Li Hongzhang is all too familiar to us, he is one of the leaders of the foreign affairs movement and one of the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty. Li Hongzhang was a very talented and capable person at that time, so he was deeply trusted by Cixi.
So why can Li Hongzhang have the ability and talent that others do not have? There are three reasons for this.
1. Family
Li Hongzhang was born in a family of official eunuchs, so his father attached great importance to Li Hongzhang's study, and at the age of six, he sent him to the bookstore to study, cultivating Li Hongzhang's habit of loving learning.
When Li Hongzhang became an adult, his father led him to visit officials in the capital and was appreciated by these officials, and also broadened Li Hongzhang's horizons.
With the cultivation and help of his father, Li Hongzhang established a good relationship foundation for him to work smoothly after entering the career in the future.
2. Teacher
Li Hongzhang's teacher helped Li Hongzhang lay a solid foundation of knowledge, so that he could successfully pass the imperial examination. When Li Hongzhang was a teenager, he worshipped his cousin and Xu Ziling as his teachers and studied a subset of the history of the classics.
Xu Ziling's ancient poetry was very good, and was appreciated by Zeng Guofan, Liu Mingchuan and others, and he was also an aide of Zeng Guofan who participated in the war to pacify the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Li Hongzhang got such a knowledgeable and experienced teacher, which made his learning progress rapidly, and also laid a solid foundation for Li Hongzhang's career style.
3. Leadership
Li Hongzhang met a leader who had greatly helped him in his career, and this leader was the famous Zeng Guofan. After Li Hongzhang came to the capital, he studied under Zeng Guofan, and it can be said that Zeng Guofan was also his teacher.
So why is Zeng Guofan his leader? Because when Zeng Guofan was ordered to fight against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Li Hongzhang joined the Xiang army led by Zeng Guofan and became an aide to Zeng Guofan, helping Zeng Guofan to attack the Taiping Army.
We know that in the end, the Xiang army defeated the Taiping Army and won the commendation of the imperial court, and Li Hongzhang also benefited from this and was reused by Cixi. From then on, Li Hongzhang was out of control and became a minister whom Cixi relied heavily on.
Therefore, Zeng Guofan gave a lot of help and support to Li Hongzhang's career, and he can be regarded as a nobleman in Li Hongzhang's career.
Li Hongzhang's success in his career benefits from the above three aspects, so we can draw a conclusion: if a person wants to achieve something in his career, he cannot do without the above three aspects, but in the end he has to rely on himself.
If Li Hongzhang does not work hard himself, even if he encounters such an external environment, he may not be able to achieve something in his career, so external factors need to work through internal factors.
bibliography:
Draft History of the Qing Dynasty: One Hundred and Ninety-Eight Chronicles
Li Hongzhang, Biography of the Qing Dynasty
About the Author:
Chopin: I like Chinese history and have unique views on historical figures and events. I hope to restore the truth of history through words and uncover the little-known secrets of history. Learn about history, grasp the present, and have the wisdom of life.
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