Zeng Guofan's own qualifications are quite mediocre, and his family background has never been a scholar since the Song Dynasty. His grandfather Zeng Yuping idled around all day when he was young. Once ridiculed, he was greatly stimulated and began to concentrate on farming, turning the Zeng family from an ordinary family into a famous local landlord.
In feudal society, it is not enough for a family to be truly prosperous. There must also be a scholar and an official. So Zeng Yuping made a big decision: let his son Zeng Linshu, Zeng Guofan's father, study, and he must be admitted.
This is too difficult for Zeng Linshu. He took 17 times, and didn't win the scholar until he was 43 years old. People who have not experienced the mental torture in this process cannot understand it. Zeng Linshu was admitted as a scholar, and the social status of the Zeng family improved a little, but the family still didn't become an official, so Zeng Guofan should continue to struggle for the family's ideals.
Zeng Guofan was enlightened very early. He studied with his father since he was a child. When I was old enough to take the exam, I took it together. He took seven subjects before he was admitted to the scholar, which shows that his qualifications are average.
Legend has it that Zeng Guofan was reciting in his study one night when he was a child, and a thief sneaked into the room, ready to wait for him to recite the book and steal things while sleeping. As a result, Zeng Guofan couldn't recite a short article, so the thief couldn't wait any longer in the room and woke up after two sleeps. Zeng Guofan is still stuttering on his back, and the thief can't stand it. He came down and said, "you are so stupid and simple, but you can't recite it." I have recited all the books you have read. " Say that finish the zeng guofan back again from beginning to end, and then roared off, leaving zeng guofan in situ become speechless.
The long study career in his youth, the blow of failed exams again and again, and the ridicule of people around him made Zeng Guofan very painful, especially the sixth time. Not only did he fail the exam, but he was also criticized by the "elevator", that is, the article was listed as a negative example and made public. The examiner said that his article was illogical, and writing an article was the most basic requirement, so it was a serious criticism at that time. Zeng Guofan is well-known in Hunan Province, and he is very popular.
Let's compare Hong Xiuquan, another contemporary who has a similar learning experience with Zeng Guofan. He failed the government exam three times, and then he became seriously ill. Since then, I have embarked on the road of rebellion. Zeng Guofan learned from his mistakes and found the reason to solve the learning problem.
Zeng Guofan was taught by his father Zeng Linshu when he was a child. His father's method is rote learning. This method made him accustomed to polishing in small places, and the article lacked the overall situation. So, he began to study excellent articles, find his own shortcomings, change his learning methods, and finally got the seventh place as a scholar. Since then, the second pulse of Ren Du has been opened, and the road to study has been much smoother. The next year, I was awarded the exam.
It can be seen that learning methods are very important. It can also be seen that Zeng Guofan is not the kind of rigid person, which is also reflected in the process of becoming an official and establishing the Xiang army after him.
If the learning method is right, the thinking will be opened. Four years later, I will become a scholar, and then I will take the North Korean exam and become an academician. From 20 years of Daoguang to 29 years of Daoguang, he was promoted seven times in ten years, jumping ten levels in a row, and the official was at the provincial and ministerial levels.
Zeng Guofan was strict with himself. He asked himself to form the habit of getting up early every day, reading, practicing calligraphy, keeping a diary and introspection. These habits have been adhered to all his life. The quality he admires most is "perseverance", that is, you can fail in doing things, but you can't give up, and insist on doing things that fail until you succeed.
The quality of "unchangeable" was also reflected in the process of establishing the Xiang army later. Zeng Guofan was a military commander and was weak. His weak body is a scholar and weak body. It can be found in Zeng Guofan's diary. After the age of 30, the physical condition is like this: tinnitus, bad spleen and stomach, toothache, abdominal pain, expectoration, vomiting blood, insomnia, low back pain, dizziness, eye diseases, hernia, liver diseases, skin diseases, and when the Taiping Army attacked the Qing court all the way north, the Eight Banners Army was decadent and the green camp Army could not be reused. Zeng Guofan dragged such a sick body from the regiment to form the Xiang army. In this process, he solved the problem of salary increase, the sarcasm and even frame-up of colleagues, the attack of competitors and the vigilance of Emperor Xianfeng, which made such a persevering person want to commit suicide three times, but he solved it one by one like a setback in his study career, successfully defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and extended his life for the Qing court on his own.
He walked forward step by step in adversity all his life, and he proved the height that human willpower can reach.
Hard work may not make us leaders, but it will make us improve a little on the original level.