Zeng Bohan said very clearly when commenting on Chengwei's repeated revivals in prison and the rectification of officials with severe punishments: "The reasons for the country's malpractice are embellished with examples, and everything collapses; If it is not wide, it is also a loss. "Nowadays, everything is lenient and strictly treated, and those who are cited are still embellished with examples, and they have not tried to talk about the benefits and pathogens of what they have done and the people who have saved them. It is because the edicts and prisons are becoming more and more complicated, and the disadvantages are serious. "The breadth of the person and the strictness of today, it is also the same. Grace and generosity are enough to maintain peace as the foundation of maintaining people's hearts, and the disadvantages are unspeakable. "Therefore, I thought that it was an urgent task to save the punishment and respect the practical government." In other words, the fundamental reason lies in the fact that "everything is lenient", that is, there are huge gaps in the official system itself, so that officials at all levels have the opportunity to take advantage of it and face the temptation of huge interests from time to time; In this environment, there are not many people who can resist the temptation of huge interests for a long time and clean themselves, so it has created a situation of "no official and no greed". Under such circumstances, the sudden use of severe punishment and the number of corrupt officials and corrupt officials who are cracked down on are actually only a small minority, and on the contrary, everyone at all levels will be in danger. The fundamental way to solve the problem lies in "advocating practical government", that is, reforming the system itself, so as to "save burdensome punishments", but also make politics clear and the country stable (in modern language, that is, the government is facing its own "systemic corruption"). Systemic corruption means that only when corruption is used as a lubricant can government departments provide "normal" public services. In this kind of systemic corruption, corruption has actually become the norm for officials and a means of survival for them. Over time, it becomes a norm that does not cause inner moral conflicts and guilt. And those who are not in the same stream are inevitably systematically ostracized. This, in turn, has made corruption more serious, rampant and entrenched. Taking a step back, even with the support of the "Holy Lords" in systemic corruption, it is useless to seriously deal with individual corrupt officials, because simply dealing with one corrupt official after another in isolation cannot curb the increasingly serious systemic corruption, let alone eradicate corruption at all.

Guo Yunxian didn't know at the time that this was his own tragedy. He was "born in the last days" but did not want to be in the same stream, and could not bear to see the "building fall", so he wanted to rely on his own strength to cause evils and revive the decline. But even though he is "only clear and ambitious", it is inevitable that he will end up with "misfortune".

In April of the tenth year of Xianfeng, Guo Yunxian, who was left out in the cold, returned to his hometown with a lonely and depressed mood on the grounds of returning home for medical treatment. After two years of leisure life in his hometown, Guo Yunxian was persuaded by everyone to be invited by Li Shaoquan, who had not long trained the Huai Army and was short of manpower, to go out of the mountain again in the spring of the first year of Tongzhi, and served as the Susong Grain Road, and soon was promoted to the two Huai salt transportation envoys. Thanks to the full support of Zeng Bohan and Li Shaoquan, Guo Yunxian's financial management in Lianghuai has been smooth and effective. In the autumn of the second year of Tongzhi. He was also promoted to the governor of Guangdong, who was economically wealthy and had many foreign contacts, so he had an important position, and rewarded him with a three-rank official hat. It took less than two years to rise to this high. It can be said that the official fortune is prosperous, and he is also determined to make a difference and live up to the grace of the imperial court. However, when he was the governor of Guangdong, he was resentful because of his straightforwardness, and he had many contradictions with the two governors of Liangguang who were stationed in Guangzhou before and after, and he also had a disagreement with his old friend Zuo Jigao, who had always been high-spirited and always high-spirited and "suppressed" in Guangdong. In the midst of the intricate contradictions, Guo Yunxian was stumbling, and finally stepped down in June of the fifth year of Tongzhi, and began to return to his hometown to live idlely, and this time for several years.

Although he returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion, Guo Yunxian still always cared about the current situation and worried about the future of the country.

It is precisely in the past few years that although the Westernization Movement is breaking through the tremendous resistance of the old forces and gradually developing, at the same time, the international situation facing the Qianguo has become more sinister and the national crisis has deepened, because even Japan, which has always looked down on the Qianguo, dares to find an excuse to invade Moss Bay this year!

As soon as he heard the news of the Japanese invasion of Moswan, Guo Yunxian was very worried, because when he was an official before, he had already seen the emptiness of coastal defense in various coastal areas along the coast of Qianguo. The development of the war that followed further confirmed his judgment.

After the news of the annihilation of the Penghu Naval Division came out, all parts of the coast were in shock, and the rumors that the Japanese ships had invaded the southeast coast, wantonly hunted and plundered merchant ships, and cut off the sea lanes made all parts of the coastal area even more frightened overnight, and children did not dare to cry at night when they heard the name of the Japanese Invaders!

