One
As early as the thirteenth year of Daoguang, Zuo Zongtang went to Beijing to take the test, and in Beijing he met Hu Linyi, who was then Ren Hanlin, and the two suddenly became mo rebels. The two of them "talked thoroughly about the great politics of ancient and modern times, discussing the gains and losses of the list, and the original will end, and if they foresee that there will be chaos in the sea, they will be too restless with each other, which will lead to deep worry." "Every night we live in the same room, talk all night, discuss the political gains and losses of the ancient and modern world, and worry about the future of the Qing Dynasty." Zuo Zongtang later recalled their first acquaintance: "I sing publicly, and I follow my tendencies. Gossip and gossip, don't forget the proverbs. Singing and drumming, clapping and laughing, you can see how cheerful the two young people with the same personality get along.
Zuo Zongtang Data Map
Three years later, Tao Shu's only son married Zuo Zongtang's daughter. In this way, Zuo Zongtang and Hu Linyi became relatives again, but Zuo Zongtang grew Up Hu Linyi for a lifetime and became "Ji Zhang". Since then, the two have naturally become more intimate. Zuo Zongtang lived in Tao Shu's home for many years and taught Tao Shu's family for eight years. Hu Linyi also went to the Tao family many times and lived in his father-in-law's house. "Lin Yi and Mr. Lin Yi shared a bed with the wind and rain, talking about ancient and modern politics all night." The understanding of each other is getting deeper and deeper, and the two people have a high degree of agreement in the political situation, personnel affairs, and the evaluation of ancient and modern people and goods. Zuo Zongtang said in a letter to his friend: "(The two of them) have acted with the intentions of the ancient sages, Haojie, Daru, and famous courtiers, and they have talked about everything and are all in harmony. ”
Zuo Zongtang has a straight personality and is arrogant, and he himself admits that "I am just and biased", it is difficult for ordinary people to get along with him, and even many people in the Xiangjun group are not accustomed to him. Zeng Guofan's friend Liu Rong hated Zuo Zongtang, saying that Zuo Clan "made meritorious service for a while, but it was poisoned more than ten years later", and another friend, Guo Songtao, later became a sworn enemy of Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang also faced discord in their later years. Many people outside the Xiang clan hated Zuo Shi even more. For example, Zhang Jixin, who was once a political envoy in Jiangxi, scolded Zuo Zongtang with resentment in his memoirs for "sinister intentions and extremely difficult to make friends."
It is not easy to maintain a lifelong friendship with such a person. Fortunately, Hu Linyi has a very high emotional intelligence and knows how to make such a "smooth donkey", so the two people intersect more and more deeply, and even reach the point of saying nothing and attacking each other. Among his friends, only Hu Linyi dared to unceremoniously point out Zuo Zongtang's shortcomings. Zuo Zongtang wrote to a friend:
"Before this meeting was buried, he parted ways for ten days, convinced that Zong Tang was sincere with him, and that he was convinced that the discussion of things was too dense and the discussion of things was too exhaustive, and he was convinced by the shortcomings of the heart."
Hu Linyi said that Zuo Zongtang's problem was that he considered things too strictly and left no room for judging things. If this was said by someone else, Zuo Zongtang would definitely turn his face on the spot, and when Hu Linyi said it, Zuo Zongtang could actually accept it happily, and also expressed his joy and admiration.
Two
Although Zuo Zongtang was full of stink, after all, his talent was outstanding, and no one could compare. In order to keep Zuo Zongtang, who was only a human being, from being buried in the mountains, Hu Linyi spared no effort and repeatedly recommended them to the feudal officials he knew. He had first recommended it to Lin Zexu, and Lin Zexu had already approved it, but Zuo Zongtang had not been able to go out of the mountain because of family troubles. Later, Hu Linyi repeatedly recommended Zuo Zongtang to Cheng Qicai, the governor of Huguang, saying that Zuo Shi "had different talents, and his character was the first in the class of sergeants in Xiang", "high in character and knowledge, and his temperament was incorruptible", and "he read the charter of this dynasty the most, and his understanding was also very different." He is aware of human feelings, knows how to govern, and when he is the first in Chu Cai in recent days, "he has the best ability to learn", and he does his best to praise his ability, but unfortunately, Cheng Shi has no talent for knowledge, and he is not impressed by Hu Linyi's enthusiastic recommendation.
In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zhang Liangji was appointed as the governor of Hunan, and Hu Linyi was serving as the prefect of Guizhou, and repeatedly recommended zhang Liangji. Hu Linyi said this in a letter to Zhang Liangji:
Zuo Zi Jigao, on the other hand, was well aware of his talent and superiority, and had been recommended three times to be in the bag, but he was not invited. This person is honest and honest, has a good disposition, is loyal and courageous, and is very different from the customs of the times. His chest covers the ancient and modern maps and martial arts, the national chapter of the dynasty, and is earnestly demanding and proficient in current affairs. After the visit, I will be rewarded. Even if what is accomplished, it will not be rewarded, let alone worldly interests. Current affairs are thorny, and people come first... Only those who raise up merit can praise the shogunate, and fang is loyal and loving. Count the savage Aoi No Makoto, Cover for this also.
