Hu Xueyan (1823-1885) was a Chinese business celebrity in the 1870s and 1880s. His experience was full of legend: he started as a young boy in a bank, and by making friends with powerful dignitaries, he donated millet and helped out. He worked hard for the imperial court; during the Westernization Movement, he hired foreign craftsmen and imported equipment, which was quite fruitful; when Zuo Zongtang went to Guanxi for the expedition, he raised food and equipment, borrowed foreign money, and made great contributions. After several twists and turns, he rose from a bank clerk to a prominent red-top businessman. He built a financial network based on banks and pawnshops, opened pharmacies and silk stores, and engaged in business and commercial wars with foreigners.
Hu Xueyan’s life has been mixed with praise and blame, and here we only analyze his humanity. A very important reason for Hu Xueyan's success is that he is good at employing people, selecting people based on their strengths and not seeking perfection. He said that a person's greatest ability is his ability to use people. Gu Sixie, a native of the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem: A horse can take risks, but it is not as good as an ox in plowing fields. A strong chariot can carry heavy loads, but a boat can't carry as much weight as crossing a river. Sacrifice one's strengths to gain one's shortcomings, and it is difficult to make plans if one is wise. Raw materials are expensive and practical, so be careful not to be too demanding.
Zeng Guofan (1811-1872), originally named Zicheng, courtesy name Boyhan, nickname Disheng, posthumous title Wenzheng, was a native of Xiangxiang, Changsha Prefecture, Hunan (now Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province). A military strategist, Neo-Confucianist, politician, and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty of China. He was one of the "Famous Ministers of Zhongxing" and a writer. He was the founder of the "Xiangxiang School" of prose in the late Qing Dynasty. He rose to the rank of Governor of Liangjiang, Governor of Zhili, Bachelor of Wuyingdian, and was granted the title of First-class Yiyong Marquis. A native of Baiyangping, Xiangxiang, Changsha Prefecture, Hunan, it now belongs to Tianziping, Heye Town, Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province.
Zeng Guofan was born into a wealthy landlord family in Heyetang, Jingzi Town, Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province in the 16th year of Jiaqing (1811). There are nine brothers and sisters, Zeng Guofan is the eldest son. Our ancestors were mainly farmers and lived a relatively comfortable life. Although his grandfather, Zeng Yuping, had little education, he had rich experience; his father, Zeng Linshu, was a scholar at a private school. As the eldest son and grandson, Zeng Guofan naturally received the ethical education from his two ancestors.
Zeng Guofan’s life is inseparable from the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion. In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zeng Guofan died at home because of his mother. At this time, the Taiping Rebellion had swept half of China. Although the Qing government mobilized a large number of Eight Banners and Green Camp officers and soldiers from all over the country to deal with the Taiping Army, this decadent armed force was vulnerable to a single blow. Therefore, the Qing government repeatedly issued orders to reward regiment training, trying to use the armed landlords in various places to curb the development of revolutionary forces. This provided an opportunity for the emergence of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army. In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), he took advantage of the opportunity given by the Qing government to seek strength to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. He took advantage of the situation in his hometown of Hunan and relied on complex interpersonal relationships such as masters, apprentices, relatives, and friends to establish a local regiment called Hunan Army. Zeng Guofan brutally suppressed the Taiping Rebellion and used harsh punishments. It is said in history that "one person was sent to the state magistrate and another person to supervise the bandits. If the case was serious, he would be sentenced to death, and if the light was light, he would be killed with a stick, and if the light was light, he would be whipped a thousand times. ... The case was imminent. The confession will be rectified immediately, and there will be no delay." Not only did he directly kill people, but his father and fourth brother also killed people. Some people accused him of killing too many people and called him "Zeng Shatou" and "Zeng Butcher". It is said that when a child in Nanjing cries at night, his mother will say, "Zeng is here to shave his head," and the child will stop crying. During the battle with the Taiping Army, Zeng Guofan used methods such as plundering property and appointing officials and rewards to boost morale and develop the Hunan Army's fierce nature of leading the disabled. Among the armed forces of the Qing Dynasty with backward military quality, the Hunan Army became one of the main forces fighting the Taiping Rebellion in southern China. Zeng Guofan was awarded the title of First-Class Yongyi Marquis, becoming the first scholar in the Qing Dynasty to be awarded the title of Wuhou. He later served as the Governor of Liangjiang and the Governor of Zhili, with a first-class official position.
Li Hongzhang (1823.2.15～1901.11 .7), whose real name was Zhang Tong, with the courtesy name Jianfu (one character Zifu), and his nickname Shaoquan (Quan). In his later years, he named himself Yisou, nicknamed Shengxin, and posthumously named Wenzhong. A native of Modian, Dongxiang, Hefei, Anhui (now Feidong County). Because of Xing Er, the people also call him "Mr. Li Er". There is "The Complete Works of Li Wenzhonggong".
On his way to Beijing, Li Hongzhang wrote ten popular poems "Entering the Capital", which have been recited by the world. There is a saying: "Whoever writes history in the past ten thousand years wants to be named a marquis from three thousand miles away." He expressed his aspirations in poetry and had the great ambition to "make friends with famous people all over the country and visit the wise people in the capital".
