Zeng Guofan's clumsiness and shrewdness (20 18- 10-03)

There is a joke in Xiangxiang that Zeng Guofan is studying at home and can't recite a short article many times. A thief tried to steal after falling asleep, but he waited and waited, but he didn't fall asleep. The thief couldn't bear it, jumped out and shouted, "What are you looking at with this stupid head?"

In fact, this joke is not groundless. The talents of the Zeng family were not excellent, and Zeng Lin, Zeng Guofan's father, was famous for his stupidity. I have been tested as a scholar for 17 times in my life, and I barely passed at the age of 43. Although Zeng Guofan's brothers have been cold for ten years, they have not achieved the name of a juren. Zeng Guofan himself took the county exam at the age of fourteen and took it seven times before and after. At the age of 23, he was admitted to the scholar, the second from the bottom. Compared with his contemporaries, his mediocrity is obvious at a glance. Zuo, who is one year younger than him, took the senior high school entrance examination in Xiangyin County at the age of fourteen, ranking first. Li Hongzhang is also a scholar at the age of seventeen. Liang Qichao, who was a little later than Zeng Guofan, Zuo and Li Hongzhang, was even more talented. Eleven-year-old Jinshi, sixteen-year-old Juren.

On the other hand, Zeng Guofan is also a man with a "smart" machine.

He is an outstanding strategist and strategist. When the Taiping Army was launched, the whole country was at a loss. Only he found his own way and founded the Xiang Army with superhuman courage. From the emperor to the minister, they are either eager for success or pessimistic and desperate, and the dynasty is like a headless fly. At this time, Zeng Guofan put forward the strategy of "fighting for Wuchang, controlling the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, pointing directly at Jiujiang and Anqing, and then attacking Tianjing". It turned out that this was an extremely clever strategy.

In addition, he is also very good at sizing up the situation. Since ancient times, there are few people like him who are good at grasping the advance and retreat. After the collapse of the Taiping Army, his fame and career were in full swing. At this time, he was unusually calm. He noticed the opportunity of great decline in the great prosperity, resolutely demanded to resign from the power to control the four provinces, and went out to take decisive measures to abolish his right base-Xiang Army. His life is like a painting, without any major setbacks. In traditional officialdom, successful people like him are rare.

There is no contradiction between "clumsiness" and "shrewdness" in Zeng Guofan. His success in life is due to his "clumsy" spirit.

Never beat around the bush, never take shortcuts, always do it in the most clumsy and practical way, trickle down, accumulate, pursue solid and thorough, step by step. He founded the Xiang army, selected generals, and picked out the "rustic" people who were not good at words. He even hates those who are "good at talking".

The same is true of war. Zeng Guofan was good at fighting stupid wars and stupid wars all his life, but he was not good at fighting clever wars. He is not greedy for small profits, does not seek whimsy, and is practical and steady. He said, "Steady words are the first priority." He has never fought an unprepared and uncertain battle in his life. In the war, we basically do not take the initiative to attack, but induce the enemy to attack him first, and then take the initiative to attack. Although the Taiping Army was brave, it could do nothing when it met the Xiang Army.

Zeng Guofan's life was sincere to others, with the aim of being clumsy. Throughout his life, he asked himself "not to talk big, not to seek false reputation" and to do things "rather for others than for me". Others deceived him with cunning and lies, but he still treated him with sincerity and stupidity.

It is Zeng Guofan's unique "clumsiness" that makes him extremely clever and talented.