He repeatedly recommended to Zhang Liangji four times, and finally Made Zhang Liangji move his heart and decided to hire Zuo Shi. However, the project of promoting Zuo's mountain is only half completed, and the remaining half is to do Zuo Zongtang's work. Because although Zuo Zongtang is full of ambitions to use the world, but the shelf has always been very high, always posing a posture of disdain for going out of the mountain, Hu Linyi fully recommended, Zuo Zongtang has repeatedly "added to the concession". Zhang Liangji sent people to ask for it twice, and Zuo Zongtang also insisted on refusing. Zhang Liangji had no choice but to ask Hu Linyi to think of a way. Hu Linyi painstakingly and cleverly worded it, and wrote to Zuo Zongtang, advising him to "save people by bending down." Hu Linyi said:
Zhang Zhongcheng twice prepared gifts, walked to please sir, one obstructed the military affairs, and one of his plans has been put on the Qinglan ... (Zhang Zhongcheng) Yan Sijun was hungry and thirsty. Zhongcheng is intelligent and heroic, and the liver and gallbladder are bloody for a while. ...... The calamity of The evil of The World begins, and the misfortune of the world begins, and the Great Xun will be made in Zhang Zhongcheng. ...... Lin Yi's intention is not to be public in the non-land, but the disaster of Sangzi is very clear. And to endure without saying, non-Lin Yi is so deliberate. Mr. Shi bent himself to save the Chu people, and compared with tang Jingzhou's mountain, the compensation was especially large, and the loss was especially small. The Military Commandery listened to Yu Yan and insisted on Mr. Chu, why is the chu disaster so urgent! The country loves the country and the foolishness of the township, but it is not deeply observed, and it is reticent, and it has been deep since then. Strange, sir's own plan is enough! It must be known that since the ancient sages and immortals, the heroes haojie, all of them are based on helping others and things, all of them are on the right path of self-harm, mr. high is high, the ancestors have accumulated two hundred years, and they have been born in this unique and good body, and they cannot bear to come out of their hearts.
Holding Zuo Zongtang to the height of the Sage Immortal Buddha, he also said that if Zuo Clan did not go out of the mountain, he was sorry for the virtue accumulated by the ancestors of the past two hundred years. With such a top hat sent up, Zuo Zongtang only half pushed and half out of the mountain and began his extraordinary staff career.
Zuo Zongtang was born only as a lifter, but the door was not a middle peasant. If Hu Linyi, who had not mastered a wide range of interpersonal resources, had made such an all-out recommendation, he would never have been able to leap to become the main guest of the governor of a province, and as soon as he came out of the mountain, he would have influenced the affairs of the whole province. It can be said that Zuo Zongtang's life's career is the foundation laid by Hu Linyi for him.
Hulin Wing
Three
When Zuo Zongtang encountered danger, Hu Linyi went all out to save him.
In the ninth year of Xianfeng (1859), Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, accused Zuo Zongtang of being wrongful. Xianfeng ordered the official Wen To investigate and handle it, saying that if Zuo Shi really had an illegal affair, he could correct the law on the spot. Zeng Guofan, Guo Songtao and other friends actively tried to rescue them, among which Hu Linyi was particularly "anxious and anxious". From a secret letter written by Hu Linyi to the official, we can see Hu Linyi's efforts in this matter:
Hunan Zuo Clan Ji Gao, strong temperament, the matter of negotiations with E Province over the years, its disrespect, for a long time in the mountains and seas, the so-called measure of the prime minister, but also deeply served the Zhongtang (referring to the official text) of the virtue of the crown of the Chinese and foreign Bailiao ye. The saying that the Hunan case is not preconceived, judging from the public, asking from the truth, those who have nothing to do with it are exempt from mention, and those who are in urgent need of attention cannot be extracted without naming names, and the sinners cannot be spared a section. ...... Zuo Sheng is actually a private relative of Hu Linyi, who has been getting along since childhood, and his temper has not been good in recent years, and Lin Yi is nothing like this... Such a case involves Zuo Sheng, and I respectfully ask the elder brother of the middle hall to pay special attention to it and avoid mentioning Zuo Sheng's name. This is the private affection of Hu Linyi alone, and there is no reason to say, but if you burn incense and worship the Buddha, you will sincerely ask for it, and you will hope that the elder brother will bow down.
