Put a weathered heart in a safety bag

Although Zeng Guofan is on the front line, he can always put a weathered heart in a safety bag, and the secret of "hiding the heart is hiding".

Zeng Guofan said that he was almost "clumsy", but in fact, he was very deep in the city and quite scheming. Whether he is in a high position of power, when he responds to every call, when he is decisive and decides at a word, or when he is embarrassed and humiliated, he does not associate with the relatives and nobles of the DPRK and China. He does not want to get involved in high-level political struggles and make unnecessary sacrifices, but this does not mean that he has close ties with the high-level, especially those who hold the power of life and death to a large extent. In fact, Zeng Guofan relied on Mu Zhang'a in the Daoguang Dynasty, Su Shun in the Xianfeng Dynasty, Prince Gong in the Tongzhi Dynasty, etc., and the appearance is obvious, but it is worth noting that Mu Zhang'a and Su Shun did not die well, and Yi also experienced several setbacks, and the officials of Zeng Guofan were promoted, and the shadow was sealed, and the ups and downs of the Huan Sea seemed to have no chance with him. What is particularly amazing is that even if the successor and predecessor in power have a common enmity, Zeng Guofan will not move, which is worth studying. Su Shun and Mu Zhang'a are like this, Prince Gong and Su Shun are also like this, they are all "enemies succession", and the relationship with Mu and Su is not ordinary. We believe that this is Zeng Guofan's use of the strategy of "having a soul and not revealing traces".

Let's take the relationship between Zeng Guofan and Su Shun as an example. Among the Manchu nobles, Wen Qing, who advocated the reuse of the Hunan army group, died of illness in the sixth year of Xianfeng, but there were successors and more powerful. In the later period of Xianfeng, the group headed by Prince Yi Zaiyuan, Prince Zheng Duanhua and his half-brother Su Shun from the imperial family has been formed, and has increasingly won the trust of Emperor Xianfeng and gained more and more power. "The three of them are intertwined, and they are engaged in major politics together, and the power of the Military Aircraft Department is gradually shifting, and the Minister of Military Aircraft is obedient to orders, and they are just accompanied by food." Su Shun is particularly prominent, daring to act in the face of problems, and is particularly persistent in the struggle for power. On the one hand, he rejected the Manchu and Han ministers who attacked the government, which made the university scholar Weng Xincun, the university scholar and military minister Peng Yunzhang, and the co-organizer of the university scholar Zhou Zupei uneasy; even instigated Emperor Xianfeng to execute Qiying, who was once a university scholar, and Bai Jun, the minister of military aircraft who was a university scholar. The Qing court has always been more courteous to ministers, and it is rare to judge the dead for their crimes. Ignoring this, Su Shun even advocated the execution of the minister twice in two or three years, which was obviously to establish his majestic image in the imperial court. On the other hand, he formed a sworn alliance with Du Han, Minister of Military Aircraft, Chen Fuen, Secretary of the Ministry of War, and Huang Zonghan, Governor of Liangguang. At the same time, it also recruited a wide range of well-known officials and celebrities, "quite a lot of talents, in order to extend the reputation of the party, first and stay in Beijing bus, the second Beijing Cao, the second foreign officials." When he visited Jiangxi Taoist Li Huan as a cadre and had a good name, he asked Li to hand him the "protégé Cambodia", "you can be promoted to two divisions".

Su Shun's attack on ministers and political opponents in this way, and the wanton recruitment of party henchmen, obviously paved the way for him to control the government for a long time; Later, he competed with the Nala clan and Yi for supreme power, which was the embodiment of this plot. People with such ambitions naturally would not be indifferent to the army at that time, especially the Hunan army, which had the strongest combat effectiveness. However, whether it is to crack down on or encircle the Hunan army group, it is far more delicate than the above-mentioned activities, and it must be handled with great care. The army is the backbone of the state apparatus, and ministers have close contacts with the generals who lead the troops, which are most likely to attract attacks from political opponents and even lead to unforeseen disasters. Su Shun naturally did not dare to act rashly, and Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi would also maneuver skillfully to avoid suspicion.

In fact, Sushun does have a subtle connection with the Hunan military group. Among the many senior members recruited, many of them have close relations with the Hunan Army Group, or even become members of the Hunan Army Group. For example, Yin Gengyun was not only a member of Zeng Guofan's subordinate when he was a waiter in the Ministry of Rites, and "extremely important", but at the same time, Yin was also a subordinate of Su Shun, and he "saluted" him. Li Hongyi (Meisheng), as his son said: "Under the sect of Wenzheng (Zeng Guofan) in Beijing, he knows the character of the ancestors. Later, Su Shun was "good with the first gentleman". Others, such as Guo Songtao, Wang Yun, Long Bai Zhenchen, Li Shourong and others, are all from Changsha Mansion and have dealings with Zeng and Hutong. Guo was not only appreciated by Su, but also had a close relationship with Chen Fuen, who recommended Guo to Emperor Xianfeng as "the choice of a strategist", and was "summoned on the same day to walk in the south study". Su was even more "excited" to the king, and wanted to marry the king as "brothers with different surnames". Such an exceptional treatment made the king grateful for the rest of his life. Decades later, Wang went to Beijing to visit Su's son and provided him with financial support. Long is Su Shun's tutor. Although the relationship between Li and Su broke down later, when Li was a subordinate of the household department, he "saw that the head office was still subordinate, and the ministry consulted him". In addition, there are some people, although they have little contact with Zeng, Hu and others, but they have a close relationship with Wang, Guo and others, and are appreciated by Su Shun, such as Gao Xinkui and others.

