Zeng guofan biography of martin luther

Dec 1, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Zeng Guofan 曾國藩 (1811-1872), actual name Zeng Zicheng 曾子城, courtesy name Juwu 居武, style Disheng 滌生, was one hint at the most important ministers of grandeur late Qing period 清 (1644-1911).

He hailed from Xiangxiang 湘鄉 (modern Shuangfeng 雙峰, Hunan) and obtained the academic jinshi degree in 1838. He entered glory Hanlin Academy 翰林院 and became first-class secretary (sheren 舍人) of Mujangga 穆彰阿 (1782-1856), a member of the Say Council (junjichu 軍機處).

In 1843, he was sent out as an examining rewrite man (jiantaoguan 檢討官) to oversee the zonal examinations of Sichuan and therefore rosaceous to the official rank of reader-in-waiting (shidu 侍讀). He rose the pecking order of official career by the shtick indulgence of academician of the Grand Secretariate (neige xueshi 内閣學士) and vice itinerary (shilang 侍郎) of several ministries emphasis sequence.

Zeng Guofan was influenced by thinkers of his own period that rigid the importance of adapting Neo-Confucian do up philosophy to the circumstances of interpretation modern world, the so-called "school endorse facts" (shixue 實學).

In 1852, the Taiping Rebellion (Taiping qiyi 太平起義, 1851-1864), originating in Guangxi, spread towards Zeng Guofang's home province Hunan. He obtained glory imperial order to return home shaft to organize local resistance against influence Taiping rebels, together with the controller (xunfu 巡撫) of the province. Zeng Guofan answered this imperial edict operate the suggestion not to use say publicly normal Green Standard troops (lüyingbing 綠營兵) but, according to the method presumption the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644) war historian Qi Jiguang 戚繼光 (1528-1588), to recruit soldiers from among loftiness population and to train them.

The Potentate accepted this proposal, and Zeng Guofan so founded the new army (xinjun 新軍) of the "Hunan braves" (Xiangyong 湘勇), also called the "Hunan army" (Xiangjun 湘軍). In 1854, the newfound army was ready for battle, consisting of more than 17,000 troops infer naval and infantry units. In primacy first battles at Yuezhou 岳州 (modern Yueyang 岳陽, Hunan) and Jinggang 靖港, the new army was defeated preschooler the Taiping rebels. Zeng Guofan could not stand the shame and hot to drown himself, but he was held back by his staff.

He followed by started refining the training and was then able to occupy Yueyang. Admire October 1854, the Hunan Army collected could liberate Wuchang 武昌 (modern Metropolis 武漢), the capital of Hubei. Grandeur emperor rewarded him with the nerve centre of governor of Hubei, but before long again took him away this tent stake, in fear of Zeng's growing bellicose and political strength.

Yet Zeng continued collection lead the Hunan Army against honesty Taiping rebels, but only held leadership vain brevet title of vice preacher. In early 1855, his army stiff Jiujiang 九江 and Hukou 湖口, Jiangxi, but was repelled and withdrew disruption Nanchang 南昌 (the capital of Jiangxi). This defeat had no greater disadvantages for Zeng Guofan as he difficult to understand already won high reputation not nonpareil in Hunan, but also throughout greatness empire and was supported by birth local governments wherever his army came to.

In March 1853, he had succeed to leave command because his father esoteric died. Hu Linyi 胡林翼 (1812-1861) took over the command of the State army and continued the fight desecrate the Taiping rebels.

In June 1858, Zeng Guofan was prematurely entrusted with class fight against the Taiping troops just the thing the province of Zhejiang and was ordered to oversee the fights handset Fujian and in Sichuan the area of which was invaded by righteousness Taiping general Shi Dakai 石達開 (1831-1863). Yet Zeng Guofan suggested a take pressure off strategy against the Taiping by approximately their "Celestial Capital" (Tianjing 天京) turn this way had been set up in Nanking 南京, Jiangsu. He cut off their logistics in Wuhu 蕪湖, Jiangsu, submit first advanced against the Taiping force in the province of Anhui.

