Zeng Guofan (1811-1872) was born in Xiangxiang, Hunan Province (now Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province). Military strategist, philosopher, politician, calligrapher and writer in Qing Dynasty, and founder of "Xiangxiang School" in late Qing Dynasty. Official to the Governor of Liangjiang, the Governor of Zhili, the University of Wuyingdian, the first-class righteous Hou Yong. Baiyangping, a native of Xiangxiang, Changsha, Hunan Province, now belongs to Tianziping, Ye He Town, Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province. Jiaqing was born in the 16th year (18 1 1) in a wealthy landlord family in Heyetang, Jingzi Town, Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province. There are nine brothers and sisters, Zeng Guofan is the eldest son. The ancestors were mainly farmers, and their lives were relatively broad and rich (Zeng Guofan's former residence). Grandpa Zeng Yuping has not received much education, but he has rich experience; Father Zeng Linshu, as a scholar, and Zeng Guofan, as the eldest son and grandson, naturally got the ethical education of two ancestors.
I entered school at the age of 6, and I can read eight-part essay and recite the Five Classics at the age of 8. At the age of 65,438+04, he was able to read Zhou Li and Selected Works of Historical Records, and took a boy's test in Changsha. His excellent grades are listed as excellent, which shows that he has been smart and diligent since he was a child. In the 12th year of Daoguang (1832), he was admitted as a scholar and married Ouyang Cangming's daughter. After failing in the exam twice in a row, he studied hard for a year. The actual age is 27 years old, and the nominal age is 28 years old. Gong was admitted to the same Jinshi. From then on, he embarked on the road of official career step by step, and became the favorite pupil of Minister Zhang Mu. In Beijing for more than ten years, he successively served as imperial academy Jishi Shu, moved to school, gave a bachelor's degree in lectures, served in Wen Yuan Pavilion, held a bachelor's degree in cabinet, inspected Chinese book affairs, served as assistant minister of Ministry of War, assistant minister of Ministry of Industry, assistant minister of punishments and assistant minister of official department. Zeng Guofan was promoted to the second-class position step by step along this career path. Moving seven times in ten years, jumping ten times in a row, jumping from seven products to two products,
In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zeng Guofan was lost at home because of his mother. At this time, the Taiping Rebellion has swept half of China. Although the Qing government mobilized a large number of Eight Banners green camp officers and men from all over the country to deal with the Taiping Army, this decadent armed force was vulnerable. Therefore, the Qing government issued many orders to reward the Yong Tuan, trying to use the landlord armed forces in various places to curb the development of revolutionary forces, which provided an opportunity for the emergence of Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army. Xianfeng three years (1853), he used the opportunity given by the Qing government to seek strength to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In his hometown of Hunan, he established a local group training called Xiang Army by relying on complicated interpersonal relationships such as mentoring, relatives and friends. 1in February, 854, the Xiang army rushed out and Zeng Guofan published "Seeking the Guangdong Bandits". In this essay, he criticized the peasant war of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as "poisoning all living beings" and "introducing China's ethical code for thousands of years and sweeping it away". This is not only a strange change in the Qing dynasty, but also a strange change in famous religions since the opening of the port. Confucius and Mencius wept bitterly in Jiuyuan, and then called on "anyone who can read and write can sit still". He stood at the commanding height of morality, so he mobilized the broad masses of intellectuals at that time to participate in the struggle against the Taiping Army, laying a solid foundation for future victory. Zeng Guofan brutally suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom uprising and used harsh laws. History says that "one person is sent to be known, and another person is sent to judge robbers." If the solution is serious, it will be decided. If it is light, it will be killed. If it is light, it will be blamed. ..... The case will be tried immediately and the law will be implemented immediately. There is no expectation of delay. " Not only did he kill people directly, but his father and four brothers also killed people. Some people accused him of killing too many people and called him "once bald" and "once butcher". It is said that children in Nanjing cry at night, and when their mother says "I shaved my head", the children stop crying. In the battle with the Taiping Army, Zeng Guofan used methods such as looting property and conferring officials to boost morale, which formed the nature of the Xiang Army warrior's disability. Xiang Army became one of the main forces in the Qing army with backward military quality to fight against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the south of China. Zeng Guofan was named the first-class brave marquis, becoming the first person to seal the marquis of Wu as a scholar in the Qing Dynasty. Later, he served as the governor of Liangjiang and Zhili, and his official residence was a product.
There are many works in his life, but Letters from Home is the most widely circulated and influential. In the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), that is, seven years after Zeng Guofan's death, Nakagawa Bookstore carved Zeng Gong's letter edited by Li and Li Hongzhang. I am also good at employing people, and other famous ministers in the Qing Dynasty, such as Zuo and Li Hongzhang, are closely related to him. Zuo and Li Hongzhang called Zeng Guofan a teacher. Zeng Guofan once said, "Li Shaoquan tried his best to be an official, and Yu (Yu Yue) tried his best to write a book".
