain is to work together with Peng Yulin in harmony", which is really not published.
Zhang Zhidong's grandson Zhang Dajun wrote in an article about Zhang Zhidong's life and exposed Zhang Zhidong's feud with Peng Yulin: Zhang Zhidong once wrote to his brother Zhiwan and said: "Looking at the face of The Ruler (referring to Peng Yulin), at first glance it seems good, and Jiuzhi is known to be a fake ben (赝本), a villain in the city, treacherous and clever. Dedicated to fellow villagers, and echoed Yunlin (Ni Wenwei). To be poor or to lack, almost no one is not a Xiang person and then it has been. ”
"Zhiwan" is Zhang Zhiwan, the military minister of the late Qing Dynasty, that is, Zhang Dahua's grandfather. Zhang Dahua claimed that his revelations were well-founded, based on the family's treasured Zhang Zhidong and his grandfather's personal correspondence. Judging from the physical evidence, it can be said that it has a high degree of authenticity. However, Peng Yulin did recommend many people to Zhang Zhidong, and he still had to be short, but he also had bitterness.
In his dealings with friends, Peng Yulin revealed: "Because I had pursued the Holy Order, I had investigated and punished Zuo Zongtang's close associates and staff on the public, which caused his dissatisfaction, so I always made things difficult for me. This time, when I came to Guangdong, whenever Zuo Zongtang met his old friends or colleagues, he must say that he would take out 30,000 Yue salary every month to provide Peng Mou with turnover. "The belief of the people is true, so that the provinces have come to the sea for civil and military service."
In fact, this is just Zuo Zongtang's nonsense, but Peng Yulin was forced to bear the unspeakable bitter fruit for this, not only to receive social rewards, but also to pay the way out to let him go home, and what he could not cope with could only be cheeky, asking governor Zhang Zhidong or Inspector Ni Wenwei to arrange a position. This matter really made Zhang Zhidong difficult to do, so there were quite a few words, if he complained to people about it, it was excusable.
However, this does not prove that Zhang Peng and Zhang Peng are at odds with each other.
Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin have like-minded places in some ideas and concepts, plus Zhang Zhidong has great respect for Peng. Therefore, Peng Yulin also exchanged courtesies and highly respected Zhang Zhidong. So, the two could work together, and in the end, they won the war.
In addition, another important reason for them to get along harmoniously is to treat others sincerely and communicate fully. In the Qing people's notes, Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin are mavericks. Therefore, as colleagues, the two will inevitably have differences of opinion, but they exchange letters, open their hearts, and communicate fully, so that the dispute is invisible.
In the year and seven months that the two worked together, Peng Yulin wrote a total of 89 letters to Zhang Zhidong, an average of 5 per month, plus detailed meetings, it can be said that the frequency of communication between the two is very high. Through communication, they get to know each other more and more, and the friendship gradually deepens. In life, the two cared about each other, Zhang Zhidong gave food to Peng Yulin, and Peng Yulin also gave him back West Lake Longjing and lotus flour; in government affairs, the two assisted each other, Peng Yulin handled some military affairs for Zhang Zhidong, and Zhang Zhidong also edited some manuscripts at the invitation of Peng Yulin.
In addition, after the Sino-French War, Zhang Zhidong tried several times to treat the Xiang army commanded by Peng Yulin and ask for credit for it, but they were all rejected with "ashamed and unarmed labor", which made Zhang Zhidong, who was born in Qingliu, very admired. Therefore, when Peng Yulin successfully completed his defense work and was about to leave Guangdong, Zhang Zhidong was very reluctant and put forward his wish to worship him as a teacher.
Although Peng Yulin refused, so that the two did not become teachers and students, the two still maintained close contact.
In these letters, Peng Yulin, in addition to informing Zhang Zhidong of his annual tour of the Yangtze River water division, also highlighted that he was plagued by illness and did not worry about the future. When Zhang Zhidong heard about this, he was very concerned and often asked people to send expensive gift medicines. Peng Yulin mentioned Zhang Zhidong's actions in three letters, thanked him for "generous gifts and many treasures", and gave them back, expressing his gratitude with local specialties such as wax fish, crabs, and snow lilies made at home.
In the letter, Peng Yulin also expressed his affirmation and admiration for Zhang Zhidong's achievements as governor of Guangdong: "My public and military soldiers and civilians are celebrating, many smooth deeds, outstanding achievements, and envy Xi Ru. At the same time, he was sad and recalled that "in the past, he worked together in The Eastern Defense and received a lot of teachings" and "couldn't help but weep and tears." It can be seen that the cooperation between the two in the two cantons is very harmonious and pleasant, and the friendship between the two can be described as nonsense.
Peng Yulin and Zhang Zhidong were both important ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, but the paths to entering the world were different because of their different origins. The two had no communication, but they came together because of the Sino-French war and became colleagues on the other side. They are all maverick people, a lonely and unconventional, obstinate, a day and night, diligent and sincere, all of which are prone to contradictions with people.
However, they have the same point, and on the issue of resisting foreign insults, the two have also achieved the same external agreement, plus they can treat people with sincerity and fully communicate. Therefore, get along harmoniously and help each other, and in the end, there is Zhennanguan - Langshan Victory. In the process, they became acquainted with each other and became friends for many years.
Not only that, but their personal ideological concepts have also undergone a major change, from sticking to the old rules to innovating, and began to learn Western studies and advocate foreign affairs.
In modern times, China's national wars often end in tragedy, and so do the participants. However, Zhang Zhidong and Peng Yulin were exceptions, they not only gained confidants, but also won glory. The Qing Dynasty valued merit and fame, and the entry into the military was regarded as the right way, and joining the army was inferior. Because Zhang Zhidong himself takes the road of the imperial examination and attaches great importance to the name of merit, he uses more people to use the keju people. Peng Yulin, on the other hand, was born in the army and was trained in the army, and it is reasonable to say that it is difficult to climb the hall of elegance and is not favored by Zhang Zhidong.
However, in the process of working with Peng Yulin, Zhang Zhidong was deeply impressed by Peng Yulin's behavior as a person, and he could not help but be deeply impressed by him. Thus, arrogance and prejudice were eliminated, and I sincerely hoped to be a disciple. Although, unlike the man we have always known, there is a letter here that makes people have to believe.
"Han Mianmiao is in the ruler, and the spit is full of hearts." The letter is directly lyrical and follows the author's heart, which is the difference between it and other applied styles, and this is also the historical value of the letter.
At the same time, we also get inspiration from this: to know and judge a person, we should not only be based on stereotypes, but should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
Resources:
[Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, One Hundred and Ninety-Seven Chronicles, Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Biography of Zhang Zhidong, Dictionary of Chinese and Foreign Wars and Battles