Chapter 15 (No. 15) Zuo Zongtang

Zuo Zongtang is an ever-victorious general.He suppressed the rebellion in the Northwest and made Yagubo, who was attacked by Kokand.The collapse of Pasha disintegrated the British plan to establish Andijan, and preserved the territory of Xinjiang.The so-called self-comparison to Zhuge Liang is not necessarily just a bold statement by him. 【Happy to surprise the crowd】 The Taiping Rebellion in the mid-nineteenth century was a bold challenge to the Qing regime.Although it was a failure in the end, it was highly praised.The Eight Banners Army of Manchuria lacked the fighting power that the army should have, which was fully exposed in the Opium War.The green battalion of the Han Legion is also an army with extremely low quality.Therefore, it was the Chenglian in Hunan and Anhui that suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, that is, the Hunan Army and the Huai Army, commanded by Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and others.Historians of the school of historical materialism positioned the Taiping Rebellion as a peasant uprising, and regarded the oppressors as anti-national revolutionaries and reactionaries.

Lin Zexu, the hero of the Opium War, was ordered to suppress civil unrest in Guangxi. He hurried westward from his hometown of Fujian, but fell ill on the way and died in Chaozhou.Therefore, he was not branded as an anti-national revolution. Zuo Zongtang can be said to be a disciple of Lin Zexu. He once recaptured Hangzhou from the Taiping Army when he was the governor of Zhejiang.Although some people say that he is a traitor to the nation, if we calmly look back at history, we will find that Zuo Zongtang also has the side of a national hero. In China at the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the people who were extremely active as government officials were Jinshi who had passed the final stage of the imperial examination.From Lin Zexu down, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Hu Linyi, Shen Baozhen and other famous people all came from him.Zuo Zongtang and Yuan Shikai were probably the only ones who were not born as Jinshi but were promoted to the highest rank (there is also Liu Kunyi, who started his career with military exploits and was almost promoted to a high rank as a politician, but this person may be classified as a soldier. more appropriate).Despite this, Zuo Zongtang is still a candidate for the provincial examination and has the qualifications to be an official.Yuan Shikai also failed to pass the provincial examination, and obtained his qualifications by donating, that is, donating money.

Zuo Zongtang, who was born in a famous family in Xiangyin County, Hunan Province, passed the provincial examination at the age of 20, but failed three times in the subsequent general examination.The examination is held every three years, and Zuo Zongtang gave up after the third time.The imperial examination is different from learning. Kang Youwei also became a Jinshi later, but before that he was already a well-known scholar in the world.In terms of Confucian classics, he is probably more capable than Jinshi and examiners in that year. Zuo Zongtang's knowledge may not be for exams.Because of his concern, he studied practical studies such as land administration, military law, and agricultural administration, which were not included in the examination subjects.

Scholars who gave up the official path of elite bureaucracy mostly embarked on the path of aides.That is, as the secretary of the elite high-ranking officials. In the Qing Dynasty, local high-ranking officials had a huge amount of money to support honesty on top of their basic salaries.As the name suggests, this is to keep officials clean so as not to extract funds from local residents.But in fact, there are still many recognized bribes.At least there is a bureaucratic organization in the central government, but when the governor or governor is transferred, most of the staff will take action and accompany them to the new place.The newly appointed governor must go to the empty government hall to take up his duties.Therefore, he had to take his staff with him.

Staff members are not appointed by the government and are not regarded as official officials, so they do not need special qualifications such as passing examinations.People who write well, are good at communication, have many ideas, and have various talents and skills can become staff.In general, people who are connected to the official senior official or who are strongly recommended by relatives and acquaintances are selected.And even though it's staff, it includes everything from errands to guests. In the biography of "Drafts of Qing History", Zuo Zongtang is described as follows:

Joy is a Zhuang language that amazes the public and compares himself with Zhuge Liang, which makes people crazy. In other words, he stated that he was on par with Zhuge Liang, so people regarded him as a lunatic.He probably thinks that it is the fault of the world that a great person like him cannot become a Jinshi!Although he is ridiculed by the world for his mental problems, his name is widely known because of his rhetoric. This is not just rhetoric, but based on practical learning.Some people also saw his ability, that is, Tao Shu, governor of Liangjiang (AD 1778︱1839) and governor of Hubei Hu Linyi (AD 1812︱61).These two people are both from Hunan, and Hu Linyi and Zuo Zongtang were in the same year (Editor's Note: People who are listed on the same list in the imperial examination are called the same year).

