1. The philosophy of life of "Shang Zhuo"

Zeng Guofan had ordinary qualifications since he was a child. He took the exam seven times to become a scholar. During this period, he had been working very hard and spent all his time on Study. He also had a very clear understanding of himself, so he was not discouraged. Instead, he became more and more courageous, and finally achieved success and fame.

He can remain calm in the face of others' ridicule. He focuses on his own goals, so other people's evaluations and opinions will not affect him. This kind of experience just tempered his mind and made him stronger and stronger in a complicated life.

"Shang Zhuo" is Zeng Guofan's philosophy of life, which means being willing to work hard. This has three advantages: First, it makes people more humble and willing to give. Second, they have high adversity quotient and can become more courageous in difficult situations. The third is not to take shortcuts and do things in a down-to-earth manner.

The experience of the imperial examination laid a solid foundation for Zeng Guofan's knowledge and character, so he could go smoother and further in the future.

2. Learn to be a saint

At the age of thirty, Zeng Guofan made up his mind to learn to be a saint.

The reason for such determination stems from his clear understanding of himself. From Hunan to becoming an official in the capital, his world has undergone qualitative changes. In the larger world, he discovered his own insignificance.

The closed environment makes people narrow-minded and paranoid. Only by going out can we open our horizons and see ourselves and others better.

The people I came into contact with in the past were all villagers with average knowledge and accomplishments; the books I read were all exam-oriented books, and other wisdom was unavailable. Compared with people in the capital, they pale in comparison. As a result, he suffered from low self-esteem and anxiety.

At the same time, he discovered that he also had many shortcomings in his character, including impetuousness, arrogance, hypocrisy, and some lust. He wanted to change himself, and through the guidance of outstanding people around him, he saw the hope of self-improvement, so he started studying hard from now on.

From then on, he insisted on keeping a diary in order to reflect on himself. Learn other people’s diary methods and make their diaries public for others to comment on so that you can better discipline yourself and correct your shortcomings.

On the road to change, Zeng Guofan gave up his addiction to smoking, struggled with deep-rooted character flaws, and improved his self-cultivation bit by bit. These are all painful, and they need to be "boiled over high heat" at first, and then "warmed over slow fire" consistently during the process, in order to slowly resolve them. This is a must for self-discipline.

Determination allowed Zeng Guofan to start his transformation on the road to growth. This is the first and most important step for a person to achieve success. It can inject a steady stream of spiritual power into me.

3. The road to advancement

When Zeng Guofan was an official in the capital, it could be said that he moved seven times in ten years and jumped ten levels in a row. The reasons behind this are worth exploring.

1. Good self-management ability.

He has twelve rules and standards for life. Through self-discipline, he allows himself to continuously make breakthroughs in behavioral habits and comprehensive abilities. Getting up early, sitting quietly, taking care of himself, and speaking carefully will help him cultivate his moral character; reading, practicing calligraphy, and composing will help him improve his talents. These are the abilities and wealth he has accumulated for himself, laying a solid inner foundation.

It can be seen from this that a person's self-management ability determines how far he can go. Only through the practice of self-discipline can he control the direction of progress. For such role models, we can gain glorious power, compare ourselves, and learn to practice.

2. Make friends and be willing to help others.

Networking is a great tool for advancement in life. Zeng Guofan had a wide circle of friends in the capital, and he selectively made quality friends without going beyond the rules or clinging to the powerful. This made him gain good popularity, and naturally he could get more recommendation opportunities.

At the same time, after he determined to "learn to be a saint", he always thought of others and helped others. Friends who received favors would also be grateful to him and try their best to help him, which helped his entire career.

Normally, we should connect more with others in life. The more friends we have, the wider the road will be, but we need to have our own standards and choose like-minded friends. Provide more help to others, make yourself a valuable person, and help others achieve your goals, and you will naturally receive blessings.

3. Won the emperor’s appreciation.

Emperor Daoguang was Zeng Guofan’s nobleman, and he was also the absolute highest-level nobleman. The two had similar personalities and the same ideas. In addition, Zeng Guofan's down-to-earth and serious style of doing things reassured the emperor, and of course he must be reused.

