The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 775: Xianfeng's Confusion - Zeng Guofan's Appearance
On the canopy.

Qianqing Palace.

The military ministers all fell to their knees.

When Xianfeng saw the changed flag of Nanjing, tears came down his face.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have worked hard day and night to bring peace to the world, but why has the situation deteriorated to such a state?"

Faced with Emperor Xianfeng's thoughtful questions, the ministers just bowed their heads and asked how are the emperor's health.

Xianfeng looked at the memorial with his eyes wide open.

He really couldn't figure it out.

"Lin Zexu died before he could accomplish his mission, and lost two months of opportunity."

"Li Xingyuan was not capable of such a big responsibility, but he was loyal even though he died on the battlefield from overwork."

"Sai Shang Azhao had a lot of countermeasures when he was summoned, but he was helpless when he arrived at the front line."

"Xu Guangjin performed well in resisting the British from entering the city and suppressing the Guangdong gang, but who would have thought that he would dare to deceive me in the end."

"Lu Jianying was ungrateful and his crimes were particularly serious. He deserved death, but he died in battle after all. We cannot add more crimes to his death, so we have to show mercy and hold his funeral according to the governor's regulations."

"Right now, Xiang Rong has advanced to the Xiaoling Guard east of Nanjing and set up a camp south of the Yangtze River. Qi Shan has also rushed to Yangzhou and set up a camp north of the Yangtze River. But God knows whether they can live up to the emperor's orders and defeat this group of rebellious people who refuse to shave their heads."

"I have employed the wrong people."

Xianfeng stared at the ministers blankly, asking from the bottom of his heart:

"But apart from employing the wrong people, what else was wrong with your actions?"

"The strategy for deploying troops for attack and suppression has been detailed to the point of where to set up defenses and where to advance troops."

"The instructions on how to deal with the rebels have also been specific to how to bribe them and how to sow discord."

"You can't ask me to go to the front and take care of everything, right?"

"I never keep military reports from the front overnight. I deal with them on the same day."

"When the generals at the front needed soldiers, he mobilized 100,000 elite soldiers from 18 provinces and ordered all localities to hire a large number of brave men?"

"I have even mobilized the troops in the Dragon Rising Area outside the Great Wall."

"The grain station in the front asked for money, so I spent all my family's money to collect nearly 30 million taels. The Ministry of Revenue's silver treasury was empty, and the reserves in various places were exhausted. Even the Ministry of Internal Affairs' expenses were very tight."

"And there are those unscrupulous local officials who, dissatisfied with the slow arrival of the silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, actually specifically requested to allocate 1.5 million silver from the Ministry of Internal Affairs..."

"I also tolerated it and did not investigate it."

"Only my subjects support me with the empire, how could any subject dare to take money from the emperor's private pocket?"

Xianfeng was full of confusion.

This strong doubt has even overwhelmed the anger of being deceived.

The five virtues should be practiced in everything you do.

How did the world become like this?
"As for the art of war, the ancients have taught us that it is about strict rewards and punishments."

"In the three years since the war began, governors and governors-general have been replaced everywhere. Military and political officials in Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi provinces have been replaced one after another, and more than dozens of incompetent generals have been dismissed."

"Sai Shang'a and Xu Guangjin, I will sentence them both to death, dismiss them from office and confiscate their property."

"Xiang Rong, you were punished and dismissed six times. I will reinstate you again after you have done a little good."

"I am not stingy with punishments, nor harsh with rewards, but what is the result?"

"One by one, they all fled."

Xianfeng looked at the ministers and finally asked:
"Who can give me some advice?"

"Switch the tide?"

……

[When Hong and Yang occupied Nanjing as their capital, Emperor Xianfeng in Beijing was also in deep thought.]

[He appealed to his ministers, but none of them said a word.]

[At a time of great helplessness, Xianfeng thought of God's will. Was God leaning towards the "Kingdom of Heaven" and no longer leaning towards himself? ]

[From the winter of 1850 to the spring of 1853, he personally performed the Great Sacrifice nine times, each time praying for the blessings of the gods and ancestors.]