Looking across Kyushu (the whole of China), there is no one who is more talented. Hu Linyi gave Zuo Zongtang the highest praise. In the 29th year of Daoguang (1849 A.D.), Lin Zexu, governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, retired under Feng Zhun, and returned to his hometown of Fujian with the coffin of Mrs. Zheng.The boat trip once berthed in Changsha, when Zuo Zongtang went to meet Lin Zexu, and the two chatted all night until dawn. This is the first meeting. Zuo Zongtang is thirty-seven years old and has no official title, but the sixty-five-year-old old governor Lin Zexu knows about him.Tao Shu, who gave Zuo Zongtang a very high opinion, served as the governor of Liangjiang, and Lin Zexu was the governor of Jiangsu.When Hu Linyi, who was full of praise for Zuo Zongtang, was the prefect (governor) of Guizhou, he was under the jurisdiction of Lin Zexu, governor of Yunnan and Guizhou.Hu Linyi has been persuading Lin Zexu to appoint Zuo Zongtang.Lin Zexu, who was thirsty for talents, followed Hu Linyi's advice and wanted to recruit Zuo Zongtang.Unexpectedly, Zuo Zongtang was unable to leave Hunan due to personal affairs.It turned out that someone in the family filed a lawsuit against Zuo Zongtang for embezzling property.Probably due to Zuo Zongtang's personality that often conflicts with others.

The place where Lin Zexu and Zuo Zongtang met was on a boat. When boarding the boat, Zuo Zongtang stepped on the wrong pedal, fell into the Xiangjiang River, and was helped up.I wrote in "China Before Dawn" that Zuo Zongtang may have been too nervous to stumble.However, he was a person who would not be nervous standing in front of any great man. He even openly said that he was Zhuge Kongming, hoping to attract everyone's attention. At that time, he even raised a flag to meet Lin Zexu.In my novel "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom", I wrote that he deliberately fell into the river in order to give Lin Zexu an unforgettable impression.Zuo Zongtang grew up in Xiangyin by the Dongting Lake; he is from a water town, so he should be very used to water.

Lin Zexu died in the second year after meeting with Zuo Zongtang.Although I only met him once, Zuo Zongtang can be said to be Lin Zexu's disciple. Jiang Zhongyan talked about Dashu, and he talked about everything. In the future, Zuo Zongtang described the situation of that day in a letter to his friends. Although it was the first time they met, Lin Zexu must have read Zuo Zongtang's land affairs and military works.Since he wanted to recruit as an aide, he should have studied the other party's details. Although the two talked all night about the affairs of the world and the country, it is said that it was mainly about the Northwest issue.Bearing the responsibility of the Opium War, Lin Zexu was moved to Xinjiang by the left for three years, so he thought about and studied the Northwest issue.Maybe try to collect as much information about the Northwest as possible!

It is Lin Zexu's habit to collect all the information related to his mission.When he was sent to Guangzhou to suppress opium, he also recruited people who could speak English as his staff to help translate local English newspapers and English geography books.When he was exiled in Xinjiang, he met Wei Yuan in Yangzhou on the way, so he gave all the materials to Wei Yuan.Based on this, Wei Yuan wrote "Pictures of the Sea Country". As we all know, this book was also spread to Japan and had a great influence on the people with lofty ideals at the end of the Shogunate. During the Yan talk in Xiangjiang all night, in addition to the experience of Xinjiang for three years, I should also pass on some information!Lin Zexu's three sons were also present.The eldest son has reached the Jinshi level.Although Lin Zexu had a conversation with Zuo Zongtang, he might also want his three sons to listen to it, so this passage can be regarded as his last words.

