Chapter 13 Section 3 The relationship between Zeng and Zuo in the office: how to get along with colleagues with completely different personalities

Throughout his life, Zuo Zongtang failed in interpersonal communication.His self-importance and inferiority, his uprightness and domineering, made him have few friends.In the officialdom, he is also unconstrained, independent, and lacks tolerance for his subordinates and colleagues, which greatly affects his career situation. Zuo Zongtang "likes to be arbitrary and bully others" in his work, so many people of insight keep him at a respectful distance.Zeng's shogunate was full of talents, but Zuo Zongtang's shogunate did not have many talents. Literati such as Wu Guanli and Shi Buhua, who had not been with Zuo for a long time, all acted on the basis of opportunities and excuses.Li Yunlin tried his best to attract Zuo Zongtang, but he broke up unhappy.The curtain guest Yan Xian even committed suicide because he was unsuccessful in Zuo Zongtang's curtain.

Zuo Zongtang employs people and likes to keep them hovering under his feet for life, so he often doesn't have the strength to recommend for his subordinates. He will not ask for credit for his subordinates until he himself may leave the high school.Liu Jintang has made great achievements under his command many times, but he has always been a Taoist priest and has not been promoted for many years. He was so angry that he once wanted to resign and go home.Throughout his life, Zuo Zongtang supported very few people.Among his subordinates, none of them served as civil officials of the first or second rank in the imperial court, and very few served as governors and governors in the local area.

Zuo Zongtang worked with his colleagues all his life, and had constant disputes.Liu Dian, his hardcore subordinate, once resigned angrily when he was the governor of Shaanxi with him because of disagreement with the governor.Zuo Zongtang hit it off with Shen Baozhen in the early stage, but later he tore his skin because of disagreements.Although he and Li Hongzhang did not break openly, they looked down on each other in private.When Zuo Zongtang went west, he wanted to recruit Bao Chao, a general of Zengmen.Bao Chao refused to obey his orders and dared not cooperate with him.After reading Zuo Zongtang's life carefully, we will find that, except for Hu Linyi, who died early, almost none of him and his friends can start well and end well.Although he is a hero, the lack of friendship is the biggest regret of Zuo Zongtang's life.

In contrast, Zeng Guofan's interpersonal communication was much more successful than Zuo Zongtang.Zeng Guofan had numerous friends throughout his life, and all of his close acquaintances were quite outstanding figures.Zeng Guofan's achievements in his life were partially helped by his friends; his career success, from a certain point of view, is the success of being good at employing people.Conversely, he is better at putting himself in the shoes of others, supporting and repaying his friends, and spare no effort.Almost all of Zeng Guofan's subordinates were recommended by him, and twenty-six of them became governors and ministers, that is, ministerial officials.Fifty-two people have become third-rank or above, that is, senior officials above the deputy ministerial level.In addition, there are countless Taoists, prefects, prefects, and county magistrates.Before and after the recovery of Tianjing, the Hunan system was "staggered in civil and military affairs for half the world".The British historian Borge once said: "Zeng Guofan is the most powerful person in China. When he died, all the governors had been his subordinates and were nominated by him. If he had hoped, He may have become the emperor." Although the words are exaggerated, they reflect Zeng Guofan's great influence from one aspect.

