However, Zeng Guofan, who was full of ambition, was hit head-on: one was defeated by Yuezhou and the other by Jinggang. Especially the fiasco of Jinggang made Zeng Guofan frustrated and threw himself into the river several times. If Taqibu hadn't won the battle of Xiangtan and left Zeng Guofan a little face, the outcome would be unpredictable.
From a painful experience, Zeng Guofan began to think about why the Jinggang water war he personally commanded was so badly defeated. After detailed analysis, he believes that in the final analysis, it is because some people in the army are afraid of death. Every time the battle goes bad, they start to run away.
The situation of the water war in Jinggang is vivid. At the critical moment of the battle, Zeng Guofan found that the morale of some Xiang troops was shaken and there were signs of rout. He was strictly forbidden to escape from the cold war, and anyone who violated it would be killed. However, to no avail. With the development of the war, Xiang soldiers ignored Zeng Guofan's strict orders and fled in droves, leaving Zeng Guofan hanging on the battlefield. The situation was very embarrassing at one time.
In order to prevent Xiang from running away from the enemy again, Zeng Guofan set two rules.
First, all generals who escaped from the cold war, no matter who they are and for what reason, will be fired and will never be hired.
Zeng Guofan kept his promise.
At that time, there was a general named Zhu in the Xiang army who worked as a county magistrate in Xiangxiang. Zhu is a very talented person. There are "three bright spots" in Hunan, namely "old bright spot" Luo Zenan, "today's bright spot" Zuo and "small bright spot" Liu Rong. Zhu Neng left Liu Rong with him, which shows that he really has extraordinary skills.
Zhu Yong's implementation should be much earlier than Zeng Guofan's. "The Draft of the History of Qing Dynasty" said: "Zhu advocated group training and invigorated talents, which is actually the foundation of the Xiang Army." Zhu Sun was regarded as the founder of Xiang Army. Zeng Guofan also affirmed Zhu's governance achievements many times in his family letters: "Zhu Shiqiao (Zhu) had a very good government in the early Ming Dynasty, and he was a blessing to our city." "I really admire Zhu Shiqiao for being such a good official!"
Later, Zeng Guofan was ordered to assist Zhang, the governor of Hunan Province, in training the Xiang army and commanding Zhu's army. Zhu was one of the first battalion officers of Xiang Army.
However, Zhu did not perform well in the battles of Yuezhou and Ningxiang, and he also got cold feet. Zeng Guofan severely reprimanded Zhu Sun and expelled him from the Xiang Army. Zhu Sun was furious and defected to Luo Chu, the new governor of Hunan.
Second, once an army commander dies, unless there is a popular succession general in this department, the whole army will be dissolved on the spot and go back to their hometown to farm.
This move is cruel. Xiang Army mainly recruited farmers from Xiangxiang, Hunan. Their life is already very difficult, and joining the Xiang army is nothing more than seeking a way out. Let them all disband and go back to their hometown to farm, which is equivalent to cutting off their road. In order to avoid this phenomenon, they had to protect their general in the battle.
Wang Kaiyun said in "Xiang Jun Zhi": "He will die and the army will be scattered; It will survive and its army will die. From the system of the Xiang army, comparing the upper and lower dimensions is beneficial to righteousness. " Make friends with each other and protect each other's elders. "That is to say, Zeng Guofan solved the moral problem of protecting the chief executive from the institutional level, making the officers and men intimate and harmonious and caring for each other. In this way, the Xiang army has formed a closely linked interest group, that is, "one glory and one glory, one loss and one loss."
Zeng Guofan used these two rules to make Xiang more elite, more United and more effective.
References:
History of Qing Dynasty, Xiang Jun Zhi, etc.