China's worry is not Britain, but Russia. This is Lin Zexu's conclusion derived from Xinjiang experience.It is quite surprising that he, who fought in the Opium War, should have such a view, but this is his conclusion after he also knows Britain. [Xinjiang is not guaranteed, and the capital is in danger! 】 Modern China's national defense theory can be divided into the coastal defense school and the frontier defense school.Simply put, it is which country should be the main imaginary enemy.The coastal defense faction regards the British coming from the sea as the main enemy, so they tend to be pro-Russian.The representative of the Haiphong faction is naturally Li Hongzhang.On the other hand, the Fortress faction regarded Russia as the main enemy, with Lin Zexu as the ancestor, his son-in-law Shen Baozhen, and Zuo Zongtang, who had been taught during Xiangjiang Night Talk, all belonged to this faction. Zuo Zongtang became an aide to Hunan governor Zhang Liangji three years after he met Lin Zexu. At that time, he was already 40 years old, so he started very late.Zhang Liangji was also a prefect of Yunnan under Lin Zexu.But Zhang soon became governor of Huguang and was transferred to Wuchang.Zuo Zongtang eventually became an aide to Zhang's successor, Luo Bingzhang. The battle of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has begun.It was at this time that Zeng Guofan organized the Hunan Volunteer Army (Xiang Army) to replace the useless regular army.When Zeng Guofan returned to his hometown for mourning, he was able to move freely because he left his official position.But of course government support is also needed.Hunan governor Luo Bingzhang fully supported Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army financially and politically.However, the adjustment of the support attitude to make it operate smoothly is actually mostly due to the credit of Zuo Zongtang, the aide.Luo Bingzhang was born in Guangdong, and he has no affection for the local area.As far as Zuo Zongtang is concerned, this is a matter of his hometown. Later, Zuo Zongtang was at odds with his predecessor Zeng Guofan in his hometown in Hunan.In Zuo Zongtang's view, I did not manage your Hunan Army!After all, he is not a humble person at all, he has the character of holding up the flag high and walking around for everyone to see.Although he uttered bold words, they also had their content. His achievements were recognized by himself and others. After joining the Hunan Army, he made contributions in Jiangxi and Anhui, and became an official official without knowing it.Taichang Temple is a small official hall for offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple, but its chief can be regarded as a quasi-cabinet official.Soon he became the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. He fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and recaptured Hangzhou, making brilliant military exploits.As a master of land administration and military art, he is quite different from the chiefs who were born as Jinshi.In the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, only his achievements were the most eye-catching. In the fifth year of Tongzhi (AD 1866), Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, made a performance, and the Shipping Bureau was established at the foot of Mawei Mountain in Fuzhou.This can be said to be the forerunner of China's Westernization Movement, that is, modernization.The first shipping minister was Lin Zexu's son-in-law Shen Baozhen. Although there are mixed praises and criticisms, Zuo Zongtang still accepted the support of the British and French armies when he fought the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and he used French technicians as consultants in the establishment and operation of the Shipping Bureau.Zuo Zongtang, who studies practical studies, will not hesitate to borrow from foreign countries.Technology is something that remains unchanged beyond nationality, and the gap is obvious.This is the consistent belief of Zuo Zongtang of the Practical School. In the same year, Zuo Zongtang was transferred to the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu.The Shipping Bureau can be handed over to Shen Baozhen, so he is very relieved.At that time, in Northwest China, including Shaanxi and Gansu, where he was appointed, the Muslim rebellion was expanding.He belongs to the defense faction, so he should be looking forward to this new position. At that time, Imperial Russia had gradually annexed the Khanates (Emirates) in Central Asia, and the chain reaction caused was that the general of the Kokand Khanate, Yagubo.Pasha attacked Xinjiang.Britain, which was worried about Russia's southward movement, supported the Yaqub regime as a buffer force.Russia also appears to have sent military advisers.Among the young generals sent by the Russian General Staff Headquarters was Captain Kropatkin, who was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War in the future. The occupation of Xinjiang by the Muslim general Yaguba should be related to the Muslim rebellion in Northwest China. Zuo Zongtang put down the Shaanxi-Gansu rebellion in his fifth year (1871 A.D.).However, Bai Yanhu, the leader of the rebellion, fled to Xinjiang and took refuge in Agubo.In order to regain the lost territory of Xinjiang, Zuo Zongtang led an expeditionary force westward in 1875 AD. According to the "Tacheng Treaty" between Russia and the Qing Dynasty, Russia took away 440,000 square kilometers of land west of Jaisangpo, the Chinese territory.Then, because Agubai invaded and occupied Xinjiang, Russia occupied Ili on the grounds of its tranquility.Although it has stated that it will be returned after the turmoil is settled, it believes that the Qing Dynasty does not have this power. Zuo Zongtang's Western Expedition also had the task of recovering Ili.However, it was too late for the Western Expeditionary Army to send troops.This is because of the obstruction of Li Hongzhang from the Haiphong faction. It just so happened that Japan sent the army led by Saigo Congdao to Taiwan on the grounds that the Ryukyu Islanders were killed.Li Hongzhang sent troops capable of fighting to the south to prevent Japan from sending troops.Therefore, the Western Expeditionary Army could not be organized. The Haiphong faction advocates protecting the heart.The southeast coastal area is the heart of China, so we must devote all our efforts to coastal defense.Because Xinjiang is a border area, the lack of a little bit will not endanger life. This is tantamount to a theory of abandoning Xinjiang.If there are troops and war expenses in Xinjiang, they can be diverted to coastal defense. This argument is quite strong within the government. In this regard, Zuo Zongtang made a rebuttal: If Xinjiang is not protected, Mongolia will not be protected.Once Mongolia is lost, the capital is hard to protect. In the Badaling area near Beijing, Mongolians have long lived.For more than two hundred years, the relationship between the Qing Dynasty and the Mongols was very good.Therefore, although there are Mongols near the capital, the Qing court can still feel at ease.But what would happen without the Mongols?Imagine the scene of Russia crossing Badaling! Zuo Zongtang's theory of fortification and defense is worthy of being a scholar of land politics. It is really well-organized, and his personality is very strong.After the Taiwan issue was settled with 500,000 taels of compensation, Zuo Zongtang's Western Expeditionary Army set off from Lanzhou. [The big thing that transcends the device] In 1984, I went to Dunhuang again after nine years, and stopped at Jiuquan on the way.In Jiuquan Park, there is a stone sign that did not exist nine years ago. Zuo Gong Liu These words are engraved on it.This is undoubtedly the willow tree planted by Zuo Zongtang. When the vanguard of the Western Expeditionary Army arrived in Urumqi, the rear army had not yet set off from Lanzhou.Zuo Zongtang has investigated the water volume of the Irtysh River and the dispatching ability of grain on the way in advance.This is also in the style of land scholars.This is to avoid the water from drying up due to the temporary garrison of the brigade.Since they would be crossing the desert or a place near it, Zuo Zongtang had the advance troops plant willow trees along the road.At that time, the Western Expeditionary Army may not have time to enjoy it, but it can provide future travelers with rest.It is said that he chose a variety that grows faster, which is called Zuogong willow by the world. During the Cultural Revolution, Zuo Zongtang, who suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, became a traitor to the nation, and it is impossible for anyone to commemorate him.The reputation seems to be partially restored now. The Western Expeditionary Army repelled the Agubai Army.When Urumqi was captured, Zuo Zongtang, the imperial envoy, was still in Jiuquan.Bai Yanhu fled into Toksun City built by Aguba.The Qing army regained Turpan and attacked Toksun