What is the content of Zeng Guofan's letter?
The Letter from Zeng Guofan reflects the main activities of Zeng Guofan in his life and his main thoughts of governing the country, the family, the study and the army, and is an important material for studying Zeng Guofan and the history of this period. The book collects and sorts out the essence of Zeng Guofan's letters, which are grouped in chronological order: self-cultivation, persuasion, housekeeping, financial management, making friends, governing politics and employing people, basically covering the main thoughts of Zeng Guofan's life. As a famous politician in the late Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan was indifferent to the corruption and decline of the Qing Dynasty. He said: "The country is poor, but people are distracted, which is very serious." He believes that "the bad governance of officials is all due to the group curtain, seeking officials to eliminate the disadvantages of the curtain, and sincerely exploring the source." Based on this, Zeng Guofan put forward that "the administration should get the people first", and those who need both morality and tools in times of crisis 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 and enrich themselves. As for the financial and economic interests related to 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, and tell the truth, "seek gradual correction, not quick results." Zeng Guofan mentioned agriculture as the basic position of the national economy. 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 hated the western invasion of China, thought that others were not allowed to snore and sleep beside his bed, and opposed "borrowing teachers to help suppress", which made him deeply ashamed to use foreign countries; On the other hand, it is not blindly exclusive, and advocates learning its advanced science and technology from the West.