Zeng Guoquan (12 October 1824 – 13 November 1890), courtesy name
Yuanfu, art name
Shuchun, was a Chinese official and military leader of the late
Qing dynasty. He was the ninth brother of
Zeng Guofan, a prominent statesman and general, and a descendant of the philosopher
Zengzi. He served in the Xiang Army, a standing military force organised by his brother to counter the Taiping rebels, and was nicknamed "Ninth Marshal" (九帅). He was known for his expertise in siege warfare, particularly the use of trenches, hence he was also nicknamed "Zeng the Iron Container" (曾铁桶). During the conquest of Tianjing (Nanjing), the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zeng was notorious for condoning massacres of the city populace, which resulted in him being called "Zeng the Butcher" (曾屠户).
Read more...: Life
Life
Zeng was born in Xiangxiang, Changsha Prefecture, Hunan Province. Zengzi was his ancestor. He sat for the imperial examination several times but failed to make the cut. During the Taiping Rebellion, Zeng assisted his brother Zeng Guofan in raising and organising local militias from Hunan to form the Xiang Army to fight the rebels. In 1856, he managed to recruit 3,000 troops from Hunan to reinforce Qing imperial forces at Ji'an, Jiangxi Province. In the following year, they managed to recapture Ji'an from the rebels.
In 1860, Zeng and his troops besieged Anqing and repeatedly fended off rebel reinforcements led by Chen Yucheng. They captured Anqing in the following year. In 1864, they conquered Tianjing (Nanjing), the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established by the rebels. Zeng was later appointed as the Provincial Governor of Hubei Province.
During the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor, Zeng, Guo Songtao and others compiled the book Hunan Tong Zhi (湖南通志; Guide to Hunan). In 1863, he sponsored 5,000 silver taels for the publishing of a book, Chuanshan Yishu (船山遗书; Lost Book of Chuanshan), by Wang Fuzhi. He also offered 300 silver taels to Li Shanlan for the printing of Ze Guxi Zhai Suanxue, a book on mathematics written by Li. In 1882, when he learnt that Peng Yulin wanted to establish a Chuanshan Academy in Hengyang, he donated his personal copy of the Chuanshan Yishu and provided funding to help Peng start the school.
In 1867, when the Nian Rebellion was ongoing, Zeng and Li Hongzhang adopted different approaches towards attacking the rebels. Zeng ordered Bao Chao to lead his unit to attack the rebels. Liu Mingchuan was defeated but was saved by Bao Chao. Liu then pushed the blame for the defeat to Bao and Liu Shengzao, resulting in the latter two being punished. Zeng was also forced to retire, ostensibly on the grounds of illness, but actually as punishment for his failure. In 1875, Zeng returned to politics and consecutively served as the Provincial Governor of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, and Viceroy of Liangguang. In 1884, he was appointed as Viceroy of Liangjiang. He died in 1890 and was given the posthumous name "Zhongxiang" (忠襄).
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original article.