City.In April 1877, Agubo.Pasha committed suicide.Some people say that he was assassinated, while others say that he died of illness. In short, the Kokand regime collapsed.Bai Yanhu fled into Russia. Zuo Zongtang's activities to suppress the northwest rebellion were in full swing (AD 1871), and Zeng Guofan passed away.The army led by Zuo Zongtang was the Hunan Army organized by Zeng Guofan.However, even under the command of Zeng Guofan, I am afraid there will not be such brilliant results. Zeng Guofan was a high-ranking official who was born as a Jinshi. After leading the Hunan Army, he was called a Confucian general.When fighting the Taiping Army, he tried to commit suicide due to the failure of some battles. Compared with Zuo Zongtang, who is proficient in land administration, military art and decisive, he has a considerable gap in terms of weapons. A gentleman is not a weapon. There is such a sentence in "The Analects of Confucius", which means: Literati and politicians cannot be used.A device means an expert.Experts get caught up in the small and miss the big picture.Therefore, people with a balanced upbringing and not particularly professional style can take care of the overall situation.A person who is called a living dictionary in a certain field cannot stand out because he is indispensable to his job.Today's Japanese elite bureaucrats also change departments every one or two years.They don't have time to become experts, so they don't have time to become professional fools.The actual work is best left to individual specialists. The same is true of the Qing Dynasty.Senior officials of Jinshi background are not weapons, and they have to direct the tools called staff to do things.Zuo Zongtang, who did not pass the Jinshi, had to become an aide.He is a weapon for experts in land administration, classical administration, or art of war.However, because he is a weapon in many fields, he can look at the overall situation from the same standpoint as a non-qi.This is very strange, he may be called a big weapon, but as a person or a politician, he cannot be called a big weapon. Zeng Guofan is only one year older than Zuo Zongtang, but there is a big gap in official calendar.When Zuo Zongtang was unofficial, Zeng Guofan was already the minister of the Ministry of Rites (the deputy minister of the Ministry of Education).Zuo Zongtang, an aide, was appointed governor (governor), which was considered a special promotion, and this was due to Zeng Guofan's election.Zuo Zongtang also knew about this, but he thought: Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army was formed by me. Therefore, I am not very grateful to Zeng Guofan.Although the Zuo and Zeng families were related by marriage, they were in the third year of Tongzhi (1864 A.D.).Zuo Zongtang took the initiative to throw a letter of resignation to the senior. When Zuo Zongtang was going to suppress the rebellion in the Northwest, Zeng Guofan was serving as Governor of Liangjiang.Liangjiang is the granary of the world, and the power to decide the delivery of soldiers and rations is in the hands of the governor. Zuo Zongtang thought to himself that he might not receive Liangjiang's military rations because he threw out the letter of severance.If it was Zuo Zongtang, he might use his military rations to trouble his quarreling opponents.But Zeng Guofan is not a narrow-minded person, he is not a big weapon, but a great weapon.In order to go to Zuo Zongtang in the northwest, Zeng Guofan actually assigned the strongest regiment of the Hunan Army and Liu Songshan, a fierce general, under his command.Despite this, Zuo Zongtang often criticized Zeng Guofan in front of the generals Zeng Guofan sent to him.The generals could not help but say to him: If Master (Zuo Zongtang) dislikes Mr. Zeng, he may dislike him.Why do you have to mention it to us again and again?The reasoning is not correct, and the words are not smooth. If you say something here and there, your ears will grow calluses. This means that his personality is not very harmonious. Zeng Guofan is a person who is keen on introspection.Looking at his diary, you can know that if you play chess too much, or have sex during the day, you have to reflect on it.When he kept dreaming and couldn't fall asleep, he reflected that he felt ashamed, and when he stopped dreaming after the age of fifty, he reflected that he was physically weak.In contrast, Zuo Zongtang is a person who has nothing to do with introspection.In the article written by Zeng Guofan in