Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/785

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766 A Chinae Biographical Dictionary


of An-ch'ing he was eDnobled as Mmrqnis and was konoued widi a dooble-eyed peacock's feather. He was a man of nnUeniished integritj, and a great namber of the people of NaokiDg went inio moaming when he died. Canonised as J^ ^|. and indoded in the Temples of Patriots and Worthies. 2021 Tseng Kao-fon ^ H ^ (T. ig ^ ). H. ;f^ ^). A.D. 1811- 1872. A native of the ^ ^ Hsiang-hsiang District in Hunan, who graduated as 38th chin $hih in 1838. In 1843 he was Chief Examiner for Ssftch'uan, and in 1849 Junior Vice President of the Board of Rites. In 1851 he was Chief Examiner of military gradnatei. In 1852 he .was forced to go into retirement in consequence of the death of his mother. On reaching Hanan he found the proTince suffering from invasion by the 'Pai-p^ings, who were already is possession of Wa-ch*ang in Hupeh and of aU the cities on the banks of the Yang-tsze. In 1853 he was ordered by special Decree to assist the Governor of Hunan in organising a volunteer force to act against the rebels. After building a fleet he attacked the enemy in 1854, bnt was defeated. His lieutenants, however, among whom was included P^ng T^-lin, drove the rebels from Ch^ang- sfaa, and destroyed their fleet. Chasing the enemy before him, Ts^ng Kuo-fan recovered Wu-ch^ang and Han-yang, for which services he was appointed Vice President of the Board of War. In December of the same year, afler a great victory, he laid siege to Eiukiang. In Jan. 1855 he was made a baturu and was decorated with the yellow riding-jacket. Meanwhile the rebels had retaken Wu-ch^ang and had burnt his fleet, which caused him to remain inactive for some months; but by the end of the year he had cleared them from the Po-yang lake and had captured Hu-k'on. In 1856 Shih Ta-k*ai ravaged Eiangsi, but was driven out in 1857 by the joint efforts of Ts§ng Kuo-fan and P*6ng Yfl-lin. In March 1857 his father died, and he went into mourning. In June 1858