The Life of Zeng Guofan, Traitor and Butcher

This book focuses on the controversial life of Zeng Guofan, a historical figure of the late Qing dynasty, centering on his bloody rise to power and career in government. It recounts how he was born to a farming family in Hunan and entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, rising to become a second-rank official after seven promotions in ten years. In 1853, taking advantage of the Taiping Rebellion, he formed the Xiang Army in his hometown and used brutal methods to suppress the uprising, declaring that “serious offenders are executed on the spot, while lesser offenders are beaten to death.” His relentless killing earned him the notorious nickname “Zeng the Shaver.” After capturing Tianjing, he let his troops burn and pillage, leaving a trail of bloodshed. The book also discusses his role as a pioneer of the Self-Strengthening Movement and his founding of an arsenal, as well as the self-cultivation rhetoric in his Family Letters and the contradiction between his words and deeds. The work directly confronts his role in upholding feudal rule and suppressing his own people, revealing the historical legacy of a “traitor and butcher” behind the “renowned minister who restored the dynasty,” ennobled by the Qing court, and portraying a complex and deeply controversial life.