the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860 AD), there is such a sentence: The heroes of the prosperous era of entrepreneurship take open-mindedness as the first righteousness, and the heroes of the last days who help the crisis and the rescue take the hard work of the heart as the first righteousness. Zeng Guofan stipulated that he should be a person who helps those in danger and rescues people in the last days.And Zuo Zongtang, because of his open-minded nature, was originally a figure in the prosperous entrepreneurial period. Just as the Qing army led by Zuo Zongtang defeated Agubo.When Pasha was approaching Kashgar, the British deliberately contained them.Britain, the much-anticipated buffer force, was very anxious about the collapse of Yagubo, and frequently carried out diplomatic work.At that time, Thomas F. Wade, the British Minister to the Qing Dynasty, conducted quite explicit lobbying work in Beijing. Kokand was annexed by Russia, and the people of Andijan had no place to settle down.We want to create an Andijanese nation in Kashgar. This is a rather selfish request.They demanded that the Qing government give up recovering the land invaded by Yagubo and establish a new country there.For Britain, this was of course a strategy to guard against Russian influence in the region. When receiving inquiries from Beijing on this matter, Zuo Zongtang said: If Britain wanted a buffer zone, wouldn't it be possible to cut a place in the vast India and build a country of Andijanese?There is no need to touch the fertile land of our country.Kashgar is the land of Shule in ancient times, and it is only natural to recover the inherent territory of our country. He advocated a tough attitude, and added a sentence: If the British words are outrageous and unreasonable, let this command send envoys, and I would like to confront them. 【If you were born in the era of prosperity and entrepreneurship】 With the defeat of Yagubo and the failure of expectations, there is also Russia.They took advantage of the turmoil to occupy the Yili area, and had to return it after the turmoil was settled.Russia always thought that Yagubo would not lose to the Qing army.Unexpectedly, Zuo Zongtang smashed Agubo's power beautifully.Russia had to return Ili. The Qing government then dispatched Chonghou to Russia to negotiate the return of Ili.Chong Hou is really terrible.A trusted warlock once said to him: If you don't return to your country before a certain month, you will die.As a result, he did not negotiate at all, and only wanted to return to China as soon as possible, and everything was in accordance with Russia's requirements.This is the "Treaty of Livadia" (Treaty of Livadia), which not only ceded the vast territory west and south of Ili to Russia, but also paid Russia five million rubles for the garrison of Ili. It goes without saying that public opinion is passionate.The Qing government also refused to ratify the treaty, and Chonghou, who had returned home, was arrested and sentenced to death.Then entrusted Britain and France to mediate, and sent Zeng Guofan's son Zeng Jize to Russia to negotiate again.It is impossible for Russia to spit out the territory once acquired, but at that time this was really a too brazen treaty, and Russia had already broken away from the three-nation (Germany, Russia, Austria) alliance and formed an alliance with France, and only agreed to amend it for the sake of France treaty. This is the "Ili Treaty" (named after the place where the two parties signed the contract, also known as the Treaty of Petrobrugg). The two sides took the Khorgos River as their border, and finally recovered only the eastern half of Ili, on the condition that the garrison expenses increased To nine million rubles, Chong Hou's death penalty was abolished.Chonghou was a high-ranking official in Manchuria. He once served as the general of Shengjing and the minister of Beiyang trade.Due to the responsibility of the "Treaty of Lyphadia", although he was exonerated from the death penalty, he was dismissed from office and lived for another fourteen years. Knowing the content of the "Treaty of Liphadia", Zuo Zongtang's fury can be imagined.He told Beijing to surround Ili and take it back by force, and then set off from Jiuquan to march towards Hami.It was June, 1880 AD, and Zuo Zongtang was sixty-nine years old. Regarding Zuo Zongtang's actions, Russia also assembled a large army in Ili, adopting an invitation to attack.Although the Qing Dynasty was very angry about the "Treaty of Liphadia", Russia