On July 19, 1864, Zeng Guoquan, the fourth brother of Zeng Guofan, led the Hunan army to blow up the Tianjing City with 30,000 catties of gunpowder, and the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Capital" fell.

Subsequently, the main force of the Hunan army rushed into the city and engaged in a fierce battle with the Taiping army, which eventually led to the sacrifice of tens of thousands of Taiping soldiers, an event known as the Hunan army's bloodbath of Tianjing.

40-year-old Zeng Guoquan, who led the Hunan army to attack Tianjing, rushed to the "holy treasury" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with great expectations, fantasizing about the scene of getting rich overnight.

However, when he saw the situation inside the treasury, he couldn't help but gasp, and his heart was full of despair.

It turned out that the "Holy Treasury" was empty, and there was nothing but a few pieces of dilapidated furniture.

Zeng Guoquan's face suddenly turned pale, he gasped, and said secretly in his heart: "My life is over!"

The fierce general of the Hunan army, with great achievements

Zeng Guoquan is the ninth brother of Zeng Guofan, who has been smart and studious since he was a child, but he is also arrogant and arrogant, and this character makes him quite controversial among the clan. After he was admitted to Xiucai, he entered the Guozijian to study, and was once cynical because he was dissatisfied with the corruption of officialdom.

In 1851, the Taiping Rebellion swept through Jiangnan, and the Qing court was in danger. Zeng Guofan was ordered to form the Hunan Army and led his younger brother Zeng Guoquan and other generals to resist the Taiping Army.

Zeng Guoquan was brave and good at fighting, and made great achievements in the battles of Ji'an, Jiangxi, Anqing, Anhui, etc., and became an indispensable figure in the Hunan army.

Capture Tianjing, and the treasure is empty

In 1864, Zeng Guoquan led the Hunan army to attack Tianjing, and after several months of fierce fighting, finally broke through the city.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom collapsed, Hong Xiuquan set himself on fire, and there was chaos in Tianjing City. Zeng Guoquan took the opportunity to enter the holy treasury, hoping to scavenge a large amount of treasure.

However, reality hit him hard. There was nothing but a few pieces of dilapidated furniture, far from the gold and silver treasures he had imagined.

panicked and asked for help from his brother

Zeng Guoquan knew that the Qing court's finances had long been unable to make ends meet, and he had been looking forward to the treasures of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to fill the treasury. Now that the vault was empty, he feared that he would be punished and even killed.

In a panic, he hurriedly wrote to his brother Zeng Guofan, asking for help.

Zeng Guofan turned the tide and saved his younger brother

After Zeng Guofan received his brother's letter, he knew that the situation was serious. On the one hand, he sent people to search for the treasures of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and on the other hand, he wrote a recital to the Empress Dowager Cixi overnight to exonerate his younger brother.

In the recital, Zeng Guofan first explained Zeng Guoquan's military exploits to the imperial court in an attempt to win tolerance for his younger brother, secondly, he asked the imperial court to allow Zeng Guoquan to leave Tianjing and return to his hometown to recuperate, so as to avoid further turmoil, and finally, he even took the initiative to ask for the disbandment of the Hunan army to show his loyalty to the imperial court.

Although the Empress Dowager Cixi was dissatisfied with Zeng Guoquan's actions, she finally agreed to Zeng's request, considering the important role played by the Hunan army in suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

This series of actions has won Zeng Guoquan a precious respite. Although Zeng Guoquan was unwilling and angry in his heart, Zeng Guofan's wisdom and foresight finally enabled the Zeng brothers to avoid a tragic end.

Retire after success and save the evening

After Zeng Guoquan returned to Hunan, he closed his doors and devoted himself to cultivation. He knew very well that he had escaped this time, and he also understood the truth that his merits were high and that he was the master.

Two years later, Zeng Guoquan was once again reused by the Qing court, and under the arrangement of his brother, he was able to return to politics two years later and continue to be loyal to the country.

In 1875, Zeng Guoquan returned to officialdom and successively served as the governor of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the governor of Liangguang. In 1884, he was appointed governor of Liangjiang and died in Zhongxiang.

epilogue

Zeng Guoquan's life is full of legends. He was brave and good at fighting, and made great achievements for the Qing court, but he also almost suffered death because of his high achievements.

Of course, there are also many people who firmly believe that Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan privately embezzled all the "sacred treasury" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and covered up their crimes by setting fires. Wang Minyun once wrote a poem "Zeng Hou works and plays, and the money is empty", which means that Zeng Guoquan spends money like flowing water, and even the paper has to buy the most expensive one.