In the general impression of posterity, Zeng Guofan is a Taoist who sits upright and does not smile. In fact, this is a great misunderstanding.In life, Zeng Guofan is a very funny and humane person.In addition to his series of titles such as military strategist, statesman, and moralist, one can also be added, called a great socialite.Family and friendship are the two sources of happiness in his life.He is good at talking and has a good sense of humor.Poetry and drinking with friends, and heart-to-heart long talks are his happiest time.Checking the "Complete Works of Zeng Guofan", except for the memorial documents, most of the other texts are related to friends: apart from the voluminous correspondence, his poems are almost in addition to comforting friends who have encountered misfortune and missing friends in distant hometowns. , It is to sing with friends around him; his articles, except for epitaphs and birthday poems, are prefaces written for other people's anthologies.As a master of poetry and prose, most of his pen and ink are consumed in socializing, and he does not leave much "personalized" writing.In the history of Zeng Guofan's interpersonal relationship, most people have maintained deep personal feelings with Zeng Guofan throughout their lives.Hu Linyi has always regarded himself as under Zeng Guofan, saying that "the capital of a small shop comes from the boss".Li Hongzhang was proud of being Zeng Guofan's student all his life, and kept talking about my teacher.An old friend Guo Songtao believes that in the two thousand years since the Han Dynasty, there has been no one who has "both morality and professional writing" surpassed Zeng Guofan.After Zeng's death, Liu Rong wrote a whole hundred elegy poems.Even Li Yuandu, who had been impeached by Zeng Guofan many times, did not complain about Zeng's blow to him after Zeng's death. He wrote in the elegy "The Crying Master": "Thunder and rain are spring breeze." Being Zeng's student again, "Cheng's family is dead now, and Lixue is born again." After Zeng Guofan's death, Bao Chao would set up Zeng Guofan's tablet every "every year, Fula and birthday", saying, "Burning the Mingchu, and using A sense of ambition".This behavior lasted a lifetime.After Zeng's death, Zhao Liewen got up early on the first day of the first lunar month every year. After worshiping the sky, Confucius and ancestors, he must worship Zeng Guofan's portrait.

Zeng Guofan worked hard all his life to maintain himself, saying that he rarely had any fun in life.However, the contribution and return in terms of friendship are far more than ordinary people, and Zeng Guofan has almost no regrets in the five ethics of life.On this point, Zeng is much better than Zuo. After the quarrel, Zeng Guofan never said a bad word about Zuo in public, and he didn't talk much about the rights and wrongs between him and Zuo in private.It really did "forget each other in the rivers and lakes". However, Zuo Zongtang couldn't stop commenting on Zeng Guofan.The disharmony between Zeng and Zuo was a major event that attracted the attention of all people in the world at that time.Zuo Zongtang, who loves his reputation like his eyes, of course attaches great importance to others' evaluation of him.However, most of the people in the world are left and right, one is because Zeng Guofan has been known for a long time, and the other is that Zeng Guofan is Zuo Zongtang's benefactor after all. In traditional society, ingratitude is a thing that is difficult to explain comprehensively.Zuo Zongtang was of course very depressed about this.

So he must justify himself.Therefore, many notes and materials record that after Zeng Zuo lost peace, Zuo Zongtang would talk about the ins and outs of his relationship with Zeng Guofan every time he saw someone.Every time this matter is discussed, Zeng Guofan must be "cursed". Xue Fucheng, Zeng Guofan's subordinate, recorded in this way: Every time Wen Xiang meets the generals of his subordinates, he will scold Wen Zheng.However, most of the generals were old-fashioned, and they retreated and said: "The commander-in-chief is not faster than Mr. Zeng. Why bother with us? And his reasoning is not straightforward, and his words are not round. Listen to what he said before and after. But that's the case. Calluses have grown in my ears."

A letter written by Guo Songtao to Zeng Guofan in the fifth year of Tongzhi also verified Xue Fucheng's statement. Guo Songtao reported to Zeng Guofan: "Tui'an said: I eat two meals a day in the camp, and share the table with Zuo Jun. It's not like forgetting the public for a meal, and it's so mad." The words "curse" and "criticism" give people the impression that Zuo Zongtang would always say "national scolding" and "three-character classic" when he mentioned Zeng Guofan.In fact, Zuo Zongtang, a gentleman, would never lower himself to the level of a village woman.What Xue and Guo wanted to describe was Zuo Zongtang's heartfelt experience when he criticized Zeng Guofan.In order to prove his correctness, Zuo Zongtang is bound to cite Zeng Guofan's mistakes in using soldiers, employing people and dealing with people in his life, which are mediocre and unreasonable.Just like Tan Boniujun's incisive analysis in the book "Battle against Tianjing": Zuo Zongtang's speech has always been exaggerated and fierce. Such sharp accusations against Zeng Guofan, who everyone regards as a saint, is unavoidably appalling. Criticism".