曾国荃1824年10月12日 - 1890年，
清朝湘军将领，一名
子植，谱名
传恒，字
沅甫，号
叔纯。湖南长沙府湘乡人，宗圣
曾子七十世孙，名臣
曾国藩的九弟，湘军内部称之为
曾老九，尊称为
九帅。1864年湘军南京屠城主谋。
早年屡试不第，1852年方成为优贡生。后加入湘军，在与太平军作战中，是其兄国藩的重要助手。1856年从湖南募兵三千增援江西吉安，次年陷吉安。1860年围安庆，屡败陈玉成援军，次年陷安庆。1864年攻破天京。1866年任湖北巡抚。因善于围城，又精于长壕法，人称曾铁桶。又由于在攻打太平军天京（今江苏南京）时，疑似劫掠南京城中大量财宝，被称为曾老饕，此外在南京滥杀百姓无数，与其兄被称为曾剃头、曾屠户。卒諡忠襄。
Read more...: 屠城 劫掠与贪污 晚年 轶事 参考 影视形象
屠城
国荃虽善战，但屡屡屠杀平民，军纪极差，亦曾自谓「杀人如麻」，以安庆杀降、南京屠城，为人所病；南京城破后，曾国藩上奏入南京后，「……分段搜杀，三日之间毙贼共十馀万人，秦淮长河，尸首如麻，……三日夜火光不息。」其实十馀万人大多是老百姓，南京文士李圭道：「至官军一面，则溃败后之虏掠，或战胜后之焚杀，尤耳不忍闻，目不忍睹，其惨毒实较『贼』又有过之无不及，予不欲言，予亦不敢言也。」。
中央研究院院士、中央研究院近代史研究所创所所长郭廷以在其所著《近代中国史纲》引赵烈文《能静居日记》记载曾国藩弟曾国荃率湘军攻入南京城后的情景：「湘军『贪掠夺，颇乱伍。中军各勇留营者皆去搜括』，……『沿街死尸十之九皆老者。其幼孩未满二、三岁者亦被戳以为戏，匍匐道上。妇女四十岁以下者一人俱无（均被虏），老者负伤或十馀刀，数十刀，哀号之声达于四方。』凡此均为曾国荃幕友赵烈文目睹所记，总计死者约二、三十万人。」是为湘军版的「南京大屠杀」。
彭玉麟见状不满，先后二次（1861年安庆之围与1864年金陵之围）致函曾国藩，要求大义灭亲。南京人至今仍以「曾剃头」「曾屠户」等词称呼曾国藩、曾国荃兄弟。
劫掠与贪污
曾国荃有个外号叫「老饕」。王闓运说他有田百顷，但此说遭郭嵩焘驳斥：「曾国荃亦无百顷田」。曾纪芬称他这个九叔「每克一名城，奏一凯歌，必请假还家一次，颇以求田问舍自晦。」一说曾国荃于南京抢得大量财物，曾国藩则对朝廷奏称「伪宫贼馆，一炬成灰，并无所谓赋库者，然克复老巢而全无货物，实出微臣意计之外，亦为从来罕见之事」，说除了二方「伪玉玺」和一方「金印」，别无所获。许多人认为，曾国藩、曾国荃私自抢走了所有太平天国的财物，以纵火掩饰。王闓运有诗云「曾侯工作奏，言钱空缕覼」，意即曾国荃一掷千金买笺纸。
又一说，攻天京时，国荃爱将萧孚泗以马车数十部搬运财物，估算所得财物不少于五十万两白银（时绿营官兵月军饷方银钱一两半），为避人耳目择船运十九艘，为当时水路关卡守将，后为闽浙总督、两江总督的沈葆祯截获发现，沈不畏诱劦建功因此升官台湾知府。亦有专家认为所谓「忠襄于此中获资数千万」实属无稽之谈。曾国荃辩称，回乡湘军需退讣恤金
晚年
同治六年（1867年）一月，由于捻乱，李鸿章和曾国荃采取分进合击捻军，曾国荃遣鲍超率「霆军」东下，刘铭传大败，为鲍超所救，铭传推卸责任，刘盛藻和鲍超受处分。曾国荃后因镇压捻军作战失败，称病退职。1875年重出官场，历任陕西、山西巡抚，任两广总督。1884年任两江总督。
轶事
同治间，与郭嵩焘等修纂《湖南通志》。1863年曾国荃曾出资刊刻《船山遗书》，共出了5000两银子。曾国荃还出资刊刻李善兰的《则古昔斋算学》，共300两银子。1882年，曾国荃得知彭玉麟想在衡阳创建船山书院时，便捐出家藏《船山遗书》，并「又捐助膏奖银两，嘉惠来学」。
参考
• 唐浩明，《曾国藩》三部曲（血祭、野焚、黑雨）。
• 曾宪植，曾国荃玄孙女，任中共全国妇联副主席，叶剑英的夫人。
影视形象
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