In the face of the noble people appearing in our lives, we must seize the opportunity, follow the noble people, find the direction of success, be positive, constantly polish ourselves, and match our abilities to the trust of others.

4. The young man in the officialdom

1. The depressed "vice minister"

When Zeng Guofan was appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, he gained real power. Let him feel that he can show his ambition and do more for the country and the people.

The ambitious man soon fell into trouble and became increasingly depressed. The empire of the late Qing Dynasty was internally decayed and externally attacked by enemies. Senior officials were all dawdling, and no one was willing to break through the superficial comfort and allow the country to decline.

Zeng Guofan hated the filthy atmosphere of officialdom, but found that he was in a humble position and had little power. If he wanted to do big things or carry out changes, there was no possibility. Even if he occasionally made some suggestions, he would be cast aside. He could only watch the country decay day by day, feeling aggrieved and uncomfortable.

2. Offending Emperor Xianfeng

The new emperor took office, which seemed to bring about a turn for the better. Emperor Xianfeng dismissed incompetent people and issued an edict to ask for advice. Zeng Guofan felt that this was a good emperor who worked hard to govern, so he began to write memorials and address the issues in the officialdom. Emperor Xianfeng greatly appreciated it, and he also took on more positions.

However, Emperor Xianfeng, who presented himself as a great man, was just a mediocre master. After a short time, after the initial energy was exhausted, he no longer had any ambitions. Coupled with his stubbornness and strong inferiority complex, he became He can't listen to what others say, sticks to small things, and neglects big plans.

The naive Zeng Guofan still wanted to warn the emperor with a slap in the face, and boldly criticized the emperor directly and frankly. The sensitive and fragile emperor was furious, became wary of him, and no longer trusted him.

3. Difficult moments in Beijing

Zeng Guofan not only offended the emperor, but also offended some big shots. In the face of guilty ministers, he adhered to his principles and broke the unspoken rule of "officials protecting each other", which made many people criticize him and isolate him.

His foolish words and deeds also made ordinary colleagues uncomfortable. In Shangshu's memorial, he cursed the officials in the capital. He had a state of being in a state where everyone was rude and I was alone. Therefore, he became a figure that everyone reviled.

Zeng Guofan's life became increasingly sad, and he was in great mental pain. He had many thoughts of quitting his career, but he could not afford the money to travel home. Do not seek gray income.

Finally, he was overjoyed. The emperor sent him to Jiangxi to serve as an examiner in the provincial examination. He could leave the capital and get a vacation to visit relatives in his hometown.

5. The Humiliation of Changsha

1. Encountered a family tragedy on the way to his appointment

On his way to Jiangxi, Zeng Guofan learned of the death of his mother. He was devastated. Jue, his mother is a great pillar of support for him and the entire family, who has worked hard all his life and dedicated himself selflessly. After calming down, he made the most appropriate plan to take a detour to Jiangxi and go home for the funeral.

2. Go out again

After the funeral arrangements, Zeng Guofan decided to rest at home for a while and study hard. But the imperial court thought of him again and arranged for him to assist local officials in setting up "team training". He planned to refuse, but his friend's words awakened him. This was his chance to realize the value of his life and save the world. He came out again.

3. Become the target of public criticism

After arriving in Changsha, Zeng Guofan showed his talents to suppress bandits, combat evil forces, and use iron-fist means to manage society. Under the slightly cruel policy, Social order has indeed been stabilized. However, his series of combination punches shook the interests of the entire local officialdom. He was determined to break the corrupt official style and was unanimously hated by other officials in Hunan Province.

4. Encountered a life and death disaster

Zeng Guofan, who was training in Daxing, wanted to forge a powerful army, and he did not hesitate to offend the local garrison. Even though Shangshu's memorial to criticize the generals was praised by the emperor, it actually brought him a fatal disaster.

Unlike the civil officials who expressed their hatred in words, the generals directly took action and started to cause trouble. A private fight in the army turned into a riot and a fight. Zeng Guofan's mansion was besieged and he was almost killed.