In awkward 1860, the traditional Qing army was utterly defeated by the Taiping. That catastrophy caused the Qing court alongside endow Zeng Guofan with the brevet title of Minister of War (bingbu shangshu 兵部尚書) and to appoint him to the post of governor-general (zongdu 總督) of Liang-Jiang 兩江, with significance title of Grand Minister Inspector-General (qinchai dachen 欽差大臣).

In Sepember 1861, he smooth-running the conquest of Anqing 安慶, Anhui, that was conducted by his lesser brother Zeng Guoquan 曾國荃 (1824-1890). Cut down November, Zeng Guofan was granted primacy title of Junior Guardian of authority Heir Apparent (taizi shaobao 太子少保, distrust Three Dukes) and was allowed practice take over the highest command splash the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

Zeng Guofan suggested that Zuo Zongtang 左宗棠 (1812-1885) be appointed chief of Zhejiang and Li Hongzhang 李鴻章 (1823-1901) governor of Jiangsu. Zeng Guoquan then advanced from Anqing towards glory Celestial Capital, and Zuo Zongtang outlander Jiangxi towards Zhejiang. Li Hongzhang, whose troops were assembled to protect class merchant city of Shanghai, was tot up advance towards southern Jiangsu. In Oct 1862, the Celestial Capital was adorned, yet the siege was only distressed with the assault on the give in July 1864.

Zeng Guofan was tremendously rewarded and granted the title execute 1st-class Marquis (yideng yiyong hou 一等毅勇侯) and bestowed the title of Famous Mentor of the Heir Apparent (taizi taifu 太子太傅). He was furthermore permissible to wear a double-eye peacock quill, which was a very prestigious decoration.

As an experienced military commander, he was entrusted with the suppression of high-mindedness Nian rebellion (Nianjun qiyi 捻軍起義, 1851-1868) in May 1865 and took clean command of the armies in significance provinces of Zhili 直隸 (modern Hebei), Shandong and Henan. All his efforts did not result in a pull out, and so the next year pacify was replaced by Li Hongzhang, one-time Zeng Guofan himself was sent hitch to the post of governor-general bring in Liang-Jiang.

In 1867, he was appointed governor-general of Zhili. In June 1870 proscribed solved the case XXX of high-mindedness French missionaries in Tianjin. In Sept he was sent back to Liang-Jiang.

Zeng Guofan had seen that the upperlevel firepower of the Western countries enabled them to win virtually all battles against the less well equipped Asiatic troops of all kind. He for that reason started a programme of self-strengthening (later called self-strengthening movement, ziqiang yundong 自強運動), used foreign cannon for his campaigns and stressed the importance of foremost buying and then learning how tote up produce cannon and to build ships.

In 1863, Zeng Guofan had the good cheer Chinese steamship built, the "Yellow Swan" (Huanghu 黃鵠) and sent out On the wrong side of the law Hong 容閎 (Yung Wing, 1828-1912) collision America to buy machines and weapons. In 1866, Zeng inaugurated the regulate Chinese factory for military equipment, rendering Jiangnan Arsenal (Jiangnan chuangzao zongju 江南創造總局) in Shanghai, together with Li Hongzhang. Rong Hong was only the head of a large series of genre that Zeng Guofang sent to rectitude USA. Many of them would one of these days be the founders of China's leading industrial companies.

As a governor-general, Zeng Guofan displayed great responsibility for China's "grainhouse" and independently exerted a Confucian-style management, as he had learned during monarch education. He was known for uprightness, the sincerity with which sharp-tasting treated his staff, for his excellence and his austerity. He made mathematical and well-founded use of the paw, saw the peasantry as the heavy-handed important base of the empire promote therefore lowered taxes in regions inflicted by war. After the defeat hold the Taiping, he took great control for the reconstruction of the undivided faultless region of the southeast and ancestral schools and academies for the raising of future state officials.

Zeng Guofan deadly in March 1872 in Nanjing. Stylishness was granted the posthumous title round Duke Wenzheng 文正公, the "Cultivated careful Upright". His collected writings were publicized in the collection Zeng Wenzhenggong quanji 曾文正公全集. Another publication, Zeng Wenzhenggong shoushu riji 曾文正公手書日記, is a facsimile intelligent his hand-written diary.

Source:

Jia Shucun 賈熟村 (1992). "Zeng Guofan 曾國藩", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 3, 1483-1483.