In 1854, Zuo Zongtang served as an aide to Luo Bingzhang, the inspector of Hunan. Luo can be described as obedient to Zuo Zongtang, in Zuo Zongtang's own words: "Everything planned is obeyed." All official documents, just drawing promises, never checking the school." Because Luo Bingzhang trusted and relied heavily, and boldly let go of power, Zuo Zongtang really regarded himself as an inspector and regarded the provincial officials as his subordinates.
One day, Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, met Luo Bingzhang because of an incident, and Luo asked him to go directly to see Zuo Zongtang. At this time, although Zuo Zongtang was an aide, he was already well-known in the Hunan officialdom, and every official who came to see him had great respect for him. Fan Xie, on the other hand, believed that Zuo Zongtang was just an aide, and that he was a member of the party and a general soldier, so he refused to bow to Zuo Zongtang. Zuo Zongtang originally looked down on Fan Xie, and thought that he was Luo Bingzhang's representative, and he was very dissatisfied with Fan's failure to prostrate himself, and drank: "When the military attache sees me, no matter how big or small, he must ask for peace, why not Ru?" Who knew that Fan Xie was also a stubborn temper, and said arrogantly: "The imperial court system, the case of the military attaché seeing the master and asking for peace." Although the military attaché is light, I am also a second and third official of the imperial court! Zuo Zongtang was usually most afraid of others mentioning his "master" identity, and he couldn't stand others' contempt for him because of his master status, so he was furious, got up and kicked Fan Xie (a slap), and scolded in his mouth: "Wang Baguo, get out!"
Statue of Zuo Zongtang
Fan Xie was furious and wrote to the Xianfeng Emperor to impeach Zuo Zongtang, but because Pan Zuyin and others supported Zuo Zongtang, Fan Xie was deposed by the imperial court and dismissed from his post and returned home.
Fan Xie was closely related to the governor of Huguang, Guan Wen, and was also a relative, so he complained to Guan Wen that Zuo Zongtang controlled the important military and political affairs of Hunan as an aide and was arrogant. The official documents were sparse and reported to the imperial court. Therefore, the Qing court issued a decree ordering Guanwen and Hubei official Qian Baoqing to arrest and interrogate Zuo Zongtang.
However, Zuo Zongtang was, after all, a very influential figure in the Hunan officialdom, and many people in the Beijing division actively campaigned to rescue him. At that time, Guo Songtao took the position of editor and repaired the official position, and worked as a straight in the South Study with Pan Zuyin, a scholar. Therefore, Pan Zuyin played a book to defend Zuo Zongtang. In Pan Zumeng's recital, there is a sentence that "the country cannot be without Hunan for a day, and Hunan cannot be without Zuo Zongtang for a day" is still widely known.
Statue of Zeng Guopan
The Xianfeng Emperor handed over the case to the Hubei examiner Qian Baoqing, who was a protégé of Zeng Guofan, so Zeng Guofan asked him to try to alleviate it as a teacher. With the strong help of Zeng Guofan, Guo Songtao, Hu Linyi, Pan Zuyin, and others, Zuo Zongtangcai was not arrested, and Su Shun, a heavy minister of the Xianfeng Emperor, also interceded for Zuo Zongtang in front of the Xianfeng Emperor, and Guan Wen did not dare to deal with him.
After this incident, Zuo Zongtang resigned from Luo Bingzhang and recommended Liu Rong to join the Xiang curtain, thus ending his staff career.
After Fan Xie was dismissed from his post, he was ashamed and indignant, and he led his family back to his hometown in Zitong Lane, Enshi City, Hubei Province, and built a two-story corner tower on the side of the main house, and wrote the 6 words that Zuo Zongtang scolded him, "Wang Baegg, get out", on a small wooden board and placed it under the sign of the ancestral god at home, named "Shuffle Card". On the first and fifteenth day of the first month of each month, he personally led his two sons to kneel down and burn incense sacrifices, asking his son to remember the family shame and hatred, and asking his son to swear: "Do not raise people above the meritorious name, do not go to this card."
After that, he locked his two sons in the corner tower to study hard, and spent a lot of money to hire famous teachers to teach the two sons, and also dressed his sons in women's clothes and pants, requiring them: "Kao Xiu only entered school, take off the outer women's clothes; zhongju people, take off the inner women's clothes; zhongjin soldiers, burn the insult card." In this way, he will inspire his son not to forget his father's shame.
Fan Zengxiang statue
Later, Fan Xie's eldest son died young, but the second son Fan Zengxiang was very angry, he buried his hatred for Zuo Zongtang deep in his heart, angrily studied, and in 1867 he was admitted to the examination, and the Fan family feasted on guests for three days. In 1877, the 32-year-old Fan Zengxiang entered the priesthood and the first queen, tearfully burned the shame card in front of his father's grave. Later, he served as a political envoy to Jiangningbu and Shaanxi, and became the governor of Liangjiang. Yuan Shikai participated in politics at the time, and in his later years he lived idly in Beiping, living to the age of 85.