Su Shun encircled these celebrities, in addition to cultivating his future political minions, he also discussed political affairs with them. They actually played the role of staff. For example, during the Second Opium War, "at that time, the first rise of the war, the court negotiated peace, Yin Xingnong (Gengyun) was the main battle, Guo Yunxian (Songtao) was the main peace, and all were clear; Su Yuting (Shun) is based on the violation of the peace war, and is good Yin, Guo, and called the minister. Yu (Wang Yun) is the reward of Yuting, and he is also good at Yin and Guo, and he is called Su Dang". That is to say, Su Shun listened to their opinions and even participated in their discussions on the issue of peace and war, but did not express a clear proposition. The suppression of the Taiping Revolution, the rise of the Hunan army group and its outstanding military exploits were the biggest political affairs at that time, and Su Shun naturally consulted with them. In fact, Su Shun discussed military affairs with the king, that is, the so-called "military consultation before acting". They will also take the opportunity to come up with ideas. At the same time, they discussed political affairs with Zeng, Hu and others in letters.

This means that Su Shun and the Hunan military group can have indirect or even direct contacts through Guo, Wang and others. However, due to Su Shun's disrepute, such materials have been destroyed, and the details of the interaction can no longer be ascertained, but in some private records, there are still occasional accounts. For example, when the Fan case occurred in the ninth year, the official wanted to take the opportunity to attack Zuo Zongtang, and the case was later settled peacefully, and Zuo was not humiliated. Although Hu Linyi's intercession with the official document played a role, it was mainly due to Su Shun's strong help. Su Shun learned of the edict to severely punish Zuo, that is, he informed the guest Gao Xinkui, and Gao told Wang Yun and Guo Songtao, and Wang asked for help from Su Shun, and replied that "the ministers and workers at home and abroad must be sponsored, and the rest can be spoken." Guo Nai instigated Pan Zuyin to go up and down, and Su immediately took the opportunity to say that Zuo was in Hunan, "Praise the military strategy, and the results are repeated, and Luo Bingzhang's achievements are all his contributions." Talents are rare, and they should be cherished. Please send another official document to record the Chinese and foreign sponsors, so that they can handle it at their discretion." In this way, the official document naturally cannot change the rudder without seeing the wind. This incident not only proves that Su Shun took the initiative to curry favor with the Hunan Army Group and tried to establish some kind of cooperative relationship with the Hunan Army Group through Guo, Wang and others, but also vividly reflected that Su Shun, like Wen Qing, advocated the reuse of the Hunan Army Group, which was a cut above the conformist Qi Junzao and Peng Yunzhang.

In the second leap month of the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), Emperor Xianfeng appointed Liu Changyou as the governor of Guangxi, which was the harbinger of this change. In March and April, when the news reached the capital that the camp in Jiangnan had completely collapsed and that southern Jiangsu was disintegrating, people felt the seriousness of the problem and talked about it. As early as the last years of Daoguang, Mo Youzhi, who established friendship with Zeng Guofan, "discussed with two or three celebrities that Jiang Du Fei Gong (that is, Zeng Guofan) must be, and at that time, the monarch was Shangshu Sushun, and Gao Bimei (i.e., Gao Xinkui) Pavilion at Hukou was his home, so he went to Shangyan." Gao Bai is more obedient and solemn. The next day, the diameter of the highest hall, the handshake said that the matter was done". In April, it was announced that Zeng Guofan would be appointed acting governor of Liangjiang. He was the founder of the Hunan Army and the person that Emperor Xianfeng distrusted the most, and whether he could serve as the governor and hold both military and political power became the key to whether the relationship between the Hunan Army Group and the Manchu nobles could enter a new stage. Su Shun took advantage of the time to break through the barrier, and it was not difficult for others to succeed Zeng as the governor. That is to say, the Manchu aristocracy finally abandoned the old policy and adopted a new policy, that is, from use and restriction to comprehensive dependence. This shift is also evidenced by the facts. In June, he was not only appointed as the governor of Liangjiang, but also given the important task of minister. In October, Yan Shusen was appointed governor of Henan. In December, Tian Xingshu was appointed as the minister of the Qin Mission to supervise the military affairs of Guizhou. In the first month of the 11th year, Li Xuyi was appointed governor of Anhui. In the months that followed, there were no new appointments, and the momentum of the Hunan Army Group as governors seemed to have been curbed. On July 17, Emperor Xianfeng died of illness, and the government was led by Su Shun and others, and the appointment climax rose again. On July 20, Luo Bingzhang was appointed governor of Sichuan and Mao Hongbin was appointed governor of Hunan. In August, Jiang Zhongyi was appointed as the governor of Guizhou (before he arrived, Tian Xingshu was appointed as the governor). On September 17, Peng Yulin was appointed governor of Anhui, and Li Xuyi was transferred to the governor of Hubei. Soon after, the Qixiang coup d'état occurred, and Su Shun and others became prisoners.

