Zeng Guofan (18 1 1 year165438+1October 26th-1March 872 12), with the word Bohan, No. In the late Qing Dynasty, he was an important minister, the father of Xiang Army, the founder and commander of Xiang Army. Military strategist, philosopher, politician, calligrapher and writer in Qing Dynasty, and founder of "Xiangxiang School" in late Qing Dynasty. One of the "four famous ministers of ZTE" in the late Qing Dynasty, the official governor of Liangjiang, the governor of Zhili and the university student of Wuyingdian, was awarded the first-class righteous Hou Yong, saying. Mao Zedong said, "Give it to your neighbors and serve only Ceng Wenzheng." Express admiration for the deceased compatriots. Zeng Guofan (181-1872), a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, was originally named Zicheng, Bo Han and Sheng Di, and was one of the most influential figures in the history of China. His life, his wisdom and his thoughts have deeply influenced generations of China people, so that people still talk about Zeng Guofan even though he has been dead for more than one hundred years. Some critics say: Zeng Guofan is the last person in China's ancient history, and the first person in modern history, if dating by numbers. This sentence summarizes Zeng Guofan's personal role and influence from a certain angle. Zeng Guofan's Excellent Quality Zeng Guofan pursues patience as the first priority in his life, and advocates that he is diligent in everything and is not proud of being an official. He cultivated self-discipline, sought officials by virtue, put courtesy first, and sought politics by loyalty, and achieved great success in officialdom. Zeng Guofan's Historical Position Liang Qichao admired the Zeng family and said, "My name is Ceng Wenzheng Collection, and I can't wait three times." Just as Zhang, the pioneer of the Revolution of 1911, commented on Zeng Guofan, in the past century, different people have different opinions, and the wise have different opinions, including praise and criticism. As early as when Zeng Guofan suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, some people accused him of killing too many people and gave him a nickname "Zeng shaved his head". After the Revolution of 1911, some revolutionaries said that he was "the first person to execute the law on the spot". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, historians even scolded him to the end, denouncing him as a guardian of the feudal landlord class and a puppet of the landlord comprador class. Xiao Yishan, a famous historian of the Qing Dynasty in the Republic of China, compared Zeng Guofan with Zuo in A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty: "The state and governors win with caution, but with heroism." Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek are two famous figures in the modern history of China. They spoke highly of Zeng Guofan. When I was young, I devoted myself to studying Zeng's collected works and came to the conclusion that I was "stupid enough to be close to people and only serve". Even in his later years, Mao Zedong once said: Zeng Guofan is the most powerful figure in the landlord class. Chiang Kai-shek paid homage to the Zeng family and thought that Zeng Guofan's lifestyle was "enough for our teachers." He taught the Quotations of Zeng Hubing as a textbook to senior generals, and put the Complete Works of Zeng Wen and Gong Zheng beside the case, and read it all his life. It is said that the way he called the roll and sat in a healthy way all imitated Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan's personal charm is evident. General Cai E spoke highly of Zeng's thought of loving soldiers and building a teacher of benevolence and righteousness: "It is most kind to lead troops like a collar. If you can use this meaning, you will burn the ancient and modern aphorisms of leading troops. " (Collection of Mr. Cai Songpo's Last Works (II), p. 5). Zuo's elegy for Zeng Guofan: it is better to know people's wisdom and seek loyalty to the country than to be ashamed; Unity is like gold, attacking the wrong stone is beyond redemption. Zeng Guofan, the pioneer of China's modern modernization, was the first person who really practiced actively in the history of China. Under his guidance, he built the first ship in China, which started the modern manufacturing industry. The establishment of the first ordnance school initiated the modern higher education in China. The first translation and printing of western books not only laid the scientific and technological foundation of modern China, but also greatly broadened the horizons of Chinese people. The arrangement of the first batch of overseas students to study in the United States has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents for the country, among which Tang, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China, Zhan Tianyou, the "father of railways" in China, Liang Dunyan, the foreign minister in the late Qing Dynasty, and the first