The Three Great Men of the Late Qing Dynasty (Two-Volume Set)

In the late Qing, as Western powers rose to prominence, the imperial court in China was in decline and its bureaucracy corrupt. Foreign powers encroached from without, while peasant uprisings erupted within. The Taiping army, in particular, swept through the land like wildfire, leaving the Qing Empire on the brink of collapse. Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Peng Yulin were scholars by traditional standards, yet they were determined to save the crumbling empire and turn back the tide. They founded the Xiang Army, trained a naval force, and planned their campaigns as they waged a desperate struggle against the Taiping army. Xu Zhesheng was the son of Xiang Army commander Xu Chunrong, who had extensive military dealings and close personal ties with Zeng, Zuo, and Peng. Growing up around them, Xu Zhesheng knew the three men well. In a brief anecdote, he vividly captures Zeng Guofan's caution and resolve, Zuo Zongtang's arrogance and candor, and Peng Yulin's uprightness and sincerity.