Three characteristics of Zeng Guofan's rule of the army Text/Jiang Tingdi

　　Zeng Guofan is a representative of China's old culture, and even an ideal figure. He was born in the sixteenth year of Jiaqing (1811), two years older than Hong Xiuquan. He is a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, and his family is a farmer. Although he did not work hard, his education was fought out of hardships and hardships. When he became Hanlin, it was when the Opium War was about to begin. Although his diary mentions the Opium War, he seems to pay little attention to the historical significance of that war. He is still buried in ancient books and is a practicalist theoretician. Whether we read his words, read his articles, or study his work for others, we naturally think of the small peasant in our country who is doing his job. Like a small farmer, he did not do anything scrupulous in his life. He knew that the study of literature and moral deeds could only be exchanged for sweat and blood, just as small farmers knew that to get one grain of rice and wheat, they had to sweat.

　　In the early years of Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan became a waiter, equal to the deputy heads of various ministries. Although his confidants admit that the morality of his articles is unique, he does not have many confidants, and a few confidants do not know that he has great political talents, I am afraid that even he himself does not know. So at the beginning of his career, his prestige was not high, and he did not have political forces to back him up. But the local scholar class in Hunan recognized his leadership. His attitude toward Hong Xiuquan was the attitude of ordinary scholars and doctors at that time, but he was more positive than others. At that time, not only could the officers and men not fight a war, but even the bandits in the countryside could not be dealt with, so the people all held regimental training for self-defense. This kind of regimental training is the force of the people, and it is the peasants who are engaged in the right work to resist the nomad bandits who do not do the right thing. This kind of force, because it was not officialized and because it had a vital stake in the peasants, preserved the inherent bravery and honesty of the villagers. Zeng Guofan's cause was to use this kind of township courage to organize training and make it an army. This was the famous Xiang Army in the future. Regimental training was something that existed throughout the country at that time, and was not unique to Zeng Guofan, but why was only the Xiang Army able to achieve great things? The reason lies in the little organization and training that Zeng Guofan added.

　　The first feature of Zeng Guofan's military administration is the emphasis on spiritual education. He himself believed that the legacy of Kong and Meng was the most precious treasure of the Chinese nation. Since Hong Xiuquan wants to abolish the Confucian Sect, then Hong Xiuquan is his enemy, that is, the enemy of the whole nation. The most fierce point of his "begging for thieves" scolding Hong Xiuquan is here:

　　"Citing China's thousands of years of etiquette and righteousness, poetry and book classics, once the ground is swept away, is this the only change in my great Qing Dynasty, but since the opening of the world, the strange change of famous religions, I Confucius and Mencius wept bitterly in the Nine Springs, and those who read and read can sit idly by and do nothing?"

　　He was a loyal disciple of Confucius, and the officers he chose were his loyal comrades, and he was the commander of the army and the mentor of the soldiers. Therefore, the Xiang Army is a militaristic army. In fact, spiritual education is the foundation of Zeng Guofan's lifelong career, and it is also his special position in China's modern history. His administrative staff is all first-minded. He felt that political reform must be preceded by spiritual reform. The officials of the late Qing Dynasty, who came from Zeng Wenzheng's disciples, were relatively decent, which showed the great power of their influence.

　　Zeng Guofan not only used China's old rituals as the spiritual foundation of the army, but also used the concept of clan and local concepts to strengthen the unity of the army. The officials he chose were almost all Hunan people, and most of them were Xiangxiang people. These officers and officers all went back to the local area to recruit soldiers, so the soldiers were all of the same clan or tongli. In this way, the spirit of mutual assistance among his subordinates is particularly strong. This is the second characteristic of the Xiang Army.

　　Spiritual leaders in history are rarely career leaders, because spiritualists tend to ignore the specific conditions of their careers. In Western societies, these two leadership qualifications are completely separate. The discipliner does not have to be in charge, and the steward does not have to be disciplined. This is not the case in China: Chinese society has for thousands of years been a state of religion and state, and the unity of officials and teachers. So in China, top leaders must be dual-level.

　　Although Zeng Guofan pays attention to people, he does not neglect to do things. This is the third point of his particularity. At that time, the reason why the Green Battalion could not fight, although there were many reasons, one of which was that the treatment was too thin. When Zeng Shi started to run the regiment training, he decided to pay Lu Yong four or two dollars a month, and Shui Yong to pay three or two six yuan, which was double the salary of the Green Camp. The Xiang Army enjoyed special rights in treatment. The operational area of the Xiang Army is the provinces along the Yangtze River. The advantages of the water in this area can determine the advantages on land, so Zeng Guofan has paid attention to the water division from the beginning. Regarding military weapons, although Zeng often said that fighting in the hands of people is not in the instrument, he was very painstaking in the manufacture of military weapons, especially for the manufacture of cannons. He tried his best to attract the technical talents of the time. He was also very serious about the training of soldiers. He himself often went to the inspector to review. He does not spare his officers, nor does he want officers to indulge his subordinates.

　　Zeng Guofan's career, like his learning, was also struggled out of hardships and hardships. He wants to save the old society, the old culture, and the bureaucrats produced by the old society and the old culture want to mess with him. He wanted to maintain the Qing government, but the Qing government was jealous of him and rejected him. When he was practicing courage in Changsha, the old officers and soldiers hated his new methods and new standards and almost beat him to death. He fled to Hengzhou to escape the chaos. His first battle was a defeat, he committed suicide by throwing himself into the water, but was fortunately rescued by his subordinates. He trained his troops to fight, and at the same time he raised his own salary. Later, he became a big thing, not because the Qing government and bureaucrats automatically handed over power to him, but because their failure forced them to ask Zeng Guofan to come out and do things, and forced them to give him a chance and right to do things.