After entering Beijing, under the guidance of his father, who was a doctor in the Ministry of Justice at the time, he visited Lu Xianji, Wang Maoyin, Zhao Xian and other Anhui officials in the capital, and gained their respect and appreciation. At the same time, due to his smooth examination, he was able to make extensive contacts. And a broad vision. At that time, there were many talented people in the two subjects of Jiachen (Juren) and Dingwei (Jinshi) who were ranked with him. Many of them were appointed as ministers in the future. Li Hongzhang has maintained a close and special relationship with these people in the same year. . As for the proper path of the imperial examination, Pan Shien, the examiner who was born in a Huizhou merchant family and was a Suzhou family, and Weng Xiancun (Sun Qiangming's teacher), who was Li Hongzhang's teacher, had great influence on his practical worldview when the young Li Hongzhang was the editor of the Hanlin Academy. The formation of the Huai Army had certain inspiration; and the wealthy gentry in southern Jiangsu, led by Pan and Weng, also gave great support to Li Hongzhang's subsequent formation of the Huai Army and its rapid rise in Jiangsu. However, what makes Li Hongzhang most fortunate is that after he failed in the first examination, on the occasion of Yi and B (i.e. 1845-1846), he submitted himself to the Hunan Confucian Zeng Guofan as a "Nian Jiazi" and studied classics. The study of the world laid the foundation for a lifetime of career and thought.
Zuo Zongtang (1812～1885)
An important military and political minister in the late Qing Dynasty, one of the commanders of the Hunan Army, and the leader of the Westernization Movement. His courtesy name is Jigao, his name is Pu Cun, and his nickname is Xiangshang Nongren. A native of Xiangyin, Hunan. Passed the imperial examination in 1832 (the twelfth year of Daoguang). After the Taiping Rebellion in 1851 (the first year of Xianfeng), Zhang Liangji and Luo Bingzhang successively served as governors of Hunan, making many plans to resist the Taiping Army. In 1856, he was appointed as a doctor in the Ministry of War in order to support Zeng Guofan's army in order to capture Wuchang from the Taiping Army. In 1860, after the Taiping Army broke through the Jiangnan camp, they accompanied Zeng Guofan, the imperial envoy and governor of Liangjiang, to handle military affairs. He once recruited 5,000 people in Hunan to form the Chu Army and went to Jiangxi and Anhui to fight against the Taiping Army. After the Taiping Army captured Hangzhou in 1861, Zeng Guofan was recommended as governor of Zhejiang and supervised military affairs. In 1862 (the first year of Tongzhi), a Sino-French mixed army was formed, called Changjie Army, and the Sino-British mixed army was expanded. It successively captured Jinhua, Shaoxing and other places, and was promoted to governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. In March 1864, he captured Hangzhou and controlled the entire Zhejiang province. In terms of merit, he was granted the first-class title of Ke Jing Bo. Xuan was ordered to lead his army into Jiangxi and Fujian to pursue the Taiping Army Li Shixian and Wang Haiyangbu. In February 1866, they captured and destroyed Jiaying Prefecture (now Meixian County) in Guangdong. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was suppressed, it was proposed to reduce troops, pay them, and increase training. In 1865, he was promoted to governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. In 1866, Shangshu requested the establishment of a bureau to supervise shipbuilding, and was approved for trial. A shipyard was set up in Mawei, Fuzhou, and personnel were sent abroad to purchase machinery and ship troughs. The Qiushi Tang Art Bureau (also known as the Shipbuilding School) was founded to train shipbuilders. Technical and naval talent. He was transferred to the post of governor of Shaanxi and Gansu and recommended Shen Baozhen, the former governor of Jiangxi, to be the prime minister and minister of shipping. One year later, Fuzhou Shipping Bureau (also known as Mawei Shipping Bureau) officially started construction and became China's first new shipyard. In 1867, he was appointed as the imperial minister to supervise the military affairs of Shaanxi and Gansu. He led the army into Shaanxi to attack the Nian Army in the west and the anti-Qing Hui army in the northwest, and suppressed the Hui uprising in Shaanxi and Gansu. During his tenure in Shaanxi and Gansu, he continued to engage in Westernization and established Lanzhou Manufacturing Bureau (also known as Gansu Manufacturing Bureau) and Gansu Textile General Bureau (also known as Lanzhou Machine Textile Bureau). The latter was China's first machine textile factory.
In 1875 (the first year of Guangxu), a debate broke out within the Qing government between coastal defense and fortress defense. At that time, the northwest frontier fortress and southeast coastal defense were both in critical condition. Li Hongzhang and others believed that it was difficult to balance both, and advocated abandoning the fortress defense and dividing the money for withdrawal into coastal defense. Zuo Zongtang strongly expressed his dissent, pointing out that if the northwest withdraws the vassal fence, we will retreat even an inch while the invaders advance, which will especially lead to British and Russian infiltration. In May of that year, he was ordered to supervise the military affairs of Xinjiang. In 1876, he stationed in Suzhou and commanded multiple armies to attack Aguba. In January of the following year, he occupied Hotan (now Hotan) and recovered all the territory of Xinjiang except the Ili area. Immediately, Shangshu suggested that Xinjiang be transformed into a province to achieve long-term peace and stability. During the Sino-Russian negotiations in Ili in 1879, they criticized Russia's demands for a single term of office, rashly agreed upon the treaty, lost power and lost ground, and advocated discussion first, and then deciding on the battlefield. In the spring of 1880, he deployed troops in Xinjiang and left Suzhou to arrive in Hami. In early 1881, the "Ili Treaty" between China and Russia was signed. In response to the imperial edict, he was sent to Beijing as Minister of Military Aircraft and worked in the Prime Minister's Office to manage the affairs of the Ministry of War. In the summer of the same year, he was transferred to the governor of Liangjiang and the minister of Nanyang Commerce.
In 1884, during the Sino-French War, the French fleet defeated the Fujian Navy in Mawei, Fuzhou, and was ordered to supervise Fujian's military affairs. After arriving in Fuzhou in November, he actively deployed defenses and formed the Taiwan Jing Jing Aid Army to cross eastward to Taiwan. Died of illness in Fuzhou in 1885. He is the author of "Chu Army Camp System" (with regulations), and his memorials and slips were compiled into "The Complete Works of Zuo Wen and Xianggong".