A.D. 18 1 1 (16th year of Jiaqing) was born in Bai Yang Ping, Lotus Pond, Hunan Province (now Tianping Village, Ye He Town, Shuangfeng County, Loudi City, Hunan Province). There are nine brothers and sisters, Zeng Guofan is the eldest son. Ancestors mainly worked in agriculture and lived a relatively well-off life. ancestors

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Father Zeng Yuping's education is not high, but he has rich experience; Father Zeng Linshu is a scholar, and Zeng Guofan, the eldest son and grandson, was naturally educated by 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 selected works of Zhou Li and history, and took the boy exam in Changsha. His excellent grades are listed as excellent, which shows that he has been gifted, intelligent 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 the exam twice in a row, he studied hard for a year. In nominal age, he was 28 years old, and in the eighteenth year of Daoguang (1838), palace examination 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 of Military Affairs Zhang Mu. In Beijing for more than ten years, he has successively served as imperial academy Jishi Shu, transfer school, bachelor's lecture, Wen Yuan Pavilion work, cabinet bachelor, Chinese book affairs supervision, assistant minister of Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Punishment, and official department. Zeng Guofan was promoted to the second-class position step by step along this career path. Seven strokes in ten years, ten steps in a row.

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 Yong Lian, called Xiang Army, 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. 1864, Xiang army, led by his brother Ceng Guoquan, captured Tianjing and became the hero of suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

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. Li Hongzhang and others 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, people in the imperial court and the media were very dissatisfied, which greatly affected Zeng Guofan's reputation and caused reviled by the ruling and opposition parties all over the country. Even his fellow villagers in Hunan smashed and burned the plaque that he boasted about his fame in Huguang Guild 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.

Ideological scholarship

Zeng Guofan, as a famous politician in modern times, was indifferent to the corruption and decline of the Qing Dynasty after experiencing the "prosperous time of Ganjia". He said: "The country is poor, but people are distracted, which is very serious." As for "scholar-officials are used to being worried and accommodating", "prosperous times are neither white nor black, neither painful nor itchy" nor "hating secondary bones". He believes that "the bad governance of officials is all caused by group curtains, and it is sincere to seek officials to eliminate the disadvantages of curtains." Based on this, Zeng Guofan put forward that "the administration should get the people first". For those who need both morality and tools in times of crisis, they should advocate honesty, respect benevolent government, oppose tyranny and disturb the people, and must severely punish those officials who take bribes and pervert the law. As for the financial and economic relationship between the national movement and people's livelihood, Zeng Guofan believes that the way to manage money is to make full use of the surplus and deficiency, be down-to-earth, be honest and clean, and "gradually seek rectification, not be eager for quick success." Zeng Guofan mentioned agriculture as the basic strategic position of the national economy. He believes that "people's livelihood comes first, and the national economy takes good years as credit." He demanded that "in today's counties, emphasizing agriculture is the first priority." Influenced by the two Opium Wars, Zeng Guofan had his own views on the diplomatic relations between China and the West. On the one hand, he hates westerners invading China, thinks that others should not snore and sleep next to his couch, and opposes borrowing teachers to help him suppress it, so he is deeply ashamed of using foreign countries. "On the other hand, it is not blindly exclusive and advocates learning from advanced science and technology in the West. For example, he said that buying foreign cultural relics ... visiting thoughtful and intelligent people, starting with practice, and then trying to establish, ... can restrain hair tangles, be diligent and far-sighted.

Study and discuss Tao's classics

Zeng Guofan was a famous master of Neo-Confucianism in the late Qing Dynasty, with profound academic attainments. He said: "A person who can really read is good and more expensive than being strong", and he should have the spirit of "three years of old rain, three years of diligence, five nights of solitude and eternal youth". The beauty of writing or masculinity, "focusing on adventure"; Or female beauty, "it is important to get a natural taste." To write an article, you need to work hard on the momentum. "You can rely on reason to do things with anger, but no matter how reasonable it is, it is not gray." We should pay attention to appropriate details, people's details, people's details, and "those who know the position one after another, cut short" is also "the writer's first priority." For Wengui, we should find our own way. "The way to write lies in the beautiful weather." . "Clear rhyme, sonorous, is the first wonderful scene of the article".

The art of parenthood

Through the education of family members, the Zeng family has trained good children from generation to generation. Although it is a big family of Houmen, there has been no dude in 100 years, which cannot be said to be the success of Zeng Guofan's educational thought. The theoretical system of Zeng Guofan's family education is: taking the Eight Classics as the classics, taking the Eight Treasures as the latitude, interspersed with four key words, three auspicious words and three unbelievers, the latitude and longitude are coherent, and the context is connected, forming a complete theoretical system of family management; This theory is different from China's traditional core idea of educating future generations, and it opposes the theory that famous family trainers such as Confucius, Mencius, Zhu Xi and Yan Shi have always adhered to and put into practice. It is of great practical significance to the educational confusion faced by almost every family in today's society.

