Zeng Guofan Zeng Guofan ( , Styled Bóhán 伯函 and variably Díshēng 滌生 ; Posthumous name : Wenzheng 文正 ; created Marquis Yiyong of the First Class 一等毅勇侯 , 世襲罔替 ) ( November 26 , 1811 – March 12 , 1872 ) was an eminent Han Chinese official , military general , and devout Confucian scholar of the late Qing Dynasty in China . Zeng raised the Xiang Army to fight effectively against the Taiping Rebellion and restored the stability of Qing Dynasty along with other prominent figures , including Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang , setting the scene for the era later known as the " Tongzhi Restoration " ( 同治中兴 ) . He was known for his strategic perception , administrative skill and noble personality on Confucianist practice , but also sometimes for his ruthlessness on the execution of his policies . Zeng also exemplified loyalty in an era of chaos , but is also regarded as a pre - cursor to the rise of warlord ism . Early life . Born as a native of Xiangxiang ( 湘乡 ) , Hunan in 1811 , Zeng Zicheng ( 曾子城 ) was the grandson of Zeng Yuping , a prosperous farmer with social and political ambitions . As a youth , Zeng was notorious for living drunkenly and even experimenting with opium ; choices he would later renounce as he became an ardent military man . He studied in Yuelu Academy in Changsha . He passed the prefectural examination in 1833 , only a year after his father Zeng Linshu ( zi " Zhuting " ) . He passed the provincial examination a year later , and by 1838 , at age 27 , he had successfully passed the metropolitan examinations , a prestigious achievement in China . He had earned the " Jinshi " degree , the highest level in the civil service examinations , which led to his appointment to the Hanlin Academy , a body of outstanding Chinese literary scholars who performed literary tasks for the imperial court . It was at Hanlin where he changed his name to Zeng Guofan , which sounded more prestigious . Zeng served in Beijing for more than 13 years , and remained devoted to the interpretation of the Confucian Classics . He moved relatively quickly up the ranks by his teacher Manchu statesman Mujangga , advancing to 2nd - Pin in five years . Entry into imperial politics . In 1843 , he was appointed chief literary examiner in the province of Sichuan , and six years later was made Senior Deputy Secretary of the Board of Rites ( 禮部侍郎 ) . When holding the office of Military Examiner ( 1851 ) he was compelled by the death of his mother to retire to his native district for the regulation mourning , which is technically supposed to last three years . At this time the Taiping rebels were overrunning Hunan in their conquering career , and had possessed themselves of the cities and strongholds on both shores of the Yangtze River . By a special decree , Zeng was ordered to assist the governor of the province in raising a volunteer force , and , on his own initiative , he built a fleet of war junks and multiple arsenals , with which he attacked the rebels . This force eventually became known as Zeng ' s famous Xiang Army ( Hunan Army or Chu Army ) . In his first engagement he was defeated , but his lieutenants were more successful . They recovered the capital , Changsha , and destroyed the rebel fleet . Following up these victories of his subordinates , Zeng recaptured Wuchang and Hanyang , near Hankow , and was rewarded for his success by being appointed vice - president of the Board of War . The Xiang Army under Zeng contained some integrated Hangzhou drill groups Fame and military campaigns . In 1853 , other triumphs led to his being made a baturu ( a Manchu order for rewarding military prowess ) , and to his being decorated with a yellow riding - jacket . Meanwhile , in his absence , the rebels retook Wuchang and burnt the protecting fleet . The tide quickly turned , however , and Zeng succeeded in clearing the country round the Poyang lake , and subsequently in ridding the province of Jiangsu of the enemy . His father died in 1857 , and after a brief mourning he was ordered to take supreme command in Zhejiang , and to co - operate with the governor of Fujian in the defence of that province . Subsequently , the rebels were driven westwards , and Zeng would have started in pursuit had he not been called on to clear the province of Anhui of rebel bands . In 1860 , he was appointed Viceroy of Liangjiang ( the provinces of Jiangxi , Anhui , and Jiangsu : 两江总督 ) and Imperial war commissioner . At this time , and for some time previously , he had been fortunate in having the active support of Zuo Zongtang , who at a later period recovered Kashgar for the emperor , and of Li Hongzhang . Like all true leaders of men , he knew how to reward good service , and when occasion offered he appointed the former to the governorship of Zhejiang and the latter to that of Jiangsu . In 1862 , he was appointed assistant grand secretary of state . At this time , the Imperial forces , assisted by the " Ever - victorious Army , " had checked the progress of the rebellion , and Zeng was able to carry out a scheme which he had long formulated of besieging Nanjing , the rebel headquarters . While Charles George Gordon of the Ever - victorious army , with the help of Li Hongzhang , was clearing the cities on the lower waters of the Yangtze River , Zeng drew closer his besieging lines around the city . In July 1864 , Nanjing fell into his hands , and he was rewarded with the rank and title of Marquess ( of the First Class ) Yiyong ( 毅勇侯 ) and the right to wear the double - eyed peacock ' s feather ( 雙眼花翎 ) . He , Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were called " Zeng , Zuo , Li " the leaders in suppressing the Rebellion . After the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion , the Nian Rebellion ( 捻軍起義 ) , closely related to the former movement , broke out in Shandong , and Zeng was sent to quell it . Success did not , however , always attend him on this campaign , and by Imperial order he was relieved of his command by Li Hongzhang , who in the same way succeeded him in the viceroyalty of Zhili , where , after the Tianjin Massacre ( 1870 ) , Zeng failed to carry out the wishes of his Imperial master . Instead of the desired policy towards foreigners , Zeng took on a more diplomatic stance . After this rebuff , he retired to his viceroyalty at Nanjing , where he died in 1872 mysteriously in Hong Xiuquan ' s former mansion . Family & Personal . Zeng was a voluminous writer . His papers addressed to the throne and his literary disquisitions are held in high esteem by the scholars of China , who treasure as the edition of his collected works in 156 books , which was edited by Li Hongzhang in 1876 , as a memorial of a great and un - corrupt statesman . Zeng enjoyed reading greatly , and held a special interest in the 23 Histories , and other classics . He was also a dedicated poet and a diary author . Zeng called Hakka females " Big foot hillbilly witch " during the Taiping Rebellion . Unlike his contemporaries , Zeng was officially married only once , to a woman of the Ouyang family when he was in his late teens . His wife was known to be a capable woman . He had 3 sons and 5 daughters with her , and two of his eldest children died young . His eldest son , Zeng Jize , who inherited his title of First Class Marquess , went on to become a famous diplomat in late - Qing history . His younger brother , Zeng Guoquan , was an ambitious general in the Xiang Army . He was later appointed Viceroy of Liangjiang ( the provinces of Jiangxi , Anhui , and Jiangsu : 两江总督 ) in 1884 . Opinion & Legacy . Zeng Guofan ' s legacy in history is twofold . On one hand he is criticized as a staunchly conservative traitor , but on another he is seen as a hero in preserving order and stability . Many in China and abroad admire his ability to successfully survive in the ruthless late - Qing bureaucracy . Some have blamed Zeng for all the civilian losses and damages done during the Taiping Rebellion , while others criticize him for being too friendly with certain foreign ideas . Since the Cultural Revolution , criticism of Zeng gradually began to disappear . Chinese author Tang Haoming published in 1992 his three - book trilogy " Zeng Guofan " , a novelization of Zeng ' s life during and after the Taiping Rebellion . This trilogy characterized Zeng as a common person , but had adopted a much more positive view of Zeng . Both Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai - shek have praised Zeng ' s ability in military and political affairs . Especially in recent years , Zeng Guofan ' s life and his works have been the topic of many new publications . Zeng ' s leadership and military skills had been used by many as a new field of thought aiding in business or bureaucratic dealings .