There is such a couplet, the upper link is "Lide meritorious speech three immortals", the lower link is "for the teacher will be a perfect person". Who is this couplet talking about? It is Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan was ranked first among the "Four Famous Ministers" of the late Qing Dynasty, and was known as the third perfect person in Chinese history. These are the high praises that history has given him. In the turbulent late Qing Dynasty, the Xiang Army he founded suppressed the Pacific Heavenly Kingdom, which was famous all over the world, and he was the governor of Liangjiang and directly subordinate to the governor, the most important governor in the world; countless talents were trained and recommended by him, and his protégés were all over the world. It is not easy to have such a great achievement.
Unlike many high-powered courtiers in ancient times, who often came from prominent families and eunuch families, Zeng Guofan's origin was very ordinary, that is, a typical peasant family. The Zeng family in Xiangxiang, from Zeng Guofan's generation to three generations, were all peasants, and none of them had achieved meritorious fame. In today's parlance, he came from a typical grassroots family.
So, how did Zeng Guofan succeed in counterattacking from the grassroots?
I am very interested in Zeng Guofan as a person. When I was in college, I read the biography of Zeng Guofan, and later read a lot of works about Zeng Guofan's life, and also read some of his family letters and recitals. The more I knew about him, the deeper the admiration and admiration for him.
Today, I try to summarize the reasons why Shijo Zeng Guofan was able to successfully achieve a counterattack in life.
Family harmony, no worries, career road has a foundation
Since ancient times, family harmony has been fundamental to the prosperity of a family. Home and everything is not an empty phrase. The most important reason why Zeng Guofan was able to succeed was that his family was very harmonious, laying the foundation for him to soar.
Zeng Guofan's grandfather Zeng Xinggang did not learn any skills in his youth, and he did not do the right thing by relying on the little inheritance left by his ancestors. Later, due to being enlightened by others, he changed his former wrongs and decided to take farming as his profession and strive to run a family business. He set the policy of "eight characters and three unbeliefs", the so-called "eight characters", that is, books, vegetables, fish, pigs, morning, sweeping, examination, and treasure. This means that the Zeng family should work hard to study, grow vegetables, raise fish, feed pigs, sweep the floor, get up early in daily life, worship ancestors, and live in harmony with neighbors. "Three unbeliefs" refers to the lack of belief in medicine and medicine, the belief in earth immortals, and the belief in monks and witches. The medicinal doctors here refer to those wandering doctors who deceive people under the guise of selling medicines to cure diseases, the earth immortals are talking about Mr. Feng Shui, and the monks and witches refer to witches, Taoists, etc.
Since Zeng Xinggang set this "eight characters and three unbelief" family policy, the Zeng family has conscientiously implemented it. Zeng Guofan got up at dawn all his life and did not sleep, that is, he was influenced by his grandfather Hoshioka Gong. Under the leadership of Zeng Xinggang, the Zeng family reclaimed the mountains, dug stones and dug soil, the land gradually expanded, the houses were in pieces, and the family business continued to be rich.
Zeng Guofan's father, Zeng Linshu, was diligent and studious all his life, and although he did not succeed in the imperial examination, he set a good example for his children.
The Zeng family is a big family, but the unity and harmony, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is harmonious, the brotherly relationship is harmonious, and the family has never had a major dispute.
The harmony of the family relieved Zeng Guofan of his worries, enabling him to learn and become an official at ease outside. In the years when he was a beijing official in the capital, because there were fewer fenglu and there was not enough to spend, every year the family had to send him some silver to subsidize the expenses. In addition, the family also sent him homemade pickles, clothes, shoes, etc., for Zeng Guofan's daily use.
Home is the warmest harbor in life. Although Zeng Guofan did not return to his hometown for many years in Beijing, his family's support for him never stopped. It was precisely because of the harmonious family that there was a rich family inheritance, which could provide Zeng Guofan with examination and examination again and again, and could support him through the poor Years of Beijing Officials.
