In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Qing Empire was crumbling amid internal and external difficulties. The city of Nanjing was broken, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed, and Zeng Guofan, who had a heavy army in his hands, reached a crossroads between his personal life and history.
Should he continue to be a famous official in the resurgence of the Qing Dynasty and try to repair the decaying ship? Or should we conform to the undercurrent of the times and people's hearts, step forward and take on the seemingly rebellious "mandate of destiny"?