That is to say, Zuo Zongtang is a person with a rigid personality, and there must be a lot of disrespect in his dealings with Hubei officials over the years, and he has always been tolerated by your old man. Zeng Guofan often said that you have the measure of a prime minister and admires your virtue very much. You wrote to say that there is no prejudice against this case, everything is just, and people who have nothing to do with it can of course be released, but the key figures must be held accountable, which makes me very scared after reading it. Zuo Zongtang is my relative, I have known him since I was a child, and he has a bad temper over the years, and I have nothing I can do with him. If this case involves him, I ask your elderly family to take extra care. This is my personal affection, there is no reason to talk about it, only a vigorous burning of incense to worship the Buddha, please your brother must agree.
In order to rescue Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi went around begging for people, some of which even Zuo Zongtang himself may not know. As Liu Kun said a day later, if it were not for Hu Linyi's low three or four times begging for people, zuo clan would be "almost dead"! Although in a letter to Guan Wen, Hu Linyi said that he was only because Zuo was a private relative, "there is no other reason to say." But in fact, Hu Linyi's move is mainly to spare talents for the world.
Just like this Fan-Zuo conflict, Zuo Zongtang vividly contradicted people, and whenever a major conflict occurred, Hu Linyi had to run forward and run back, wipe his ass for Zuo Zongtang and the thin mud, and solve the crisis.
Four
In the complex relationship between Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi also played a very crucial role.
Although Zuo Zongtang was only a close friend of the people, he had always looked down on Zeng Guofan, a member of the Erpin Commandery, and usually wrote letters and letters that "refused to be slightly humble" and "the words were harsh and embarrassing". Zeng Guofan once complained to Hu Linyi, saying that Zuo Zongtang "was constrained by things, verbally insulted, and wanted to emulate Wang Xiao'er's New Year, and never spoke." Xianfeng asked the emperor for an official during the seven years of Zeng Guofan's rural residence, and Zuo Zongtang even broke his mouth and scolded, which made Zeng Guofan very angry, and the two once "did not understand the voice".
Zeng Guofan statue Oriental IC infographic
Hu Linyi was well aware of the importance of the relationship between the Two Of tsang and the Left to maintain the unity of the Xiang clan, so he tried every means to reconcile them. After fan's case, Zuo Zongtang could no longer stay in Hunan, so Hu Linyi suggested that he go to Zeng Guofan's camp to help Zeng Guofan deal with military affairs. Zeng Guofan was very happy about Zuo Zongtang's arrival, but there were also hidden worries. The joy is that Zuo Clan is big, and if he can use it for himself, he is like a tiger; the worry is that Zuo Zongtang is really difficult to get along with, and he is afraid that he can't deal with it.
At this time, the military affairs in Sichuan were urgent, and Xianfeng consulted Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi, asking if Zuo Zongtang could lead an army into Sichuan. Zeng Guofan felt that this was also a good way for Zuo Zongtang to advance, because "supervising military affairs" was obviously heavier and of higher grade than "handling military affairs" around him. So he wrote to Hu Linyi, saying that "Ji Gongzhicai must take a solo step and start to spread the wings of the heavens", that is, Zuo Zongtang's personality is suitable for a single side. Moreover, "in Wu is only xiang office, and entering Shu is the superintendent", that is to say, if in my curtain, I can only be my assistant, and the status of entering Shu is higher, so it is recommended to let Zuo Zongtang enter Sichuan.
After Hu Linyi received the letter, he was very aware of Zeng Guofan's psychology. Zuo Zongtang also knew that at this time, he did not have a foundation in the official field, and without the egg wing of Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan, it would be impossible to enter Sichuan alone, so he expressed his willingness to join the Zeng curtain to serve Hu Linyi. So Hu Linyi wrote to Zeng Guofan and said something for Zuo Zongtang. He took Zeng Guofan's frequent requests for his subordinates to speak bluntly as the entry point, and used the metaphors of "there are quarrels in the court" and "there are martyrs in the room" as a metaphor to guarantee that Zuo Zongtang "will be loyal to the master when he decides to make a decision on the occasion of a matter." The letter says:
Zuo Jigao did not want to enter Shu... May I walk according to The Emperor (referring to Zeng Guofan)... Ji Gao is loyal, sincere and single-minded. His temperament is extreme, such as the court has a strife, the room has a martyr woman, usually when a small breeze, in the face of danger is to know its reliability. And according to the merits of the Duke of Zhangji, he was assigned to southern Anhui, divided into Huaiyang, and did not go out of the territory of the benevolent. When you decide what to do, you will be loyal to your master.
He wrote to Zuo Zongtang again, saying: "Di Shuai has been serving orders for a long time, and the Wu people are extremely happy and resentful... The virtue of the duke, I am alone. If the name is too high and the hope is too cut, then the resentment of the other day is also unpredictable. To be righteous is to preserve, and not to be falsely accused of a thousand autumns."