[He ordered local officials to completely dig up and destroy the ancestral tombs of Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan and others, and explicitly instructed that the "back veins of the mountain behind the tombs should be cut off" to destroy their feng shui.]

[At critical moments when the military situation was unfavorable, he issued two "edicts of guilt", one on March 1852, the second year of the Xianfeng reign (May 5, 17).]

[Another time was on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the third year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (February 1853, 2)]

[He prayed for God's leniency, the people's forgiveness, and his subjects' dedication to his mission.]

【But the situation did not improve at all, but got worse. 】

[The "Edict of Confession" was the emperor's last resort. It was ineffective and Xianfeng was completely confused.]

【The diligent Emperor Xianfeng was now filled with worries and gradually became tired of government affairs.】

……

Big man.

"Xianfeng's reflection will never find a way out."

Liu Bang leaned against the soft pillow behind him, looking at Xianfeng, whose face had the words "desperate" written all over his face, and felt more and more that this man was really unlucky.

"If we trace back to the source, one of the root causes of the unrest in the world is the corruption in the officialdom over the past fifty or sixty years since the end of the Qianlong period."

"Civil officials love money, while military officials cherish their lives."

"Work hard as an official, but have no time for work."

"They try their best to gain advantage when they see it, and try their best to escape when they see difficulty."

Lu Zhi glanced at the two boys who were listening attentively, and said calmly:

"See what Xianfeng said."

"The commanders at the front line either died of illness due to overwork, committed suicide after a defeat, or were sentenced to death in prison."

"The vast majority of officials are no longer able to align their political goals with the central government."

"Being an official has become a dangerous career. You can't make money, but you may lose your life. What's the point of being an official?"

“The hearts of the people in the world are all lost.”

"How did Emperor Xianfeng spur and motivate his subjects to be loyal?"

Liu Bang glanced at Lu Zhi, then at the thoughtful Liu Ying and little Liu Heng.

His eyes rolled and he continued:

"Speaking of which, this situation of collapse is similar to that at the end of the Qin Dynasty."

The faces of the other three people suddenly fell.

Isn't it? Come again?

"Thinking back to the past, Naigong..."

In Changhua Palace, the great hero recalled his heroic past again and again.

……

{According to the Confucian thought system, the decline of a country is due to the incompetence of its ruler. Only when there is a wise ruler who appoints virtuous ministers can the world be governed well.}
{Xianfeng was also influenced by him since childhood. From the day he ascended the throne, he appointed so-called wise ministers, worked hard to govern the country, and worked hard day and night.}
{However, under its backward political system, the emperor's personal efforts could not change the deteriorating situation, and the great changes of the times also made the "virtuous ministers" under the Confucian system helpless.}
……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
Yongzheng frowned and looked at the sky, then sighed, unable to bear the heart to blame Xianfeng.

This kid wanted to be a good emperor in the early days.

He knew what was going on.

He cares about the country, is diligent in government, is clear about rewards and punishments, is benevolent and righteous, and is not stingy.

The decline of the Qing Dynasty cannot be blamed on him alone.

"Snapped!"

The crack of the whip did not interrupt his thoughts.

Judging from the situation at that time, Xianfeng really had no capable ministers or elite soldiers available.

The officialdom has been poisoned by bad habits, which have accumulated since the Qianlong period, and is unable to shoulder the great responsibility of reversing the tide of war and turning the tide of fate.

"Snapped!"

Yongzheng was very sad as he heard the sharp sound of the whip.

After all, Xianfeng was just a boy in his early twenties.

Although he received past education since childhood, he faced major changes that previous generations of emperors had never experienced.

At this time, drastic and fundamental reforms to the system are necessary to reverse the downward trend.

But how many wise monarchs in history could have such great talent and strategy?
"Snapped!"

"Your Majesty, Prince Bao has fainted." Yongzheng waved his hands and said sadly:

"Just pretending."

"Splash it to wake you up, and try again."

"Thirty lashes, not one less."

