Zeng Guofan (18 1 1 year165438+1October 26th-1March 872 12), Han nationality, whose first name was Zicheng, Ben. China was a politician, strategist, philosopher and writer in modern times, the founder and commander-in-chief of Xiang Army. Li Hongzhang (1823 February15—1901October 7), a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, was one of the main leaders of the Westernization Movement. He is a native of Hefei, Anhui Province, known as Li, also known as Li Hefei, whose real name is Li Hefei.
During Zeng Guofan's tenure as assistant minister of does, he opened a lecture hall devoted to neo-Confucianism. No matter the powerful people in the Qing Dynasty or the Han Chinese officials in Beijing, they all attended classes, including Li Hongzhang. Zeng Guofan admired him very much and often said to people, "This man will be a great man in the future and a pillar of strength."
However, Li Hongzhang, who was Jishi Shu in imperial academy at that time, was really unlucky. Every time the throne was presented to the emperor, it was hung aside, which made him very depressed. I heard that Zeng Guofan was going to leave the country, and he wanted to go at once. At that time, the imperial court attached great importance to the construction of the army, and only in the army could there be opportunities for development. Besides, Zeng Guofan is his own teacher. If he defected to him, he must be right.
On this day, Li Hongzhang carefully arranged to visit Zeng Guofan. After handing in the post, the police took him to the toilet and told Mr. Zeng that he was washing his feet and asked him to wait. I waited for two hours. Just when Li Hongzhang was furious, the attendants came at the right time. This time, they led him all the way to the door of the back room and shouted to him, "Li Dazhao is coming!" " The answer inside said, "Come in!" When Li Hongzhang walked in, he saw Zeng Guofan holding a book, sitting in a chair leisurely, and the basin in front of him was steaming. He had no manners at all, and without looking up, he bowed his head to soak his feet and said coldly, "Sit down. '
Li Hongzhang, also a North Korean official, has never received such a cold reception. Finally, unable to restrain his anger, he asked loudly, "The servant told me that you were washing your feet. I waited a long time. Why haven't you finished washing your feet? " Zeng Guofan was not annoyed, and slowly replied: "Foot is a place with a hundred holes, and washing feet is a major health event and a nuisance to all diseases." Li Hongzhang is angry. What is this? I came to see you because I have something important to discuss, not to listen to you talk about Chinese medicine. His face turned purple with anger, and all the servants waiting outside the door laughed. This smile made Li Hongzhang feel even more humiliated, so he got up and left angrily. Zeng Guofan didn't stay, said a sentence "youthful, how to do things", and then laughed. Listening to the harsh laughter, Li Hongzhang was ashamed and angry, and he couldn't wait to turn around and knock over Zeng Guofan's footbath. He fought back his anger and strode out of the door, vowing never to come to this place again.
Out of the door, Li Hongzhang is still furious. He whipped his horse with a whip. Walking to the bridge, I suddenly heard a shout from behind: "Brother, walk slowly." Looking back, I saw his old classmate Cheng Xueqi riding on horseback and smiling at him. Li Hongzhang adjusted his mood, reined in his horse and said hello to his old classmates. Cheng Xueqi told him as soon as he opened his mouth that he had been cheated by Zeng Guofan. Cheng Xueqi said, "The teacher said that you are as big as the sea, but your sharpness is too revealing. If you can get rid of this problem, you are a generalist. The teacher snubbed you on purpose to wake you up. No, he asked me to talk to your family. " Li Hongzhang was surprised and ashamed. He never realized his narrow personality, nor did he expect the teacher to come up with such a well-intentioned method. So he and Cheng Xueqi rode back to see the teacher. I saw Zeng Guofan dressed up and standing on the aisle to meet them, smiling as if he were a different person.
Why did Zeng Guofan humiliate Li Hongzhang face to face? He has a famous saying: quantity is more important than talent, and it can only be used by people. Zeng Guofan knew that Li Hongzhang was a talented person, but he was always in high spirits. To make him a pillar, his personality must be mellow and approachable. Therefore, Zeng Guofan began to neglect and honed him everywhere. Let Li Hongzhang participate in major events and exercise his decision-making ability; Debate with eloquent people and restrain their spirit; Wait for him to have dinner with everyone and force him to get rid of the problem of going to bed early and getting up late; Criticize him for bragging in front of everyone several times. Thanks to Zeng Guofan's painstaking efforts, Li Hongzhang's thoughts, personality and living habits have undergone great changes.
For an unruly person, regular encouragement can't make him wake up. Only by touching the depths of his soul can he realize his own shortcomings. ;