So, after the apprentice, did Zeng Guofan really live his dream life?
Zeng Guofan, the top scholar in seven subjects, was promoted in the second year, and became a scholar for four years, and ordered the Hanlin. When he was working in Beijing, he moved in ten years and seven years, and quickly became a deputy ministerial official from an ordinary Jinshi.
All the way to the apprentice, the scenery is infinite. The dream of getting rich as an official since childhood has now come true.
But Zeng Guofan was not happy, he said:
"It's a pity that I don't learn from the mountains and earn my salary by farming.
The world is deaf and ignorant, laughing like dust. "
Between the lines, he revealed his regret of entering the official career and dreaming of a savage life.
He added:
"Although I am in the sky, I am just a small jar, a jar.
It's not that Ji An Festival established a dynasty, and there are no yu zhang talents to flatter the world.
Like a donkey, not a donkey or a horse, I hate myself. "
It means that although I am a big official now, I am actually a decoration. I can neither speak out like Ji An, the minister of the Han Dynasty, nor flatter the world for the sake of high officials and generous salaries like yu zhang. I always feel sick every day.
Writing here, we have to wonder: why did Zeng Guofan, who eventually became a big official, make a 180 degree turn in his thoughts and personality?
Open the front and side of Zeng Guofan, we can know that Zeng Guofan is unhappy for three reasons:
First of all, the Opium War dealt a heavy blow to people's self-esteem and self-confidence. Looking at the history books, we can clearly see that the Opium War ended with China's compensation for land.
At that time, China and Britain signed the treaty of nanking, the first unequal treaty in China's history.
China people, who have always been complacent, have suffered a subversive blow at the moment and want to stand up again. In a word, difficult!
Secondly, the corruption of the Qing government not only suppressed the people's resistance, but also intensified the exploitation and cruel exploitation, and aroused the contradiction between the people who could not afford to eat and the government.
The third is Daoguang. Netizens who have seen the portrait of Daoguang know that Daoguang has always been a "thin face". Although Daoguang is famous for his frugality, his ability is just like his "frugality" behavior.
Mr. Zhang Hongjie described the political characteristics of Daoguang as follows:
"Because of fatigue, you can steal peace."
Because the records of Daoguang Chao are almost all "kowtowing more and talking less", just like the storm in the city, a ship is about to sink, but people sitting in it are allowed to invade, and no one can save themselves.
Therefore, Zeng Guofan was unhappy and worried all day long. Helpless, he lived in Hanlin at that time and had no right to speak in national politics. He could only rely on reading to support his hopes.
It is precisely because of this dirty and chaotic officialdom atmosphere that Zeng Guofan became dissatisfied, resentful and helpless, and even showed contempt for his colleagues and some dignitaries.
At that time, he said to his friend Liu Rong:
"China's accession to the WTO is deep, and I'm tired of listening to a kind of generosity. Developing a world that is neither white nor black is neither a day's work nor painful. Touching it occasionally will be a kind of courage and a kind of shock. "
Here comes the opportunity.
After Daoguang's death, Emperor Xianfeng, who was only 20 years old, ascended the throne, and the new official took office with three fires, not to mention the new emperor.
Xianfeng, a youthful man, wrote "begging for words" after he succeeded to the throne.
This battle made Zeng Guofan, who was already disappointed with the court, ignite a raging fire in his heart.
He immediately played a "Should Write a Letter to Shu", from which we can see Zeng Guofan's thought of employing more than 3,000 words.
This drama provides Xianfeng with three ways to cultivate talents:
"Today when stressed, but one ear of choose and employ persons. There is no shortage of talents today, and his words are inspiring, thanks to the wonderful use of the emperor. Generally, there are three methods: changing the law, practicing the law, and observing the law. The three cannot be abandoned. "
In other words, we should seriously study it today, not in administration, but in employing people. There is no shortage of talents now. It really depends on the ingenious operation of the emperor to educate these talents well and make them stand out. Generally speaking, there are three mechanisms, one is transfer, the other is cultivation, and the third is investigation, which are beyond reproach.
This way of playing hydrophobic got a good response, the emperor praised him:
"Zeng Guofan, assistant minister of does, used Chen Sance. I looked closely, argued and argued, and I deeply missed it ... holding a day for one hundred days ..."
No matter how painful it is, we must persist in doing it.
Although Zeng Guofan was unhappy during the Daoguang period, he was always in a state where everyone was drunk and I was awake alone, but he never gave up on himself.
For example, even if you complain to your brother:
"I am close to officialdom, and I am quite tired of its customs, which is not helpful to the national economy and people's livelihood. You can't back down as long as the situation is there. I hope that my younger brothers will make a little progress, and the family will have a little support for things, that is, they will firmly return to their homes and do their own things. "
But he didn't really choose to quit his job and retire to the countryside. Even though many things were helpless, he chose to read books and chat with friends.
So that at the end of his life, Zeng Guofan said in his letter:
"The way of learning is endless, but it is always based on constancy. I have been constant for a few years, but I am a little better these years, but I am still not proficient. Since the beginning of July, he hasn't stopped. Every day, he sends hundreds of words and copies hundreds of words. Those who read less must be full of 20 pages, regardless of the many. Although I am very busy, I have to do my homework today. I don't want to make it up today because I was delayed yesterday, and I don't want to make it up today because I have something to do tomorrow. "
He used calligraphy as a metaphor to explain what people should do in the face of difficulties, burnout and numbness: "The more clumsy (writing), the more ugly they are, the lower their interest, and the so-called' sleepy'. Don't stop when you are sleepy. Get through this, you can make small progress, get sleepy again, endure again, and you will have your own prosperous and progressive day. If you don't specialize in writing, everything will be extremely difficult. What makes sense is a hero. "
To put it more simply, it is: if you can't bear it, you must bear it.
It was because of his persistence that the later Book of Letters was created, and Xianfeng praised Zeng Guofan.
There is a saying in Ten Deadly Sins that is deeply rooted in people's hearts: "Some things persist not because they see hope, but because they persist, they will see hope."
I think I can learn from Zeng Guofan when I see you here. Even if you can't do it, you must do it.