In the face of Zuo Zongtang's continuous attacks, Zeng Guofan adopted the following countermeasures: One is to ask your relatives, friends and family members not to fight back against Zuo Zongtang, so as not to add fuel to the fire, but to encourage them to try their best to build a good relationship with Zuo Zongtang.He praised Li Hongzhang repeatedly: "Your Excellency does not compete with Zuo Shuai, and is far and near Qinqi." He also said that this was Li Jinde's fierce performance.He also told his son not to make enemies with Zuo, Shen and others because of this: "Yu Yuzuo and Shen Ergong repaid kindness with grievances. There is no grievance in this. However, the old man fears the fate of heaven and strives to get rid of his heart and heart. You young people, In particular, it’s not advisable to act rashly, because Yu Ergong doesn’t know how to hear and ask, and there is no other opinion. Remember it.”

The second is to ignore Zuo Zongtang's attack and refuse to answer it. After Zeng Guofan received Guo Songtao's letter, he was not angry, as he had expected it.He said euphemistically in his reply to Guo Shi, I have heard that Zuo Gong scolded me day and night.However, if I were asked to scold him like this, I would definitely not be able to scold him because I am clumsy.It's better to deal with it by not scolding, not listening, and not listening, and not listening. The result is also "unbeatable", but it saves worry and effort.When I get old, my energy is waning, and I am too busy with business, and I can't listen to those words that praise me.So when someone told me that someone scolded me, I only listened to the general idea and didn't let them finish.

Zeng Guofan's reply was lukewarm. You could say he was optimistic, you could say he was calm, or you could say he was humorous.He believes that his sincerity will eventually be revealed to the world, so he doesn't need to waste his energy arguing with Zuo Zongtang for meaningless words. In the fifth year of Tongzhi, Zuo Zongtang became the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and was ordered to suppress the Western Nian Army.Later, due to the turbulent situation caused by the Islamic uprising in the Northwest, Zuo Zongtang continued to march westward.As a result, Zeng Zuo and Zeng Zuo met for the last time in their lives. Zuo Zongtang attached great importance to this dispatch of troops to pacify the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was only a supporting role of Zeng Guofan, but he became the protagonist this time.Although his hair is gray, he is full of pride and determined to play the role with all his heart. However, this expedition is facing one of the biggest problems, and that is the payment.Because the northwest is a barren area in the world, the source of salary cannot be relied on in the local area, so it is necessary to "use the wealth from the southeast to support the armored soldiers in the northwest".At the beginning of the Western Expedition, he declared to the court that in this war, "payment" was more important than commanding the battle.In his letter, he even said: "If you give money to the provinces, it's like putting the life of a baby on a nurse. If you breastfeed it, you will live, and if you stop breastfeeding, you will die." In this way, Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang inevitably had to deal with each other again.Because in the ninth year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan returned to the post of Governor of Liangjiang, and Jiangsu under his jurisdiction was an important source of salary for the Western Expeditionary Army. The personal relationship between governors and governors in the late Qing Dynasty had a great influence on political operations.In fact, although the imperial court stipulated that all provinces should provide military expenses for the Western Expedition in a timely manner according to their share, only a few provinces with good personal relations with Zuo Zongtang did their best to provide as much as possible, while those provinces with average personal relations with Zuo Zongtang failed to do so. As scheduled, "Guangxu Donghua Lu" summarized the implementation of the Western Expedition's payment and said: "The number of allocations in each province is more than half, and less than half. However, Hunan only pays