president of Tsinghua are outstanding. Since ancient times, China, a consummate China native, has made great contributions (made great achievements), established himself as a spiritual model of the world, and made a statement (left a theory for future generations), but few people really realized it, and Zeng Guofan was one of them. He defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and saved the Qing Dynasty, so he was the "savior" of the Qing Dynasty. He "saved the time", purged the political style and learned western culture, which contributed to the emergence of "Tongzhi Zhongxing" in the late Qing Dynasty. He has always been strict with himself, advocating integrity, flaunting morality, and making every effort to win support from top to bottom; His academic articles are eclectic, extensive and profound, and he is a master of modern Confucianism. "His works are required reading for any politician" (Chiang Kai-shek) has achieved the Confucian "Three Immortals" cause of self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country, making meritorious deeds, establishing morality and making statements, and is worthy of being called "China's perfect man". The fastest promotion, the best official, the most stable mode "Zeng Guofan in politics, Hu Xueyan in business". Zeng Guofan was regarded as a "model of officialdom" by politicians in modern times. This is because, first, he was promoted the fastest, at the age of 37, and he was the only one in the Qing Dynasty. Second, it is best to be an official with a prominent political voice and the words of governing for the people; Third, the official is the most stable, surviving the storm of the official sea, safe and sound, and the honor lasts forever. He is familiar with the history of China, knows the way of officialdom, and has accumulated a whole set of officialdom Juexue, which has been applied to the officialdom of China and is invincible. Zeng Guofan, the first master of cultivating and using talents, devoted his life to making friends, recruiting talents, cultivating talents, recommending talents and using talents. His shogunate is the largest and most combative shogunate in China's history, which has gathered the talents from all over the country. In order to attract and retain talents, he gave up his humble face and wrote to recommend his subordinates many times to seek official positions and positions for them. He recommended thousands of subordinates in his life, including more than 40 officials and governors. They include strategic military talents such as Li Hongzhang, Zuo, Guo Songtao, Li, and first-class scholars and scientists such as Yu Yue, Li, Hua and Xu Shou. Zeng Guofan, the greatest educator of China traditional culture, is the best son, who can reassure his parents. He is the best brother, teaching and caring for his siblings, and being considerate. Zeng Guofan is a kind father and a good example for children. His Letter from Home emphasizes the ideal of life, spiritual realm and moral cultivation. In the modern society, where kinship is becoming increasingly indifferent and relatives in the neighborhood are strangers, it does have the value of persuading the world to change customs, and it is worth reading. There are less than three generations of official families, but the Zeng family is full of talented people, and a number of famous diplomats, poets, educators, scientists and senior cadres have emerged. Zeng Guofan, a typical figure of China's traditional culture and personality spirit, is "average" and relatively dull among his peers, but his ambition, stubbornness, strong will and studiousness are beyond people's reach. Since he was a teenager, he has been "struggling hard and determined to adjust himself to the customs", writing a diary every day to reflect on himself, and not a day goes by without monitoring himself and teaching himself a lesson. He treats his colleagues with humility and self-control, is open-minded and generous, and has made a wide range of friends and is highly respected throughout his life. He remained honest and worked hard. No matter how hard you are, you are not discouraged, but you can make persistent efforts and stick to it. This is the fundamental secret of his success. Zeng Guofan, a spiritual idol who has deeply influenced several generations, has profound knowledge and cultivation, and is a "man who works (does business) and preaches (leaves thoughts and theories behind)" (Mao Zedong). "The Draft of Qing History-Biography of Zeng Guofan" also said: "Guo Chen is better than learning and is good at etiquette." He studied hard all his life, respected Confucianism and emphasized practical application, and became another "Confucian master" after Confucius, Mencius and Zhu. He innovated article study's theory of the New Tongcheng School, and his poetry and prose presided over the literary world of Taoism (light), virtue (abundance) and general governance, which can be described as "the highest generation of moral articles".