Zeng Guofan was a politician, strategist, philosopher, writer and calligrapher in China in the late Qing Dynasty, the founder and commander-in-chief of Xiang Army, and Zheng Wen, posthumous title. He is considered to be one of the few people in the history of China who can achieve the so-called immortal realm of virtue, merit and speech. Mao Zedong, Chiang Kai-shek, Liang Qichao and others spoke highly of him and imitated his perseverance. In the long history, he is also a very great figure.
I really don't agree that some people accuse others of being traitors and lackeys because of their "mistakes" in political direction (helping the Qing Dynasty suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army and the Nian Army composed of Han people, and not overthrowing the Qing Dynasty rule after pacifying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom). I think the best we can do is to judge whether this matter is right or wrong, but not how this person is. Because (1) we are not in his position and level at that time, it is difficult to persuade ordinary people to criticize those extraordinary people; (2) We are people of the new era, and we look at things of that era from the perspective of God. As the saying goes, the authorities are confused, the bystanders are clear, and our thinking is too advanced than before, so I don't think these people's views can be established because their political policies have certain historical limitations.
Letters from Zeng Guofan is a collection of letters from Zeng Guofan. * * * contains 435 letters from Zeng Guofan, among which the letters from younger brother and children account for the largest proportion, with 249 letters from younger brother and 1 15 letters from adopted son. (The essence is basically in letters with younger brothers and children, and the length is generally very long. ) including self-cultivation, being human, making friends and knowing people, educating children, running the army and politics. From grandparents to parents, from middle to brothers and children. Rich in content and information, it not only has historical and literary value, but also has high ideological value. (1) His military management ability has been highly valued by later generations, and the military content discussed with his ninth brother Ceng Guoquan in his family book is the concentrated embodiment of his military thought; (2) His thought of managing the family is also highly respected by later generations. Daoguang said in "Letter to My Dear Brothers" dated 1 1 month 17, 2002: "I want to be filial, and I want nothing more. If I can teach my brothers one point in moral education, then my filial piety will be one point; If I can teach my brothers to score ten points, then I have a very filial piety; If I can't teach my brother to become famous, then I will be very unfilial. " It is Zeng Guofan's consistent guiding principle to educate his younger brothers to become talents.
Zeng Guofan is a very serious person, unsmiling, doing things step by step, very traditional and conservative, rigorous, cautious and careful, and even the format of letters written to his family is extremely particular (very strict in title, opening remarks, conclusion, toast, signature, etc.). He is probably a boring person (I guess his brothers and children think so), and his nature is thoughtful. And these qualities he has are exactly what he lacks now. He has unique opinions on many things and is worth learning (generally speaking, he is good at educating people).
Below I list some letters to share:
(1) Ask my brothers to copy a sentence and advice from the "Five Proverbs" that they wrote to warn and spur themselves in the draft.
Smart words please and disturb people. The gossip sent to the sun also alarmed the goddess. You don't brag, boasters don't understand. Hearsay makes a fool of yourself. People who are scared will eventually understand that women are really cheating. A man who laughs looks down on a woman, though he will hesitate. I especially regret that I am a bunch of self-attacks. After reading the inscription, the woman was embarrassed.
Pleasing others with sweet words will only interfere with yourself in the end. Chatting all day can also disturb your mind. People who know never talk big, and people who talk big never really understand. Those hearsay things will only make smart people laugh and scare fools. Those frightened people will eventually find out what happened and think that you are actually cheating. People who laugh at you will despise you and doubt you even if you swear. Mistakes and regrets are intertwined, so keep them in mind and correct themselves. Remember it, but still make the same mistake. Unfortunately, you have nothing to do with your white hair.
(2) warn the younger brothers to avoid the habit of being proud and slack because of failing the exam for too long.
Yu Pingsheng's name is easy to read, but the quiz was sold seven times. However, every time I don't go in, I never dare to complain, but I deeply feel that my poems are too ugly. I think of it so far, like a mountain on my back. Of all the houses built, only Wen Chou is lucky, and it is certain that there are no writers buried with him.
