To Yuandi (December 14th night
in the seventh year of Xianfeng) Ye Yuanfu's ninth younger brother:
on the seventh day of the twelfth day, there will be ten returns, receive letters from younger brothers, and prepare everything.
Since Dingxiang Camp has reached Sanqu Beach, its camp officer Cheng Zhang Jian is also a rare one in Wu Bian, and my younger brother can take money from him.
If you come to a letter saying that the interest is not here, the interest will be dull, but this is a big deal. When a mortal does something, he must devote all his energy to it, unremittingly from the beginning to the end, without seeing any changes in thinking, doing this or thinking that, sitting on this mountain and looking at that mountain. Human beings have no eternity, and nothing can be achieved in life. All my life, I have committed the ills of impermanence, and I have really suffered a lot. When you are in the Imperial Academy, you should pay attention to the words of poetry, so you can read other books to diversify your ambitions. When reading Xingli books, various collections of poems and essays are mixed to differentiate their trends. When I was in the sixth part, I didn't pay much attention to official business. Leading troops outside, you can't do your best to rule the military, or read and write to mess up your will. Sitting is old and never succeeds. Even in the case of the navy, the well was dug for nine feet and the spring was not reached. My brother should take it as a warning. Now bring courage, that is to bury your head and do your best to seek the method of bringing courage, work day and night, think about it every day, dream at night, and don't care about it except bringing courage. Don't want to study at the same time, want to win the exam, and want to be a state and county. There are so many disturbances and so many thoughts.
The method of bringing courage is to observe talents as the first priority, rectify camp regulations, and pay attention to combat defense. All the articles in "Song of Victory" are suitable for detailed inquiry. As for rations, one should not worry too much, and should not report frequently. Brother Ying not only gets six thousand a month from the Chu Bureau, but also two to three thousand a month from the Jiang Bureau, which is an excellent situation. Li Xi'an came home twelve years ago, and Yan Di'an wanted to help his younger brother pay ten thousand dollars. In addition, Zhejiang Salt won more than 15,000 taels in Jiangxi Province. Yesterday, the special Ding of the Salt Bureau came to inquire, and Yu asked him to pay the treasury for payment. In the future, this item may be used at the discretion of my younger brother, but I should not ask for it. The payment is not bothersome, and all the energy is focused on the former's number of things. If there is spare capacity, he will contact the various camps and receive the money from the gentlemen. Although the body is weak, it should not be cherished too much. The more the spirit is used, the more it will be released, and the more Yang Qi will be raised, the more it will flourish. The more things you do every day, the happier you will be when you go to bed at night. If there is a desire to cherish the spirit, it will be difficult to accomplish anything if you are dying and lifeless. All of these are those who are resolutely abstained from my brother Xinghui's dull words. My younger brother should take Li Di'an as the law, take it easy, Yingke is backward, and after eight or nine months, there will be a sense of regret. For the rest of my life, sitting without constant flow has caused great harm. Now that I am old, I have to teach my brothers and my sons.
Mr. Deng is very good in character and learning, and he has made great progress in his A38 essays. Mr. Yishan also asked Deng to revise his essays. Yishan's teaching is serious, and the students are very afraid. My family has a long-standing habit of joking and joking. Next year, I will change it with my two gentlemen at home.
Zhenjiang and Guazhou in the lower reaches will be conquered on the same day, and Jinling will be conquered on the same day. The admiral of Hou'an, who was released in central Fujian, has gone to Jinling to suppress him, and he is allowed to specialize in memorials. Jiujiang will be restored soon. About the end of the military in Ji'an, Fu, Jian and other prefectures, my virtuous brother encourages it. I am the beginning, and my brother is good at the end. I really have high hopes. If you participate a little bit with politeness and ambition, you will not be able to cheer me up. Is the popularity of the guards in the camp still solid? The next prayer and. The four houses at home are safe. Brother Cheng went to the county to pay his respects on the 14th. I have nothing else to do, let me ask you a question.
Brother Guo Fan Grass
Comments
Talent first
In this letter, Mrs. Zeng talked about three experiences with the ninth brother, all of which are also instructive for today's readers.
One is "everyone who does something must devote all his energy to it, unremittingly from the beginning to the end, and can't change his mind." He then explained the importance of this attitude by examining himself. This is a typical example of Zeng's family letter style, that is, in front of peers and juniors, he does not put on airs, does not hesitate to expose his shortcomings, and allows the other party to accept his point of view in a gentle atmosphere.
Ninth Brother is fourteen years younger than him, and his social status at the moment is even worse. However, when he writes letters to Ninth Brother, he never uses a stern tone of face and reprimand, and is always gentle and kind. He criticized himself for lacking the word "constant", so that he was old and ineffective, and hoped that the ninth brother would take it as a warning. To be honest, Zeng does not lack "perseverance". It is precisely in "perseverance" and "persistence" that he is superior to others, and that he has an unusual performance in his life. But he is not a saint, and there are times when his mind is unstable, which he dares to strictly review. Maybe his extraordinary "perseverance" and "perseverance" are the result of his continuous and strict self-examination. He gave young students the topic of "a scholar should be ambitious, knowledgeable and persistent" many times, which shows that he always regards "permanence" as important as "will" and "knowledge".
Constant is the means to achieve the goal, constant is the bridge to success. The constant value is persistence. Persevere, the grand goal will always be realized, and the brilliant success will always be achieved. It is not difficult for many people to do a few big things; it is difficult for all people to insist on doing the same small things every day and every year. Perseverance can be said to be the most precious of human qualities.
The second is "the method of bringing courage, the first is to observe talents, and the second is to rectify camp regulations and pay attention to combat defense." Knowing and employing people is Zeng's number one strength and also the number one secret of Zeng's career success. This is easier said than done. Everyone who bears the responsibility of leadership knows the importance of talents in theory, because everything in the world is done by people, and with talents, everything is possible. However, it is one thing to know in theory, another thing to pay attention to it in practice, another thing to recognize it after paying attention to it, and another thing to use it after recognition. Therefore, the issue of "talent learning" is not a theoretical issue in the final analysis, but a technical issue. Zeng not only has a clear understanding in theory, but also has a set of effective operation methods in technology. This is also the reason why Zeng's is still worth studying.
The third is "the more the spirit is used, the more it will come out, and the more Yang Qi is raised, the more it will flourish." This is Zeng's point of view. He advocated "diligence" throughout his life: diligence, diligence, diligence, and thrift. He himself has indeed achieved "diligence". Not to mention his achievements, judging from the tens of thousands of words left behind (most of which were written by him), it is by no means what ordinary people can do. Diligence can do more things, and no one in the world disagrees with this point, but what he said, "The more you use your spirit, the more you will be released, and the more you raise your yang energy, the more prosperous you will be." From my own experience, the author thinks his point of view is acceptable. In addition, the "diligence" he mentioned is also a kind of mental outlook of people, but this is not published. Who wants to work with a sluggish, lifeless person? What thing in the world is done in a state of laziness and lifelessness?
——"Tang Haoming Comments on Zeng Guofan's Family Letter" (To Yuandi (December 14th Night, Seventh Year of Xianfeng))