Zuo Zongtang and Guo Songtao, both from Xiangyin, were not only close friends but also relatives by marriage (Zuo's nephew was Guo's son-in-law). Moreover, Guo Yuzuo had the grace to save his life. They were both important officials of the Qing Dynasty. Zuo Zongtang is a famous general of the Hunan Army. He was promoted to Dongge University Scholar, Minister of Military Aircraft, and was granted the title of second-class Marquis of Kejing. Together with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Zhidong, he was also known as one of the "Four Famous Officials of the Late Qing Dynasty". Guo Songtao was also one of the founders of the Hunan Army. He once walked in Emperor Xianfeng's study room and was my country's first envoy to a foreign country. Judging from the unspoken rules of the officialdom at that time, people from the same hometown, same rank, same surname, as well as in-laws and close friends were the best interpersonal relationships. They only supported each other and rarely excluded each other. However, why did Zuo and Guo, once close friends, break up in their later years? What grudges and grudges do they have between them? Meeting to build a house, the Emperor strongly recommended that from 1833 to 1835, Zuo Zongtang and Guo Songtao, who were both studying in Xiangyin, met and became good friends. According to the "Chronicle of Zuo Zongtang", in 1850, in order to avoid the war, "Gong (Zuo Zongtang) and Guo Songtao of the same county made an agreement to avoid the land in Xiangyin and Dongshan during the Zhou Dynasty." The result of Guo and Zuo's investigation was that Baishui Cave was designated as a hermitage point. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1852, the two moved their families to Baishui to build a "mao house" as neighbors. When Changsha was besieged by the Taiping Army, Zhang Liangji, the new governor of Hunan, invited Zuo Zongtang to come out of the mountain, but Zuo Chu refused. Jiang Zhongyuan and Hu Linyi, important generals of the Hunan Army, came to persuade him to come out of the mountain. Guo Songtao also came to urge him to come out of the mountain. Guo Songtao recorded in his autobiography: "Wen Zheng and Wen Xiang were the heroes of the time, and they also started from them." This shows that Guo Songtao played an important role in Zuo Zongtang's transformation from rural life to meritorious service.
On January 5, 1859, Emperor Xianfeng summoned Guo Songtao who was walking in the upper study and asked about Zuo Zongtang's situation. Guo took the opportunity to actively recommend Zuo: "Zuo Zongtang is extremely talented, knows everything well, and knows everything. His character is extremely upright." "He (referring to Zuo) only dared not go out because of his strong nature and could not accompany him. For several years But he was working in the province every day. Nowadays, the four-pronged campaign in Hunan and the raising of troops and pay in Guizhou and Guangxi are mostly due to Zuo Zongtang. "When Emperor Xianfeng expressed that he wanted Zuo to serve the court, Guo lost no time in saying:" Zuo Zongtang is a hero, and he works hard every time he talks about world affairs. If the emperor's grace can use him, he will have no choice but to go out of his way." Guo Songtao spared no effort in recommending Zuo Zongtang. During this interview, Guo Songtao not only favored Zuo, but soon after, Guo himself also entered the South Study Room. "Fan Xie Jing's Case" came to the rescue in the winter of 1858. Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, did not say hello when he saw Zuo Zongtang, which made Zuo Zongtang, who was accustomed to arrogance, furious: "When military attachés see me, no matter how big or small, they all have to say hello." , Why don't you?" Unexpectedly, Fan Xie was also stubborn and contradicted: "The imperial system has not established the rules for military attachés to see the master to greet him. Although the military attache is a junior officer, I am also a second- and third-ranking official in the imperial court." Zuo Zongtang was furious. When he got up, he kicked Fan Xie and yelled: "You bastard, get out!" Soon, Zuo Zongtang encouraged Luo Bingzhang to impeach Fan Xie, causing him to be dismissed and sent back to his hometown. Fan Xie has a very close official relationship with the Governor of Huguang. With the support of official documents, he sued Zuo Zongtang to the court, saying that Zuo Zongtang was a "bad man", one official and two seals, arrogant and domineering. How dare a master dare to slap a second-grade official? The imperial court issued an edict, ordering people to arrest Zuo. "If there is any illegality, justice can be done on the spot.
" For a moment, the head of the arrogant Master Zuo was in danger. Zuo Zongtang had no choice but to take refuge in Zeng Guofan's camp. At this time, Guo Songtao was anxious. He immediately wrote to Luo Bingzhang of Hunan, asking him to protect Zuo Zongtang. Guo also asked Sushun for help at the same time. In addition to Guo Songtao's efforts, many people also took action. In particular, officials from the two lakes actively carried out rescue operations. Emperor Pan Zuyin's memorial "The country cannot live without Hunan, and Hunan cannot live without Zuo Zongtang" attracted the attention of Emperor Xianfeng. In addition, Guo Songtao's previous recommendation of Zuo Zongtang when he met the emperor left a deep impression on Xianfeng. When someone When it was suggested to kill this rebellious person, Xianfeng, who was in the process of employing people, made an exception and summoned Zuo Zongtang. Zuo Zongtang had a dignified appearance and extraordinary conversation. He discussed world affairs in the temple. Emperor Xianfeng admired this talented doer very much and quickly entrusted him with important tasks. Zuo was ordered to serve as a fourth-rank Jingtang candidate and serve as Zeng Guofan's assistant to help handle Hunan military affairs. Zuo Zongtang was very grateful to the court and friends. Later, after Zuo saw Pan Yinzu, he knelt down to express his thanks. Pan Yinzu was shocked. Zuo said, I am not kneeling to you, I am kneeling to the sentence in your memorial: "The country cannot live without Hunan for a day, and Hunan cannot live without Zuo Zongtang for a day." Pan told Zuo that the memorial was entrusted by Guo Songtao, and that the memorial was researched and written together with Guo Songtao.