Su Shun affirmed Zeng Guofan, the commander of the Hunan army, and others many times, but Zeng Guofan, who was good at figuring out the changes in the political situation, did not return the favor, he just secretly sent Qiu Bo through Guo Songtao and others. When Zeng Guofan saw Su Shun's murderous prestige, he felt more and more that he couldn't tie himself to Su Shun, a big tree that was easy to shake. This is why after Su Shun was executed and copied his family, he copied out a lot of letters that the civil and military officials exchanged with him, and Zeng Guofan did not exchange a word with him, which is why Cixi called Zeng Guofan a "loyal minister".

Let others see that you are going to acquire a successful personality, and you will definitely be pressured by all sides to make you breathless. Zeng Guofan believes that to be a man, we must have the art of hiding, which requires that we first "hide our hearts".

Be clear-headed, step by step

Some people say that Lu Duan of the Song Dynasty is confused, but Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, thinks that he is confused in small matters and not confused in major matters, and decides to appoint him as the prime minister. Later, Zhao Guangyi was seriously ill, and Wang Jien was afraid that the crown prince Zhao Heng would be wise and would be unfavorable to their party after becoming the emperor, so he colluded with Li Changling, the governor of the government, and Li Jixun, the commander of the capital, to conspire to overthrow the prince. At this time, Lu Duan went to the palace to visit Zhao Guangyi, and found that the prince was not around, so he suspected that things had changed. So, he immediately wrote a big word "gradually" on his tooth wat and asked his henchmen to hurry up and urge the prince to come to Zhao Guangyi's side, the meaning of this "gradual" word was to tell him that the emperor was critically ill. After Zhao Guangyi's death, the empress asked Wang Jien to summon Lü Duan to discuss who to appoint as emperor. After hearing this, Lu Duan knew that things were not good, and immediately tricked Wang Jien into the study and locked him, after the queen saw Lu Duan, she said that she wanted to set up her eldest son Zhao Yuanzuo, and Lu Duan immediately retorted: "The first emperor has established the crown prince, but he doesn't want Yuanzuo to inherit the throne, and now that the first emperor has just died, how can we immediately change the holy order?" The queen had nothing to say when she heard this, so she made Zhao Heng the emperor. On the day when the prince ascended the throne, Lu Duan was afraid of fraud, so he refused to bow down first, and waited until people rolled up the curtains, approached and recognized that it was Zhao Heng, and then retreated, and then led the ministers to worship.

The change of the throne is the top priority of the feudal dynasty, and it is indeed related to the chaos of the country. Lu Duan handled this matter very decisively and cautiously, which shows that he is not confused in major matters. It can be seen that people who are confused in small things not only do not prevent them from achieving great things, but also help them achieve great things.

Liu Yong, who has experienced decades of officialdom ups and downs, was quite open-minded in his later years, and also had his own way of confusion, and thought it was the way to insurance. It's all written down on paper. He wrote in "Nine Songs of Watching Chess: The Giver": Xiao Huang has always been a big idiot, and he has six and three odds.

Who has wealth in the world, and the stars in the sky know it?

What's the matter with being a guest, even more pity and hunger.

The crows chirp and the magpie are noisy, carry their voices and listen to them. In "Chess", it is said that the meaning of things is in the trap, and it is good to go to it but not also: before forgetting the machine and thinking clearly, you may wish to explore the vertical and horizontal;

The night silence of the empty mountain is heard, and the ancient view has a sound from time to time during the long day;

The spring and autumn outside the world have changed, and the black and white in the eyes are self-distinct;

After the leisurely tea is ripe and fragrant, the two meanings are related to each other. Unconsciously confused is really confused, deliberate confusion is fake confusion, and fake confusion is pretended, it is easy to expose the filling, and it is easy to have problems if you are not careful, so Sun Bin pretended to be crazy and had to stuff even stinky feces into his mouth, and he wanted to show that he didn't know its smell; Ruan and Liu avoided the world, and couldn't help but form a fate with wine, and they were often drunk and couldn't wake up, and their unawake place was their wake-up place. It is extremely difficult to pretend to be confused, so Zheng Banqiao sighed: "It's rare to be confused." ”

The philosophy of the world is summarized by people in troubled times or in times of imperial power. In troubled times, not everyone can make a big career; And when the emperor is self-confident and opens the river by his own temperament, that is, the speaker is unintentional, and the listener thinks that the golden mouth and jade words are also the golden rules, and the king calls the minister to die, so the minister has to die. At this time, everyone is in danger. In fact, in the feudal era of China, there were few high-ranking officials who did not tremble and deal with themselves, and those who did not pretend to be confused often did not die well. Therefore, a long time ago, Lao Tzu said, "It is better to keep the middle than to talk too much", and the public note on the Han River said, "Many things harm God, and too many words harm the body." If you open your tongue and raise your tongue, there will be disaster", so "it is better to keep virtue in the middle, nurture the spirit, and love and hope".

Liu Yong often pretends to be confused, but he is not a complete real confused. This caused him to repeatedly show his feet and be caught, and it seems that he did not come home in confusion.

