Since A.D. 1854, Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army and Hong Xiuquan's Taiping Army have waged a long tug-of-war. After ten years of fighting, in A.D. 1864, that is, three years of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan's Xiang army finally broke through Tianjing, the capital of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. According to historical records, after Xiang entered Tianjing, he killed everyone and burned down all the houses. Blood flowed into the capital of Tianjing, and bodies poured into the Yangtze River, almost cutting off the river. Zeng Guofan's old rival, Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, had already died of poison on the eve of the city's destruction. He watched helplessly as the two armies of the Han army, Xiang and Taiping Army, were killed in darkness. I don't know how the Qing Jin family in the Forbidden City in Beijing felt. Maybe they should be glad that Zeng Guofan's "Han Cai" is a godsend, and the Manchu regime can live for another 50 years. Otherwise, even the peasant army can't beat their bear-like banner. How can we compete with the literate Han army? Zeng Guofan laid the foundation of Tianjing and completely stifled the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After that, he was made a first-class earl by the Qing royal family, and his reputation reached its peak. So, someone gave Zeng Guofan a big idea: let him seize the opportunity to seize the world, overthrow the Manchu regime, expel the Tatars and restore China. According to Xiao Yishan, an expert in Qing history, Ceng Guoquan and his subordinate generals did persuade Zeng Guofan collectively and asked him to mutiny under Chen Qiao and Huang Pao. Everyone is willing to let Zeng Guofan be emperor. However, Zeng Guofan thought about it, but the result was: he took the initiative to fight disarmament in the Qing court, saying that "there are too many ministers and troops, that is, he intends to abolish 30,000 to 40,000 people to save money." This request was naturally approved by the Qing court. Why did Zeng Guofan dare not object after his success? This will involve his own character and ambition. After quelling the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zeng Guofan chatted with several aides and made wine to talk about heroes. He said: "Peng Yulin and Li Hongzhang are both great talents, and I am far behind." An adjutant said: "each has his own strengths, Peng Yong is brave, and people dare not bully;" Gong Li is so smart that others can't bully him. " Zeng Guofan asked, "What do you think of me?" Everyone bowed their heads and pondered the wording, but they couldn't figure out when the adjective was. At this moment, a young man in charge of copying suddenly came out from behind the screen. He interjected: "Ceng Shuai is a benevolent person, and people can't bear it. People can't be bullied." Hearing this, everyone clap their hands together. Zeng Guofan proudly said, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it." After the epigenetic excused himself, he asked, "Who is this man?" The staff told him: "This person is from Yangzhou. He has been to school and his family is poor. He is still cautious." Zeng Guofan said: "This man has great talent and cannot be buried." Soon, after Zeng Guofan was promoted to the governor of Liangjiang, he sent the young man to Yangzhou as a salt carrier. It can be seen that this kind of "benevolence" and even "people can't bear to bully" remarks still hit the itch of Zeng Guofan, and he was very useful. In essence, Zeng Guofan was a Confucian scholar who read Confucian books since childhood, but the central idea of the four books and five classics is only two words: loyalty to the monarch. Therefore, Zeng Guofan, as a Confucian, positioned himself as a loyal minister rather than a male leader who replaced the emperor. Of course, in addition to the idea of loyalty to the monarch, there is also a question of ability. As early as at the front, when fighting with Taiping rebels, Zeng Guofan had noticed the emperor's concern for himself as a soldier's servant and took strict preventive measures. Just as their Tseng brothers fought the Taiping rebels in the final battle, the Qing court had laid heavy troops around Tianjing, and Mongolian expert Sen Gelinqin held Mongolian combat knives and stared at Zeng Guofan's back intensely.
In this "fierce" situation, if you stand up and resist, are you sure to win? Zeng Guofan, who lacked ambition and courage, did not dare to take the risk. He chose to kill feathers to protect himself. After Zeng Guofan took the initiative to disarm, he abandoned Nanshan and wrote books behind closed doors. This book is "Zeng Guofan's Letter" that allows him to spend the rest of his life smoothly. Today, when we read Zeng Guofan's letter, we feel that it is not a heroic expression, but more like a monologue preached by a gentleman: self-spirit. Who is Zeng Guofan's letter addressed to? Most people think, of course, it's for their families. However, there is no need to over-interpret it. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the specific readers of Zeng Guofan's letters are the Kim family and the Qing royal family. This prestigious family letter has two central ideas, one is fashion and the other is invisibility. The fashionable concept is "nourishing qi and harmony" and practicing Confucian orthodoxy. What is invisible thought? This may be the profound meaning of the letter from home-through preaching to his children and grandchildren, Zeng Guofan uploaded a loyalty book, indicating his position to the Qing royal family headed by Cixi: "I have no ambition, and Lafayette will not kill me." This is the traditional scholar-bureaucrat in China, solidified in the position of loyalty to the monarch. Even if he mastered the army, he could not stand on his own feet.