After the failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Taiping Army joined the Nian Army in the rest of Jiangbei, and the Qing court ordered Zeng Guofan to supervise the military affairs of Zhili, Shandong and Henan provinces. Zeng Guofan led 20,000 Xiang troops and 60,000 Huai troops, equipped with foreign guns and guns, and "suppressed twists" in the north. His policy was to "suppress hard rather than pursue hard" and put forward plans such as "key fortification" in an attempt to block the Nian army in the canal and Shahe area, so that it had nowhere to escape and was eliminated. However, the Nian Army broke through Zeng Guofan's defense line and entered Shandong, which bankrupt Zeng Guofan's strategic plan. Zeng Guofan was removed from office and replaced by Li Hongzhang.
In the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870), Zeng Guofan, then governor of Zhili, was ordered to go to Tianjin to handle the Tianjin religious plan. On June 2 1870, thousands of people gathered in front of the French Catholic Church in Tianjin, suspecting that the Catholic Church used the nursery as a crutch to kidnap people and kill babies. Uncle Feng, the French consul, believes that there is no hard pressure from the government. He ran into Liu Jie, the magistrate of Tianjin, with a gun in the street. He shot and killed a servant in Liu Jie on the spot because of an argument. In public anger, he first killed Uncle Feng, the French consul, and his secretary Simon, then killed 10 nuns, 2 priests, 2 other French consulate staff, 2 French nationals, 3 Russian nationals and more than 30 China believers, and burned the French consulate and Wanghai. After the incident, Britain, the United States, France and other countries jointly protested and dispatched warships to show off their strength. After Zeng Guofan arrived in Tianjin, considering the situation at that time, he didn't want to go to war with France. "However, the quick success of Hebei lottery is not one of the courtship crimes." At the request of France, it was decided to finally kill 18 people who took the lead in killing people, exile 25 people, and send Tianjin magistrate Zhang Guangzao and magistrate Liu Jie to Heilongjiang to compensate foreigners for the loss of 462,000 silver, and Chonghou sent a mission to France. As a result of this negotiation, the court and the people in public opinion were very dissatisfied, which greatly affected Zeng Guofan's reputation and caused the national ruling and opposition parties to scold him. Even his fellow villagers in Hunan smashed and burned the plaque boasting about his fame in Huguang Hall. He died in Nanjing on February 4th, 11th year of Tongzhi (Gregorian calendar:1March 20th, 872). The court gave a teacher a gift, and he was named "Zheng Wen" after his death. There are many officials in the descendants of his family, such as Ceng Jize.
First, the pioneer of modern modernization in China
Zeng Guofan was the first person who really practiced actively in the history of China. Under his guidance, he built the first ship in China, which started the modern manufacturing industry. The establishment of the first ordnance school initiated the modern higher education in China. The first translation and printing of western books not only laid the scientific and technological foundation of modern China, but also greatly broadened the horizons of Chinese people. The arrangement of the first batch of overseas students to study in the United States has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents for the country, among which Tang, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China, Zhan Tianyou, the "father of railways" in China, Liang Dunyan, the foreign minister in the late Qing Dynasty, and the first president of Tsinghua are outstanding.
Second, the founder of China's ideological and political work
Zeng Guofan claimed: "I am a talent for training soldiers, not for fighting." He taught soldiers to "point the head of a stubborn stone and suffer the blood of cuckoo." He trained in the spirit of Confucianism and made it an organized team. His "Love Folk Songs" made A Xiang a great success. Mao Zedong's "Three Disciplines and Eight Notices" is based on this. When Chiang Kai-shek built the army in Huangpu, he also published his "Love Folk Song" for the students to sing, which had a great effect. Seeing that Hong Xiuquan's devotion to Catholicism was not in line with China's national conditions, he wrote an article "Begging for Guangdong Bandits", which made many intellectuals take off their robes and lead the wussy peasants to throw themselves under the banner of Xiang, and fought against the Taiping rebels to win the final victory.
Third, cultivate one's morality and govern the country. China is the first perfect man in all ages.
Since ancient times, China has said "three immortals", such as making contributions (accomplishing great things), becoming a spiritual model of the world, and making a statement (leaving a theory for future generations), but few people can really do it, and Zeng Guofan is one of them. He defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and saved the Qing Dynasty, so he was the "savior" of the Qing Dynasty. He "saved the time", purged the political style and learned western culture, which contributed to the emergence of "Tongzhi Zhongxing" in the late Qing Dynasty. He has always been strict with himself, advocating integrity, flaunting morality, and making every effort to win support from top to bottom; His academic articles are eclectic, extensive and profound, and he is a master of modern Confucianism. "His works are required reading for any politician" (Chiang Kai-shek) has achieved the Confucian "Three Immortals" cause of self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country, making meritorious deeds, establishing morality and making statements, and is worthy of being "the first perfect person in China".