When acquiring a successful personality, you must be clear-headed, not confused and arbitrary. If you are confused and think blindly, you will lose the opportunity to acquire a successful personality and will not be able to keep your achievements. Zeng Guofan understood the mystery, always clear-headed, step by step to climb high and look far.

In his early years, Zeng Guofan was a very characterful and outspoken person, but after years of ups and downs, he also had a "muddy" formula, that is, he couldn't ask everything to be clear.

A normal person, in fact, sometimes needs to be confused, but sometimes also needs to be shrewd, the key is to grasp the opportunity of confusion and shrewdness, if the "rare confusion" as a consistent creed, then he will not become a really confused person, I have not seen a really confused person can also achieve great things, if to a stupid person, fool, and still tell him "rare to be confused", then the person who said this must be a very insidious person, trying to maintain his shrewd advantage by making others forever in the confusion can not wake up. In ancient times, most of the officials who enforced the law like Bao Gong and Di Renjie were very shrewd people, and their shrewdness and integrity created their success and won people's respect. Therefore, I advise the people of the world that "rare confusion" must not be abused.

Zeng Guofan's "rare confusion" means that when the world is chaotic, when the world is chaotic, when you suffer setbacks due to shrewdness, you should not be too shrewd and upright. This is clearly known in a letter to several younger brothers on April 20, 1853, the third year of Xianfeng.

Wang Pushan was defeated because of arrogance and delayed the overall situation, and everyone with insight knows it. The day before yesterday, he recruited hundreds of villagers at home, killed 30 remnants in Shitan, and falsely reported that he had won the battle, saying that he had killed hundreds of thieves. I hated him so much. An excerpt that I played with Zhongcheng and Admiral was made by Zuo Jigao. I originally read the manuscript of the excerpt, but later added a few more paragraphs to the left, and actually added Wang Pushan's victory in fighting fakes. After sending out the excerpt, Zuo only sent the folded draft to get me to agree, but there was no choice but to endure it. Zhu Shiqiao was defeated in Yuezhou and fled back, and was defeated in Ningxiang, fled several times, and came to the provincial capital not long ago, I was troubled and depressed in the provincial capital every day, and many things did not go well, so I could only compromise and slowly try to solve it. The day before yesterday, he blamed Zhu Shiqiao in person, and he had nothing to say. But there are many people in the officialdom who don't take me for granted. In the future, nothing will be accomplished, and if you live up to the emperor's appointment, you can only be ashamed and hateful, and can you still resent others? What's the benefit of complaining about others? The chaos of the general world must start with the unclear right and wrong, black and white, and the brothers must reluctantly distinguish one by one, and the more they seek to understand, the more confused they will be, and they will definitely be angry to the end. I hope that the younger brothers will learn to be calm and learn to be "rare and confused". From now on, not only should you not say anything about Pushan, but also do not say it in your faith. Because of the reversal of right and wrong, he was upright and upright, so that he "did not do many things well", so he had to "seek perfection and slowly try to solve it". Obviously, Zeng Guofan told his brothers from his own experience that the whole environment is unclear about right and wrong, black and white, and he is independent, trying to turn the tide in a corner, which is beyond his personal ability, can he not be confused? Through the experience of Zeng Guofan, we have realized that in front of a faint king who does not like to admonish, everyone is flattering and servile, "everyone is accustomed to the style of Fat Weiweia", and only you are upright and outspoken, and it is fortunate not to be killed, so when you are faced with powerlessness to change your habits, or go with the flow, go with the flow, or seek perfection with a rare "confused", retain the purity of that heart, and wait for the opportunity to find another good plan. Otherwise, he can only destroy himself with a clean and courageous attitude like Qu Yuan.

So, did Zeng Guofan really always make himself live in confusion? When the Qing court asked him to control the military affairs of the four provinces and hand over the power to him, Zeng Guofan could immediately think that the four provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi were half of the Qing Dynasty's wealth and treasures, and now the imperial court was all handed over to him, which was undoubtedly a great reliance on himself, but he still couldn't get rid of the shadow of Su Shun in his mind, thinking of Su Shun's care for himself and some other Han officials in recent years, as well as the non-direct, but also unusual connection between them, But don't get involved in any way.

Out of a strong sense of self-preservation, he naturally connected the two things, why did the imperial court increase its power on the one hand, and on the other hand, tell itself about the changes in the overall situation of the government in such a very special way? This is clearly not only to use oneself, but also to spur and warn oneself. It seems that there must be a very complicated background here. The new ruler of the court must be a capable man, not to be taken lightly, and must be cautious.

He hurriedly called Li Hongzhang to exchange views on this matter. Li Hongzhang was known among Zeng Guofan's aides as having a good understanding of the overall situation and a deep understanding of the political situation, but now he can't say why, he just feels that this matter is indeed extraordinary, and he must have a better understanding of the situation as soon as possible.

At night, Zeng Guofan couldn't sleep for a long time, and he didn't fall asleep until the third watch, but he woke up again after the fourth watch. Lying on the bed, he tossed and turned again to think. According to the ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty, the governor of Liangjiang was often in charge of the military affairs of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, but the military affairs of Zhejiang have always been under the control of the governors of Fujian and Zhejiang. His mood was quite heavy for a while, and he felt that he was too powerful, too high, and too famous, and those who had a false name and were worth the times often did not die well. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel terrified, so I made up my mind to go to the imperial court, resign from the power, and dare not control the military affairs of the four provinces.