Faced with such humiliation, Zeng Guofan did not do anything impulsive. Instead, he thought calmly and continued to reflect.

6. The arrogant Hunan Army

1. Original intention of creation

Zeng Guofan endured the humiliation of Changsha and founded the Hunan Army with his bare hands. The emperor originally asked him to help organize group training, but he did not intend to do this.

Faced with the decay of the regular army, which has long lost its combat effectiveness, and the deep-rooted military style cannot be reformed, he wants to create his own army, save the court, and rebuild the country.

This was a risky move. His starting point challenged the country's fundamental principle of guarding against the Han people taking over military power, and risked the destruction of families and clans.

But Zeng Guofan also had another consideration. The Taiping Army was not an ordinary enemy. They represented a heterogeneous culture. They were based on Western Christianity and destroyed Chinese culture everywhere. They were the enemy of the entire traditional culture. Zeng Guofan was a Neo-Confucian and advocated Confucianism, and he would do his best to defend the beliefs in his heart.

2. Face the difficulties

Creating an army is not easy. Zeng Guofan, who had nothing, had to solve the problems of employing people, raising salaries, purchasing weapons, establishing institutions, and competing with the emperor.

How could the emperor know his original intention? Not long after training, the emperor asked him to reinforce and suppress the Taiping Army. If the army is incompetent, sending troops will definitely lead to death, and all the hard work will be in vain.

After weighing the pros and cons, he could only find various excuses to evade and deal with the emperor. Even when faced with the request for help from his mentor and close friend, he could only reluctantly refuse and stand still.

Finally, in the face of many difficulties, he used his "standing" spirit to become a Hunan army of 10,000 people.

3. The sadness and joy of the first battle

When the Taiping Army marched south to attack Hunan, Zeng Guofan personally led the army to fight. After careful planning, the troops were divided into several groups. He wanted to win the first battle, but he faced an unexpected defeat in Jinggang. He suffered serious losses. With so many worries, he wanted to die and jumped into the river. Fortunately, he was rescued in time by the guards.

When he returned to Changsha with the remaining soldiers, he was ridiculed by everyone. He was so frustrated that he refused to eat or drink and got up early. At this time, joy fell from the sky, and news came from the front that another of his troops had defeated the Taiping Army in Xiangtan, and it was the first victory achieved by the Qing army. This gave him renewed confidence.

4. Team building of the Hunan Army

The reason why the Hunan Army’s combat effectiveness is strong comes from Zeng Guofan’s reverse thinking. He analyzed the reasons for the weakness of the regular army and then did the opposite. Build on the system.

The regular army implements a low pay system. Soldiers have little money and can only do other side jobs in order to make a living. They do not train well. The military itself is extremely corrupt and lacks any cohesion.

Zeng Guofan implemented a generous pay system to solve the survival problem of soldiers and make everyone willing to actively participate in joining the army.

At the same time, the principles for selecting people are "generals must be selected personally and soldiers must be recruited by themselves" and "scholars must be selected to lead farmers". On the one hand, everyone knows the basics, which helps to cooperate with each other and has strong cohesion. On the other hand, the military quality will be very good and the discipline will be strict.

Zeng Guofan attached great importance to spiritual strength and vigorously advocated political education in the army to give the army faith and create high morale.

Zeng Guofan tried his best and devoted himself to serving the country and the people. With tenacity and wisdom, he finally built an impressive Hunan army.

7. The Governor of Hubei who gained and lost

Zeng Guofan achieved a major victory. It stands to reason that he should be greatly rewarded and promoted to official position, but he had a fatuous and incompetent emperor.

The emperor was indeed very happy after hearing the news and immediately appointed him governor of Hubei. When the military ministers were summoned, an old enemy of Zeng Guofan began to make a speech, thinking that he might pose a threat to the stability of the country, and asked the emperor to be cautious.

The emperor, who had no foresight, immediately went back on his word, took back his orders, and even criticized Zeng Guofan on a minor issue, which completely chilled Zeng Guofan's heart. At the same time, the emperor himself ignored the truth and gave blind instructions to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, completely disrupting Zeng Guofan's plan.

