When it comes to Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, everyone will think that they are the most dazzling figures in the dark and weak late Qing Dynasty. Both of them were important ministers in the late Qing Dynasty and one of the representatives of the Westernization Movement. First, they, Zhang Zhidong and Zeng Guofan, are known as the "Four Famous Ministers of ZTE". Without these people, I am afraid that the Qing Dynasty, which was in turmoil, would have perished long ago. They allowed the Qing Dynasty to survive for a few more years. So, Who is better among these two people? In fact, they once competed, and one of them went bankrupt and died in depression because of the dispute between them. This person was Hu Xueyan, who came from a humble background and his family was poor when he was young. , he helped people herd cattle since he was a child. When he was twelve years old, his father died of illness. As a last resort, thirteen-year-old Hu Xueyan had to work outside. He worked as a boy in many shops, and finally worked at Xinhe Bank in Hangzhou. "As an apprentice, he started working as a handyman such as sweeping floors and emptying urinals. After three years of apprenticeship, Hu Xueyan became an official clerk. At the age of 19, he was accepted as an apprentice by the shopkeeper Yu of Fukang Bank in Hangzhou, and Hu Xueyan The clever and childless shopkeeper Yu treated him as his own son. Before he died, he handed over the bank to Hu Xueyan. This was his first pot of gold in the business world. Hu Xueyan was relatively young and capable. It was not enough, so the bank's business was not good. Even though the business was bleak, he secretly misappropriated five hundred taels of silver from the bank and gave it to Wang Youling. He was a son of an official family, and his family had donated a " " candidate for him. The official position of "Salt Ambassador" was vacant, but later due to his family's decline, he did not have the extra money to smoothen connections in the officialdom, so he was always on the waiting list. After he met Hu Xueyan, Hu Xueyan gave him a large sum of money in order to help his friend realize his wish to serve the country. The money went to the officialdom. Wang Youling lived up to his expectations and became an official in the court with 500 taels of silver. He was capable and honest and quickly made political achievements in his position. Later, he became the governor of Zhejiang. Later, he did not forget his good friend Hu Xueyan and strongly supported his bank. The two developed their own businesses and helped each other. When the Taiping Army attacked Hangzhou, Hu Xueyan's bank played a big role in pharmacies, tea, and cloth. , military grain and water transportation, etc., were all handled by him, so he was well-known in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang business circles, but he was still unable to resist the Taiping Army's offensive, even though he had continuously purchased arms from Shanghai, Ningbo and other places to support Wang Youling's resistance. The war ended, but the city of Hangzhou was isolated and helpless. Wang Youling could not change the outcome. In the end, he became desperate and died in the city. After Hu Xueyan lost his friend, his business still had to continue. He still planned to cooperate with businessmen so that his business could continue. Long-term development. At that time, under the recommendation of Zeng Guofan, the Hunan Army general Zuo Zongtang was appointed as the governor of Zhejiang, responsible for supervising military affairs. In this way, Hu Xueyan planned to cooperate with him for a long time, raised a large amount of food and grass, and personally visited the army to show his sincerity. Zuo Zongtang's generous behavior had a profound impact on him. After that, the two often collaborated. Zuo Zongtang relied on Hu Xueyan's local influence to gain local support. Over time, the two formed a deep friendship. Zuo Zongtang After the recapture of Hangzhou, Hu Xueyan was appointed as the general manager, responsible for some post-war reconstruction and other work. The military pay, money and food were deposited in his bank. The reason why Hu Xueyan's business is thriving is inseparable from Zuo Zongtang's help, and he will reciprocate the favor. In the process of dealing with foreign businessmen, he recruited foreign military experts and trained an army with advanced weapons and equipment. It helped Zuo Zongtang when he fought against the Taiping Army. Zuo Zongtang recovered the lost territory nearby and was rewarded by the court. Hu Xueyan also relied on the power of the Hunan Army to monopolize the business in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and expand his bank. With a net worth of more than 20 million, he became the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty. Hu Xueyan often did good deeds in the local area and helped poor people as much as possible. Even though wars broke out frequently in various places, people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang rarely made trouble. This saved Zuo Zongtang a lot of trouble. He was very grateful to Hu Xueyan For everything he did, he also expressed his merit to Cixi. After Cixi learned about this person, he praised him greatly and asked businessmen to follow Hu Xueyan's example. He also gave him the official position of Hou Bu Dao in Jiangxi and a yellow mantle. In this way, Hu Xueyan became an official businessman again. , which is better for his business. Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang had a lot of conflicts in the court. Although they were once Zeng Guofan's staff and were recommended and promoted by Zeng Guofan, they often had differences in political affairs and were unwilling to compromise. Now Zuo Zongtang After Zongtang received help from Hu Xueyan, such as some valuable medicines, Zuo Zongtang's army was supported on the way and finally recovered Xinjiang. Zuo Zongtang became a celebrity around Cixi and received official positions and rewards. Hu Xueyan also helped Zuo Zongtang because of his help. They were rewarded for their meritorious service in the army, and the two of them were in the limelight, but this aroused the jealousy of Li Hongzhang. In order to suppress Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang believed that Hu Xueyan should be suppressed first, so that Zuo Zongtang would lose financial support. Due to the outbreak of the Sino-French war, Hu Xueyan's trade war failed miserably, and the raw silk he purchased devalued instantly. Li Hongzhang took the opportunity to stop his factory from operating, so Hu Xueyan could only sell the raw silk in his hands at a low price, losing more than 10 million. The capital turnover is poor. Then Li Hongzhang also found out that Hu Xueyan had an 800,000 bank loan that he had not repaid. In fact, it was borrowed by the Qing government and the bank loan was made in Hu Xueyan's personal name. However, Li Hongzhang withheld the funds, and Hu Xueyan, who could not get the repayment, could only I was able to sell part of my business at a low price, so I could make up for the loan.
At this time, Li Hongzhang asked people to spread the news about Hu Xueyan's bankruptcy, causing many depositors to go to the bank to withdraw money. Hu Xueyan could only sell the remaining farm properties. At this time, he was truly bankrupt. Li Hongzhang reported to the court that Hu Xueyan had taken kickbacks from the court. and food and wages, Cixi was furious and had Hu Xueyan's house confiscated, and made Zuo Zongtang responsible for collecting the arrears from Hu Xueyan. Not long after, Zuo Zongtang died of illness in Fuzhou. At this time, Hu Xueyan was already poor, depressed and angry, and finally fell ill in bed. In November 1885, before his death, he made three wills: "" Firstly, descendants should not engage in business; secondly, descendants should not engage in politics; thirdly, Hu and Li should not intermarry.
"It can be seen that Hu Xueyan hated Li Hongzhang very much. He asked future generations not to forget the painful lessons and experiences.