It was not until the news of the great victory in the Battle of Langqiao came, that this atmosphere of panic disappeared, and then turned into a mood of blind optimism, when the whole country was crusading against the Oriental voice, the news of the defeat in the naval battle of Fengshan Island and the bombardment of Xiamen by Japanese ships came out, which caused an uproar in the whole country, and just when the government and the opposition were at a loss, the news of the total annihilation of Japanese ships in the naval battle of the East China Sea came again, which made this tragicomedy with great ups and downs finally come to an end.

For Lin Yizhe, the protagonist of this "Battle of Mossy Land", Guo Yunxian can be said to be so impressed.

But he was very disapprehensive in his heart about Lin Yizhe's arrest and imprisonment of Liu Xuan, the prefect of Tessan who fled in fear of the enemy, without the emperor's order.

In Guo Yunxian's view, Lin Yizhe's move was too reckless.

Because behind Liu Xuan, there is no one person!

Lin Yizhe had offended Zuo Jigao several times before, and this time he actually beheaded Liu Zhang, one of Zuo Jigao's sworn friends, which was equivalent to directly declaring war on Zuo Jigao, Guo Yunxian couldn't help but sweat for Lin Yizhe at that time.

Guo Yunxian has a deep understanding of the methods of his in-law Zuo Jigao.

Because Guo Yunxian and Zuo Jigao, who were originally "close friends", now they have come to the verge of "breaking off friendship"!

The reason why Guo Yunxian was dismissed and lived idle for 7 years was, to a large extent, due to Zuo Jigao.

Guo Zuo and the two were originally close friends, and they first met in the thirteenth year of Shaoguang and studied together. Shaoguang was in turmoil for 30 years, and the two traveled to Xiangyin, Dongshan and other places to find a place to retreat. With the rise of the Shengping army, around the Mid-Autumn Festival in the second year of Xianfeng, Guo Zuo and his family also moved to Baishuidong to "build a house with thatch" as neighbors. The two were neighbors in troubled times, and their friendship was obvious.

When the situation in Hunan was critical and the capital Changsha was besieged by the Shengping army, the new governor of Hunan, Zhang Liangji, asked Zuo Jigao to go out of the mountain. Zuo Jigao couldn't resign at first. Under the persuasion of Guo Yunxian. Zuo Jigao began to apply for a job out of the mountain. In Zuo Jigao's transition from the countryside to the establishment of career merits, Guo Yunxian can be said to have played the role of a "hub". Since then, Zuo Jigao's career has also played a vital role in the transition from the shogunate's actual official position.

The personal friendship between Guo Yunxian and Zuo Jigao has become closer and closer with Zuo Jigao's continuous achievements, and getting rid of the "Fan Xiejing Prosecution Case" is a watershed in Zuo Jigao's career, and it is also a sign that the harmonious relationship between the two has reached its peak.

In the winter of the eighth year of Xianfeng, the arrogant Zuo Jigao scolded Fan Xie, the chief soldier of Chengzhou Town, Hunan, for refusing to salute him, and said that he would be dismissed by Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Hunan, and investigated (Zuo was only a master at this time. Although he was deeply valued by Luo Bingzhang and acted as a substitute, it was too much to ask the general army to salute him, and it was even more excessive to dismiss Fan). Fan Xie was not convinced, and complained to the official text of the governor of Huguang, who had an in-law relationship and was deeply valued by Emperor Xianfeng. Guan Wensu had a gap with Luo Bingzhang, and wanted to take the opportunity to attack Luo Bingzhang, so he went to the court to impeach Zuo Jigao for his lawlessness. At this moment when Zuo Jigao can be said to be about to lose his head, Guo Yunxian, who happened to be on duty in the south study, heard the news and immediately asked for help everywhere, and asked Pan Fengsheng, who was also in the south study, to intercede (Guo Bu personally went out to avoid suspicion). Pan Fengsheng emphasized Chen Zuo Jigao's "hard work" when he was in charge of the shogunate, and said, "The country cannot live without Hunan for a day." Hunan can't be without Zuo Jigao for a day. Through the unremitting efforts of the Hunan Army Group, including Guo Yunxian, Zuo Jigao not only successfully escaped, but was also awarded the fourth rank and accompanied Zeng Bohan to run military affairs, thus officially embarking on the road of meritorious service. This is a turning point in Zuo Jigao's fate and career, and Guo Yunxian can be said to have contributed a lot. Guo Yunxian's decisive and insightful first reaction to this incident not only freed Zuo Jigao from the scourge of killing, but also enabled Zuo Jigao to step into a broad road where he could give full play to his talents and make contributions. In a sense, Guo Yunxian has a life-saving grace for Zuo Jigao, and Zuo Jigao himself admitted: "...... Guo Yunxian and I have a little deeper friendship,...... This friendship is not owned by the nearest person. ”

Guo and Zuo became friends because of their fellow villagers, became close friends due to the development of the current situation, and at the same time were allies of the Hunan Army belonging to the same military and political group.