Battlefield operational plan

Zeng Guofan started as a scholar who trained Xiang Army and governed the country, and suppressed the largest peasant uprising in China history-the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement. His military thought is extremely rich in connotation, and it does have something extraordinary. He believes that the number of soldiers is small, but fine, "serenade is strong", "the more soldiers, the weaker the strength; The more reimbursement, the poorer the country. " Advocate the separation of military and political affairs and take responsibility. He bought foreign guns, cannons and ships, which promoted the modernization of China's military weapons. To run the army, strict military discipline is the first, and at the same time, it is intended to cultivate "harmony" and the soldiers are United. He believes that "the general has the heart of death, and the foot soldiers have no life." There are four requirements for selecting candidates: "First, knowing people and being good at their duties, second, being good at containing the enemy's situation, third, being brave in doing things, and fourth, doing business in an orderly way." Zeng Guofan's strategy and tactics are the most abundant in his military thoughts, which are worth learning today. For example, "use soldiers like rabbits." Quiet as a virgin ",the technique of subject and object is wonderful," Zhazhai fights to the death ",the navy should not attack with the wind, choose a good camp," self-government first, then enemy control ",attack the city in deep trenches and high bases, attack the city in tunnels, cooperate with land and water, use static braking," pull out the roots first, then the headland "and so on.

The way to make friends in life

Zeng Guofan is quite insightful about the way of making friends. He believes that it is important to be generous to make friends, and to "be honest and upright, compromise and be tolerant, but be selfless and suspicious." "Don't take advantage of people. Don't take other people's money seriously. " Brainstorm, listen without being deaf. "The way to observe people is to be ethical but not bureaucratic, organize more and talk less." In terms of life, Zeng Guofan believes that "in this troubled times, the poorer the better." As a senior official, "it is always good to have less money and less production." "forbearance is the first priority for officials", "virtue is damaged by fullness, and happiness is reduced by arrogance". Men must be careful with the word "light". "It is not particularly rich and famous. The prosperity of his family name is determined by heaven, that is, whether the virtue of learning is established is mostly related to heaven. Just laugh it off." "Don't do your own work, don't do your own fame", "The sooner you retire, the better". Zeng Guofan wrote twelve proverbs, which basically summarized his way of making friends in life.

Self-cultivation strategy

Zeng Guofan summed up twelve aspects of cultivation: respect, sitting quietly, getting up early, reading books, reading history, being cautious, nourishing qi, keeping in good health, knowing that the sun will die, knowing that the moon will die, writing, and staying indoors at night. He believes that the ancient people's cultivation can have four functions: "being cautious and being kind, respecting and strengthening the body, begging and pleasing others, and being sincere and respecting them." Zeng Guofan did not believe in medicine, monks and witches, immortals, honesty, cleverness, truth and wealth. "Life is poor, know life has no worries."

Character cultivation is helpful to his career. First of all, he is sincere and consistent in appearance, and everything can be made public. The second is respect, awe, no evil thoughts in my heart, dignity and dignity. The third is silence. Mind, qi, spirit and body should be in a state of peace and relaxation. The fourth word is sincerity, no boasting, no lying, no empty talk, truth, one is one, and the other is two. The fifth word remains the same, with regular life, moderate diet and regular daily life. The highest state is "cautious independence", with a god holding his head three feet high. He kept a diary every day, checked and reflected on his words and deeds every day, and in his later life, he constantly put forward more requirements for himself: to be diligent, modest, kind, honest, to know life, to cherish happiness, and so on, in an effort to make himself a saint at that time. Many people think that personality cultivation is an empty thing, and that cultivation is an ethereal thing, even a pedantic thing, but Zeng Guofan's lifelong career and cultivation are the most important reasons for his career success.

Zeng Guofan thought: "there are about five things in the method of keeping in good health: first, always sleep and eat;" Second, punish poverty; Third, abstinence; Fourth, wash your feet before going to bed every night; Fifth, walk three thousand steps after two meals a day. " The four words "eyesight", "rest", "sleep" and "diet" are the most important ways to maintain health, and you should know how to recuperate when you are recovering from illness.

Zeng Guofan ordered himself twelve courses:

Main aspects: neat and serious, clear and clear in the bow, such as the rising sun.

Sit-in: Sit-in for four hours at any time every day to keep calm, such as Zhen Ding.