If you want to thank, you should thank Guo Songtao. Zuo said with emotion: "Guo Yunxian (Guo Songtao) and I have a slightly deeper friendship, which is unprecedented among recent people." Zuo sent four messages in succession. Guo Diuguan returned to his hometown. In 1863, Guo Songtao became the governor of Guangdong. In 1865, the remnants of the Taiping Army, led by Kang Wang Wang Haiyang, marched from Jiangxi to Zhejiang and Fujian, and were about to reach the Longyan and Shanghang lines on the border between Fujian and Guangdong.
Guangdong is the birthplace of the Taiping Army, and the remaining fire is still warm. Once it spreads, the situation will be uncontrollable. For this reason, the imperial court ordered Zuo Zongtang to be the imperial minister to supervise the military affairs of the three provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong, and to investigate and deal with the affairs of Guangdong governor and peace ministers nearby. Guo Songtao couldn't help but be happy when he heard the news. Therefore, he frequently wrote letters to his "Brother Ji Gao" (Zuo Zongtang), telling him his difficulties and asking Zuo for help. Zuo Zongtang was stationed in Zhangzhou at the junction of Fujian and Guangdong, commanding the final battle against the Taiping Army. After receiving Guo Songtao's letter, he remained silent and reported to the court first, saying that he and Guo Songtao were related by marriage and should avoid it as usual. The imperial edict refused and asked him to report the truth. Zuo Zongtang then made four comments in a row, bluntly saying that all the mistakes in Guangdong's military affairs were due to Guo Songtao's disregard for the overall situation and "his traces of negative energy." In the last comment, he implicitly said that Guo had committed corruption. Just imagine, at this point, can the governor Guo Songtao not take the top spot? After Guo lost his official position, Zuo Zongtang immediately recommended his confidant Jiang Yili to take over as governor of Guangdong. At the end of the fourth year of Tongzhi, Zuo Zongtang finally eliminated the remnants of the Taiping Army in Meizhou, Guangdong. In September 1866, he was awarded the title of Ke Jingbo for his meritorious service, and was awarded the title of "Beautiful Eyes". The officers and soldiers on the left were all promoted, and when everyone was celebrating with their crowns and crowns, Guo Songtao returned home sadly. From then on, Guo Songtao hated Zuo Zongtang. An apology cannot relieve the hidden pain, and the elegiac couplet reveals the knot in his heart. In October 1881, Zuo Zongtang took office as the governor of Liangjiang. He returned to his hometown and made a special trip to Changsha to visit Guo Songtao and express his apology to Guo. This meeting is recorded in Wang Rongzu's "The Frustration of Going Global - The Era of Guo Songtao and Dao Xian" and Fan Jizhong's "The Lonely Pioneer - A Farewell Biography of Guo Songtao", but the details are slightly different.
Generally speaking, this is: On November 28 of this year, Zuo was neatly dressed and came to visit him early in the morning. Guo Songtao actually did not want to meet him and asked his disciples to leave. But Zuo Zongtang insisted not to leave and had to see him. Two equally stubborn old men, one inside and one outside, were in a stalemate for a long time. Still not paying attention to the ancient adage of knocking on the door, which helped Zuo Zongtang, Guo Songtao finally opened the door to welcome guests. Zuo Zongtang "suddenly called me brother, recounted the past, deeply blamed himself, and thanked him again and again." Although Guo Songtao had some knots in his heart, he was still his in-laws after all, and he remained polite when they met, but he still couldn't let go of the hidden pain in his heart. After having a meal and a drink, we send off our relatives and old friends. The next day, Guo returned to pay homage to Zuo Zongtang. However, on the first day of December, before Zuo left the province, he invited relatives and friends for a drink. Guo Zhi sent "a number of vegetables and dishes, and his younger brother Kun Tao will accompany him." Still unwilling to give in. After Zuo Zongtang passed away in Fuzhou on September 5, 1885, Guo Songtao wrote two elegiac couplets. The first couplet is: "The world needs talents, and the talents also need the world; the public has failed me, but I will not fail the public." The first sentence of this elegiac couplet is pertinent, but the second sentence involves the grudges between the two people. Under the persuasion of relatives and friends, Guo Songtao finally did not send this couplet. The second officer is: "I have been a Marquis of Wuxiang throughout my life. I have compared my achievements and measured my merits. I have expanded more land and swept away ten thousand miles. I would rather forget my lonely and angry son when I am in friendship. We ride in a car and wear a hat. We meet as before. We live and die together for fifty years." ."