Whether it is a country or a team, leaders must have strategic vision. Like Emperor Xianfeng, he was headstrong and short-sighted, which greatly disappointed the people around him. In the end, everyone only wanted to protect themselves, so that the country had to move towards an even more decadent abyss, and the people were miserable.

With such an emperor, Zeng Guofan could still stick to his original intention. He wanted to change the country, but also to maintain cultural traditions. It was really a great blessing for the country, and he was worthy of being the last leader of the Qing Dynasty.

8. Great Regret and Enlightenment

Zeng Guofan was in trouble in Jiangxi, his army was defeated in Jiujiang, and he almost committed suicide. At the same time, they were politically isolated and helpless, with no real power, military pay was not guaranteed, and local officials were enemies of the Hunan Army at every turn. In great pain, his father passed away and he simply returned to his hometown. The emperor took advantage of this and took away his military power.

While dormant at home, Zeng Guofan slowly began to calm down from his furious state. He studied the ways of Laozi and Zhuangzi, constantly reflected and innovated himself. After a profound enlightenment, he determined to change his past style of doing things, use weakness to strengthen, and wait for another opportunity. Get out of the mountain.

A person's growth always changes due to the environment. All hardships and hardships will definitely bring us enlightenment. The key is to be able to find the direction of progress.

Zeng Guofan’s transformation experience lets us know that in a harsh environment, we cannot just be strong and resist, but must change our own mentality, be able to tolerate the differences between the world and ourselves, and be able to put small things into perspective. Put yourself peacefully into the melting pot of society, spiraling up in twists and turns.

9. Capture Anqing

Anqing is a tough nut to crack. Zeng Guofan led the army and was bound to capture Anqing. The tactics he adopted were to "strengthen the stronghold and fight the war" and use silence to stop the attack.

Although this tactic is stupid in style, it is the most stable method. Pay attention to setting up camp, march for half a day and camp for half a day every day, and fight steadily. Outside Anqing City, trenches were dug to surround the city and trap the opponent. At the same time, reinforcements were attacked outside the city.

After a arduous battle, Zeng Guofan finally captured Anqing. But at this time, Emperor Xianfeng passed away, and his best friend Hu Linyi also passed away, making him extremely sad.

Zeng Guofan was a very determined person and encountered many obstacles during his attack on Anqing. There were both blind commands from the external emperor and different strategic views among the internal parties, but in the end he overcame them one by one and relied on his strong determination and determination to finally capture Anqing.

This also reminds me of myself. Many times, due to insufficient concentration, even if I have a goal, I will be easily affected by other factors during the implementation process, pay too much attention to the outside world, and ultimately fail to achieve myself. goals and get the results you want.

In the future, we must have firm beliefs, stick to the original goal in action, and have a person who has a beginning and an end.

10. The feud with He Guiqing

After taking Anqing, Zeng Guofan obtained the position of governor of Liangjiang. He not only had real political power, but also held the military power of the Hunan Army. His powerful position was an absolute advantage.

At this time, a palace coup took place in the DPRK, and Sushun, who insisted on supporting the Hunan Army, was executed. Zeng Guofan was not only unaffected, but was further promoted and became the governor of the four provinces and helped with military affairs. .

As a result, Zeng Guofan relied on the court's trust to begin to eliminate the remaining forces of his old enemy He Guiqing Group. In the past, the He Guiqing Group always opposed the Hunan Army, killing many loyal people and making Zeng Guofan gnash his teeth with hatred. Finally, I was able to slowly regain the situation and remove the obstacles bit by bit.

In the end, Zeng Guofan Group successfully won and breathed a sigh of relief.

11. The final battle of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Taking over Nanjing, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was the last and most important battle of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Zeng Guofan laid out a four-pronged military strategy. The first to bear the brunt was his younger brother Zeng Guoquan's tribe, which went straight to the gates of Nanjing.