one-third, and Henan allocates less than one-tenth. , Guangdong, Fujian, and Sichuan also have many unresolved issues.” Therefore, when Zuo Zongtang heard that Zeng Guofan returned to Liangjiang, his first reaction was to worry that Zeng Guofan would not support him wholeheartedly and undermine his great achievements: "I am not in agreement with Mr. Zeng, and the current governor of Liangjiang is afraid that he will suppress me. The source of salary will defeat my merits." However, he soon discovered that he was wrong in his judgment.Afterwards, Zeng Guofan's share of military pay was delivered continuously, stably and reliably, not only in full but also in a timely manner, which surprised Zuo Zongtang.Historical records: "Wen Zheng spared no effort in raising salaries for the Western Expeditionary Army, and the soldiers and horses really depended on it." In addition, during Zuo Zongtang's suppression of twisting and the Western Expedition, Zeng Guofan gave Zuo Zongtang the use of his most proud subordinate Liu Songshan. Liu Songshan made great achievements repeatedly and helped Zuo Zongtang a lot. "I also selected the most powerful generals and the most healthy underlings, Yizhong Zhuanggong, Songshan, and the first army went west. Wenxiang's elimination of Shaanxi and Gansu was based on the strength of this army in Xinjiang. It was Wenxiang's contribution, and Wenzheng really helped it." Zuo Zongtang's biggest weakness is his obsession with "struggling for merit".To use a blunt analogy, Zuo Zongtang is the owl in Zhuangzi's story, and the military exploit is the dead mouse.Until his later years, this mentality did not change at all.However, Zeng Guofan's thoughts in his later years have already reached the level of seeing through fame and becoming a sanctuary.In his later years, the only thing he could never forget was the word "responsibility". As for the false name, he could indeed put it aside for jokes.In dealing with the Tianjin religious case, he clearly exchanged his own reputation for the safety of the country.After Zeng's death, his old friend Ouyang Zhaoxiong wrote an elegiac couplet, the second couplet reads: Save yourself and keep a diary, read Huolin's last words, and regard Han Ma Xun's name and Wen Niu Xiangye as chaff and dirt, and open up the mind of the ages. This second couplet is slightly elevated, but it is not far from the facts. It should be said that I understand Zeng's heart. Although he has been scolded by Zuo Zongtang all the time, Zeng Guofan has always been full of praise for Zuo's talent.When I heard that Zuo Zongtang was about to go west, Zeng Guofan had this conversation with Changzhou Lu Tingzhi: Zeng Guofan asked Lu Tingzhi: "What do you think of Zuo Zongtang? Please be fair." Although Lu Tingzhi was well aware of the grievances between Zeng and Zuo, he also knew Zeng Guofan's character, so he replied frankly: "He handles things meticulously, disciplines himself hard, and embodies the loyalty of the country. He pretends that what Zuo Gong did is unheard of in today's court." Two." Chen Qiwu recorded in "Yongxianzhai Notes" that Zeng Guofan heard this, stood up from the case, his eyes lit up, and said loudly: "It is true! At this time, if Zuo Jun abandons the post of Xizhen, no matter what I can't To continue it, even if Hu Wen is loyal to Jiuquan, I may not be able to continue it. You say that there is no difference in the dynasty, and I think it is the best in the world!" This is the best portrayal of "Zeng Guofan always has Zuo Zongtang in his mind". There is such a big difference in mental skills between the two, Zeng Guofan naturally became the one in Zhuangzi's story.As soon as Zeng Guofan returned to Liangjiang, Zuo Zongtang blushed, his feathers stood on end, he glared angrily, and yelled frighteningly, what a joke.It wasn't until Zeng Guofan's move was unexpected that Zuo Zongzong realized that he had misunderstood Zeng Guofan.He suddenly discovered that he had been friends for decades, but he had never really understood Zeng Guofan. The last meeting between Zeng and Zuo in their old age really touched Zuo Zongtang for the first time.For the first time, Zuo Zongtang felt respect and admiration for Zeng Guofan from the bottom of his heart.Prior to this, Zuo Zongtang wore two pairs of colored glasses of "imperial examination complex" and "yuliang complex", and