The Life of the Characters in Hu Lian's Works

Hu Lian (1469- 1542) was born in Shuyang County, Huai 'an Prefecture, South Zhili. Hu Lian is the son of Hu Tan and the great-grandson of Hu Gang. According to Shu Yang Hu Family Tree and Xinchang Mei Hu Family Tree, Hu Gang is the second Erhu family in Shu Yang and the twentieth Hu family in Mei, and his filial piety has been passed down to this day. From an early age, Hu Lian was smart and studious, read a lot of poetry books, inherited family studies and calligraphy, was good at poetry, and studied very hard. When he was young, he became famous in the countryside and was respected as the first in poetry by local people. History books say that he is smart and studious, and likes to make friends with writers. Hu Lian is a juren of Hongzhi Mao Yi Branch (1495) and a scholar of Yichou Branch (1505). He served as the right assistant minister of Nanjing punishments department, adjusted the military tactics of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and made contributions to smoothing Franco's teeth. He was promoted to chief secretary of the inspection department, and Jin Zhongcheng, the deputy capital of the imperial envoy, was appointed as the coastal governor of Zhejiang and Fujian. Hu Lian is a well-read man, well-versed in classics and history, well-prepared in military affairs, and courageous. He is a pioneer in learning and improving the western naval forces in China. In his later years, he taught his disciples, studied national history and wrote Nanjin poems.

During his time as a soldier in Fujian and Guangxi, Hu Lian made outstanding achievements and gained a wide reputation. At that time, the Portuguese were stationed in the southeast coastal islands, relying on their advanced firearms, and often harassed the production and life of coastal residents in China at will, doing evil. Hu Lian used to be an elite army, which dealt a heavy blow to pirates by surprise, won many battles, captured many prisoners, wiped out the enemy in the South China Sea and gained great national prestige. Hu Lian named the seized western firearms as "Folangji", which was extremely lethal and particularly harmful. Hu Lian ordered Ji Shenying of Ming Dynasty to improve and copy its firearms, and introduced artillery, which was later named "Ji Shen Gun" and used in the armed forces, which played a great reference role in the development of China weapons at that time. Hu Lian cut off evil officials in Fujian, enforced the law like a mountain, and strengthened coastal defense, with remarkable achievements. Fujian people read his merits, made statues for him and praised his merits. Although Hu Lian won the laurel by writing, he was proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, but he was courageous, especially well-prepared. When conquering Annan (present-day Vietnam), the imperial court decided to use it again, regardless of Hu Lian's age at that time. On the right, assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance and governor of Douchayuan, Yungui, Hu Lian gladly took over and served the country in his prime. After retiring to his hometown in his later years, Hu Lian devoted himself to studying classics and teaching students. Zou Shouyi and Cheng Wende both became famous under his guidance. Dr. Lu Wei wrote a narrative for Hu Lian's political career, that is, Let Assistant Minister of Punishment Gong Hu Return to Shuyang, which recorded his life and made an objective and fair evaluation. During the Kangxi period, the Hanlin Academy commented on Zhang Honglie's poem "Buddha Ji Lang" and praised the image of Hu Lian: "The whales are quiet and the islands are chaotic. Firearms are swift and violent, killing people like hemp. What's the name of this knight? This is a Buddha tooth. Who is it, Long Snake? When Gong Hu was angry, he stopped the sandstorm. Fold and be beheaded, like a shark. Seize its sharp weapon and surpass Mo Xie. Spread in China, ingenuity. The civil servant is wrong, I sigh. " He recorded his achievements and made an objective and fair evaluation.