"No army without Hunanese." Discover the grassroots rise of the forefather of modern warlords, and how Zeng Guofan used the strength of a Confucian scholar to bring an end to the chaos of the Taiping Rebellion.
Explore Zeng Guofan's approach to military leadership, the rise and fall of the Hunan Army, and the turbulent decades of the late Qing dynasty.
A masterwork by Guanhe Wushizhou! A complete account of the Hunan Army's six stages: its beginnings, rise, setbacks, resurgence, heyday, and disbandment!
[Beginning] Zeng Guofan returned to his hometown to recruit troops. Using the model of "a scholar leading mountain farmers," he built a private force in which "the soldiers belonged to their generals";
[Rise] The victory at Xiangtan made the Hunan Army famous, as it shattered the myth that the Taiping Army could not be defeated;
[Setback] After a crushing defeat at Hukou and the tragic battle at Sanhe, its elite main force was nearly wiped out, dealing the Hunan Army a devastating blow;
[Resurgence] Having grasped the painstaking strategy of "building sturdy camps and fighting to the death," the army dug in at Anqing and turned the tide against all odds;
[Heyday] The capture of Tianjing destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Hunan Army reached the height of its power;
[Disbandment] Fearing his achievements would overshadow the throne, Zeng Guofan dismissed his troops, bringing the Hunan Army's story to a close.
The rise and fall of one army reflects the course of a dynasty. The fate of the Hunan Army is also a vital glimpse into the late Qing's military and political transformation and the changing of the times.
