Biography of Zeng Guofan

Author: Dong Cai Shi
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1996-11-01
Features: The Biography of Zeng Guofan was written based on the author's previous works, The Biography of Zuo Zongtang (published in 1984) and The Biography of Hu Linxi (published in 1990). The writing process spanned a long period of time, allowing for extensive reflection, which resulted in a deeper and broader exploration compared to The Biography of Zuo Zongtang. In some aspects, new fields were discovered and new questions raised. For example, by employing a comparative study method, the author compares the thoughts of Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, further exploring the influence of Zeng Guofan's Confucian philosophy on his political and military activities. The author examines the "sincerity," "trust," and "benevolence" emphasized by Zeng Guofan, not as universal moral principles, but as principles practiced among landlords, gentry, and especially among the leaders of the Xiang Army. These concepts of "sincerity" and "trust" are best described as "school sincerity" and "school trust." The author discusses how Zeng Guofan engaged in open and covert rivalry with Wang Xing and Jiang Zhongyuan to seize absolute leadership of the Xiang Army, ultimately dismissing Wang Xing and abandoning Jiang Zhongyuan. From the perspective of relational studies, the author explores the relationships between "Zeng (Guofan) and Hu (Linxi)," "Zeng and Zuo (Zongtang)," "Zeng and Shen (Baozhen)," "Zeng and Li (Hongzhang)," "Zeng and Guan (Wen)," and "Zeng and Yang (Pei)" and others. The author examines the conflicts and struggles between Zeng Guofan's Xiang faction and the He Guichang group, which was supported by Qi Yuze and Peng Yunzhang. The author highlights Zeng Guofan's skill in factional struggles, ultimately destroying the He Guichang group. In reality, this was a thrilling struggle between the centralization advocates in the Qing government and regional military forces demanding expansion and resistance to expansion. The author discusses the difficulties Zeng Guofan faced in having to support and cultivate Li Hongzhang's Huai Army. The author explains the ideological foundation behind Zeng Guofan's instructions for Li Hongzhang to align with British and French invading forces to jointly attack the Taiping Army, urging Li Hongzhang to "discard enmity and embrace friendship" and "speak with loyalty and act with sincerity." The author explores the specific manifestations and ideological foundations of Zeng Guofan's "utter cruelty" toward the peasant army. The author examines the internal conflicts within the Xiang faction before and after the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which had reached a point of disintegration. The author discusses Zeng Guofan's strategies and tactics, as well as the relationship between these strategies and tactics and his Confucian philosophy. The author explores the conflicts between Zeng Guofan and his brothers, and the Qing government, after the Xiang Army captured Jinling, as well as the grievances and sorrows expressed by the Zeng brothers after being suppressed by the Qing government. The author examines the conflicts between Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang during the suppression of the Nian Rebellion. The author describes Zeng Guofan's late-life state of "external shame and internal remorse," "melancholy," and "often feeling that life was not worth living." The above are some of the key points, and the author apologizes for not listing everything in detail. Due to the limitations of the author's knowledge, there are undoubtedly many errors in The Biography of Zeng Guofan. The author sincerely invites everyone to point out any mistakes.