Chapter 52 Zeng Guofan, the first minister of ZTE

The fourth day of February in the eleventh year of Tongzhi (1872) was a day that made Zeng Guofan sad. On the fourth day of February 15 years ago, his father passed away. On this day, he worshiped his father's tablet and asked his son Jize to help him take a walk in the garden.He said to Ji Ze: "I have fought a lot of wars in my life, and fighting is the most harmful thing. To commit crimes, the descendants of my Zeng family will never have people who lead troops to fight again." Unconsciously approaching a bamboo forest.Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and Zeng Guofan yelled "feet numb" and fell on his son.When he was helped into the room, Zeng Guofan could no longer speak.He pointed to the table with his finger: that was the will he had already written.Zeng Jize unfolded the paper with both hands, and read in a trembling voice:

"Yu Tong has been in office for more than 30 years. He has been an official of the highest level, but he has achieved nothing in his studies, and his virtues are unacceptable. The old man is wounded, and he is terrified and ashamed. I will bid farewell to you, and I will make four special instructions to teach you brothers. One is to be cautious and alone, and you will feel at ease. The second is to respect the Lord and strengthen the body. The third is to seek benevolence and make people happy. The fourth is to practice hard work and become a god. These four items are acquired by the rest of the world for decades, and your brothers will remember and practice them, and pass them on to your children and grandchildren.Then Yu Zeng's family can prosper forever and have talents from generation to generation. "

After his son finished reading, Zeng Guofan stretched out his hand and pointed to his chest. Ji Ze and Jihong said together: "We must keep our father's teachings in our hearts!" Zeng Guofan passed away suddenly with a faint smile on his face. In China's modern history, if one of the most influential people is selected, Zeng Guofan should be chosen by many.When Mao Zedong was young, he had great admiration for Zeng Guofan. He once said: "I am my neighbor, and I only obey Zeng Wenzheng." When Mao Zedong was in Yan'an in 1942, the middle-aged Mao Zedong once persuaded senior party cadres: "Read a little about Zeng Wenzheng's works. Letters from home." In his later years, Mao Zedong said in January 1969: "Zeng Guofan is the most powerful figure in the landlord class." Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly warned his children and bureaucrats to read more about Zeng Guofan's things, and called Zeng Guofan's articles and family letters as the most powerful figures in the landlord class. Must-read for politicians.When he reviewed "Zeng Hu Zhibing Quotations Notes", he said: Zeng is enough to be our teacher.In Huangpu Military Academy, he used Zeng Guofan's "Love Folk Song" to train students.He said, I think Zeng and Zuo were able to defeat Hong and Yang because their moral knowledge, spirit and confidence surpassed their enemies.Among modern celebrities, Liang Qichao and Cai E also worshiped him.

Zeng Guofan's life can be summed up by these few things: forming the Hunan Army; advocating the Westernization Movement;In modern history, Zeng Guofan has played a pioneering role in China's journey towards modernization.He not only personally founded Anqing Ordnance Institute and other military supplies or civilian industries, but more importantly, he promoted a group of important figures in the history of the Westernization Movement and the late Qing Dynasty, such as Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Guo Songtao, etc., important generals of the Hunan Army For a period of time, it was the most prosperous political circle in the late Qing Dynasty.After the rise of the Hunan Army, there was a situation where there was no army without Hunan.All of these are closely related to Zeng Guofan.

Despite this, most domestic historians have long regarded Zeng Guofan as a sinner in history.There are two reasons for them: one is that he is the executioner who suppressed the Taiping Revolution; the other is that he "traitored and surrendered" in handling the Tianjin missionary case. In modern China, opposing imperialist aggression and maintaining national independence has always been one of the basic issues that determine the course of history.The crux of the matter is how to effectively address this fundamental problem.Zeng Guofan's countermeasures are nothing more than two key points: one is to learn from the barbarians' skills and take what they rely on.The second is to ask to rectify oneself.To sum it up in his own words, it is "deterrence of Taixi's soul with loyalty, and the art of stealing weapons with thoughtfulness, the national humiliation is enough to prosper." Of course, history has proved that Zeng Guofan did not find the right way to save the country.

Zeng Guofan successively served as Minister of Rites, Governor of Hubei, Governor of Liangjiang, Governor of Zhili, and added the titles of Minister of the Ministry of War and Prince Shaobao. He was also ordered to govern the military affairs of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces.After the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the imperial court praised Zeng Guofan for his meritorious service, and granted Zeng Guofan the title of First-Class Marquis of Yiyong.Among the Han officials of the Qing Dynasty, no one can surpass them. Zeng Guofan, who lived in the government and the army, paid special attention to rectifying the administration of officials and rectifying people's hearts. He once wrote an article admonishing the prefectures and counties: the criminal law of the Ming Dynasty is based on clearing up lawsuits, emphasizing farming to improve livelihoods, and advocating thrift to maintain integrity.During Jiangnan's term of office, he implemented tax reductions, deferrals, and exemptions in Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Anhui; , Stabilizing the ruling order played a certain role.

Zeng Guofan followed Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism all his life, and also advocated taking advantage of the strengths of each school. He believed that righteousness, textual research, economics, and rhetoric are indispensable, but he always put Neo-Confucianism in the first place.He is also very accomplished in ancient prose and poetry, and was regarded as the leader of the Tongcheng School in the later period. After Zeng Guofan's death, the Qing government bestowed upon him the posthumous posthumous title of Wenzheng.Later generations compiled his poems, essays, memorials, and inscriptions into "The Complete Works of Zeng Wenzheng Gong", and also photocopied "Zeng Wenzheng Gong's Handwritten Diary" to the world.