always believed that Zeng Guofan was a hypocrite who used skills to control others, and only then completely overturned his own judgment.This is an important turning point in the relationship between Zeng and Zuo.After thinking about it, Zeng Guofan did it so beautifully, I, Zuo Zongtang, have to behave more chicly.Therefore, when summing up his achievements in suppressing Nian, he gave most of the credit to Liu Songshan, Zeng Guofan's old subordinate, and thus greatly praised Zeng Guofan. In the memorial, he also modestly said that he had known Liu Songshan more than ten years ago, but had not discovered his talent. Publicly, Zuo Zongtang said this in private, when explaining his motivation for such a memorial in a letter to his sons: Recently, I have been dissatisfied with Digong a lot, but the only thing I appreciate about Shouqing (note: Liu Songshan's name is Shouqing) is the most outstanding insight, which can be said to have the knowledge of people and the loyalty of seeking the country.This time, Shouqing was the chief contributor to the suppression of the bandits, but it must be attributed to Digong's ability to use personnel to manage the emperor.Although there is a slight suspicion of personal friendship, Yu Gongyi is deeply respected, so I specially invite Zeng to encourage the officials in Xinjiang.A man is upright and upright, with the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period: "The brush is the pen, and the cut is the cut"; Wu Neng harms the public friendship with his personal suspicions, and wipes them out completely.People think that I have had quarrels with those who have had quarrels. Looking at this, you should know that I can clearly distinguish between black and white, and I am definitely not a person who only fights. Zuo Zongtang originally thought that such a memorial would reveal his mind of being a "big man who is upright and aboveboard", "You should know that I can distinguish between black and white, and I am definitely not a person who only wants to make a fuss."No, when this performance came out, the readers were surprised.Everyone in the officialdom couldn't turn the corner for a while, and couldn't understand why Zuo Zongtang suddenly made such a big change.The Chinese are accustomed to conspiratorial thinking, so they all agree that Zuo's motives are not pure. He used Yang to praise Liu Songshan. Zeng Guofan also speculated in the same way.On the seventh day of November, in a letter to Guo Songtao, he said: "The commander-in-chief of the left, Liu Shouqing (Liu Songshan's word Shouqing), is as absurd as I am. The commentator said that he extended the Qin division (referring to the army commanded by the left) and suppressed Huaiyong. I don’t know what it means.” Really helpless. On the fourth day of February in the eleventh year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan died of cerebral hemorrhage in Liangjiang Governor's Mansion in Nanjing at the age of sixty-two.When the news came out, the world shook. All of a sudden, colleagues, friends, disciples and old officials gathered in Nanjing, and Zeng Guofan's funeral became a poetry conference.Both the cover and the burial person are many writers, and the author is sincere, so many famous works are left behind.For example, the twelve poems of crying teacher Li Yuandu, an old friend and old subordinate, are written with gloomy pens and moving lines: Overnight, the big star falls, and the light is thin and the sea is startled. Jiuzhong is sad and photogenic, and the Great Wall is lost for thousands of miles. Legend has it that riding on the tail of Ji, the tiger figure is rich in armored soldiers. Zong Chen should be attached to the robe, and the language of heaven is extremely mournful... And Li Hongzhang's elegiac couplet later became a masterpiece through the ages: I have been a teacher for nearly 30 years, and my salary has been exhausted, and I have built a house and grown up as a door; The prestige is astounding ninety thousand miles, the interior is safe and the exterior is crowded, and it is rare to find a talent in the world in a long time. People at the time commented on this couplet like this: "Heroic and refined, he also occupies his own identity. It is not Hongzhang who can't and dare not say this." Among all kinds of memorial elegiac couplets, the most eye-catching pair