李鸿章《回埠札》及其早年仕途补正

Additional Research into Li Hongzhang's Letter of Huí Bù Zhá and His Earlier Official Career

故宫博物院共收藏李鸿章尺牍40余通,《回埠札》在其中属于篇幅较长的一通,其内容的史料性及书法的代表性都极为重要。该札没有写明收信人和书写时间,信札中,李鸿章向收信人叙述了以庐州为中心的安徽中部各地在咸丰八年七八月间被太平军攻陷,及李家家眷在此役中背井离乡、流离失所的种种惨况。此外,李鸿章还婉拒了收信人召其进京辅政的邀请。此信可作为李鸿章接下来归入曾国藩幕僚的实证资料。李鸿章此札书法工整隽秀、严守法度,堪为其早期书法少有的精品之作。

Among the over forty letters of Li Hoingzhang in the collection of the Palace Museum is there a relatively long one titled Huí Bù Zhá(which means literally Back to The Port) in Chinese pinyin which offers much historical information and represents the writer's calligraphy style, but neither receiver nor date are left in it. The letter writes about the Taiping Rebellion Troops conquering the central parts around Luzhou of Anhui province during the 7-8^(th) month of the 8^(th) year of Xianfeng's( 咸丰) period so that the Li's family members being homeless and destitute, and also it mentions about Li Hongzhang declining the receiver to offer him with an assistant post in the government and so on. The letter is studied to be the material evidence to support Li Hongzhang to assistant Zeng Guofan after that. The neat and elegant handwriting is among the rare masterpieces of his earlier works of calligraphy.