Zuo Zongtang was one of the leading military and political figures of the late Qing. In 1875 he led his forces to recover Xinjiang, and in 1884 he directed military affairs in Fujian to resist French aggression, achievements that secured his place in history. Though famed as a general, he was also deeply accomplished in letters and calligraphy, honoring epigraphic models and excelling in seal, clerical, running, and cursive script. His strokes are forceful and bold, his style expansive and heroic, and many of his couplets circulated widely. This pillar couplet, written for the Ouyuan garden in Suzhou and quoting Du Fu, reveals a spirited ambition through its lean brushwork, cool structure, and open layout.