But Nanjing City was much more difficult to attack than imagined. Faced with the failure of several other reinforcements to arrive as scheduled and the rampant plague, Zeng Guoquan could only defend the city of Nanjing tenaciously. The forty-six days of the Yuhuatai Battle were the most anxious days in the lives of the Zeng brothers. The Hunan Army relied on its firm will to survive.

Then, in order to capture Nanjing, Zeng Guoquan tried every means, and Zeng Guofan also continued to send more troops to Nanjing, but the food and salary supply could not keep up. However, at this time, Shen Baozhenen, whom Zeng Guofan single-handedly recommended, took revenge and no longer Zeng Guofan couldn't bear it and decided to fight back by providing Zeng Guofan with the entire province of Jiangxi.

But the battle ended with Shen Baozhen's victory, which made Zeng Guofan realize that the court was already deliberately checking and balancing him. Under pressure from all parties, the Zeng brothers fell into a long period of suffering.

12. A big tree attracts the wind, so you need to prune its branches and leaves

The city of Nanjing was captured, the Hunan army finally reached the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Zeng brothers made great contributions.

I thought I would get a huge reward from the court, but what I got was two slaps, and the court severely criticized him for other inappropriate behaviors. This made Zeng Guofan have to be alert.

The power of the Zeng brothers has reached its peak. Faced with the suspicion of the court, he had to make arrangements to escape unscathed.

Therefore, on the one hand, he arranged for his younger brother to resign, and on the other hand, he abolished the Hunan Army, which reassured the court and finally averted the danger.

Within the Hunan Army, Zeng Guofan also encountered another crisis. He single-handedly promoted the leader of the Hunan Army, Zuo Zongtang, and openly broke with himself.

Although Zuo Zongtang once relied on Zeng Guofan, he always looked down on Zeng Guofan in his heart and felt that Zeng Guofan's qualifications were mediocre and not as good as his own. Later, after Nanjing was captured, Zeng Guofan had to fight back because he defeated Zeng Guofan's army while hunting down the young Taiping Heavenly King.

Even so, Zeng Guofan never said a bad word about Zuo Zongtang afterwards, and even tried his best to help Zuo Zongtang when he needed military funds for the Western Expedition. This moved Zuo greatly, and it was the first time that he truly understood Zuo Zongtang. Erli admired Zeng Guofan's conduct.

After Zeng Guofan became famous, he did not expand, but retreated knowingly. He was truly a sage.

13. Governor of Liangjiang

When Zeng Guofan was the governor of Liangjiang, he concentrated on people's livelihood and official administration. Under his single-handed governance, Jiangnan quickly regained its vitality and regained its prosperity.

During his tenure, Zeng Guofan was an upright official and never enriched his own pockets. Don't talk about grand pomp, only accept small gifts, abolish bad rules, lead by example, and have a clear conscience. On the other hand, without violating the principles, we must abide by our official duties, integrate into the official environment, avoid being extreme traditional upright officials, mobilize all our forces, and achieve great things.

Through constant trial and error, Zeng Guofan saw clearly the darkness and light of officialdom, always followed his own philosophy of doing things, and made the most appropriate choice between the pure and the dark, so that he could not violate his true intention, but also Those who can benefit the world will be praised by future generations.

In life, we must also assess the situation and not blindly forge ahead. Without changing our original intention, it is also a kind of wisdom to examine our own problems, appropriately improve our methods and methods, and move forward in twists and turns.

14. Foreigners are also human beings

After the two Opium Wars, Zeng Guofan’s view of foreigners has completely changed. He no longer thinks of foreigners as vulgar barbarians, but as a force of force. and technologically powerful Western powers.

Therefore, Zeng Guofan began to advocate: learn from the foreigners to learn skills to control the foreigners, learn advanced Western technology, purchase weapons and equipment, establish the "Anqing Ordnance Institute" and Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, devote themselves to the military industry, and strive for self-improvement way.

In dealing with foreigners, Zeng Guofan also summarized three diplomatic concepts that keep pace with the times.

