In the process of pursuing success, we should prevent complacency, know how to be prepared for danger in times of peace, and retreat despite difficulties? For example, Su Shi said in "A Gift to Gemee": "Don't pass on different knowledge for your own sake, but read the gentry for your own sake. Although a few fires went up, no one retreated!
Everyone is familiar with Guo Ziyi's story of pacifying the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, but few people know that this distinguished general is extremely cautious in dealing with people.
At the end of the Tang dynasty, the princes were divided, the monarch and the ministers were suspicious of each other, and the civil servants and military commanders were afraid of themselves. Some people, afraid of arousing suspicion, hope to be isolated from the world as soon as they enter a deep house and never associate with anyone.
Among these ministers, only Guo Ziyi, the king of Fenyang, is different. The door of Guo Fu is open every day. The generals of his men came to visit the mansion. If Mrs. Guo and her daughter are combing your hair, they will ask these generals to wash their faces with towels and order them like family.
Guo Ziyi's sons also felt that his father had gone too far and advised him, "You have a great career, but you don't respect yourself. No matter how high or low you are, you just walk into your bedroom, and ancient saints wouldn't do that. "
Guo Ziyi smiled and said, "How do you know my intention? I have 500 war horses and thousands of subordinate servants. If we build a high wall, close our doors to the outside world, and keep away from people inside and outside the imperial court, if we have personal grievances with others, people who are jealous of talents will stir up trouble for our whole family. Now I am open and honest, and the door is open. Even if someone wants to slander me, how can they find an excuse? "
Guo Ziyi opened the door to pay homage and had no doubt about everything, which really convinced Dai Zong.
Therefore, when things get better, we should turn our minds to retreat. This is an open-minded and generous mind, and it is also a kind of wisdom to retreat for progress, hide without revealing, penetrate interests and seek wealth transformation. It is a far-sighted view of interests and wealth, rather than clinging to temporary gains and losses.
Sometimes it takes not only wisdom, but also courage to pay the price. Zeng Guofan invited himself to dissolve the Xiang army, which is his classic.
Zeng Guofan rose in the process of suppressing the Taiping Rebellion in Qing Dynasty. He trained the Xiang army and propped up the situation by himself when the Eight Banners Army was powerless. Therefore, in 186 1 1 year, he was ordered to command the military and political affairs of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, and the civil and military affairs of the four provinces below the governor were all under Zeng Guofan's control. Zeng Guofan became the most powerful Han bureaucrat since the Qing Dynasty.
After the Taiping Rebellion was suppressed, Zeng Guofan was sealed as Yi and hereditary. At this time, Zeng Guofan had a successful career and unlimited scenery. But he is very clear-headed, always vigilant and prepared for danger in times of peace.
With the rise of his status, he was not complacent, but felt very scared. What he wants more is not to enjoy his achievements and fame, but to worry about his bad luck and being cooked by a dead rabbit. He wrote a letter to his brother Ceng Guoquan, urging him not to have another chance in the future and to retire as soon as possible, so as to "make a good start and avoid committing a big crime".
Zeng Guofan knew that after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was suppressed, the Qing court had always been suspicious of him, because he had such a powerful army, but it was difficult for the court to command and mobilize. Minister of Manchu dynasty will not let this problem go. If they are allowed to solve it, not only will Xiang suffer heavy losses, but his own fate is also unpredictable.
So Zeng Guofan took the initiative to tell the Qing court that the Xiang army had been established for a long time, and it was no longer angry in the past. It was contaminated with the bad habits of the old army and demanded that the Xiang army be laid off and dismissed. He wanted to show that he had no intention of supporting the army, not an aspirant for personal gain, but a defender loyal to the Qing court.
At the same time, although he asked for the dissolution of the Xiang army in the last performance, he said nothing about his personal future. Because he knew that if he said in the memorial that he wanted to stay in the imperial court, oversight would be suspected of greedy power stack; If he explicitly asks to be removed from office and return to his hometown in the memorial, he will be suspected of not continuing to serve the court.
Just as the imperial court was trying to solve this problem, Zeng Guofan's initiative was exactly what the rulers wanted, so he ordered the demobilization of most of the Xiang army. Because this problem was put forward by Zeng Guofan on his own initiative, he was appointed as the governor of Liangjiang of the Qing government when he personally treated Zeng Guofan.
This is exactly what Zeng Guofan wanted to achieve.
Advancing and retreating is not abandoning the mainstream of life in full swing, nor insisting on being refined. It is a straightforward life rationality, an almost plain but sincere attitude towards life.