Complete Works of Zeng Guofan 11 (ePub)

Zeng Guofan (1811-1874), originally named Zicheng, was born in Xiangtan, Hunan province. He styled himself as Bohan and Disheng. The History of Qing DynastyBiographyA*Biography of Zeng Guofan, describes him as "e;a man of great prestige, with beautiful berd and triangular eyes"e;. In the 18th year of Daoguang's reign (1838), he passed the imperial civil examination. Since then, he has served as a bachelor of science in the Imperial Academy, a bachelor of cabinet, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Official Affairs and other positions. He has been a civil servant in the capital city for more than ten years. In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zeng Guofan took orders to handle the Hunan regimental training. Since then, he has supervised the military affairs in Jiangnan as assistant minister of the Ministry of War, ministers of the Ministry of War, governors of Two Rivers and imperial envoys, and commanded the Xiang army to fight. After that, he was conferred the title of Taibao for prince and was given the title of First Class Yi Yong Marquis and the title of Grand Master of the Hall of Military Heroes. In the 11th year of Tongzhi (1872), he died in the post of Governor of Two Rivers. The court posthumously presented him Tai Fu and gave him an honorable title of Wen Zheng. Zeng Guofan's political merits and demerits have received mixed reviews from later generations. However, Zeng Guofan, as the first hero of the revival of the late Qing dynasty and the pioneer of China's modernization, had far-reaching influence in China's modern history. He was also praised and criticized by later generations for being a man and learning. Mr. Qian Mu praised him for "e;laying equal stress on being a man and learning"e;. Zeng Guofan began to study the "e; Twenty-Three Histories"e; when he was young. During his official stay in Beijing, he followed Tang Jian, Woren and others to learn the Neo-Confucianism of Cheng and Zhu. He absorbed the strengths of hundred schools of thought, transferred more teachers, and merged into one. He and the Xiang army generals jointly published the "e; Chuanshan suicide note"e; to carry forward Wang Fuzhi's thoughts. He compiled a widely circulated and influential anthology of ancient Chinese prose, "e; A Hundred Miscellaneous Notes on Classics and History"e;. At the same time, he insisted on keeping a diary and kept writing. He left behind a large number of written materials such as manuscripts, letters, manuscripts, anthologies, poetry collections and book records. Later generations published and engraved the Complete Works of Zeng Wenzheng. Zeng Guofan self-controlled himself and saved himself. He struggled hard and realized self-transcendence with the willpower of "e; brave men taking off their teeth and swallowing blood"e;. He completed the three immortal undertakings of "e; moral integrity, meritorious service and standing up for words"e;. He knew that people were good at their job and promoted a large number of people who had great influence on Chinese history. He marched to war and fought steadily. He handled government affairs "e; with a broad mind and a comprehensive outlook"e;, showing the breadth of mind and vision that a politician should have. When the country was in danger, he advocated the purchase of western ship machinery and the opening of the Anqing Ordnance Institute to produce China's first steam ship. He suggested to send the first batch of foreign students in modern China and proposed to translate the first batch of western books. These measures taken by later generations are of great significance to China's modernization process.