First, equality. In the past, the Chinese government despised foreigners. They felt that they were a country of heaven and had a particularly serious self-centered mentality. They despised foreigners in their hearts. Even if the country was captured by strong ships and cannons, they still deceived themselves and others and did not reflect on themselves. They were precarious in the wind and rain.

The second is integrity. Integrity is needed in all interactions between people and between countries, so that cooperation can be truly win-win and friendship last forever. Even though it was forced to sign an unequal peace treaty, the disadvantaged Qing government still acted cunningly and failed to abide by its agreement, making its powerful enemy even more angry.

The third is not to fight for face, but to fight for reputation. We are already weak and cannot save face and let the country collapse. However, we cannot compromise on matters involving sovereignty. Even if we lose money, we must fight for our reasons.

15. Zeng Guofan’s teacher style?

A person’s success cannot be achieved without the cultivation of a famous teacher, and the famous teacher himself is more important than the talent.

Zeng Guofan paid attention to talent cultivation throughout his life, appreciating talents, promoting talents, and reusing talents. His successor, Li Hongzhang, is the top result of his guidance and guidance in building up the pillars of the country.

Li Hongzhang was talented in literature, military, and intellectual. Zeng Guofan gave him various opportunities to make contributions. In view of his moral weaknesses, he set an example and patiently guided him to temper Li Hongzhang's character and teach him how to behave.

Li Hongzhang himself has a lot of intelligence, high emotional intelligence, and knows how to advance and retreat, so he grew up very quickly and became Zeng Guofan's best career successor.

Zeng Guofan had a thorough life. As a civil official, he could relieve the country's worries; as a general, he could lead troops to quell chaos; as a teacher, he could teach and preach. He was a true national sage.

16. Taking the lead in handling the "Tianjin Religion Case"

After Zeng Guofan was promoted to the governor of Zhili, he was determined to rectify the officialdom and clear up the backlog of cases. There had been great improvement, but at this moment, the Tianjin religious case that shocked China and the world happened, and someone needed to take the lead and clean up this complicated and dangerous situation.

Zeng Guofan could have refused due to illness, but for the sake of his family and the people, he once again took up the responsibility and tried his best to relieve the country's worries.

Big difficulty.

At this time, Zeng Guofan no longer cared about whether he would leave infamy or stain. Serving the country and the people was the morality he pursued throughout his life.

Although he tried his best to consider all demands, the cruelty of reality and the court's deliberate muddying of the waters earned him the reputation of a "traitor."

No one understood his helplessness and painstaking efforts. In the end, he was exhausted mentally and physically, his body became increasingly weak, and his spirit was severely hit.

When the country was in crisis, Zeng Guofan resolutely considered the overall situation and never considered personal gains and losses. This is true justice. Such a person deserves our respect from generation to generation.

17. Spend your whole life fighting for the country and the people to the end

In his last years, Zeng Guofan was already in failing health and mentally suffered from the Tianjin Mission Case. He had to face Faced with a cruel reality: the cause of rejuvenating the country and the people that he has devoted his whole life to is completely unable to reverse the decline of the times. The Qing Dynasty is irreparable.

Even so, Zeng Guofan still did his best to establish Westernization, promote study abroad plans, and revitalize the country through technology and talents. At least this is the most feasible hope.

In addition to his mediocre qualifications, Zeng Guofan also had extremely poor physical fitness. He suffered from a variety of diseases, including premature aging of his eyes and ears, especially skin diseases, which had been bothering him. When he had an attack, his body was extremely itchy.

In addition, after many years of marching and fighting, his body was not maintained, and various mental pressures from officialdom continued to erode his weak body. Finally, he ran out of fuel and reached the end of his life in his 60s.

Throughout his life, Zeng Guofan accomplished meritorious service, morality and reputation. A scholar, who worked hard in the officialdom, founded the Hunan Army with his bare hands, and saved the country and traditional culture from the fire and water; in terms of personal cultivation, starting from the determination to be a saint, he constantly reflected on himself, restrained his desires, corrected his shortcomings, and was respected as a sage; in academic cultivation For the sake of excellence, he promoted Confucianism, studied Neo-Confucianism, set an example, and left precious family quotations and other works for future generations.