Zeng Guofan was one of China's most respected politicians and military strategists. He was a famous minister and general during the Qing Dynasty, and the first thinker in modern Chinese history to put forward "middle school as the body, western learning as use". Zeng Guofan's success comes entirely from his high demands on himself and his extreme love for his career.
Born into a poor family, his father was a small trader selling straw shoes, Zeng Guofan lived a difficult life since childhood, but he was not decadent. He spent ten years completing the intensive reading of the famous Chinese historical work "Zizhi Tongjian", studied the geography, economy, history, politics and other aspects of the East and West, and taught himself mathematics, physics and chemistry. None of this was the scope of his later career. He often said, "I can't be dictated by others, nor can I let the outside world dictate me." This spirit of self-improvement has enabled him to grow in difficult times.
Zeng Guofan's love for his career is also very obvious. At the age of 19, he wrote the words "Death for the confidant" to express his pursuit and determination. He repeatedly asked the imperial court to hire him, and in the end, he won the trust of the imperial court. In dealing with military affairs in Xinjiang, he tried to civilize and avoid clashes with local Muslims as much as possible. He also provided tools to the local population, cultivated land and developed agriculture, which provided a source of income for the local poor. When dealing with the Huguang Rebellion, Zeng Guofan adopted a policy of "transforming people with virtue" and jointly developed agriculture with the Wakou, which gradually led to the surrender of the Wakou.
While dealing with military affairs in Xinjiang, Zeng Guofan encountered a local tribe living in the desert. This tribe was originally a chaotic region, perennial evil, and was designated by every magistrate as a security problem. When Zeng Guofan first arrived here, he did not suppress the tribe, but set out to improve the living conditions of the local poor. He thought of letting the tribe develop agriculture and encourage them to develop their strengths. In the end, the tribe not only successfully completed its agricultural development plan, but also began to reclaim its mistakes. To a large extent, this approach shows Zeng Guofan's tolerance and critical wisdom, and it is also the specific application of the idea of "rule by virtue" that he has been advocating.
In order to combat the Huguang Rebellion, Zeng Guofan adhered to the principle of "combining knowledge with action" in governing the army. Zeng Guofan believes that soldiers can only cultivate the ability to win through the unity of knowledge and action, and the responsibility of soldiers is to control the development trend with forward-looking thinking and foresight. In addition to extensively training peasants, Zeng Guofan also specially sent military commanders to conduct military and cultural education for the local people, so that the local people could effectively avoid the attacks of the Wokou and the confusion of cultural beliefs. These measures reflect Zeng Guofan's pursuit of promoting local governance and civilization progress by using military management.
Zeng Guofan's success lies not in how high his wisdom is, but in his charisma. He was greatly appreciated by Wang Hengshan's father, but he never asked him for advice; He served as the governor of Jiangsu and could abuse his power, but he always struggled with the fight against corruption and bribery. He advocated the distinction between China and Yi, not out of a racist stance, but a desire to borrow Western science, culture and economics to mask China's weaknesses. Zeng Guofan's 'fan' is the so-called region of the world, which is an invention that pragmatically promotes local democratic management on the basis of the unified administrative rule of imperial power in the ancient Qing Dynasty.
As a politician and military strategist, Zeng Guofan's words and deeds convey his love and sense of responsibility for his cause. He is not only diligent and pragmatic in his work, but also extremely demanding in his personal life. For example, he personally prepared meals at home every day, studied them carefully, and wrote the book "Zeng Houshi on the Way of Eating" for this purpose; He practiced hard grooming every morning, both for personal cultivation and to motivate himself to be more diligent in his work.
Zeng Guofan saw his duty as "serving the country, solving difficulties, and building a family." His sense of responsibility for national contributions carried forward the fighting spirit and loyalty spirit of Chinese culture. Although he was not very wealthy, he was always loyal to his beliefs and feelings, and this spiritual form was reflected in his famous cultivation of "being conscientious and generous in dealing with the world". His success is the embodiment of the inheritance of Chinese culture and spiritual cultivation.
In short, Zeng Guofan's life was full of struggle, he looked at history from a unique perspective, solved difficulties with a positive attitude, his firm faith boosted his morale, and his intelligence and diligence made his career develop rapidly. Zeng Guofan's story tells us that only by having a sense of responsibility for life and a love for career can we achieve our own success on the road of life. Zeng Guofan is a figure worthy of our study and admiration, and his spirit and character are the precious wealth of the Chinese nation. I believe that we should draw strength and wisdom from Zeng Guofan, continuously improve our literacy and ability, and contribute to the country and society. At the same time, we should also maintain an open and inclusive mentality, learn from and learn from the excellent achievements of the West to make up for our own shortcomings. Only in this way can we realize our values and dreams in this era of diversity and fierce competition.