In order to give a speech and control the military affairs of the four provinces, Zeng Guofan prepared for 10 days. He discussed daily with the staff of the shogunate, always trying to find the best reason to convince the court. After repeated discussions, everyone agreed that they had no choice but to push Zuo Zongtang out of the front and make a fuss about Zuo Zongtang's entry into the Zhejiang Supervision Army.

In January 1862, the Qing court officially approved that Zeng Guofan still had jurisdiction over the military affairs of the four provinces, and ordered Zeng Guofan not to make any more speeches.

The Qing court rejected Zeng's resignation on two grounds: special needs and the appointment of a position because of people. In addition to feeling the special favor of the imperial court for him, Zeng Guofan also knew that such a great power was indeed a bit hot. Therefore, while expressing his acceptance of the special mission of controlling the military affairs of the four provinces, he made it clear to the imperial court that he hoped that the imperial court would not give him and his brothers any favors until Tianjing City, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was conquered.

After reading these, can it be said that Zeng Guofan was confused? Don't be too fine

As the saying goes, being smart is being mistaken by being smart. If a person is shrewd, he can indeed take advantage of a lot, but if he is too shrewd, others will definitely guard against it, and shrewd people often do not see this. A shrewd person can be shrewd once, or twice, but few people can be shrewd three times, because once shrewdness is inspiration, second shrewdness is a lesson, and three shrewdness is vigilance!

In their interactions, people often like to associate with simple people. Interact with simple people relaxed, natural, without effort, and be vigilant; This is not to say that a simple person is a fool and can be deceived and manipulated at will, but that he is pure-hearted, pure, and indifferent. Such a person understands a lot, thinks deeply, and sees very thoroughly, but he puts his mind on things that are more valuable and meaningful. This is the kind of person Xunzi said: "Gentle as jade, perfect and pure." ”

However, when dealing with shrewd people, you have to be careful and vigilant at all times, as the slightest mistake will fall into the mud and traps. The longer you have been dating, the more you get along, the more you feel cheated, fooled, and of course, uncomfortable. If there is no way to break off relations with him, then he will deal with this person with shrewd tactics. This is in line with Zheng Banqiao's words: "Try to see what the world will plan, how can you ever plan to get a little from others, it is really your own ears!" ”

Zeng Guofan is a shrewd person, and his younger brother Zeng Guoquan is also a shrewd person, and they have suffered a lot because of their shrewdness.

For scholars, Zeng Guofan can still treat each other with sincerity, he said: "People come with hypocrisy, I go with sincerity, and after a long time, hypocrites tend to be sincere." But for the handover of officialdom, the two brothers were overwhelmed. They know how to be sophisticated, but they have a belly of inappropriateness, and they can't be hard or soft, so they run into walls everywhere. It's natural that you are sincere to people, and people are sincere to you; You are secret from men, and they are secret from you; If you are out of place with people, people will be out of place with you.

And Zeng Guofan's friend Dean has an advantage, that is, he doesn't understand human feelings at all, although he also has a belly out of place, but he blindly keeps it and never reveals it, so he can be leisurely and unharmed. However, the Zeng Guofan brothers are always exposed, always like to discuss and perform, and they are shrewd everywhere, but they are not shrewd everywhere. Zeng Guofan reminded Zeng Guoquan: This is not the way to carry blessings after all, and it is likely to bring us disasters.

Later, Zeng Guofan seemed to have understood, and he wrote in a letter to Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei: "Only forgetting the opportunity can dispel public ridicule, but ignorance can purify (eliminate) ominousness." "Unfortunately, he didn't put it into practice.

Therefore, it is better to be a little confused in order to learn, not to be too refined.

However, it is not easy to make a shrewd person confused, unless he has experienced many people and things, and has suffered a lot of setbacks and tribulations, he will not be confused. Didn't Zheng Banqiao already say it? It's hard to be smart, it's hard to be confused, it's even more difficult to go back to being confused, and only when you enter this realm can you understand what life is all about.

Only when a person has a good eye can he discover where there is a chance to acquire a successful character. Zeng Guofan has a pair of "clairvoyance" and can often see what is available in time.

Remember the four taboos of life

To be honest, some people make mistakes again and again because they lack deep experience in life. Do you see those who have acquired successful personalities, which one of them does not have a sophisticated method in dealing with the world, and a set of vivid communication skills? Zeng Guofan set a taboo for himself to obtain a successful character, which shows his intentions!

There are many taboos in life interactions, which, if easily violated, can lead to unexpected bad results. Zeng Guofan's life has accumulated many things that are enough to warn future generations, and his four taboos in life are also thought-provoking.

1. Rhetoric

When Zeng Guofan was young, he was a person who was good at rhetoric and had a strong desire to express himself.

One day, Zeng Guofan went to his friend Chen Daiyun's residence and talked about poetry with Daiyun. Zeng Guofan "poured the basket upside down, and said everything", he confided everything he saw, heard, and thought in one go, and did not return home until midnight. But as soon as he returned home, he regretted that he had already made a mistake by indulging in poetry and writing every day, instead of practicing fear and prudence.