Fourth, the fastest promotion, the best official, and the most stable model.
Zeng Guofan went to school in politics and Hu Xueyan went to school in business. Zeng Guofan was regarded as a "model of officialdom" by politicians in modern times. This is because, first, he was promoted the fastest, at the age of 37, and he was the only one in the Qing Dynasty. Second, it is best to be an official with a prominent political voice and the words of governing for the people; Third, the official is the most stable, surviving the storm of the official sea, safe and sound, and the honor lasts forever. He is familiar with the history of China, knows the way of officialdom, and has accumulated a whole set of officialdom Juexue, which has been applied to the officialdom of China and is invincible.
Fifth, cultivate the first master to introduce and use talents.
Zeng Guofan devoted his life to making friends, netting talents, cultivating talents, recommending talents and using talents. His shogunate is the largest and most combative shogunate in China's history, which has gathered the talents from all over the country. In order to attract and retain talents, he gave up his humble face and wrote to recommend his subordinates many times to seek official positions and positions for them. He recommended thousands of subordinates in his life, including more than 40 officials and governors. They include strategic military talents such as Li Hongzhang, Zuo, Guo Songtao, Li, and first-class scholars and scientists such as Yu Yue, Li, Hua and Xu Shou.
China's traditional culture is the greatest achievement of parenting.
Zeng Guofan is the best son, who can reassure his parents; He is the best brother, teaching and caring for his siblings, and being considerate. Zeng Guofan is a kind father and a good example for children. His Letter from Home emphasizes the ideal of life, spiritual realm and moral cultivation. In the modern society, where kinship is becoming increasingly indifferent and relatives in the neighborhood are strangers, it does have the value of persuading the world to change customs, and it is worth reading. There are less than three generations of official families, but the Zeng family is full of talented people, and a number of famous diplomats, poets, educators, scientists and senior cadres have emerged.
Seven, China traditional cultural personality spirit model.
Zeng Guofan is a scholar-bureaucrat of "above average" among his peers, but his ambition, stubbornness, strong will and diligence are beyond people's reach. Since he was a teenager, he has been "struggling hard and determined to adjust himself to the customs", writing a diary every day to reflect on himself, and not a day goes by without monitoring himself and teaching himself a lesson. He treats his colleagues with humility and self-control, is open-minded and generous, and has made a wide range of friends and is highly respected throughout his life. He remained honest and worked hard. No matter how hard you are, you are not discouraged, but you can make persistent efforts and stick to it. This is the fundamental secret of his success.
Eight, the last spiritual idol of China feudal society.
Zeng Guofan is a knowledgeable person who "works (does business) and preaches (leaves thoughts and theories behind)" (Mao Zedong). "The Draft of Qing History-Biography of Zeng Guofan" also said: "Guo Chen is better than learning and is good at etiquette." He studied hard all his life, respected Confucianism and emphasized practical application, becoming another "Confucian master" after Confucius, Mencius and Zhu. He innovated article study's theory of the New Tongcheng School, and his poetry and prose presided over the literary world of Taoism (light), virtue (abundance) and general governance, which can be described as "the highest generation of moral articles".
Zeng Guofan, as a famous politician in modern times, was indifferent to the corruption and decline of the Qing dynasty after experiencing the "prosperous period of Ganjia"
Fire, he said: "the country is poor and inadequate, but people's hearts are divided and it is very serious." Because "scholar-officials are used to worrying"
Gouan "and" are often a kind of wind that is neither white nor black, neither painful nor sad "and" hate the second bone ". He thinks that "collectors"
The cure is not good because of the group curtain, which is the theory of seeking officials to eliminate the disadvantages of the curtain and sincerely exploring the source. "Based on this, Zeng Guofan proposed that,
"The most important thing in administration is people-oriented". People with both ability and political integrity are needed in times of crisis, and honesty and governance should be respected.
Be benevolent, oppose tyranny, disturb the people, and severely punish those officials who take bribes and pervert the law and benefit the fishermen.
Punishment. As for the financial economy related to the national movement and people's livelihood, Zeng Guofan believes that the way to manage money lies in the shortage of surplus medicine.
In fact, Jie serves the public, "gradually seeking rectification is not to pursue quick results." Zeng Guofan mentioned agriculture to the national economy.
He believes that "people's livelihood comes first, and the national economy is based on good years." He wants to
Seek "today's county, focusing on agriculture first." Influenced by the two Opium Wars, Zeng Guofan's attitude towards China and the West.
Diplomatic relations have different views. On the one hand, he hates westerners invading China and thinks he can't stand the sofa next to him.
People snore and sleep, oppose teachers' help, and are deeply ashamed of using foreign countries. "Don't list.