was sent by Zuo Zongtang, who was on the northwest front line at that time, from thousands of miles away. The text reads: Seeking the loyalty of the country, knowing the wisdom of others, I am ashamed to be inferior to Yuanfu; Concentricity is like gold, attacking mistakes is like stone, and you will never lose your life. What is even more surprising is that behind the couplet, it actually belongs to the word "late birth".Zeng and Zuo communicated with each other. Since Zuo Zongtang was a commoner, they all called brothers and sisters, and Zuo Zongtang never gave in.After the official Zeng Guofan paid homage to the university, according to the usual practice, Zuo Zongtang signed "late birth" to Zeng Xu himself, but Zuo Zongtang said, "I only think that my birth is only one year old, and it seems that it is not too late. Please still call it from my brother." .Therefore, Zuo Zongtang never called Zeng Guofan late, which became an interesting event in the officialdom at that time, so no one thought that Zuo Zongtang would sign "Late Born Zuo Zongtang" on the elegiac couplet. Hearing the news of Zeng Guofan's death, Zuo Zongtang was shocked.He had never heard of Zeng's fatal illness before, and he was sixty-two years old, which was not considered a long life for the pampered class at that time.He did not expect that the grievances and resentments between Zeng and Zuo would end so early.Perhaps when he wrote the words "seeking loyalty to the country, knowing the wisdom of others, and being ashamed of himself" in the memorial, he already had the idea of ​​​​reconciling with Zeng Guofan.On the one hand, it was due to the haste of the military, on the other hand, he thought it would take a long time.Unexpectedly, the opportunity was lost forever. Sitting in the northwest barracks, Zuo Zongtang recalled all kinds of life with Zeng Guofan, and the more he thought about it, the more sad he felt.In his letter to his son, he said: "I am very sad for the loss of Marquis Zeng (Guofan)." At this moment when he saw his friend, he realized how great his loss was, and how much he had failed this loyal elder.He competed with Zeng Guofan for his whole life, but he was still not convinced.But at this moment, after meditation and reflection, he was convinced.He was willing to be the second person of his time, so he used the words "ashamed to be inferior" as the final summary of the relationship between the two.For the arrogant Zuo Zongtang, this is really rare. If the relationship between Zeng and Zuo can end in this way, it will undoubtedly be a touching story.However, the reality is not so simple. After Zeng Guofan's death, Zuo Zongtang took great care of Zeng Guofan's descendants.Five years after Zeng Guofan's death, his son Zeng Jihong was seriously ill and lacked money for medical treatment.Zuo Zongtang gave him three hundred taels of silver, and recalled the friendship between Zeng and Zuo in his family letter: "I have a friendship with Wenzheng, which is extraordinary. The people we are fighting for are state affairs, and we have the same temperament, so there is absolutely no grievance. Does life and death make the difference? Taking the son of a senior member of Zhongxing, who will inevitably suffer from hunger and poverty, we can see that Wenzheng's Qing Festival is enough to be the law of later generations." Before and after Zeng Jihong died of illness, Zuo Zongtang helped him with medical expenses and funeral expenses many times.When talking about this matter in a letter to Li Mianlin, Zuo Zongtang said: "When we treat him (Zeng Guofan) as a queen, we dare not use this to make a difference. Last year, when I lived in Beijing, I saw Li Cheng's embarrassment. However, for the purpose of seeking medicine and bait, there is no discrimination against the expenses of funeral clothes and coffins and returning to the village." Zeng Jihong died of poverty and illness, which proved that Zeng Guofan was upright and without hypocrisy, and it also increased Zuo Zongtang's sympathy for Zeng's descendants.When Zuo Zongtang was the governor of Liangjiang, he appointed Zeng Guofan's son-in-law Nie Jigui as the director of the Operations Department. In the second year, he was promoted to the director of the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau.Since then, Nie's official career has been prosperous, and