The next day, his friend Feng Shutang came to visit, so he also invited Chen Daiyun to come. The three of them chatted about preparing food and drinks, and they started talking. Feng Shutang and Chen Daiyun are very restrained, only Zeng Guofan talks endlessly. What was discussed was still the topic of last night, but Zeng Guofan was complacent. After the friends dispersed, Zeng Guofan reviewed it again, forgetting the admonition in Han Yu's "Famous Proverbs", only paying attention to appearance, and despising internal cultivation, and talking exaggeratedly, it almost became a daily vice!

Zeng Guofan's strength is that he can reflect on himself. Let us remember a sentence in the Book of Songs: "Don't say anything, don't say anything about it, don't say anything about it (law, reason, reasonable)." ”

2. Be a good teacher

"The trouble of people is to be a good teacher." The words of Mencius more than 2,000 years ago are still fresh in my ears.

Opening the "Complete Works of Zeng Guofan", with 15 million words, how many proverbs and warnings, endless lessons and lessons, and endless vicissitudes of life, Zeng Guofan seems to have recorded all his knowledge, wisdom and talents, among which there are many profound and sobering places, but there are also many lessons. There are those who are for their sons and nephews, brothers, subordinates, colleagues, and even those who are for the emperor. In an August 1860 diary, Zeng Guofan wrote:

Congratulations to Zhu (the emperor's imperial pen) criticism, and the rest of the teacher's heart (the idea of being a good teacher) for his own use. In 1839, I entered Beijing and asked my grandfather for a lesson, and my grandfather commanded me with the word "proud", and now the emperor reprimands me with a teacher's heart. When carving one side of the seal, mark these two ends.

Fortunately, the emperor is sick and in internal and external difficulties, otherwise, a catastrophe will come, and the wilderness will be cold. Zeng Guofan received such a royal approval from the emperor, I am afraid that it is not the only offense, from the perspective of his own way of life, it is really natural to be warned by the emperor.

Zeng Guofan's sons and nephews only had lessons, no discussions; To the brothers, there is less discussion, but more lessons; For colleagues, there are many discussions, but there are also many lessons. At home, he is the façade and a man of his word; In the barracks, he is the commander-in-chief, and the military orders are like mountains; In the provincial capital, he was the governor and showed one side. It can be described as superior everywhere and authoritative in all directions. In addition, he has a temperament, and his grandfather taught him not to be cowardly and stubborn, but also to be stubborn, so he developed the habit of teaching and guiding people.

3. Speak lightly and shortly

Zeng Guofan said: "The gap (negligence) of regretting oneself in everything, and the gap between discussing others after the fact, are all experienced and shallow. In other words, the negligence of the person who discussed it after the fact, or the negligence of the person behind it, is a manifestation of the lack of involvement in the world.

What is the "world"? The world is man, his eyes, ears and mouth, his vigilance, defensiveness and resistance. Everyone's heart is churning with never-ending waves, on the surface everyone is harmonious, a bright spring, but in private the spring is locked and dark. That's why there are intrigues, intrigues, tit-for-tat, clever grabbing, and the slightest disturbance will cause an uproar. So Xunzi said that human nature is evil.

4. Be careful

Zeng Guofan said: If you want to be a good person and a perfect person, you must first start without being greedy for money. If you can do it without being greedy or stingy, then you can make the ghost obey the gods, and it will be natural, and your knowledge will be progressing day by day, and your righteousness will be strong. Otherwise, if you unknowingly fall into the despicable first-class, there will definitely be a day when you will be looked down upon, don't be careless!

△Decryption of Tsang's Yuantong Character (1)

Seasoned Chicken Soup for the Soul Zeng Guofan is a very round person, without revealing his edge or traces. This tells people that one of the principles of dealing with the world is that they must be round when they are round. In fact, whether a person is round or not is directly related to the art of making chicken soup for the soul.

Self-regulation is the only way to obtain a simple and happy way of life science research. For example, "chicken soup for the soul" is a fashionable term that refers to the various symptoms that exist in the modern people's minds and the desired degree to be achieved. "Heart" is the house of one's spirit, and "chicken soup" is a symbolic term. In any case, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" tells people a basic truth: the mind is a rich and nutritious "chicken soup world". The British philosopher Bokzi said in his book Mind Creativity and Modern Life: "The heart, especially the modern heart, does not become a ballad, because they are always faced with the pressures and challenges of life." For the most practical life of modern people, it is a long-cherished wish to successfully create a beautiful soul. We can't wait for others to give us something, we can only use our wisdom to create the good ingredients of the soul. Indeed, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" needs to be adjusted by everyone who lives with various feelings, otherwise your life will lose its flavor.

Spice up "chicken soup for the soul" is a great way to get a happy state of mind. What are the "chicken soup for the soul"? Happiness, pain, depression, sadness, anger, etc. Truth be told, it's difficult for anyone to turn "Chicken Soup for the Soul" into a "Song of the Heart", which requires a joyful creative mind. According to Yale University's sample survey of modern human psychology, there are 10 psychological phenomena that people focus on creatively:

1. Do I have a happy mood all the time?

2. When is my mood most vulnerable?

3. Can I control my mood?

4. How do others spoil my mood?

5. What good feelings do others bring to my mood?

6. Is my mood greatly affected by the environment?

7. Why is it difficult to describe my feelings?

8. What is my usual way of adjusting my mood?

9. Can the media affect my mood changes?

10. What is my strategy for controlling my mood?

The good and bad mindset gives each creative a different motivation. Someone said, "Mood flashes across everyone's face." "There's some truth to that. The question now is: how can every creative get rid of the negative mentality that has accumulated in their minds in order to create a good feeling for the creative life.

