In the eyes of successful scholars, Zeng Guofan is the "first perfect person in the ages", and the literature about Zeng Guofan is also a lot, which makes people overwhelmed. So, is Zeng Guofan the "first perfect person in the ages"? The answer is no, Zeng Guofan can not afford to be called emperor, not because of his noble character, but because his strength does not allow it; if Zeng Guofan is called emperor, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang are the first to not agree, relying only on the "turtle shell tactics" of the nine marshals Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Guofan is not at all chance of winning. In this way, it is better to reduce the number of troops and win a good reputation.
Under the banner of Confucian justice, the Taiping Army was suppressed, but Zeng Guofan was not so "just". Zeng Guofan, known as "zeng shaved his head", killed too much of the Taiping army, even if he surrendered. In July 1861, more than 12,000 soldiers surrendered at Chigangling and Linghu, all of whom were executed. In September, he attacked Anqing and allowed soldiers to plunder for three days and three nights. In July 1864, he attacked Tianjing and continued to condone the robbery of soldiers, making Nanjing a hell on earth. Zhao Liewen's "Diary of a Quiet Resident" says: "Nine out of ten dead bodies along the street are old people. Those whose young children were under the age of two or three also killed as a play, creeping on the road. ”
Zeng Guofan showed no mercy to the generals of the Taiping Army, but did not dare to kill Wei Jun. Zeng Guofan's good friend Luo Zenan died at the hands of Wei Jun, so why didn't he take revenge?
Luo Zenan, a native of Shuangfeng, Hunan, one of the founders of the Xiang Army, was a famous "inspirational brother" in the late Qing Dynasty; the whole family almost starved to death and died of illness due to poverty, but they could not stop him from acquiring knowledge. Familiar with poetry and books, high moral character, "poor and untouchable", Luo Zenan's fame slowly spread, becoming an idol sought after by the "Jingshi School" of Hunan Confucianism. Famous generals of the Xiang Army, such as Li Xubin, Li Xuyi, Jiang Yilan, Liu Tenghong, Peng Yutang, and Yang Changjun, were all his students.
So, what is the relationship between Luo Zenan and Zeng Guofan? The answer is, absolutely hardcore brothers. Zeng Guofan and Luo Zenan have resonance in the study of science, and they also see the same in the analysis of the current situation. In 1852, Luo Zenan took the lead in compiling "Xiang Yong" and was also the first commander of the Xiang Army to rename his unit "Xiang Army". In 1853, Zeng Guofan completed the training of the Xiang Army in Hengyang, and its main strength was the southern part of Luoze, which was an absolutely reliable ally of Zeng Guofan.
In the early stage of the Xiang Army, Luo Zenan and Taqibu were two main generals, acting as Zeng Guofan's right and left arm, and fighting for him on the battlefield. Zeng Guofan's Xiang army was able to grow stronger, and eventually it was recognized by the Xianfeng Emperor, and Luo Zenan's contribution was indispensable.
In August 1854, Luo Zenan and Taqibu acted as pioneers, all the way through the pass, from Yuezhou all the way to Jiujiang City, and the results of the first stage of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Western Expedition were almost wiped out. In January 1855, due to the light enemy's advance, the Xiang Army's marine division and land division were divided and surrounded, the Xiang Army was defeated miserably, and the Taiping Army took advantage of the victory to counterattack Hubei and Wuchang. Hubei was in danger, and Luo Zenan led an army to reinforce Wuchang, assisting Hu Linyi in battle and fighting Wei Jun.
Luo Zenan marched north, and Shi Dakai took the opportunity to attack Jiangxi from Hubei and engage Zeng Guofan. In the early period of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Shi Dakai's military level was still very strong, and it was more than enough to deal with the Xiang army that remained in Jiangxi. In February 1856, Shi Dakai concentrated his forces and fought a decisive battle with the main force of the Xiang army at Zhangshu Town, killing more than 2,000 people, Zhou Fengshan fled in a panic, and Zeng Guofan was besieged in the isolated city of Nanchang. At this time, most of the provinces, prefectures, and counties in Jiangxi were controlled by the Taiping Army, and Zeng Guofan could not wait for reinforcements.