he has been the governor of Jiangsu.In his letter recommending Nie Jigui, Zuo Zongtang talked about his recommendation and the friendship between Zeng and Zuo: "Your Excellency, you have to deal with Zhongfang (Nie Jigui's style name Zhongfang), and you also have to deal with Wenzheng (Zeng Guofan). Brother and Wenzheng discuss It is common knowledge in the whole world that the relationship is the earliest, and that each other respects each other with sincerity. It is also common knowledge in the world that the evil ends in the late years. However, after Wenzheng's death, treating Wenzheng's sons, brothers, and relatives and friends is no different from Wenzheng's survival." But at the same time, Zuo Zongtang did not stop talking about the rights and wrongs of the relationship between Zeng and Zuo.The older a person is, the more he worries about his reputation behind him, so the more eager he is to clarify this matter.In Zuo Zongtang's later years, whenever he interacted with people, he almost always talked about Zeng Zuo's relationship. Every time he talked about it, he still chattered endlessly to prove that he was right on some specific issues and Zeng Guofan was wrong.In the eyes of Zeng Guofan's disciples, this is of course a continuation of "cursing Zeng". Xue Fucheng, a disciple of Zeng Guofan, vividly described Zuo Zongtang's obsession with this issue in his later years: Zuo Zongtang came to Beijing from the northwest, and he met everyone along the way. There were only two topics, one was how reasonable his facilities in the northwest were, and The other is to criticize the deceased Zeng Guofan.As the governor of Liangjiang, when he saw guests, he talked nothing more than that, chattering endlessly, so that the guests couldn't get in. Xue Fucheng's descriptions are mostly written by novelists, so they don't have to be believed in history, but they are by no means groundless.Zuo Zongtang's defense of his relationship with Zeng Guofan continued until his death.On March 20th in the fourth year of Guangxu, several years after Zeng Guofan died, Zuo Zongtang still wrote to a friend, expressing doubts about Zeng's Taoist skills: In the past when Jinling was conquered and Young Ni fled, my younger brother once wrote a letter to Wenzheng, saying that it should be stated according to the facts.Wenzheng didn't realize what he meant, and Yuanpu Gongbao also thought wrong about his brother's deliberate sarcasm.Such prejudices are quite unsuitable for those who pretend to study and learn Taoism. There have been many comments and discussions about Zeng and Zuo Yisheng's grievances and grievances.Among them, the evaluation of old friend Guo Songtao is mixed with many emotional factors, but it is still worth reading because of its insights. For Zeng Guofan, the best friend of his life, Guo Songtao admired him from being close to him, and finally even reached the point of admiration.He commented on the difference between Zeng and Zuo in this way: To make up for all the talents of ancient and modern times, there are only two ways of madness.My generation keeps it, officials do not need to seek advancement, and salary does not need to seek prosperity.If you can do what you want, it's okay.A salary of ten thousand bells is not regarded as a blessing; if one cannot follow one's ambitions and retreat, one will remain indifferent for life.There are deficiencies, the tongue is plowed and the brush is laid, and there is no apology for taking and giving.Zuo Wenxiang is also a kind of madman.Knowing that there is only progress, there is no amount of wealth, and the daily expenses are not hesitating, and it is not possible to live in poverty.If you live in a quiet place, you will feel unhappy and uncomfortable. It means that Zuo Zongtang's xinxing cultivation is far from enough.You only know how to make progress, you can't stay still.And Zeng Guofan can do great things when he advances, and he can be a saint when he retreats.Guo Songtao also believes that: Zuo Shuai acted with arrogance and did not seek safety. He was more than famous for his meritorious service, but he did not speak the way of sages. Wang Chuanshan said that a sage must be a hero, but a hero is not necessarily a sage.In Guo Songtao's view, Zeng Guofan is a sage, while Zuo Zongtang is only a hero. This is the fundamental difference between the two.