If we approach negative attitudes with a positive attitude, they can become a challenge that automatically arouses the spontaneous strength and capacity within us. Difficulties, pressures, setbacks, etc., give us more strength in our hearts, and if we deal with them in a positive and not negative way, it will only benefit our work and not do it harm.

Almost everyone knows someone who has been devastated and failed because others say he "can't do it"; In the same way, there are also people who, after hearing the same sentence, rise up to the challenge and resolutely do it. When we hear negative cues or suggestions from others, we should respond with the same positive attitude, which is not only possible, but also practical.

Our state of mind cannot be controlled by will, and it cannot open and close as we wish. If we cannot control it by command, we can control it by stratagem. If it cannot be controlled by direct action, it can be controlled indirectly.

A "bad" mindset cannot be driven away by intentional actions or willpower, but it can be replaced by another mood. When a positive attack cannot drive away a negative mood, you can replace it with a positive one to expel it. Remember, mood changes with imagination, and it is consistent with and equal to what our nervous system accepts as "real" or "circumstantial." When we find that we are in a bad state of mind, we should no longer concentrate on it, but we should try our best to drive it away. Instead, we should concentrate on conceiving a positive image—filling our minds with positive imaginations and memories.

Once we do this, the negative mood will dissipate by self-deprecation. We will be in a mood commensurate with the newly imagined things.

We all want our mood to be comfortable, but in "Chicken Soup for the Soul", this kind of beautiful idea almost does not exist, because any mood has to face the impact of various things in real life, good or bad, happy or sad, this is a mental exam. Isn't it true that Pow Adams thinks that life is a "game of mindset"?

Good at seasoning chicken soup for the soul can win friendship and cooperation. Benjamin Franklin applied this principle to turn a mean enemy into a lifelong friend. At that time, Franklin was a young man, and he invested all his savings in a small printing house. He also found a way to get himself elected clerk to the Philadelphia State Assembly. In this way, he would be able to get the job of printing documents for Parliament, which would be very profitable, so he certainly did not want to lose his position as clerk. But there was an unfavorable situation. One of the richest and most capable members of the parliament was very disliked by Franklin. Not only did he dislike Franklin, but he also publicly scolded him.

The situation was dangerous, and Franklin was determined to make him like.

But how? It's a conundrum. Give his enemies a little favor? No, that would arouse his suspicion and even contempt.

Franklin was too smart to make such a dilemma. So, he took the opposite approach, he went and asked the enemy to do him a small favor.

Franklin borrowed 10 bucks from his enemies? No! What he asked for was very pleasing to the other party—a request that touched his vanity and made him feel respected. This request was a subtle expression of Franklin's admiration for the other party's knowledge and accomplishments.

Here's what Franklin himself recounted:

"When I heard that he had a very strange and special book in his library, I wrote him a note, saying that I was eager to see it, and begged him to lend me the book for a few days, so that I could read it carefully.

He immediately had the book brought in. After about a week, I returned the book to him, along with a letter expressing my sincere gratitude.

So, the next time we met in the council, he greeted me (he had never done that before) and was very polite. From then on, he was always willing to help, and we became very good friends until he died. ”

It's been more than 150 years since Franklin died, and the psychological method he used, that is, the psychological method of asking others to help you, can be said to be effective for us in this life and in this life.

Remember, we all want to be appreciated and valued by others, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to get it, so you have to learn to spice up Chicken Soup for the Soul.

△Decipherment of Tsang's Yuantong Character (2)

Must learn self-controlZeng Guofan believes that whether a person has a well-rounded personality is often equivalent to his emotions. People who are not good at self-control are prone to outbursts of bad emotions. In fact, there are not so many dissatisfaction and contradictions in life, the key depends on the attitude and mentality towards people and things, so Zeng Guofan has a round life and a peaceful heart. This is the inspiration that Zeng Guofan has given us.

Self-control is one of the rarest virtues. Napoleon Healy's survey of 160,000 adult prisoners in prisons in the United States revealed the astonishing fact that 90 per cent of these unfortunate men and women are in prison because they lack the necessary self-control, i.e., fail to devote their energies to positive and beneficial things.

In order to be a very "round" person, your enthusiasm and self-control must be equal and balanced.

In a large department store in Chicago, Napoleon Hill saw with his own eyes an incident that illustrated the importance of self-control. At the counter where the department store received customer complaints, many ladies lined up to tell the young lady behind the counter about their difficulties and what was wrong with the company. Some of the women who complained were angry and unreasonable, and some even said unpleasant things. The young lady behind the counter received the angry and disgruntled women one by one, showing no disgust. With a smile on her face, she guided the women to the appropriate department, and her manner was elegant and calm, and Napoleon Hill was amazed at her self-control.

