Why did Lin Zexu entrust the task of pacifying Xinjiang to the last Juren Zuo?

1850 65438+ 10 month, Changsha. It's the middle of winter.

A ship slowly docked by the river. There was a man on board, the famous Lin Zexu.

Lin Zexu, Zifu, 1785, from Fujian. At the age of 26, he entered the Jinshi and entered the officialdom. After several ups and downs, he successively served as Jiangsu provincial judge, Shaanxi provincial judge, Henan political envoy, Donghe governor, Jiangsu governor, Huguang governor, Shaanxi governor and Yunnan-Guizhou governor. When he went to Guangzhou as an imperial envoy to ban opium, he carried out a vigorous opium destruction operation in Humen, which was famous at home and abroad.

However, after the First Opium War, Lin Zexu and other fighters were attacked by the pacifists, became the "ministers of punishments" of the imperial court, and were dismissed and exiled to Xinjiang. Lin Zexu lived in Xinjiang for five years.

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During his stay in Xinjiang, Lin Zexu did not complain or despair, but actively assisted Xinjiang generals in handling government affairs. Although he is nearly sixty years old, he has made field trips all over Xinjiang and visited Wan Li three times. Everywhere he went, Lin Zexu worked with the local people to build water conservancy and reclaim wasteland.

The capital of Xinjiang is thousands of miles away, and the court knows little about Xinjiang. In order to let the court know the actual situation in Xinjiang, Lin Zexu drew a map of Xinjiang himself.

When Lin Zexu was in Xinjiang, Xinjiang had been invaded by foreign forces such as Russia, and there was a trend that "rain was coming and the wind filled the building". Lin Zexu is worried about this. He suggested to the court to implement "military-agricultural integration" to deal with the threat of foreign forces such as Russia.

1845, Lin zexu was reused by the imperial court. He has served as Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Governor of Shaanxi and Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. /kloc-in the autumn of 0/849, Lin Zexu fell ill and returned to his hometown via Changsha.

When Lin Zexu arrived in Changsha, he immediately sent a special envoy to Liu Zhuang, Xiangyin, and invited a person to meet him. Who is this person invited by Lin Zexu?

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His name is Zuo.

Zuo, whose real name is 18 12, is from Xiangyin, Hunan. Zuo became famous when he was young, but he went to Beijing three times to catch the exam. In a rage, Zuo announced that he would no longer take the exam and go back to his hometown to study. However, although Zuo worked as a farmer in the countryside, he was still very concerned about the fate of the country and the safety of the nation.

1840, after the first opium war broke out, China's army was defeated by the British, and he was extremely sad. What makes him even more indignant is that Lin Zexu, an imperial envoy who has always been respected and respected, was regarded as a "scapegoat" by Daoguang and was dismissed and sent to Xinjiang. Seeing this, Zuo said in his letter: "Since Guangdong banned smoking last year, Shaomu's army has actually been dissolved and stationed in Xinjiang. This is the opposition between right and wrong, and it is a great relief! "

Of course, Lin Zexu didn't know all this.

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The first time Lin Zexu heard Zuo's name, it was a letter of recommendation from Hu Linyi, the magistrate of Anshun, Guizhou.

He is Zuo's good friend in Hu Linyi. He admired Zuo's talent and couldn't bear to see him buried in the countryside, so he recommended Zuo to Lin Zexu, then governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. In the letter of recommendation, Hu Linyi praised his friend for being "the first sergeant in Hunan, with extraordinary talents".

This is a bit full, which makes Lin Zexu a little suspicious. However, Lin Zexu is also a person who cherishes talents. He didn't want to miss any talent, and planned to call Zuo to the shogunate. Unfortunately, under the arrangement of his teacher He Xiling, Zuo married Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang, and was entrusted by Tao Shu to teach in the family and help manage the family affairs. Can't get away, can't succeed.

Lin Zexu misses Zuo.

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After receiving a letter from Lin Zexu, Zuo was very excited and immediately set out from Liu Zhuang, Xiangyin, and rushed to Changsha. When we reached the river, it was very late.

Perhaps because of excitement or nervousness, Zuo accidentally stepped into the water when boarding the ship and became a "drowned rat".

Lin Zexu joked, "This is

From the identity point of view, Lin Zexu is an important official of the imperial court, ranking first; Left is only the first person to act, a right-hand man. In terms of age, Lin Zexu is 65 years old and Zuo is 38 years old. Regardless of status or age, they are very different. But what does it matter?

That night, they lived on the boat and talked to each other. They talk about state affairs, criticize people and analyze the current situation. Many viewpoints coincide, and the more we talk, the more we get along. What they talk about most is the situation in Xinjiang. Lin Zexu introduced what he saw and heard in Xinjiang to the left.

Talking about the current situation in Xinjiang, Lin Zexu hit the nail on the head: "The western regions are not repaired, the geographical advantages are not exhausted, and the fertile soil cannot be rich and strong."

Talking about Russia's covet for Xinjiang, Lin Zexu was extremely worried: "What about Russia? China patient, after all? I am old, but I have the ambition of the Russian Empire. I have been paying attention to talents for several years and want to entrust a heavy responsibility. "

Although Lin Zexu only saw the left side, he was convinced by the left's knowledge and believed that this man was worthy of his trust: "Southeast foreigners can resist or others;" Set up Xinjiang in the west, give up! " Lin Zexu also gave all his strategic plans and maps of Xinjiang to Zuo. "With my years of hard work, I dedicate it to the first step, which may be useful in the future."

Zuo accepted this information and Lin Zexu's earnest hope for him.

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1850165438+1On October 22nd, Lin Zexu died on the orders of an imperial envoy in Guangxi.

Zuo heard the news, and his eyes filled with tears. He wrote an elegy: "those who are attached to the public are not all gentlemen, but those who are attached to the public must be villains, who have been worried about the country for more than 200 years;" The temple leans against the Great Wall, the grass looks at the rain, the teacher is unsuccessful, and the road is full of stars. "

Zuo did not forget Lin Zexu's entrustment.

1in April, 876, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu left Suzhou town and officially sent troops to recover Xinjiang. Although Zuo has never been to Xinjiang, under the guidance of Lin Zexu's map data, he has been marching in an orderly way, as if he had a plan. In the end, it only took Zuo more than a year to recover Xinjiang territory except Yili.

Later, under the pressure of the left army, Russia was forced to negotiate with the Qing Dynasty and withdraw its troops from Ili. Xinjiang 1.6 million square kilometers of land has finally returned to the embrace of the motherland.

Secondly, Zuo governed Xinjiang according to Lin Zexu's thought. He banned poppy cultivation, opium cultivation, water conservancy construction and mulberry rice cultivation. All these policies have the shadow of Lin Zexu.

Zuo failed Lin Zexu's trust.