This book focuses on the controversial life of Zeng Guofan, a historical figure in the late Qing Dynasty, focusing on his bloody fortune and career trajectory. The book details that he was born in a Hunan peasant family, entered the official career by virtue of the imperial examination, and was promoted to a second-rank official in ten years. In 1853, he took advantage of the Taiping Rebellion to form the Hunan Army in his hometown. He suppressed the uprising with cruel means of "death in the most serious cases and death in the most light measures". He gained the reputation of "having had his head shaved" because of his heavy killings. After the capture of Tianjing, he burned and looted, leaving a heavy debt of blood. At the same time, he mentioned his actions as a pioneer of Westernization in establishing an ordnance factory, as well as the contradiction between his rhetoric of self-cultivation and the inconsistency between his words and deeds behind his "Letter to the Family". The book directly attacks his essence of maintaining feudal rule and suppressing his compatriots, reveals the historical imprint of the "traitor executioner" behind this "famous official of Zhongxing" who was knighted by the Qing court, and shows his complex and controversial life profile.
