Zeng Guofan's achievements: founded the Hunan Army, pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, one of the initiators of the Westernization Movement, the leader of the four famous officials in the late Qing Dynasty, and the founder of the "Xiangxiang School" of prose in the late Qing Dynasty.

Zeng Guofan was born into a landlord family. He was diligent and studious since he was a child, and entered a private school at the age of 6. At the age of 8, he can read the Four Books and recite the Five Classics. At the age of 14, he can read the selected works of "Zhou Rites" and "Historical Records". In the 18th year of Daoguang's reign (1838), he became a Jinshi and entered the Hanlin Academy, where he was a student of Mu Zhang'amen, Minister of Military and Aircraft. Lei Qian was a bachelor of the cabinet, minister of the Ministry of Rites, and minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Industry, Punishment, and Officials.

He became close friends with the scholar Wo Ren and Huining Dao He Guizhen, etc., and strengthened each other with "practical learning". During the Taiping Rebellion, Zeng Guofan formed the Hunan Army to turn the tide and conquer the Taiping Rebellion after years of fierce fighting. Throughout his life, he devoted his life to politics and regarded patience as the first priority. He advocated being diligent, thrifty and honest in everything he did and not being arrogant as an official. He cultivated himself and disciplined himself, sought an official position based on virtue, put etiquette first, and pursued politics with loyalty, and achieved great success in the officialdom.

Extended information:

In the Opium War of 1840, Britain opened the door to China with foreign guns and cannons, and at the same time disrupted the social culture on which Chinese society relied for survival and development. order, China has experienced "changes unprecedented in three thousand years." Western culture and advanced science and technology have impacted the spiritual world of Chinese people.

The conscious Chinese began to explore the path to national salvation and began to reflect on national culture. As a master of traditional culture, Zeng Guofan's cultural consciousness embodies the sense of responsibility and practical spirit of traditional intellectuals, which has important reference significance for us to think about the cultural mission of contemporary intellectuals.

Scholars lead troops - the power of culture.

After more than 10 years of career as a Beijing official, Zeng Guofan became a minister of Ding You who stayed at home due to the death of his mother. At that time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was in full swing, shaking the southeastern half of the Qing court. In order to consolidate the ruling order, Emperor Xianfeng issued an edict to Zeng Guofan, asking him to help him handle the affairs of Tuanlian villagers in the province to search for bandits.

Zeng Guofan, who originally wanted to stay at home, received the news that Wuhan had been lost and people were panicking. After Guo Songtao persuaded him, he went to Changsha to train the villagers and search for bandits. When Chu Yong was trained, his ships and cannons were ready, and he was preparing to go on an expedition, Zeng Guofan wrote "A Message to the Cantonese Bandits", announcing the war from far and near, and issued a declaration of war to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

In his appeal, Zeng Guofan first used parallel sentences and sharp words to point out: In the past five years, Hong Yang has "poisoned millions of living beings and ravaged more than 5,000 miles of prefectures and counties." "Two lakes and three rivers have been threatened." He was no better than a dog, a pig, an ox or a horse. He was so cruel and cruel that no one with any blood could hear it without feeling regretful."

Then he described the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s destruction of social order by saying that human relations were completely destroyed. Farmers could no longer cultivate, merchants could no longer buy, and scholars could no longer read. He also stated, “If we look at China’s thousands of years of etiquette, justice, human ethics, poetry, books, and codes, once they are wiped out,

This is not the only change in the Qing Dynasty. It is a strange change in the famous religion since its inception. I, Confucius and Mencius, cried bitterly in Jiuyuan. Anyone who can read and write can sit still with his hands folded. The call for "Thinking One Way" made the reading public rise up to defend their spiritual home. Zeng Guofan further listed that "the Guangdong bandits burned the academic officials in Chenzhou, destroyed the wooden masters who declared the saints, ten sages and two verandas, and the ground was in chaos."

After that, in the counties and counties they passed through, they first destroyed the temples, that is, loyal ministers and righteous men Just like the arrogant King Yue of Guan Dynasty, he also defiled his palace and mutilated his body and head.

Even Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, city gods, and social altars, no court will not burn them, and no images will be destroyed." The purpose is to arouse the public indignation of the whole people, help them to perish this evil, save my captive ship, and find the people who are being threatened. It not only relieves the industriousness of the king and father, but also comforts the hidden pain of Confucius and Mencius' human relations. Not only to avenge the unjust killing of millions of living beings, but also to avenge the humiliation of the gods above and below.

At the end of the letter, Zeng Guofan showed kindness and power, calling on bloody men, gentlemen, and righteous people who had money and strength to contribute. Officials and nobles, and those who rebel will be spared death. If you are "willing to be rebellious and resist heaven's punishment", then "if the soldiers crush you, both the jade and the stone will be destroyed."

Under the call of "Chasing the Cantonese Bandits", many scholars joined the ranks of the Hunan Army and became the backbone of the Hunan Army. In the process of the development of the Hunan Army from scratch, from weak to strong, played an important role.

Not only that, under the leadership of the Hunan Army generals composed of Zeng Guofan and scholars, the Hunan Army published the "Chuanshan Posthumous Notes" to explore the ways of governing the country and using troops from traditional Chinese culture for military and political practice. From the release of "A Message to the Cantonese Bandits" to the publication of "Cuanshan's Posthumous Letters", Zeng Guofan's understanding and utilization of the role of culture became an important part of his cultural consciousness and practice.

People's Daily Online - Zeng Guofan's cultural introspection and practice