Zeng Guofan

Zeng Guofan

Zeng Guofan (November 26, 1811 - March 12, 1872) was originally named Zicheng, with the name of Bohan and the name of Disheng. He was the 70th grandson of Zengzi. In the late Qing Dynasty, statesman, strategist, Neo Confucianist, litterateur, calligrapher, founder and commander of Xiang army.

Zeng Guofan was born into an ordinary farming and studying family. He was diligent and studious when he was a child. He entered a private school at the age of 6. At the age of 8, he can read four books and five classics. At the age of 14, he can read Zhouli, Shiji and Wenxuan. Daoguang eighteen years (1838) Jinshi, into the Imperial Academy, military minister Mu Zhang amensheng. He was a Bachelor of cabinet, a minister of rites, a minister of soldiers, workers, criminals and officials. He is a close friend of the university scholars, Hui Ning Dao, he Guizhen, etc. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement, Zeng Guofan set up the Xiang army to turn the tide around, and after years of fierce fighting, he attacked and destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In his whole life, he was devoted to behavior and politics, and took patience as the most important thing. He advocated being diligent, thrifty and honest in everything, and not being proud of himself as an official. He cultivated his moral character and self-discipline, and achieved great success in officialdom.

The rise of Zeng Guofan had a profound influence on the politics, military, culture and economy of the Qing Dynasty. At the initiative of Zeng Guofan, he built China's first ship, established the first military academy, printed and translated the first batch of Western books, and arranged the first batch of students to study in the United States. It can be said that Zeng Guofan was the pioneer of China's modernization construction. Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi are called "Zeng Hu" together, and Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and Zhang Zhidong are called "four famous officials of Zhongxing in the late Qing Dynasty". He was the governor of Liangjiang, the governor of Zhili, and the Bachelor of wuyingdian. He was granted the title of first-class Yiyong Hou, posthumous title "Wenzheng", and later called "Zeng Wenzheng". (Overview: Portrait of Zeng Guofan)

Life of the characters

Early experience

On October 11, 1811 (November 26, 1811), Zeng Guofan was born in Baiyangping, Heyetang, Fuxiang Township, Changsha, Hunan Province (now Daping village, Heye Town, Shuangfeng County, Loudi, Hunan Province). There were nine brothers and sisters. Zeng Guofan was the eldest son. His ancestors mainly worked in agriculture and lived a relatively comfortable life. Although his grandfather Zeng Yuping had little culture, he had rich experience; his father Zeng Linshu, as a scholar in a private school, as the eldest son and grandson, naturally got the ethical education of the two ancestors. Zeng Guofan was enlightened at the age of five, and entered a family school at the age of six.

In the spring of the sixth year of Daoguang (1826), Zeng Guofan ranked the seventh in the Changsha children's examination. In 1830, Zeng Guofan went to the Tang clan ancestral hall in Hengyang to study. A year later, he transferred to Lianbin Academy in Xiangxiang.

In 1832, Zeng Guofan became a scholar. In 1834, Zeng Guofan entered the Yuelu Academy of Changsha for an exercise. In the same year, he took part in the Hunan Provincial examination. He won the 36th place in the pilot test and set off for Beijing to prepare for the next year's examination.

In 1835, Zeng Guofan failed in the examination and lived in Changsha guild hall in Beijing. The next year, Enke failed again, so he returned to Changsha and lived in Xiangxiang guild hall with his fellow countrymen Liu Rong and Guo Songtao.

Seven moves in ten years

In 1838, Zeng Guofan took part in the joint examination again, and finally succeeded in ranking the 42nd in the palace examination. He was granted the Jinshi background. Since then, he stepped on his official career step by step and became the favorite student of Mu zhanga, Minister of military aircraft. The imperial examination ranked the first and the third place, and the Daoguang emperor ranked the second and was selected as the Imperial Academy scholar.

In 1840, he was awarded the imperial academy examination. In July of the 23rd year of Daoguang (1843), Zeng Guofan was appointed the official of Sichuan provincial examination. In August, he was awarded the lecture of the Imperial Academy. In December, Zeng Guofan served as the manager of Wenyuan Pavilion.

Daoguang 24 years (1844), turn Shi read. In March of the 25th year of Daoguang (1845), he was appointed as the examiner of the examination. In May, he became the son of a concubine in youchunfang. In September, he turned to zuozhuzi, and soon became a bachelor. In December, it was the official day.

In the 26th year of Daoguang (1846), it was filled with the affairs of Wenyuan Pavilion. The 27th year of Daoguang (1847), the second grade of Da Kao. In June, he was promoted to the rank of cabinet bachelor and Minister of rites.

In the 28th year of Daoguang (1848), he inspected the affairs of Zhongshu branch. In the first month of the 29th year of Daoguang (1849), he was granted the right Minister of rites. In August, he was the left Minister of the Department of military affairs. In June of the next year, he was the Minister of the Department of industry. During more than ten years in Beijing, Zeng Guofan rose to the rank of second grade official step by step along this path of official career. In ten years, he moved seven times, and even leaped ten levels.

Forming Hunan army

In January of the first year of Xianfeng (1851), Hong Xiuquan organized an incident in Jintian village, Guiping, Guangxi. Emperor Xianfeng issued an imperial edict to all his officials to discuss the gains and losses. Zeng Guofan suggested that "today's urgent task is to employ people first", and recommended Li Tangjie, Wu Tingdong, Wang Qingyun, Yan Zhengji, and Jiang Zhongyuan. Then he wrote a letter "respect Chen Shengde to prevent malpractice", pointing out emperor Xianfeng's fault. Emperor Xianfeng "angrily threw it to the ground". After reading it a few days, he accepted remonstrance and praised it. In May, he was the right servant of the Department of punishment. In October, he was the examiner of tianwu Township in Chongshun.