In the fourth year of Tongzhi, Guo Yunxian acted as the governor of Guangdong, and when he was exhausted by the raising of salaries, the management of the army, and internal affairs, Zuo Jigao led the army into Fujian to pursue and suppress the rest of the Shengping Army, Wang Haoyang and Li Shixian. Although the two finally cooperated to wipe out the remnants of the Shengping army, their personal relationship broke down.

Guo Zuo's mustard began in March of the fourth year of Tongzhi, the rest of the Shengping army entered Zhangzhou in southern Fujian, posing a great threat to Zhejiang and Guangdong, when Zuo Jigao's department was stationed in the northeast of Fujian Province, because the way of the Shengping army to Jiangxi has been cut off, the Shengping army is very likely to enter Guangdong, Guo Yunxian, who is the food and clothing parents of the people in Guangdong Province, is worried, and sent people to ask Guo Songlin and Yang Dingxin of the Huai Army to go to Guangdong by sea to assist in defense. In order to prevent Wang Haoyang's troops of the Shengping Army from being transferred to Zhejiang, Zuo Jigao, who was the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang at the time, fled to Mosan and moved Lou Qingyun and Xi Baotian from Jiangxi to Guangdong to assist in the defense, and the military salary was borne by Guangdong. And Guo Yunxian thought that Lou Qingyunjun should be "responsible for strictly guarding the Jiangjing", so he asked Lou Jun to stop entering the country, which made Zuo Jigao very unhappy.

With the urgency of the military situation, Guo Yunxian still urged the Huai army to enter the country to prevent the Shengping army, while Zuo Jigao asked the Huai army to return to Jiangsu, and resolutely did not welcome the arrival of the Huai army troops of the old rival Li Shaoquan, and at the same time, for the sake of the safety of Fujian and Zhejiang, Zuo Jigao even started the idea of "beggar-thy-neighbor" and wanted to drive the rest of the Shengping army into Guangdong, and as a result, there were fierce arguments and conflicts with Guo Yunxian. Soon, the imperial court appointed Zuo Jigao to control the military affairs of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces, and Zuo Jigao obtained the power to supervise Guangdong from the legal system, that is, the legitimacy of leading Guo Yunxian. In order to prevent Guo Yunxian from hindering himself anymore, Zuo Jigao even went to the four-fold impeachment of Guo Yunxian, but not about the military deployment, but said that Guo Yunxian was "ineffective in raising salaries", especially blaming the governor of Guangdong Province for discord, "To the governor and the minister, although there is the righteousness of moderation, but the division of the capital is equal, and each other should be respectful." In case of disagreement, we will strive for it, and if we retreat, we will still be friends, and this harmony and difference will be a gentleman. If it is necessary to forbear each other as peace, then the party will be cultivated, and the disadvantages will start from here. The interests of the subordinates are not the interests of the court, and the ministers foolishly think that the opinions of the subordinates may be available from time to time, but they must not be unclear. And in the excerpt, a candidate for the governor of Guangdong was also provided, and the meaning of forcing the imperial court to remove Guo Yunxian was very obvious. As a result, Guo Yunxian was dismissed from his post and forced to return to his hometown to live idlely.

For Zuo Jigao's approach. Guo Yunxian still can't figure it out:

“…… The most incomprehensible. Thirty years of friendship with a certain father. Do your best for it all your life...... The heir is bent on being in a dilemma, never knowing what it is called, and finally twists and turns to force him to go to the throne. Yicheng told him in Hunan that he had a public force and asked if he had heard of it? The contemptible people still blamed him for not listening to the superficial rumors, and he believed in the letter of the seal, and only then did he know that it was even more compelling. ”

Guo Yunxian couldn't understand that the two were both Hunan nationals. There is also the friendship of in-laws. Yan Yun fought the tiger's brothers, went into battle with father and son, and both Zuo Guo and Zuo Guo should work together in harmony and participate in military affairs, but they never thought that Zuo Jigao would do so outrageously, which made Guo Yunxian resentful.

What's even more excessive is that Zuo Jigao then sent a private letter to Guo Yunxian: "In case of discord, you should be honest and straightforward, and each should do its own thing, but it is not aearful to fight for power and power." ……”

"Your Excellency is trying to cheer up. And he didn't live up to his will, and he was in vain to blame in advance and close the gap afterwards. What's the benefit? ”

"Angry because of loyalty, upright and arrogant, knowing that I am guilty of me, just listening to it."

This is equivalent to scolding people, adding a sentence, I scolded and scolded, what do you like. Zuo Jigao is equivalent to sprinkling another handful of salt on Guo Yunxian's wound. After receiving this letter, Guo Yunxian was extremely angry, and he broke off the news from Zuo Jigao until today.

