A Research On Zeng Guofan's Fund Raising For The Xiang Army

Zeng Guofan(1811-1872),who rise from the Confucianists and maneuvered in the military guiding between Xiang and Chu,was a famed politician and militarist in the late-Qing dynasty.His military thoughts have been holding an excellent position in the contemporary army building history.Being reduced into the plight of domestic troubles and foreign invasion,mixed evils and corruption,the Qing Government barely had the sufficient military and financial support to suppress the Taiping Army.In order to save the Qing state power,the rulers of the Qing Government were compelled to empower Zeng Guofan to build the Xiang Arm(?) and granted them to self-raise the fund locally,which not only could solve the problem of finance shortage,but also could wipe out the Taiping Army.Fund raising for the Xiang Army was an extremely tough and complicated task. Duo to Zeng guofan's forceful organization in the process of fund raising,the appropriate employment tO recruit those of outstanding ability,and his being adept at gaining advantage from both sides,they spared no efforts to ensuring a continuous supply of provisions and overcame the difficulties and hindrance that they confronted. It was his succeeding in raising fund for the Xiang Army that laid a firm financial foundation for a speedy vanquishing on the Taiping Army.The employment of building the Xiang Army and local fund raising was an expedient that adopted by the Qing Government in the context of the impendency of all crises.It was his brilliant capability that made him gain great success in commanding the Xiang army and it was the history that brought him a political celebrity.Zeng Guofan knew how to draw lessons from the Green Army's corruptive and backward system,by carrying on the wide-scale structural reform in the Xiang Army and a considerable rise in the soldiers' payment,they greatly enhanced the soldiers" initiatives in taking part in the fight.Although blocked by repeated hindrance,Zeng Guofan knew how to make use of the environmental factors such as the timely climate, favorable geographical position and unity and coordination among people,especially the massive support he gained from the riyal government,local constables and the great public,which paved the way for his successful fund raising.Fund raising for the Xiang Army bore distinctive traits and rich connotation of times.In the process of fund raising,Zeng Guofan made full use of such adoptions as persuasion on transport donation,fund consultation and taxation on salt and other goods and tapped the possible potentials of those talents who were experienced at fund raising.Besides,on top of the highly importance that Zeng attached to organizing the source of the fund and favorable social environment,solid cultural basis also was greatly conducive to fund raising,which brought a great success in fund raising for he Xiang Army.Admittedly,fund raising for the Xiang Army was in essence safeguarding the old system of the Qing Government.However,the financial notions and the mode of talent management in it should be highly assessed,so we should not hold any biased opinion against Zeng Guofan.We should draw rational analysis on its social influences on the late-Qing dynasty from political,economic and military perspectives.We should value its historical significance to the late-Qing dynasty comprehensively and objectively.By applying dialectics,in praising its positive achievements,it's also necessary for us to attack the jeopardy that it brought to the political society and economic development.In a word,Zeng Guofan achieved great success by adopting profound financial employment in guiding the Xiang Army to raise fund,in particular,his initiative in reforming and managing and the financial measures such as local fund raising, establishing rear base and structural streamlining are undoubtedly illuminating to the modern army building.