Jiangxi was in a critical situation, and Zeng Guofan could only write to Luo Zenan, hoping that he could suspend the attack on Wuchang and lead his army into Jiangxi to save the situation. At this time, Hu Linyi served as the governor of Hubei and had the responsibility of guarding the territory, and did not agree to Luo Zenan's going to Jiangxi. Luo Zenan, as the iron brother of Zeng Guofan, was very anxious and wanted to attack Wuchang as soon as possible, and then rescue his friends. To this end, Luo Zenan encountered Dangxian and often rushed to the front line, only to be killed by Wei Jun and killed under wuchang.
Luo Zenan was killed in Wuchang, and Zeng Guofan not only lost his good friend, but also led to an even worse situation in Jiangxi. If it were not for Shi Dakai's troops to reinforce Tianjing, the great battle of the "Jiangnan Camp", and the ensuing "Tianjing Incident", it is estimated that it would be difficult to escape death. It can be said that Luo Zenan's death was a huge loss for Zeng Guofan. In this way, Zeng Guofan naturally hated Wei Jun very much, and the two had different hatreds for Dai Tian.
In 1859, Wei Jun was dissatisfied with Chen Yucheng and Yang Fuqing's blockade of the Yangtze River, and in a fit of rage, he surrendered to the Xiang army and followed Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei, as a staff general. Then, why didn't Zeng Guofan, who was known as "shaving his head", kill this surrendered Taiping Army general? It should be known that of the more than 12,000 soldiers who surrendered in Chigangling and Linghu outside Anqing City, Zeng Guofan was directly executed without hesitation. Therefore, Zeng Guofan would never be kind to Wei Jun.
Unfortunately, Zeng Guofan did not have the strength to do it. The reason is very simple, before the "Jiangnan Camp" was destroyed for the second time, Zeng Guofan was "cannon fodder" in Xianfeng's eyes, did not grasp the real power of the locality, and people spoke softly. Wei Jun, it was Hu Linyi who surrendered, and Zeng Guofan couldn't kill him if he wanted to. Zeng Guofan has no real power, the situation is embarrassing, it is good to protect himself, and killing Wei Jun is simply a fantasy.
In 1860, Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng joined forces to destroy the "Jiangnan Camp" for the second time, and the Southern Eight Banners and Green Camp were completely defeated. The Xianfeng Emperor was very helpless, so he had to grant Zeng Guofan real power, the viceroy of Liangjiang, and control the military affairs of the four provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Gansu, surpassing Wu Sangui in that year. At this time, Wei Jun was also under the control of Zeng Guofan and was a general under him. So, why is Zeng Guofan not an old account? Can time change everything, can Zeng Guofan forget his pain?
Holding local real power and controlling the military affairs of the four provinces, Zeng Guofan still could not kill Wei Jun, because the Qing Dynasty needed Wei Jun very much, and he had a reason to live. Wei Jun, He Xuren, younger brother of Wei Changhui, the Northern King, was the most capable "Guozong" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the first senior general of the Taiping Army to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Wei Jun's ability to live meant that as long as the two Guangdong Taiping troops were willing to lay down their weapons, the imperial court would still give a way to live, which played an important role in breaking the morale of the Taiping Army.
The Taiping Army was able to fight the "old brothers" of Liangguang, and if they followed Wei Jun's example and returned to the Shun court, Hong Xiuquan would naturally not be able to play. Therefore, Wei Jun had a reason to live. In this way, Zeng Guofan could only endure, although he did not like Wei Jun.
To sum up, the Taiping Army general Wei Jun killed Zeng Guofan's good friend Luo Zenan in Wuchang, but was able to escape the "Zeng shaved head" butcher knife. The reason is that Wei Jun was the first high-ranking general of the two Cantonese nationalities to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and also the "Founder of the Jintian Uprising" who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, which can play a "demonstration" role for the Qing Dynasty, and Wei Jun has a reason to live.
Of course, Zeng Guofan did not kill Wei Jun, but he did not reuse him, and he always let him stay in the position of general (Sanpin Military Attaché), which can also be regarded as a kind of revenge.
Bibliography: History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom