Since Zeng Guofan organized and trained the Hunan Army and suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the land of Hunan has become full of outstanding people. To put it simply, Zeng Guofan took the Hunan people out to gain experience and brought back fame and wealth, and this is how we became "a group of Hunan people, half of modern history". I grew up listening to the stories of local sages such as Zeng Guofan and Cai E, and I longed to be like them, winning titles and honors on the battlefield and establishing a reputation in the world. Only when I grew up did I realize that Peng Yulin, the handsome man who has been a high-ranking official and painted plum blossoms all his life, should be my pursuit. Life's achievements should not be judged by success or fame.
Peng Yulin's ancestral home was Hengyang County, Hengzhou Prefecture, Chengui Road, Hengyong (now Zhajiang, Hengyang County, Hengyang City). He was born in 1816 in Anqing Prefecture, Anhui Province (now Anqing City). A famous politician, military strategist, calligrapher and painter in the Qing Dynasty, he was known as Xueshuai. Together with Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, he is known as the Three Heroes of the Qing Dynasty. Together with Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang and Hu Linyi, he is also known as the four famous ministers of ZTE. He is the founder of the Hunan Navy and the founder of the modern Chinese navy. He served as governor of Liangjiang, minister of Nanyang Commerce, and minister of the Ministry of War. With such a life, he is definitely a winner in the officialdom, but Peng Yulin's success in life comes from his foresight, his uprightness, and his courage and perseverance. The thousands of hills and valleys in his heart were always calm on the surface, and he would only hold on silently.
He loved painting plum blossoms all his life, and achieved great success. He nourished his heart with painting. "The old trunk has many branches, and its scales are thousands of jade, and its strong and strong part is like a child's Yu". Behind this, there is a touching love story hidden. Peng Yulin's maternal grandmother had an adopted daughter, Zhubin, who was several years older than Peng Yulin. It is said that Peng Yulin called her "aunt". The two were about the same age and were childhood sweethearts. Later, the two never got together. The reason was superficially due to incompatibility, but the real reason was seniority. Later, under the auspices of Peng's mother, Mei Gu married another Yao family and died of dystocia four years later. When Peng Yulin heard the news, she was mentally and physically broken. She cried, "My best friend in life is plum blossoms" and vowed to spend the rest of his life painting 100,000 plum blossoms. To commemorate the love between the two of them. Every time he finished a painting, he would write a chapter saying, "There is no embrace for sad people" and "Plum blossoms are the best friends in life." Peng Yulin kept his word. It took him 40 years of painting to fulfill his promise to commemorate Aunt Mei with thousands of plum blossoms. He never married after the death of his wife. A promise to the deceased that lasted for 40 years. After Mei Gu passed away, Peng Yulin's life was all about his family, country and world, and a pair of plum blossoms in his spare time.
Peng Yulin's achievements are not only due to his talent. His Hunanese domineering attitude restrains him, but also makes him extremely real. Qing history manuscripts record that when Peng Yulin was 16 years old, he defected to his relatives and friends. "The bandits in Xinning were in chaos, and they were captured by Xiebiao. After describing his merits, the officials mistakenly thought that he was a martial artist, so he replaced the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Linwu Camp, but he refused. When he arrived in Leiyang, he assisted him. When the Guangdong bandits arrived, they spent all their money to raise funds for the defense. The thieves knew they were prepared and did not attack. Yulin did not claim his merits, but he begged for the fake money, so he became famous. Most of his life is spent on the battlefield, but he is a scholar, and he has the arrogance of a scholar. He will give official positions to those who are not suitable, but will give credit to those who are unwilling, just for the persistence in his heart.
Plum blossoms are a true gentleman who blooms in the cold, and they are also a sad and touching love. Snow is handsome, and snow scatters on the earth because of plum blossoms, which add to the whiteness of snow. Therefore, Zeng Guofan also said that among the heroes in the world, they must be Peng Yulin and Li Hongzhang.