Zeng Guofan was born in a landlord family in the Qing Dynasty. He was intelligent, studious and enrolled at the age of 6. At the age of 8, I can read stereotyped writing and recite five classics; 65,438+04 years old, able to read Selected Works of Zhou Li and Historical Records; In the same year, I took the boys' exam in Changsha and got excellent results. He lived in a turbulent time when the Qing Dynasty was from prosperity to decline, with internal troubles and foreign invasion. He is homeless and has no foundation. However, with his own efforts, he gained fame under the feudal imperial examination system and embarked on his official career. He successively served as a lecturer in Jishi Shu, imperial academy, a bachelor in Wen Yuan Pavilion and a bachelor in Cabinet, and inspected China Affairs, Assistant Minister of Rites, Ministry of War and Ministry of Industry. Throughout his life, he pursued patience first, advocated thrift in everything and was not proud of being an official. He cultivated self-discipline, sought officials by virtue, put courtesy first, and sought politics by loyalty, and achieved great success in officialdom. The rise of Zeng Guofan had a far-reaching impact on the politics, military affairs, culture and economy of the Qing Dynasty. Zeng Guofan was the first person who really "opened his eyes to see the world" and actively practiced it in the history of China. At Zeng Guofan's initiative, he built the first ship in China, founded the first ordnance school, printed and translated the first batch of western language books, and arranged the first batch of students studying in the United States. It can be said that Zeng Guofan was a pioneer of China's modernization.
Zeng Guofan ruled the army with Confucianism, respected benevolence and righteousness, raised the Xiang army alone and established another discipline. He wrote love folk songs, which made the soldiers of Xiang army make a difference. His article "Begging Guangdong Bandits" encouraged many intellectuals to take off their robes and join the battle with Taiping Army voluntarily. He suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement and enabled the Qing Dynasty to survive. He studied western culture, purged the political style, "saved the disadvantages of the times" and was ambitious, which contributed to the emergence of "Tongzhi Zhongxing" in the late Qing Dynasty. He is sincere in convincing others, avoiding disasters, paying attention to etiquette and being cautious, and weaving the strongest network of relationships. He knows how to make good use of people's abilities and talents, and recommended as many as 1000 subordinates, including more than 40 from the official to the governor. He realized the great cause of Confucianism's self-cultivation and ruling the country, made great achievements and made the words of "three immortals". His official position rose the fastest. Within ten years, he jumped seven levels in a row. At the age of 37, he was promoted to the second grade. Only Zeng Guofan of the Qing Dynasty can have this honor. He is the most stable official. He has served three generations of kings, Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi, for 34 years, and his trust remains unchanged. He is the best official, with outstanding political voice. He has a saying of governing the country and reassuring the people, so he has the reputation of "Zeng Guofan in politics and Hu Xueyan in business". He is a gentleman who studies, while Ming Dow is a scholar, quiet and far-reaching, who looks down on gains and losses. His father is kind and filial, his brother is respectful and has a good family education. His letters from home are a model of family education in ancient China.