Zeng Guofan then left Zuo Zongtang to run military affairs. Under the advice of Hu Linyi, Zuo Zongtang's attitude towards Zeng Guofan was also relatively docile, and the cooperation between the two at this stage was very smooth. According to Zhao Liewen, a confidential aide to Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang "knew quite well about Dai (Zeng Guofan) at that time, and he was very humble in his words." Later, Hu Linyi suggested to Zeng Guofan that Zuo Zongtang should raise an army on his own and act alone. From the formation of the battalion to the selection of officers, this army was planned by Hu Linyi. After the Chu army became an army, it made outstanding achievements in battle, and under the recommendation of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang soon became the governor of Zhejiang.
It can be said that if it were not for Hu Linyi's repeated painstaking mediation, and without the humility and generosity of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang would not have been able to soar into the sky, "then he would have been able to stomp on the frontier commander, open the capital of Fujian and Zhejiang, save his reserves, and restore and apply cloth."
Five
However, even so, Zuo Zongtang often had a contemptuous move towards Hu Linyi. He often said that Hu Was inferior to himself, and criticized Hu Linyi for "plotting too deeply, breaking too quickly" and failing to recognize and employ people. In terms of literary talent, Zuo also thought that he was invincible and did not take Hu Linyi in his eyes. Wu Rulun's "Zuo Wen Xiang Gong Shinto Stele" says:
The public nature is just strong, not for the sake of qu jing. When the beginning is not out, with Zeng GongHu bus, Qiling Ergong, out of it, the two dukes are absolutely heavy. Gong Everyone said: "Zeng Hu knew that I was not exhausted." The three people attended the meeting, and the public titled Ergong also wrote a self-praise, suppressing the second gong, and using the phase to ridicule and taste: "I am the first today's good chapter players." ”
Later, even the fact that he was introduced by Hu Linyi "refused to admit it."
For all this, Hu Linyi did not care and did not argue with Zuo. However, in response to Zuo Zongtang's stinky temper that often caused trouble, and for his way of talking and doing things with "a broken face and many lenient leaves", Hu Linyi often gave him blunt advice, admonishing him that "at this time in this life, only beauty can be spared from disaster." Therefore, Zuo Zongtang is not without reflection and improvement.
After Hu Linyi's death, Zuo Zongtang recalled the beginning and end of his friendship with Hu Linyi, and only then did he feel the importance of Hu Linyi to him, and regretted some of his words and deeds: "Yonggong has passed away, the clouds of people have died, and he mourned! ...... Reflecting on the arguments of his life, he deeply regretted it. In the sacrifice of Hu's text, "I am just biased, public and wise", he explains the length of his and Hu's personalities; and "I taste the drama gong, I am vain", showing his remorse for the disrespectfulness of the Hu clan; finally he sighed: "Since the death of the public cloud, there is no good with it, which saves me poor, who saves me from bias?" It also mentions the program in Hu's relationship with him. Zuo Zongtang's life really depended on Hu Linyi to "save his deviation" and "save his poverty."
The death of Hu Linyi was not only a loss for Zuo Zongtang, but also a huge loss for the entire Xiang Army group. Shortly after Hu Linyi's death, the relationship between Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang became tense again. Zuo Zongtang, who had already been appointed as the inspector, returned to his old ways and had no respect for Zeng Guofan, and because of the frequent disputes in the use of personnel and soldiers, he finally lost peace again due to the Incident of the Young Heavenly King. At this time, there was no hu linyi in the center to mediate, and the two did not understand the voice for life. We have reason to speculate that if Hu Linyi had not died early, the severance of diplomatic relations between Zeng Zuo and Zeng Shen (Hu Linyi had also adjusted the contradiction between Zeng Guofan and Shen Baozhen) might not have happened.
bibliography
Qin Hancai: Compilation of Zuo Zongtang's Anecdotes, Yuelu Book Society, 1986.
Xiong Zhiqi, ed., Annals of Hunan Characters 3, Hunan People's Publishing House, 2013.
(Qing) Written by Zuo Zongtang; Liu Yangyang School Point: The Complete Works of Zuo Zongtang Family Letters and Poems, Yuelu Book Club, 2014.
(Qing) Written by Hu Linyi; Hu Wankui, Hu Sui, Deng Lixun School Point: Hu Linyi Collection II, Yuelu Book Club, 2008.
(Qing) Written by Guo Songtao; Edited by Liang Xiaojin: The Complete Works of Guo Songtao 8, Yuelu Book Society, 2012.
(Qing) Mei Yingjie et al.; Li Runying Punctuation: "Xiangjun Character Chronology I", Yuelu Book Club, 1987.
(Qing) Zhao Liewen: "Diary of Being Able to Live quietly 2", Yuelu Book Society, 2013.
(Qing) Wu Rulun Wrote: The Complete Works of Wu Rulun I, Huangshan Book Society, 2002.