On September 5, 1885, Zuo Zongtang, a famous politician and military strategist in the late Qing Dynasty, died of illness in Tianjin at the age of 65. As soon as this news reached Beijing, it immediately caused quite a shock in both the government and the opposition.
Zuo Zongtang was one of the most influential ministers in the late Qing Dynasty, he made great contributions in his life, not only led the troops to suppress rebellions in various places many times, but also recovered the occupied Ili region of Xinjiang in 1876, and recaptured one-sixth of the territory of Jiangshan for the Qing court.
He was both a politician and a military strategist, and his political achievements and military exploits were rare in the late Qing Dynasty. Therefore, as soon as the news of Zuo Zongtang's death reached Beijing, the government and the opposition were shocked and mourned. The ** people in the court all felt sad and embarrassed by Zuo Zongtang's sudden death, after all, it is rare to have a two-pronged talent like Zuo Zongtang, and his death is undoubtedly a loss for the Qing Dynasty.
The scholars and doctors in the opposition also deeply regretted that Zuo Zongtang not only made military achievements, but also had many good governance, and was more concerned about the suffering of the people, so he was supported by the people. It can be said that Zuo Zongtang's influence and prestige in the late Qing Dynasty are second to none, so the news of his death quickly spread among the government and the opposition, causing widespread mourning.
News of Zuo Zongtang's death soon spread to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Empress Dowager Cixi ruled for a short time during the reign of her husband Emperor Tongzhi, and since Emperor Guangxu ascended the throne, she has been his supervisor and has held great power. When she heard the news of Zuo Zongtang's death, her eyes immediately turned red, and she felt extremely sad for the death of this old minister.
Zuo Zongtang is the confidant of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and has led troops to quell rebellions in various places many times, especially in the battle to recover Xinjiang in 1875, and made great contributions, so that Xinjiang, which accounts for one-sixth of the land area of the Qing Dynasty, returned to the jurisdiction of ***, so that the prestige of the Empress Dowager Cixi reached its peak. Zuo Zongtang can be said to be an important arm that allowed the Empress Dowager Cixi to take power smoothly, without him sitting on the border, commanding the frontier army, and stabilizing the situation in Xinjiang by iron-blooded means, it would be even more difficult for the Empress Dowager Cixi to claim the throne and hegemony in the court.
Therefore, the news of Zuo Zongtang's death was a great blow to the Empress Dowager Cixi. She has lost a confidant in distress and a prominent person who has consolidated her power. While deeply saddened, the Empress Dowager Cixi also realized that she must redouble her respect for this old minister who laid the foundation for her to show her recognition of his contribution. So she immediately issued a posthumous order to posthumously present Zuo Zongtang's nickname to show her remembrance and praise for the deceased.
In ancient China, a nickname was a kind of praise given by the emperor to a meritorious person, and it needed to be determined according to the meritorious person's political achievements and merits during his lifetime. Zuo Zongtang's position in the late Qing Dynasty was so important that it became an urgent task for the courtiers to give him a good and appropriate nickname.
The person responsible for formulating the nickname for Zuo Zongtang is Huiqing, a scholar of Youchunfang University, and Mu Yin, a scholar of the military department. The two of them knew Zuo Zongtang's exploits well, but to choose an appropriate name for him from the many proverbs still made them scratch their scalps.
Zuo Zongtang is a politician and a military strategist. Judging from his military exploits alone, it is most appropriate to take the nickname "Wu". But this is too narrow-minded, and Zuo Zongtang's political achievements cannot be ignored. However, it seems that it is too one-sided to summarize Zuo Zongtang's political achievements only by the word "Wen", and it cannot highlight his military exploits in pacifying the rebellion.
The two carefully scrutinized the ancient laws and many nicknames in history, but they never found a proper nickname that not only highlighted Zuo Zongtang's political achievements, but also summarized his military exploits.
Zuo Zongtang has been powerful all his life, and he has actively governed the country, coupled with his performance of loyalty to the country, it is really difficult to summarize it in one word. Mu Yin sighed. "The task was really more difficult than we expected. Zuo Zongtang has made outstanding achievements, and we must find a nickname that reflects both his political achievements and his military achievements, and at the same time praises his loyalty, so as to satisfy the Empress Dowager Cixi. Hye-kyung also felt difficult.
The two racked their brains, but they didn't come up with a nickname that both of them could recognize. In desperation, the two decided to go back and re-examine the method, hoping to have new ideas.
The next day, the two reunited and discussed for a morning, but there was still no progress. "It's true that the two of us can't accomplish this difficult task alone, so why not ask the more knowledgeable elders to get inspired. Mu Yin proposed.
Hyekyung reluctantly agreed to the proposal. After careful consideration, the two finally thought of a candidate - Xu Gengshen, the secretary of the cabinet. Xu Gengshen is a typical scholar, he is well-read and knows history and law well. He has been in office for many years, has seen a lot of things, and is extremely familiar with the government and politics, and is the best person to provide new ideas for the two.
So, Huiqing invited Xu Gengshen to come to discuss Zuo Zongtang's nickname. The two of them will tell Xu Geng about the dilemma of racking their brains but being at a loss.
Xu Gengshen listened quietly to the two of them after introducing the situation, and then entered into deep thought. He also understands that Zuo Zongtang has made outstanding achievements in his life, and it is really difficult to give him a proper name. But after all, Xu Gengshen is very knowledgeable and knows all about the laws and names of the past dynasties. Eventually, his eyes lit up and he made a suggestion.
Zuo Zongtang has been a horse in his life, with outstanding achievements and a deep understanding of righteousness, and he is indeed a rare good minister. In the following opinion, it is most appropriate to use 'Wenxiang' as a sycophant. Xu Gengshen said. Hui Qing and Mu Yin smiled at each other after hearing this, and they both saw joy in each other's eyes. Xu Gengshen's suggestion made the two of them suddenly open up and made a key breakthrough in solving the problem.
The next day, Huiqing and Mu Yin excitedly presented the nickname of "Wenxiang" to the Empress Dowager Cixi. After Cixi saw the word "Wenxiang", she nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, just use 'Wenxiang' as Zuo Zongtang's nickname." I think this nickname aptly sums up Zuo Zongtang's political achievements and military exploits, and it is the best praise for him. ”
The courtiers breathed a sigh of relief at this time, and finally successfully completed this important task and found a suitable nickname for Zuo Zongtang. At this point, at the suggestion of Xu Gengshen, Zuo Zongtang's nickname was officially determined to be "Wenxiang". This drew a perfect end to Zuo Zongtang, who served the country loyally, and also made the frowns of the courtiers involved in this matter finally relaxed.
The characters have joys, sorrows, and sorrows, and there are disputes and intrigues in the court, but in the end, those who are righteous and awe-inspiring will eventually leave their names in history. Zuo Zongtang's life is remembered for his loyalty to the country and outstanding exploits, and the search for the nickname has become a true footnote to his life journey.
Although Zuo Zongtang has undergone the change of dynasties, his personality strength of serving the country loyally and loving the people has become a precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation. This is also an important reason why many loyal ministers in history, even if their achievements are not as good as Zuo Zongtang, are still remembered by future generations.