Hu Linyi was born in Yiyang, Hunan, in the seventeenth year of Jiaqing (1812), the same age as Zuo Zongtang and one year younger than Zeng Guofan. Hu Linyi was born in a family of eunuchs and received a good education since childhood.
Hu Linyi's officialdom career has not been smooth sailing. At the age of 24, he was admitted to the Jinshi, and three years later, he was awarded the Hanlin Academy for editing, and the spring breeze was proud. In the twentieth year of Daoguang (1840), Hu Linyi, who served as the deputy examiner of the Jiangnan Township Examination, was demoted because the examiner Wenqing brought people into the examination to mark the papers on his behalf.
Soon after, his father died of illness, and he returned home. When the period of Ding Wei expired, Hu Linyi felt disheartened and hopeless, so he studied behind closed doors for four years. In the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang (1845), Lin Zexu wrote a letter to persuade Hu Linyi to go out of the mountain to serve.
Soon, the governor of Liangjiang, the governor of Anhui, and his teachers persuaded him to come out. But according to the original official reinstatement, Hu Linyi can only be promoted step by step from the cabinet of the seventh grade, and I don't know when he will be able to supervise the minister?
In desperation, Hu Linyi changed his development from the path of donation with the help of his in-law Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy Dan Minglun, and in today's words, he is buying officials. In the twenty-sixth year of Daoguang (1846), Hu Linyi donated 15,000 taels of silver, obtained the position of prefect, and became the prefect of Sipin.
Although Hu Linyi, who was born on the right path, made this decision and was embarrassed, this experience gave him a new view on the concept of being an official, and finally chose to take up his post in Guizhou, where the land is barren and the people are poor.
Guizhou was the starting point of Hu Linyi's career, and he served as the prefect in Anshun, Zhenyuan, and Liping. At that time, the Taiping Rebellion was surging, and in the third year of Xianfeng (1853), Hong Xiuquan set the capital of Tianjing, which brought a great threat to the Qing court.
When Wu Wenrong served as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, he was transferred to Hu Linyi as the governor of Huguang to help the Qing army advance and suppress. Wu Wenrong knew that Hu Linyi was a rare general, so he transferred him to take Qianyong to Hubei to fight together.
In the fourth year of Xianfeng, Hu Linyi led his troops to leave Guizhou, and he had the opportunity to display his talents on a larger scale, and loyalty to the imperial court and meritorious service were complementary to him, a general from Confucianism.
In the following seven years, Hu Linyi fought fierce battles with the main forces of the Taiping army in Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and other places, conquered Wuchang and Jiujiang, and besieged the important town of Anqing with Zeng Guofan.
Hu Linyi also served as the governor of Hubei during this period and trained a brave Chu army. Hu Linyi was a rare talent and a rare military strategist in the Qing Dynasty. He distinguished himself in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion and showed his multifaceted talents.
Compared with Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi's courage and courage are more outstanding, and he has repeatedly advised Zeng Guofan not to be as cautious and cautious as Zhuge Liang, and to have the courage to give it a go.
These characteristics were lacking in Zeng Guofan and unique to Hu Linyi, and in these respects, Hu Linyi seemed to have an advantage over Zeng Guofan.
As a military strategist and statesman, Hu Linyi paid attention to the training of soldiers and the reorganization of the ranks, so that the troops had strong combat effectiveness. He recruited villagers in Guizhou, formed regimental training, and made all-out training in Hubei to supplement and adjust the troops, so that they would always maintain their sharpness.
He was also a striking politician in three ways: shrewd, capable, courageous, and impressive in governing the local area when he was the prefect of Guizhou; When he was serving in Guidongdao, he proposed to rectify the place from four aspects: training, seeking talents, inspecting officials, and raising salaries; Magnanimous, demoted, and good at centering and coordinating, he played an important role in the suppression of the Taiping Army.
He played a key role in mediating the return of Zeng Guofan, and played a key role between the Qing court and Zeng Guofan.
Hu Linyi, an outstanding military general, died young in the 11th year of Xianfeng (1861) at the age of 50. Compared to Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, he lived a shorter life.
Hu Linyi's death was mainly due to overwork, but his early life was unruly, and it may have also caused his physical weakness and susceptibility to illness because of his excessive anxiety.
Overall, Hu Linyi's life was colorful. In his early years, he was born in the Hanlin Academy, and he thought very highly of himself and behaved **. However, after some setbacks, he deeply reflected on his actions and immediately after becoming the prefect, he reformed himself and was determined to contribute to the country and the nation.
Seven years as a prefect made him famous, and after that, he went through many difficulties, but he was able to support himself with his extraordinary intelligence and ability. Eventually, he played an important role in quelling the Taiping Rebellion, laying the foundation for Zeng's great efforts to pacify Wu.