Hongli, who was tied to a red painted pillar with a white silk stuffed in his mouth, said:

"besides……"

Yongzheng glanced at the eunuch who was carrying out the punishment.

"If you don't work hard again, I'll kill you."

Eunuch:......

Hongli:......

……

【Just when Xianfeng was at a loss and was about to give up but not yet completely done with it. 】

[There really was a remarkable man in the imperial court, and the key point was that he actually led an army that could fight against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. ]

[He is Zeng Guofan and the Hunan Army he trained. ]

……

Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period
Daoguang’s eyes suddenly widened!
If Tianmu hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten what great things Zeng Guofan had done!

"Resist the rebellion..."

Daoguang's face showed three parts of excitement, three parts of surprise, three parts of confusion and one part of suspicion.

It's not that he looked down on the Qing army's combat power...

Well, he did look down on it.

“That group of people…”

Daoguang couldn't understand it.

Could it be that Zeng Guofan was responsible for the demise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?

A fate that successive dynasties have been unable to break.

My Qing Dynasty was destroyed?

Daoguang was delighted for a while, but more confused.

With all kinds of information intertwined, he temporarily looked down on the future of the Qing Dynasty.

"Rebellion, British barbarians..."

Where is the road ahead?
……

【Zeng Guofan was from Xiangxiang, Hunan.】

[Born in Heyetang, Xiangxiang County, Shafu, Hunan Province, in the 1811th year of Jiaqing (1838), he passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy in the th year of Daoguang ().]

[After the academy was disbanded in the 1840th year of Daoguang's reign (), he was appointed as a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy.]

[In the 1847th year of Emperor Daoguang's reign (), Zeng Guofan was promoted from the fourth-rank Hanlin Academy lecturer to the second-rank cabinet scholar and concurrently the Minister of Rites, a promotion of four levels in a row.]

[In the 1849th year of Emperor Daoguang's reign (), he was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.]

……

On the canopy.

The middle-aged man was wearing a long black gown and writing furiously under the candlelight.

"Since Kechun asked for advice, I have submitted hundreds of articles to the court. Are there no good suggestions among them?"

"Sometimes it is sent to the relevant departments for review and discussion, but they always say "no need to discuss" and then it is resolved. Sometimes it is sent to the provinces, but after the document is implemented, it is shelved again, as if it has nothing to do with the matter."

……

【After Emperor Xianfeng ascended the throne, he issued an edict seeking advice. 】

[Zeng Guofan had been praised by Emperor Xianfeng for his previous memorial "Following the Discussion on the Great Ceremony". At this time, he thought that the new emperor would be very willing to accept good advice and would surely make great progress, and he could also show his talents.]

[So, he carefully wrote a memorial to criticize the bad habits of retreat, triviality, perfunctoriness, and insincerity in the officialdom, and asked Emperor Xianfeng to pay more attention to rectification and inspection.]

【The memorial was submitted, and Emperor Xianfeng greatly appreciated it.】

【However, Emperor Xianfeng did not understand Zeng Guofan's intention in the memorial, but was very interested in the "daily lectures" in the memorial, and asked the relevant departments to "examine the case and discuss it in detail." 】

【Zeng Guofan therefore submitted 14 articles of regulations for the "Daily Lectures", but they were not adopted by the Ministry.】

【Zeng Guofan continued to make memorials to the emperor, especially his memorial on reducing redundant troops and saving national funds, which touched upon the current problems.】

【However, all the suggestions came to nothing.】

[Zeng Guofan expressed his disappointment in a private letter without reservation.]

