| Mention of the late Qing Dynasty governor of Guangdong, people would focus on Zhang Zhidong who exerts himself resisting French, and Cen Chunxuan who guards Ci Xi. However, Zhang Shusheng is the most important person in history that should not be forgetten. Unfortunately, the former did not give Zhang Shusheng the due position, and nowadays, people have not given proper evaluation on him. As the second best person of Huai army, there is not a specialized book and little academic papers of him. It’s time to change such situation.Zhang Shusheng (1824～1884), whose word is zhenxuan, borned in Anhui, Hefei. Coming from Lin Sheng,Zhang Shusheng built up himself by antagonizing the Taiping Army. Relied deeply by Li Hongzhang, he once served as Tongzhi, Zhifu, Dao member, Shi Zhuo, Shanxi, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi governor and transport, Zhili governor and other staffs, which made hime one of the important political figures in the history of modern Chinese. He has twice became the Guangdong governor (1879.12.27～1882.4.19　1883.7.13～ 1884.5.22) successively, which lasted more than three years, when he was in power, he put eastern Guangdong governance affairs in order positively, put forward new ideas different from ordinary people, this time has become an important stage in the course of his official.Like clumps, facing the embarrassment of generals are too lazy and difficult to resist foreign aggression, Zhang Shusheng firstly in nineteenth Century at the end of the 70’s to the mid 80’s, is the key moment from the brewing to the eruption of Sino French war. As the rear of war, the coast defense of Guangdong, Qin, Lian (belongs to Guangxi now) is becoming more and more tight. Lax in armies and financial embarrassment resulted Guangdong coastal defense existing in name only, the situation was more worrying. In this critical condition, Zhang Shusheng took over as Guangdong governor, from the overall situation of anti war sentiment urged Guangdong disadvantages, multi move, raising funds, careful arrangement, mastermind with painstaking effort, the Guangdong East anti gradually picked up. Zhang Zhidong took over the baton, continue to rectify the coastal defense, making it stronger, and subjected to the test of war, forced the French invaders dare not covet Guangdong.When the war is coming, the most important thing for Zhang Shusheng himself to do is renovating officialdom when he was in Guangdong governor. In the face of redundant official donation filled with evil, the official corruption and local arbitrary rules, then he oust the inferior officers who take bribes and bend the law or incompetent mediocre officers, and then the honest were taken into the officialdom. After renovation, the Guangdong provincial officials wind was greatly improved, the media in that time said after Zhang Shusheng was in power "the most important thing is protecting the people and making the people safe and sound", the successors praised the atmosphere in Guangdong changed a lot.With regard to the management of social chaos, Zhang Shusheng also has a remarkable place. Guangdong, famous for gambling home and abroad, has various kind of gamble items. Committed to the principle that ruling a country in approach and make one’s fortune in right way, Zhang Shusheng begins to manage the problem existing seriously in wei gambling and denied the former’s settlement taking advantage of wei gamble to make money. Then Zhang Shusheng published the official notice to ban the behavior and pointed out that it was not a wise decision to be imitated. He intensify efforts to combat the crime who invested to buy wei xing that insisted on doing evil but not repent and ignorance the law. He urged the people self-discipline by the cruel torture that be sent to a distant exile and the measures that bao jia which achieved good social effects.In order to keep the social order, Zhang Shusheng in Huizhou quelled the Fu Gui Shan county (now Huiyang District of Huizhou) people’fights for land, adjusted the ethnic relations between Han and Li, and dealt the Guangzhou Sand Surface Lesson Plans. In the meanwhile, some measures were impertinent which should be negated. So as to solve livelihood of the people, in the summer of 1880, a big flood occurred, Zhang Shusheng personally involved in the fight against the flood, constructed of the dam, donated money, cut tax, and delegated officials to the disaster areas in the first time to relief the people. He also properly handled the Huizhou occupancy in West Lake Land Reclamation Case, solved the Weizhou Island immigrants’livelihood and nearby changed its affiliation, complyed with the development of social development.With the coming of Sino-French War, hang shu sheng became one of the major leader in this war, owning to his generous speeching, in which he analyzed the reasons to aid Vietnam and resist France. He tried his best to put what he had said into practice, not only on words. He had the forethought, he sent the soldiers to detect the situation of the enemy in the front, which made good foundations for the Qing government officials to make decisions. He also recommend talented men, Cen yuying,is a good example. He chose Cen to direct the Western Line battle. Depending on his advantages of his birth palce and wide interpersonal conections, he finally commended the outside Shanhaiguan Pass. To built the terraqueous Steel Great Wall, which can defense the enemy sufficiently, he engaged in the defense of Yue cruelly. For instance, he built artillery battery, added emplacement, bought warship, increased navy, enlisted new ones for yhe army, trained new soldiers, readjusted military disciplines. Though he failed in the request to fight with the enemy many times, he had no thought to personal gains and losses, and put his heart in logistics services. He transferred the munitions and provisions and funds for the troop continuously which is collected by various regions to Dian and Gui troop outside Shanhaiguan Pass. Because of his conscientious, the military supplies of the ftontline had a solid guarantee. Some of the fatuous leaders suicided, some were fired and detained due to the failure of the BeiNing battle. He regarded this as his fereliction of duty, and requested to resign the position of the governor of Yue for 4 times. After resigning, although he was with serious illness, he still assisted the successor, Zhang zhidong, to strengthen the defense, not be an anlooker. From his behavious, we can see that he had made great contributions to the Sino-French War.Zhang Shusheng who followed two leaders-Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang during Westernization movement had a superficial understanding on the "rode of self-reliance". With appointed as Yuedu, he had changed a lot on that view. So, he actively raised funds, chose site, made regulations and founded Guangdong Museum to cultivate talents of voyage. He founded the telegraph of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou to the Guangxi Longzhou border which had accelerated the military government,improved the previous predicament that "be out of touch and receive news slowly" and it is easy to military mobilization, logistical, intelligence gathering and so on. All that measures had played a crucial role in the Sino French war. He stated the disadvantage of the examination system and proposed the ides of innovation education which was worthy to be greatly recognized.Zhang Shusheng throughout the doings in the Guangdong governor in office, he is excellent members police officials people, the rule by officials, good governance, and achieved certain results, worthy of praise. Important getters Zhang Shusheng or anti law Royal disgrace, in France in Vietnam, endanger the South Xinjiang, pinch, border alarm him step forward bravely, stand on solid ground for the defense, will provide logistics support for the troops at the front. Zhang Shusheng is enlightened provinces have the whole world in view, with the prophetic vision, to sum up his successive defeat in the Sino French war bursts of sadness in "the road of self-improvement", are his horizons logo.Indeed, no man is perfect. It is naturally that Zhang Shusheng had this or that defects. However, in an eventful year, what he had did should be praised. |