Since then, Guo Yunxian's understanding of Zuo Jigao can be said to have deepened.

It is precisely because he knows Zuo Jigao too well that he is worried about Lin Yizhe.

And Lin Yizhe died suddenly after completing the negotiations with Japan, and Guo Yunxian, who was far away in England, was saddened, but also understood that Lin Yizhe's death was not unrelated to Zuo Jigao's suppression and assassination!

And now, Lin Yizhe's twin brother Lin Yiqing is about to return to his home country, and with Zuo Jigao's temperament, he will never let him go!

"He is Lin Wenxiang's twin brother, and he is such a hero, I am afraid that there is no gap, and the Zuo family will not allow him to ......" Guo Yunxian thought of the danger that Lin Yiqing might face after returning to China, and couldn't help but worry about him.

"Well, this time, I will also learn from his Zuo clan once, and return his body in the other way!" Guo Yunxian pondered for a long time, recalled his previous grievances with Zuo Jigao, and said happily.

After making up his mind, Guo Yunxian couldn't wait to call the scholar, spread the paper and polish the ink, and began to write the manuscript.

After a while, a recital was written, and Guo Yunxian did not check it after writing it as before, but put it aside and wrote another recital. When he had finished writing it, he put it aside and moved on to the next one.

It wasn't until he finished writing the four folds that Guo Yunxian stopped writing, checked and read the four folds one by one, and saw the wonderful words, and the corners of his mouth were full of happy smiles.

Beijing, Xianliang Temple, Foreign Officials Pavilion.

At this time, it was late at night, the bright moon was high, the clouds were light and the wind was clear, and most people had fallen asleep at this moment.

Zuo Jigao, who was asleep, felt that his body was fluttering, and it seemed that he had come to the court room of the Forbidden City again, talking to a group of military ministers......

“…… Shen Tingfeng is short-sighted, and he recommended him in vain at my request, but now that I think about it, I really regret it. It's a pity that the shipyard I worked so hard to build was ruined by him! ”

"People say that Shen Tingfeng is good at foreign affairs, don't you know that ironclad ships are useless? The ironclad steamer was originally regarded as a waste by the British, and the dock was a pot of gold for all countries, and the ship was useless after running out of money, how could Shen Tingfeng not hear about it? I advised them to build more ships for both military and commercial purposes, and to transport them if they had nothing to do, and to catch thieves when they had trouble. He didn't listen to my advice, changed the factory site, and wanted to build an ironclad ship, wasting national funds, misleading the country and the sick people, don't think about it! ”

When a young official heard this, he couldn't bear it anymore, and got up in the duty room and shouted: "Zuo Jigao! Leave virtue under your mouth! My uncle's reputation is so slanderous! ”

Zuo Jigao was startled by this angry shout, turned his head to look, and saw Lin Yizhe who was clenching his fists and glaring angrily.

Lin Yizhe's burst of shouting was like a thunderbolt in the ground, and the courtroom, which was originally slightly noisy, instantly became quiet, and everyone's eyes were invariably focused on this young official.

"Zuo Jigao! You shameless! Hugh has to be unscrupulous! ”

Lin Yizhe stepped forward quickly, stretched out his halberd and pointed at Zuo Jigao, who was sitting there looking a little dazed, "How could my uncle have failed you, you dared to openly resist him in broad daylight, not afraid of being thundered by the sky?" ”

Zuo Jigao narrowed his eyes, and then he saw clearly that it was Lin Yizhe standing in front of him, it was really an enemy meeting, his eyes were extremely red, his body straightened all of a sudden, and his eyes were also wide.

"Shaft child, where is there a place for you to speak? Don't you ...... soon."

Before Zuo Jigao finished speaking, Lin Yizhe interrupted him with another loud shout.

"Zuo Jigao! Are you allowed to slander at will, and no one else is allowed to speak up? ”

Lin Yizhe sneered, "It's just that you can slander Zeng Wenzhenggong, and if you slander my uncle, I will never spare you!" ”

"Good, good! I don't argue with you, a yellow-mouthed kid, here, stay in the court for a while, I want you to look good! Zuo Jigao's fat body couldn't stop trembling in the chair, obviously angry, he raised his hand, pointed at Lin Yizhe tremblingly, and said viciously. (To be continued......)

PS: Once I went to the train station, I lost my mobile phone, and my witty daughter-in-law immediately sent me a text message with her own mobile phone, saying: "Husband, why have you been in the toilet for so long, why don't you answer the call?" It's time, I'll go first, I put the 20,000 yuan I gave to my mother, and I saved it in the station depository, box 186, the password is 1685, see you at home! ”

So, half an hour later, we caught the thief at the locker with the security guard!

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