Get up early: get up at dawn, and don't cling to love after waking up.

Reading is the only way: don't read his book until it is finished.

Reading history: read three histories (Historical Records, Hanshu and Houhanshu) and circle ten pages every day, although things are uninterrupted.

Attention: Pay attention to the moment, the first time.

Nourishing qi: there is nothing to say to people when the gas storage is demonstrated.

Fitness: saving labor, abstinence and dieting.

Know everything every day: read and record your thoughts every day. Seeking deep meaning is eccentricity.

Yuezi never forgets what he can do: write a few poems every month to test the accumulated amount and the prosperity of qi. Don't indulge in ignorance, it's easiest to drown your heart.

Writing: Write for half an hour after dinner. Any pen and ink entertainment is regarded as your own course. Never wait until tomorrow, the more you accumulate, the harder it is to get rid of it.

Don't be exhausted when you go out at night.

Zeng Guofan's skill of knowing people by employing people

How to use people, especially how to use the right people, is extremely profound. Zeng Guofan's way of employing people is an important part of his success in life. He never blindly selects people and confuses authorization. Instead, he should keep his eyes open and follow the method of "he who sees through people first uses people", which shows his leadership and management wisdom.

Four methods of employing people: doing, saving, learning and forbidding;

Understand people's essence, qi and spirit;

Appoint three kinds of people: wisdom, speech and labor;

Posterity evaluation

Liang Qichao admired the Zeng family and said, "I called for a collection, and I can't wait three days to reply." Liang refers to Zeng Guofan in the preface of Zeng Gong Chao. "Is it only built by modern people who have never seen it before?" Not only in China, but also in the world. However, Wen is not an unparalleled genius. He is called the slowest of all sages. His suffering will also be the middle of his life; Those who are immortal in virtue, who have made contributions and made great achievements are determined to be refined, but they are trapped in it, knowing what they have done, but going forward bravely, going through all kinds of difficulties and obstacles without setbacks, not seeking immediate results, accumulating inch by inch, accepting vanity, being diligent, steadfast, sincere, handsome, brave and diligent.

Just like Zhang's evaluation of Zeng Guofan in the Revolution of 1911, in the past hundred years, different people have different views, including those who praised Zeng Guofan and those who scolded him. As early as when Zeng Guofan suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, some people accused him of killing too many people and gave him a nickname "Zeng shaved his head". By 1870, many people called him a traitor, so much so that Zeng Guofan felt that he was "blaming the gods inside and blaming the gods outside" and even had the fear of being besieged on all sides. After the Revolution of 1911, some revolutionaries said that he was "the first person to execute the law on the spot" and a traitor with a long history. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, historians even scolded him to the end and demoted him to the guardian of the feudal landlord class and the puppet of the landlord comprador class.

Xiao Yishan, a famous historian of the Qing Dynasty in the Republic of China, compared Zeng Guofan with Zuo in A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty: "The state and governors win with caution, but with heroism."

Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek are two famous figures in the modern history of China. They spoke highly of Zeng Guofan. When I was young, I devoted myself to studying Zeng's collected works and came to the conclusion that I was "stupid enough to be close to people and only serve". Even in his later years, Mao Zedong once said: Zeng Guofan is the most powerful figure in the landlord class. Chiang Kai-shek paid homage to the Zeng family and thought that Zeng Guofan's lifestyle was "enough for our teachers." He taught the Quotations of Zeng Hubing as a textbook to senior generals, and put the Complete Works of Zeng Wen and Gong Zheng beside the case, and read it all his life. It is said that the way he called the roll and sat in a healthy way all imitated Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan's personal charm is evident.

General Cai E spoke highly of Zeng's thought of loving soldiers and building a teacher of benevolence and righteousness: "It is most kind to lead troops like a collar. If this idea can be used, the words of leading troops in ancient and modern times will be burned. " (Collection of Mr. Cai Songpo's Last Works (II), p. 5).

Zuo's elegy for Zeng Guofan: it is better to know people's wisdom and seek loyalty to the country than to be ashamed; Unity is like gold, attacking the wrong stone is beyond redemption.

In the same year of Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan's performance in foreign activities, such as "borrowing foreign countries to help suppress", transporting foreign merchants to South Cao, sending people to buy American planes to set up Jiangnan Machinery Bureau, and handling Tianjin religious plan, pointed out that when domestic troubles and foreign invasion were serious and most scholars were addicted to the textual research of righteousness, Zeng Guofan was able to independently conform to the trend of the times, grasp the times, absorb the essence of China traditional culture, and inherit and carry forward the practical application of Lin Zexu and Wei Yuan.

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".