Uncle Sam and Fourteen didn't study hard, just because he was too conceited, so he accomplished nothing. There are also many complacent people in Beijing. People who know will only scoff. There are also some people who are celebrities, called dirt, or good at writing ancient poems, or good at textual research, or good at talking about Neo-Confucianism. They think they are unstoppable, and people who know themselves watch, and the things they make have no geometry, which is enough to make people sneer. Therefore, we used our own skills to get rid of arrogance, avoid complacency and not be laughed at by others, but we made progress.
I have been successful in the imperial examination all my life, but I only took seven exams before I got in. But I miss every time. I dare not say a word of complaint, but I am deeply ashamed of my exam poem. It's still a thorn in my mind now. Because in the examination room, only articles are ugly and redundant, only articles are medium, and absolutely no articles are good and buried. This is the absolute truth.
Uncle Sam and Uncle Fourteen are not diligent in their studies, but they are too arrogant and complacent to achieve anything. There are also many complacent people in Beijing, and knowledgeable people just scoff when they see it. There are also some people who are celebrities, regard the subject name as dirt, or like to write some ancient poems, or do some textual research, or like to talk about Neo-Confucianism. They are arrogant and think that knowledge can override everything. But in the eyes of knowledgeable people, their cultivation is not very high, and they only deserve a sneer. Therefore, we should work hard to get rid of pride, avoid complacency, and don't let others laugh at us, so that we can make progress.
(3) Zeng Guofan's attention to family style after he became a second-class official warned his fourth brother Zeng Guohuang in a letter on July 18th in the 27th year of Daoguang (1847):
"The five inheritance rules in the family, the fourth brother needs to read day by day and learn one word at a time. I hope it's for my fourth brother, that's all. My grandfather's kindness left a shadow on me. If my brother-in-law doesn't get along, and the children of the younger generation can't, I will be arrogant and extravagant, and I will lose immediately. Although you are the prime minister, why do you want to take it? My grandfather, father and uncle were very strict with their rules, and they set an excellent example. My generation has followed suit, which is very easy to help. Those who have no good example from other families should stand on their own feet. What happened to my grandfather? How can he refuse to accept it and endure falling? "
Note: Qing Er: This refers to second-class officials.
Zeng Guofan has been busy and upset since he presided over military affairs, but he still did not forget to warn his younger brothers to pay attention to the construction of family style and educate the younger generation to be diligent and respectful to the people.
Zeng Guofan wrote in the Book with Brothers on the second day of June in Xianfeng four years: "sons and nephews should always teach literacy, clean up everything, be diligent and cautious, and not be lazy. To the extreme! Among my brothers, Cheng Di is the most diligent, and I have been diligent recently. Even if the world is difficult, it is reasonable for a family to be diligent and prosperous, and a family to be lazy and lose. I hope my brother and nephew will listen. " On June 8, 2004/KLOC-0, Xianfeng wrote in his book With Brothers: "When teaching sons and nephews, brothers should always have the words" diligence "and" respect ". No matter how troubled the world is, no one can be diligent and respectful. No one is invincible without diligence and disrespect. Cut it! Cut it! I deeply regret that I failed to implement this word in the past. Don't say anything! Emperor Cheng has always been diligent, but after being disrespectful, he should know that these two words cannot be separated. "
The above four are just common examples in his letters.
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Off-topic: I read those history books or biographies basically because I am interested in what happened in a certain historical period or some people. Just like reading a story, interest is the main reason. I don't read it with a purpose. But what's the use of asking? What's the use of studying history?
Before I put it aside, I will probably answer without hesitation: "history is a warning." That is, those people have done well before, and we regard them as role models; Those who did not do well in the past, as a lesson in the future, try to avoid.
This answer makes sense at first glance, but it doesn't seem right when you think about it carefully. Because there really is the same thing in the world? Aren't the systems and methods of dealing with things in many dynasties based on historical experience? But what is the result? Basically the same mistake.
But that doesn't mean it's useless. People who don't understand the past are doomed to failure. Although those history books and biographies are books that record things, they should explore the truth, not the things themselves or individual people (different people here have different opinions). However, truth is more tenable after practice, so we will understand and learn those things.