was also very angry when Chonghou was sentenced to death. The situation between Qing and Russia was in a hurry. The warships of Great Powers Britain, France, Germany, and the United States slowly gathered in Shanghai.They are discussing how to carve up the Qing Dynasty after the war. Of course, Li Hongzhang of the Haiphong faction had a deep sense of crisis. He retained Charles George Gordon, who had helped put down the Taiping Rebellion and wanted to return home, and asked him to mediate with Britain and France on his behalf. At that time, Britain and France were opposing Germany.Britain and France hoped that Russia would put a silent check on Germany's back. They wanted Russia to turn its eyes to Europe.Because once Russia goes to war with the Qing Dynasty in Asia, Germany will put pressure on Britain and France without any worries. As mentioned earlier, Russia also wanted to sell face to France, so the mediation work was carried out unexpectedly quickly.The abolition of Chonghou's death penalty also made it easier for Russia to sit at the conference table for revising the treaty.In fact, the activities of the nihilistic party in Russia are gradually expanding, and the war with the Qing Dynasty is bound to cause problems in law and order.Sure enough, the next year Alexander II was assassinated by the Nihilists. Li Hongzhang, the Haiphong faction (i.e. pro-Russian faction), was worried that Zuo Zongtang, the anti-Russian faction stationed in Hami, went to war rashly and regained Ili.In the unlikely event of an accident, the hard-fought preparations for amendment negotiations will be disrupted.Therefore, Li Hongzhang recalled Zuo Zongtang. Zuo Zongtang is an ever-victorious general.He suppressed the rebellion in the Northwest and made Yagubo, who was attacked by Kokand.The collapse of Pasha disintegrated the British plan to establish Andijan, and preserved the territory of Xinjiang.He has nothing to blame.It is also called back, but the court must be courteous and reasonable. Jingbei consultant This is Zuo Zongtang's new official position. During the negotiation period for the revision of the treaty, in order to prevent a rupture, the Qing court centered on the capital and carried out local defense and mobilized the army.Zeng Guofan's younger brother, Zeng Guoquan, was ordered to be stationed at Tunshan Customs from the governor of Shanxi, and Li Hongzhang took charge of Tianjin Haiphong as the governor of Zhili.These are all actions to guard against Russia, and Zuo Zongtang can't object.The imperial court sent the guards to Zhangjiakou and asked them to welcome Zuo Zongtang with a guard of honor. Soon the treaty was amended, and the tension between Qing and Russia was lifted.There are many reasons why Russia agreed to revise the treaty, and Zuo Zongtang's resolute preparation for war can be regarded as one of them. Zuo Zongtang became the minister of military aircraft and became a recognized elder of the country.In the following year (1882 AD), he was appointed Governor of Liangjiang and Minister of Commerce of Nanyang.During his absence due to illness, the Sino-French war broke out. Due to the Sino-French War, the shipyard of Fuzhou Shipping Bureau proposed by Zuo Zongtang was destroyed.However, the admiral of the French fleet, A.A.P. Courbet, was also killed. Zuo Zongtang was sent to Fujian as an imperial envoy, and died of illness after the peace treaty was signed.He probably went to work because of illness! The reason why China was able to preserve Xinjiang and regain Ili and the land to the east can be said to be entirely due to Zuo Zongtang.In addition to the crime of suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he should also have the credit for protecting the country!I think the Zuo Gongliu Monument in Jiuquan Park can be regarded as a manifestation of China's recognition of Zuo Zongtang's achievements. It is a pity that Zuo Zongtang was not born in the prosperous era of entrepreneurship.He entered the imperial court as Minister of Military Aircraft from February 27th (Gregorian calendar) to October 28th in the seventh year of Guangxu (1881), which was only eight months.For him, this may be an unpleasant seat.The most glorious period of his life was the years when he commanded the Western Expeditionary Army in Jiuquan, defeated Britain's ambition to establish a buffer state, and then marched into Hami, forcing Russia to revise the treaty. The so-called self-comparison with Zhuge Kongming is not necessarily just a bold statement of his.