Standing behind her was another young woman, who wrote some words on some slips of paper and handed them to the girl standing in front. The notes briefly recorded the women's complaints, but omitted the women's harsh and angry words.

It turned out that the young woman, who was standing behind the counter, smiling and listening to the complaints of customers, was deaf, and her assistant told her all the necessary facts through a note.

Napoleon Hill was intrigued by this arrangement and went to visit the manager of the department store. He told Napoleon Hill that he had chosen a deaf woman for one of the toughest and most important jobs in the company because he had been unable to find anyone else with sufficient self-control to do the job.

Napoleon Hill stood there watching the long line of women, and noticed that the kind smile on the face of the young lady behind the counter had a good effect on the angry women. When they came to her, they all looked like wild wolves roaring and roaring, but when they left, they were like meek and gentle sheep. In fact, some of them even left with a shy look on their faces, because the young woman's "self-control" had made them ashamed of what they had done.

Ever since Napoleon Hill saw that scene with his own eyes, whenever he became impatient with comments he didn't like to hear, he immediately remembered the self-controlled and calm demeanor of the girl behind the counter, and he often thought that everyone should have a pair of "mental earmuffs" that could sometimes be used to cover their ears. Napoleon Hill had personally developed a habit of "shutting his ears" on boring conversations that he did not want to hear, so as not to increase disgust and anger after hearing them. Life is short, and there is a lot of constructive work waiting for us, so we don't have to "fight back" against everyone who says something we don't like to hear.

At the beginning of Napoleon Hill's career, he found that his lack of self-control had wreaked havoc on his life. This is what he discovered from a very ordinary incident. This discovery taught Napoleon Hill one of the most important lessons of his life.

One day, Napoleon Hill had a misunderstanding with the administrator of the office building. This misunderstanding led to a hatred between the two of them, and even turned into a fierce hostility. In order to show his displeasure with Napoleon Hill, the administrator immediately turned off all the lights in the building when he learned that Napoleon Hill was the only one working in his office in the entire building. This happened several times in a row, and finally, Napoleon Hill decided to "fight back". One Sunday, when the opportunity arose, Napoleon Hill went to his study to prepare a speech for the next night, and just as he was sitting down at his desk, the lights went out.

Napoleon Hill immediately jumped up and ran to the basement of the building, where he knew he could find the administrator. When Napoleon Hill arrived, he found the caretaker busily shoveling coal into the boiler while whistling. As if nothing had happened.

Napoleon Hill immediately lashed out, and for five minutes he scolded the Administrator in terms hotter than the fire in the boiler.

In the end, Napoleon Hill couldn't think of any curse words, so he slowed down. At this point, the Administrator straightened up, turned his head, smiled cheerfully, and said in a soft tone full of composure and self-control:

"Ah, you're a little excited this morning, aren't you?"

His words were like a sharp dagger that pierced Napoleon Hill's body at once.

Think of what Napoleon Hill would have felt like back then. Standing in front of Napoleon Hill was an illiterate man who could neither write nor read, but despite these shortcomings, he defeated himself in this battle, not to mention the occasion of this battle, as well as the weapons, which he had chosen.

Napoleon Hill knew that not only was he defeated, but worse, he was on the initiative and on the wrong side, and all this only added to his humiliation.

Napoleon Hill turned around and returned to the office as fast as he could, he had nothing else to do. When Napoleon Hill reflected on the incident, he immediately saw that he had made a mistake. But, frankly, he was reluctant to take action to undo his mistakes.

Napoleon Hill knew that he had to apologize to that person for peace of mind. In the end, it took him a long time to make up his mind, and he decided to go to the basement and endure the humiliation that he had to endure.

When Napoleon Hill came to the basement, he called the caretaker to the door, and the caretaker asked in a calm, gentle tone:

"What do you want to do this time?"

Napoleon Hill told him: "I am back to apologize for my actions – if you will take it." The Administrator had that smile on his face again, and he said:

"With God's love, you don't need to apologize to me. No one heard what you just said except these four walls, and you and me. I'm not going to tell it, and I know you won't either, so we might as well forget about it. ”

This statement hurt Napoleon Hill even more than he did the first time, because he not only expressed his willingness to forgive Napoleon Hill, but in fact expressed his willingness to assist Napoleon Hill in concealing the matter and preventing it from being publicized to cause harm to Napoleon Hill.

Napoleon Hill walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously. Napoleon Hill shook hands with him not only with his hands, but with his heart. On the way back to his office, Napoleon Hill was in a good mood because he had finally mustered up the courage to undo what he had done wrong.

After this incident, Napoleon Hill made up his mind that he would never lose his self-control again. For once he loses his self-control, another person, whether an illiterate administrator or a cultured gentleman, can easily defeat him.

After making up his mind, Hill gradually developed a rounded personality and a more thorough grasp of the art of getting along with people. His pen began to exert more energy, and his words carried more weight. Of the people Hill began to know, he made more friends and fewer enemies. This event became one of the most important turning points in Napoleon Hill's life. Napoleon Hill said, "This incident taught me that a man cannot control others unless he first controls himself." It also made me understand the true meaning of these two words, 'If God wants to destroy a man, he must first make him mad.'" ”

It can be seen that learning to control oneself is a good way to form a round character, which is conducive to doing one's own thing.