Zeng Guofan’s life

Zeng Guofan was born into a landlord family. He was diligent and studious since he was a child, and entered a private school at the age of 6. At the age of 8, he can read the Four Books and recite the Five Classics. At the age of 14, he can read the selected works of "Zhou Rites" and "Historical Records".

In the 18th year of Daoguang's reign (1838), he became a Jinshi and entered the Hanlin Academy, where he was the student of Mu Zhang Amen, Minister of Military and Aircraft. Lei Qian was a bachelor of the cabinet, minister of the Ministry of Rites, and minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Industry, Punishment, and Officials. He became close friends with the scholar Wo Ren and Huining Dao He Guizhen, etc., and strengthened each other with "practical learning".

During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, Zeng Guofan formed the Hunan Army to turn the tide, and after many years of fierce fighting, he attacked and destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Throughout his life, he devoted his life to politics and regarded patience as the first priority. He advocated being diligent, thrifty and honest in everything he did and not being arrogant as an official.

He cultivated himself and disciplined himself, sought office with virtue, put etiquette first, and pursued politics with loyalty, and achieved great success in the officialdom.

On the fourth day of February of the same year (March 12, 1872), Zeng Guofan was walking in the West Garden of Nanjing in the afternoon. He suddenly suffered from numbness in his feet. Zeng Jize helped him back to his study, where he sat upright for three moments and died.

After hearing the news, the imperial court stayed away from court for three days. He was given the posthumous title of Taifu and given the posthumous title "Wenzheng". He was enshrined in Zhaozhong and Xianliang temples in the capital, and special temples were established in various provinces. On June 25, the coffin arrived in Changsha. On July 19, he was buried in Jinpenling outside the south gate of Changsha.

Extended information:

Major events in Zeng Guofan’s life:

1. Suppression of the Taiping Uprising

1844 (the 24th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty) , Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan preached in Guangxi and secretly carried out anti-Qing activities. In the summer of 1850, Hong Xiuquan issued a general mobilization order, calling on God-worshiping congregations from all over the country to "regiment camp" in Jintian Village, Guiping.

On January 11, 1851, more than 20,000 Hong Xiuquan people officially announced the uprising in Jintian Village, Guangxi, and established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. They formed the leadership core with Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan, Xiao Chaogui, Wei Changhui, Shi Dakai, etc. After hearing the news, the Qing court mobilized troops to carry out "encirclement and suppression".

Zeng Guofan took advantage of the Qing government's eagerness to find strength to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. He took advantage of the situation in his hometown of Hunan and relied on complex interpersonal relationships such as masters, apprentices, relatives, and friends to establish a local regiment, known as For Xiangyong.

On July 19, 1864, Zeng Guofan led the Hunan Army to demolish more than 10 feet of the city wall near the Taiping Gate of Tianjing and swarmed into the city. Hunan troops from other directions also entered by ladders. The Taiping troops in the city may have died in battle. Or self-immolation, no one surrenders. ?

The fall of Tianjing marked the failure of the Taiping Peasant War. In the same month, the imperial court appointed Zeng Guofan's crown prince, Taibao, and first-class marquis, hereditary replacement, and rewarded him with two-eyed flower feathers. In August, he approved the dismissal of 25,000 Hunan troops.

2. Tianjin Mission Case

In 1870 (the ninth year of Tongzhi), the people of Tianjin attacked the Catholic Church institutions in order to oppose the Catholic Church’s wanton missionary work under the protection of the power of the Protectorate (France). Dozens of people were murdered; after that, the church used force, foreign warships came to Tianjin, and ministers from seven countries protested to the Prime Minister's Yamen.

Zeng Guofan was ordered to go to Tianjin to handle the Tianjin religious case. Considering the situation at the time, he did not go to war with France, "but he hoped that the peace situation in Hebei would be achieved quickly, and he would be guilty of not asking for love."

At the request of France, it was decided to execute the 8 people who led the killings, exile 25 people, and remove the Tianjin magistrate Zhang Guangzao and the county magistrate Liu Jie from their posts, exile them to Heilongjiang, and compensate foreigners for their losses 46 10,000 taels of silver, and Chonghou sent an envoy to France to apologize.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tianjin Teaching Plan

Baidu Encyclopedia - Taiping Rebellion

Baidu Encyclopedia - Zeng Guofan