Ruyuan setting sun: Zeng Guofan in the officialdom and battlefield

Author: Li Dongjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The people of Hunan and Xiang in modern times were like the Qin soldiers who fought and farmed; the scholars of Hunan and Xiang in modern times were mostly like Zigong and Zilu. Their people could only be led by heroes; their scholars could only be gathered by sages. Zeng Wencai possessed both qualities, hence he could gather his scholars and lead his people, opening the sacred civilization of Dongting Lake and unlocking the imperial key of Yuelu, thereby enabling the rise of Hunan and Xiang. The culture of Hunan and Xiang is the declining sun of the Confucian lineage. Wang Fuzhi pioneered it, opening the mountain with the sorrow of heroes' decline, hence possessing a heroic character; Zeng Guofan perfected it, integrating the spirit of sages, hence possessing the realm of sacred civilization. Since Zeng Guofan, Hunan and Xiang have produced heroes one after another, with Cai E raising the sword of the Republic in Southwest China, Huang Xing revolutionizing the world, and even the young Mao Zedong said: Among modern figures, I alone admire Zeng Wencai. Zeng Guofan had the aura of a sage: Li Hongzhang, on the other hand, was more like a Huizhou merchant—each land produces its own people.