This is a great man that both Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek admired——Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan was born on November 26, 1811 and died on March 12, 1872. He lived for 62 years and created a brilliant life. When I finished writing the above words, I had just finished browsing Zhang Hongjie's "The Biography of Zeng Guofan", but it was just browsing, not intensive reading. Even so, I was still shocked when facing this leader from more than 200 years ago, and then looked up to him.
Let’s first look at his title: Chinese late Qing politician, Neo-Confucianist, litterateur, strategist, calligrapher, founder and commander of the Hunan Army. The pioneer of China's modernization construction, he was once known as "Zeng Hu" along with Hu Linyi, and was known as "the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty and Zhongxing" together with Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and Zhang Zhidong. Official positions: Governor of Liangjiang, Governor of Zhili, Bachelor of Wuyingdian, first-class Yiyong Marquis, posthumous title "Wenzheng".
After reading his biography, I dare not use my own words to summarize his great life, because after reading a passage by Zhang Hongjie, I dare not belittle myself. The excerpt is as follows:
On the eve of the collapse of the Confucian spiritual world, Zeng Guofan, the last spiritual idol, appeared, which seemed to be a reflection of the long-lived old man of Confucianism before his death. The traditional beauty of personality is concentrated on Zeng Guofan, who gave a farewell performance in the turbulent last days, which was gorgeous and sad.
Zeng Guofan did it all by making meritorious deeds, establishing virtue, and establishing reputation. In terms of meritorious service, he started out as a scholar, founded an army, commanded the heroes, turned the tide from collapse, helped the building before it collapsed, saved traditional Chinese culture from complete destruction, and extended the life of the Qing Dynasty for another sixty years. Years, his contribution is not insignificant. In terms of morality, he always held himself to the standards of a sage, and his moral cultivation was almost pure. Fifty years later, the two great figures who successively dominated China - Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, also invariably regarded him as their spiritual idol. Speaking of Liyan, as the last great Confucian in China, he practiced Neo-Confucianism personally and gained profound attainments. He left behind a complete collection of millions of words. Its profoundness and breadth can keep scholars busy throughout their lives, and the quotations in his family letters have benefited ordinary people to this day.
Zeng Guofan's success proved the strong vitality of traditional culture, which can partially offset the accusation that Confucianism is "empty and useless". Zeng Guofan's lifelong achievements were all accomplished with the support of traditional culture. The strong sense of mission to take the world as his own responsibility, the grand ambition to cultivate his family, govern the country and bring peace to the world, and the broad mind of the people and their material interests are the spiritual motivation that supported Zeng Guofan in struggling through hardships and setbacks. The cognitive tradition of seeking truth from facts, practical application of the world, and being reflexive and sincere also enabled him to learn wisdom and experience from his predecessors, others, and himself, and he was able to deal with complex world affairs with ample resources. The moral code of being sincere to God and loyal to others enables him to be upright and not entangled by vulgar tastes. He can accept the trivial things of others and become a great virtue. He uses his own personality power to conquer and attract people and make him a hero. Use it, and it will eventually become a great cause.
The Confucian spirit in Zeng Guofan is dynamic, flexible and inclusive. Unlike those stupid and superficial bureaucrats, he grasped the true spirit of Confucianism. He said: "If you study in the past, you should read more books; if you study in the present, you should look for examples." "Don't talk big words, don't make false claims, don't do unreasonable things, and don't talk about lofty principles." Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, Among the scholar-bureaucrats, he, a famous Neo-Confucian scholar, was the first to treat foreigners as equals. He initiated the Westernization Movement and pioneered the spread of Western learning to the East. In the atmosphere at that time, it was impossible to do this without broad vision and insight. Later, Chen Yinke, a famous historian who studied both China and the West, said when summarizing his academic thoughts: "Yinke's life was neither ancient nor modern. His thoughts were limited to the reign of Xianfeng, and the discussion was close to that of Zeng Xiangxiang and Zhang Nanpi. "Indicates that he is the academic successor of Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan was very successful as an official. He was good at advancing and retreating. He went from general to prime minister throughout his life without major setbacks. There were not many people as successful as him in traditional official circles. Zeng Guofan was extremely loyal to the emperor and extremely filial to his relatives. For brothers, we see each other sincerely and have no grudges. Husband and wife treat each other with respect and deep affection.
He is both loving and strict with his children. He respects their children's personality and always focuses on encouraging them when educating them. He does not have the condescending and unequal style of traditional parents. For several generations, the Zeng family still produces talents in large numbers to this day. This is directly related to the good family tradition he established. Therefore, he is known as "the perfect man in ancient and modern times", "more powerful than Zhou Gong, Confucius and Mencius, and famous for eternity."
Of course, Zeng Guofan's life was also a failure in a certain sense. He is Kuafu who chases the sun, Jingwei who fills the sea, and Nuwa who mends the sky. However, in his twilight years, he suddenly discovered that his lifelong struggle was like drawing a knife to cut water, and it could not affect the eastward flow of water in the slightest. He regarded himself as a sage, but he followed the way of a sage and studied and practiced meticulously, but he did not achieve the ideal of "establishing a heart for the world, establishing a destiny for the people, carrying on the unique knowledge for the saints, and creating peace for all generations." He alone cannot reverse the strong decline of traditional society that has accumulated over thousands of years. He failed to discover the truth that saved the old world, failed to realize his ideal of clarifying the world and benefiting all people, and creating a peaceful world based on Confucianism. On the contrary, he watched China continue to sink, but there was nothing he could do.
This is not his failure alone, but the failure of the entire corrupt regime.
No matter what, Zeng Guofan spent his life defending and protecting his cherished culture and beliefs, and he died on the road to mending the sky and filling the sea. Zeng Guofan used his life to prove the height that a person's willpower can reach, and at the same time, he also proved the limitations of a person's willpower. His hopeless efforts have erected a monument that must be awe-inspiring on the journey of the human spirit.
More than 200 years ago, this great man was born. More than 200 years later, his achievements and style are still shining and he has become a monument!