Willing to work hard, eat the suffering that others can't eat, and have motivation on the road to career
Zeng Guofan was clumsy in nature, not good at reading secretaries, and not high in understanding. However, throughout his life, he followed the teachings of his father Zeng Linshu, willing to work hard and endure hardships. When reading, others can recite it once, and read it three times and five times themselves, in short, it is repeated reading and repeated practice. Zeng Linshu also taught his son to copy while reading, so that he not only remembered faster, but also practiced words.
Zeng Guofan read, slept late at night, got up at dawn, spring, summer, autumn and winter, cold and summer. In the meantime, it is difficult for outsiders to understand.
In addition to intellectual suffering, Zeng Guofan also had to endure physical suffering.
Zeng Guofan has suffered from ringworm since childhood. This disease was not cured at that time, when the disease occurred, the whole body itched, scratching the skin peeling and bleeding, fiery pain. This kind of pain is unbearable for ordinary people. Even after being tormented by illness, Zeng Guofan still insisted on reading with perseverance and perseverance, never stopping. The young Zeng Guofan took the xiucai exam 7 times in a row, and each time he failed, he was not discouraged, did not lose heart, worked hard, summed up the experience, and came again the next year. In the end, he was admitted in the penultimate place.
Due to years of accumulation, after passing the Xiucai examination, Zeng Guofan was like a divine helper, and the second time he participated in the examination, he ranked 42nd in the third division, and gave him the same jinshi origin. In the imperial examination held shortly after, Zeng Guofan accumulated thick hair and ranked third in the first class, and his knowledge was deeply appreciated by the Daoguang Emperor, and he was personally promoted to the second place and selected as the Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy. Since then, he has been promoted step by step, and after ten years of Beijing officials, he has been promoted seven times and promoted ten levels in a row. By the time he returned to his hometown, he was already a member of the Second Pin.
Put the direction accurately, the firm will to move forward, the career road has a goal
Life is like a ship on the sea, only by getting the direction accurate and determining the goal, can the ship move forward steadily. If there is no target and no direction, the ship will be lost in the vast sea and even knocked down by the wind and waves.
Because of the influence of his family, Zeng Guofan anchored the ideal of studying and becoming an official since he was a child, and this ideal has never wavered. In his youth, he was clumsy, poor in reading secretaries, and failed the imperial examinations again and again. However, he never gave up, never fought back.
After becoming an official, he was determined not to make a fortune by being an official, to be diligent and hardworking, and to be honest and clean. During the Jingguan period, he adhered to his integrity and lived a life of poverty. Although he had a huge amount of military expenses in his hands, he still adhered to the belief that he did not rely on being an official to get rich, and never embezzled a single cent.
This kind of ethics makes Zeng Guofan firm-willed, whether frustrated or proud, whether it is sleepy or smooth, he is indifferent to it, and he has never lost his way in the ocean of life.
Cultivate self-cultivation and morality, forge personal noble character, and the road of career is stable and far-reaching
Zeng Guofan was praised by posterity, in addition to his deeds, another important reason was his noble moral character. Zeng Guofan attached great importance to moral cultivation throughout his life, and he set himself five standards:
The first is sincerity, which means to be consistent in one's appearance.
The second is reverence, that is, reverence in the heart to get rid of evil thoughts.
The third is stillness, through long-term training, so that one's mind, qi, spirit, and body are in a state of peace and relaxation.
The fourth is prudence, that is, rigor, and he demands that he not say big words, lies, and empty words.
The fifth is perseverance, that is, perseverance, regular living and living, and moderate diet.
It was his diligent cultivation that eventually brought himself to moral perfection. This is known as the third perfect person in Chinese history. The "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" praised him as "one person since Zhongxing".
Successful people are similar to each other, and unsuccessful people have their own reasons. Family harmony, willingness to work hard, strong will, and high moral character are the reasons why successful people are successful. Zeng Guofan only lived for a short period of 61 years in his life, but his way of being an official and his method of self-cultivation and family governance are still worth learning and learning.