In the first month of the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zuo Shilang of the Department of official affairs. In June, he tried to be an examiner in the West Township of Chongjiang. On the way, he returned home because of his mother's death. At that time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement had swept half of China. Although the Qing government mobilized a large number of eight banners army and green camp officers and men from all over the country to deal with the Taiping army, this decadent armed force could not bear the first World War. Therefore, the Qing government repeatedly issued orders to reward regiment training, trying to use the landlords' armed forces to curb the development of the Taiping army, which provided an opportunity for the emergence of Zeng Guofan's Hunan army. In November, the Qing government ordered Zeng Guofan and Zhang Liangji, the governor of Hunan Province, to conduct League training.

In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), when the Qing government was eager to seek the opportunity to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he established a local youth league, called Xiangyong, in Hunan, his hometown, relying on the complicated interpersonal relationships of apprentices, relatives and friends. He also wrote to the Qing court and expropriated taqibu, which was only the capital. In August, Zeng Guofan was allowed to train his troops in Hengzhou. "All the models of guns, knives and anchors, and the positions of sails, masts and oars, all bow and try their best." he sent people to Guangdong to buy Western guns and prepare for the construction of a navy.

During the regiment training of Xiangyong, he took military discipline seriously and opened up a new army. He divided the 5000 people Xiangyong into ten battalions, including TA, Luo, Wang and Li, and moved the regiment training site from Changsha to Xiangtan to avoid direct conflict with Changsha green camp.

Suppress the rebels

In February of the fourth year of Xianfeng (1854), the Hunan army went out, and Zeng Guofan published "the call to the bandits in Guangdong". In this proclamation, he claimed that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement was "poisonous to life" and that "once the book of rites, righteousness, human relations and poetry of China for thousands of years is swept away," he said. This is not only the extraordinary change of the Qing Dynasty, but also the extraordinary change of the famous religion since the founding of the people's Republic of China. Confucius and Mencius wept bitterly in Jiuquan. "Then they called on" all those who read and read can sit back and do nothing ". They stood at the commanding height of morality, so they mobilized the vast number of intellectuals at that time to participate in the struggle against the Taiping Army and laid a solid foundation for future victory .

Zeng Guofan ordered Chu ruhang to be the commander of the Navy, and tazib to be the vanguard of the army. He led 240 ships and 17000 army troops to the East. In March, the war in Yuezhou was disadvantageous. In April, he was defeated by Shi Xiangzhen of the Taiping Army in the Jinggang water war. Zeng Guofan threw himself into the water in anger and was saved by his aide Zhang Shoulin. Because of the disadvantageous war, Zeng Guofan was dismissed.

At this time, taqibu, garrison Yang Zaifu and magistrate Peng Yulin led the army to conquer Xiangtan. On July 25, after reorganizing the army, Zeng Guofan went out to capture Yuezhou, killed Zeng Tianyang, the Taiping army, and conquered Chenglingji. He was rewarded with three prizes for his contributions. On October 14, he took Wuchang and Hanyang and rewarded them with two pieces of top clothing for their merits. He was appointed governor of Hubei Province to reward them with Hualing. Because Zeng Guofan tried to refuse, he was awarded the title of minister of the Ministry of war. On December 2, Zeng Guofan captured Tianjia Town, killed tens of thousands of enemies, burned 5000 boats and surrounded Jiujiang. Zeng Guofan wore a yellow mandarin jacket for his good management.

On the night of February 12 in the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855), Shi Dakai attacked the Xiang army's water camp at Hukou and burned more than 100 Xiang army warships. Zeng Guofan got away from jumping off the boat and was captured in the boat. Zeng Guofan was extremely angry and planned to drive his horse to the enemy to die. Luo Zenan and Liu Rongli tried to persuade him to stop. Zeng Guofan sent Li Mengqun, Peng Yulin and Hu Linyi to support Wuchang, and he himself went to Jiangxi to recruit soldiers and build ships. In July, TaqIB died in the military camp, and Zeng Guofan rushed to Jiujiang to command his troops. In August, Hukou was recovered. In September, he was awarded the right Minister of the Ministry of war.

In the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856), Shi Dakai attacked Jiangxi, and Zeng Guofan was trapped in Nanchang. At this time, Luo Zenan died in the military camp, and Peng Yulin walked thousands of miles into the encirclement to help defend Nanchang. On September 2, Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing fought against each other, known as the Tianjing incident in history, and Nanchang was liberated. In October, Zeng Guofan set up a Jizi camp to help Jiangxi.

On February 20, 1857, his father died, and Zeng Guofan and his younger brother Zeng Guohua returned home to mourn. In July, he went to Shanghai twice and asked for the final system at home, which was approved by Emperor Xianfeng. In that year, Siyun hall was built.

On May 19, 1858, Li Xubin and Yang yuebin led the army to capture Jiujiang. On July 13, Zeng Guofan took Xianfeng's order to set up military affairs in Zhejiang and rescue Fujian. In December, he wrote "love folk song" to train Hunan army.

Capture Nanjing

In November of the ninth year of Xianfeng (1859), Zeng Guofan planned to attack Anqing, duolong'a and Bao Chao, Hu Linyi and Li Xuyi.

In February 1860, Zeng Guofan broke Chen Yu

Chinese PinYin : Ceng Guo Fan