On this occasion, the 404th anniversary of the birth of Duke Li Wenxiang, I publish his "Xingjian Diary" to the world to commemorate this ancestor. This diary records in detail Li Zhifang's ten years of supervising Zhejiang from the 12th to the 22nd year of Kangxi.
Li Wenxiang Gong, taboo Zhifang (1622.08-1694.11), Courtesy name Zhu Zhong, alias Yeyuan, posthumous title "Wenxiang", was born in Wuding, Jinan (now Huimin, Shandong). He was a Jinshi in the fourth year of Shunzhi, and served successively as an official, censor, governor of Zhejiang, Minister of the Ministry of War, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he became a bachelor of Wenhua Palace. He worked in the cabinet and was known locally as "Mr. Li Ge".
In the thirteenth year of Kangxi's reign, Geng Jingzhong rebelled. He was ordered to garrison Quzhou in the face of danger. With the strategy of "suppression and appeasement at the same time", he led his troops through more than 140 battles to regain Jiang and Chang counties, break through Xianxia Pass, surrender 170,000 rebels, and stabilize the Zhejiang-Fujian border. After the land border was pacified, he turned to reorganize the coastal defense, commanded the Dinghaiyang, Xiaoshunyang and other naval battles, severely damaged the pirates, and recruited more than 30 surrenders along the coast.
During this period, he tried his best to raise military pay and argued for the write-off of disputes based on reason; he determined the camp system and promoted the division of jurisdiction between Zhejiang and Fujian in the Fengling camp; he recommended the good and impeached the bad, and purged officials to manage people's livelihood. In the 21st year of Kangxi's reign, Li Zhifang was ordered to return to Hangzhou with his troops. The following year, he took over the printing duties and was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War. He successfully concluded his ten-year career in supervising Zhejiang, demonstrating the loyalty, courage and talent of a generation of feudal officials.
