From repeated defeats to military genius, Zeng Guofan realized the two essences of the "Book of Changes"

Zeng Guofan came from a remote rural area in Hunan. He was born in poverty. When he was young, he "must fail every exam". He failed six times in a row. After entering politics, he suffered repeated defeats. He tried to commit suicide three times. In the end, he became more courageous with every setback and gained military exploits. Outstanding, rising to the top, and a very popular minister.

There is a piece of history that talks about Zeng Guofan, a Confucian scholar who led troops to fight against the Taiping Army. The Taiping soldiers were numerous and powerful, while the Hunan army was single and weak. At first, the Hunan army was defeated in battles, and its repeated defeats could be described as "horrible". He was also ridiculed as a "diving champion"

Later, when he fought against the Taiping Army again, Zeng Guofan wrote a suicide note and led his soldiers in a last-ditch battle against the Taiping Army. The result was a complete victory, which greatly boosted the morale of the Hunan Army. This spirit of "fighting after defeat" influenced and inspired the soldiers to win the final victory of the entire battle. Zeng Guofan put forward a point of view: Few things in the world are successful naturally and smoothly. If you don't understand the situation, it is even less likely to develop according to your own wishes.

Jiang Baili, a famous military theorist in modern times, commented in "On National Defense" that Zeng Guofan was "a military genius" in modern history, and also believed that all leaders should imitate Zeng Guofan. The essence of Zeng Guofan's command of troops to fight is the following two military ideas, which are the essence realized after understanding the "Book of Changes": 1. Using clumsiness to make skill

The Taiping Army fought flexibly, either attacking in the east or attacking in the west, or surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao. There are many possibilities. Zeng Guofan did not compete with the Taiping Army for cleverness. His tactics were to "strengthen the stronghold and fight dull battles." When attacking the cities occupied by the Taiping Army, he did not blindly attack the cities occupied by the Taiping Army, but adopted a long-term siege method.

When the Hunan Army besieges a city, it usually sets up two long trenches. The inner trench is used to siege the city, and the outer trench is used to block reinforcements. Defeated, forcing the enemy who came to attack into a passive position. Anqing, Jiujiang, Tianjing, and the Hunan army were all defeated in this way. For example, when the Hunan Army marched to besiege Anqing, they spent more than a year digging two long trenches outside Anqing City; after entering the Yuhuatai under Tianjing City, they spent another four months digging and building two "long trenches". Deep ditch and high barrier." After the war ended, the landscape outside the city wall was completely changed by the Hunan Army. Although this tactic lasted for a long time, its effectiveness is unquestionable.

2. Use stillness to stop the enemy

Zeng Guofan believed: We cannot "pursue and suppress" enemies in mobile operations, but must "prevent and suppress" them, and "change the situation of pursuing from the rear to the situation of blocking the head." Master, use determined troops to defeat the undecided thieves." It can be seen that Zeng Guofan's military thinking in dealing with mobile warfare is: use stillness to stop.

The military thinking of using stillness to control and using clumsiness to control skill, specifically applied the principles of yin and yang changes in military activities, indicating that Zeng Guofan understood the principles of yin and yang changes. How did Zeng Guofan understand the principle of yin and yang changes? Related to the Book of Changes.

Zeng Guofan later recalled: When he was 10 years old, he had read the Five Classics thoroughly, started to learn eight-legged essay, and had some minor achievements in literary talent. Zeng Guofan worked extremely hard on the "Book of Changes". In 1844, Zeng Guofan listed 10 pages of "familiar books" that he should read every day in a letter "to Brother Wen and Yuan", among which "The Book of Changes" was among them; "Zeng Guofan's Diary" contains at least five times that Zeng Guofan read through "Book of Changes". Records in the Book of Changes. Studying the "Book of Changes" allowed Zeng Guofan to understand the principles of the changes in movement and stillness of yin and yang. For example: Zeng Guofan had an important attitude towards life: "Qiu Que".

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The Book of Changes (3) Zeng Guofan (9) Taiping Army (4)