……

{Don't make random comments or suggestions. If you want to make suggestions, make them "constructive".}
{These words are written in the diary. It seems that this diary is not written for others to see.}
｛Who would write a diary if they were serious? (dog head)｝

{I feel this problem was passed down from Zeng Guofan.}
｛Lei Feng wrote a diary.｝
｛Some diaries are written for oneself and some are written for others.｝
{So do you mean that Lei Feng's diary was written for himself or for others to read?}

｛Comrade Lei Feng's diary was written for himself to encourage himself.｝
{Zeng Shaver and Jiang's diary were obviously left to future generations to whitewash themselves.}
{An ordinary person's diary records his thoughts and feelings, which are not shared with outsiders. He was just an ordinary person before his death.}
{Celebrities’ diaries are either written to cover up their mistakes or to preserve their reputation for eternity.}
{If you want to build a memorial archway for someone after he or she becomes famous, you can only do it through a diary.}
{The key is whether the content is consistent with the reality. Of course, nowadays, people on the Internet are playing with memes, and serious people are always asking if they can write a diary. They don’t want to analyze specific issues specifically, which just shows that they don’t want to think and can only play with memes.}
……

Tang Dynasty and Gaozong period
Li Zhi watched the quarrel in the sky with interest.

"Uncle, it seems that the divisions between parties since ancient times have penetrated people's hearts from top to bottom."

Changsun Wuji felt bitter when he heard this.

Li Zhi looked at the twitching old cucumber face and laughed out loud.

"Uncle, you are overthinking. I have no other intentions this time."

“I just wonder why individual differences are always elevated to group differences?”

“It’s as if if a person does something special, it will become the basic thing that the group he belongs to will do.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Li Zhi smiled and said:

"Just like Ji Kang is known as Crouching Dragon, the leader of the Seven Sages."

"But I can't figure it out."

"Where is he?"

Changsun Wuji felt even more bitter in his mouth.

Is this what you mean by nothing else?
What else do you think about?
The emperor's words sounded like he was saying that one cannot use the badness of an individual to represent the badness of the group.

But if you listen carefully, you can't use the good of an individual to represent the good of the group.

On the other hand, we cannot use the good of the group to cover up the bad of an individual, and we cannot use the bad of the group to cover up the good of an individual.

After all the twists and turns, the meaning is just one.

I know that talented people come from aristocratic families.

But the aristocratic family still has to die.

……

[On April 1851, the first year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (May 5, 24), the situation in Guangxi had become out of control. Zeng Guofan, who was extremely worried, wrote a memorial to Emperor Xianfeng, directly criticizing him for focusing on minor details while neglecting major plans, being obsessed with empty words but not seeking practical knowledge, and being stubborn and self-righteous but unable to appoint the right people to the right positions.]

【When Emperor Xianfeng saw Zeng Guofan's words of admonition, he became furious and immediately summoned the military minister to demand that he issue an imperial decree to punish him immediately.】

[After repeated dissuasion from the military ministers, Emperor Xianfeng issued an imperial edict that was a veiled praise but a covert criticism.]

[On the tenth day of the sixth month of the second year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (July 1852, 7), Emperor Xianfeng appointed Zeng Guofan as the chief examiner for the Jiangxi provincial examination and allowed him to return to his hometown to visit his relatives after the examination, which he had been away from for thirteen years.]

【On July 19 (September 8), Zeng Guofan was traveling in Taihu County, Anhui Province when he heard that his mother had passed away. He returned to Hunan that day to attend the funeral and spent three years in mourning at home.】

[At this time, the Taiping Army's offensive in Hunan and Hubei was very fierce, which made Zeng Guofan feel the decline of the Qing Dynasty firsthand.]

[On August 10 (October 6), he returned to his hometown in Xiangxiang and witnessed with his own eyes the panic-stricken state of the local gentry after the Taiping Army's attack.]

[However, before his mother's funeral was completed, he received an imperial edict from the Hunan governor on December 1853, the second year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (January 1, 21), asking him to go to Hunan urgently to help with the affairs of training the villagers and searching for bandits in the province.]

【Xianfeng had no idea that his decree, which was purely a spur-of-the-moment thought, would lead to Zeng Guofan's great achievements in the following decades.】

I personally hate combining individual differences with group differences.

But we have to admit that labeling group differences is the most suitable for popularizing ideas.

Ideas should be popularized, both good and bad ones can be popularized.

……

The short video trend is really eroding the intelligence of normal people.



(End of this chapter)