Zeng Guofan captured Jinling, and half of the country was under control. Why did he never dare to be emperor?

For Zeng Guofan, many people may ask the same question. Zeng Guofan captured Jinling and was armed to the teeth. Half the country has flooded into his arms. With his prestige at that time, he could stand on his own feet if he shouted. Moreover, according to various historical records, Hu Linyi, Zuo and his younger brother in Xiang Army all persuaded Zeng Guofan to stand on his own feet as emperor. Then, why does Zeng Guofan, who has the right time, the right place and the right people, basically occupy everything, but it is different from self-reliance?

For this problem, we will find that many people do not claim to be the emperor of Zeng Guofan for the following reasons:

First, the Huai army is becoming more and more powerful. There are eight banners soldiers in the north and green campers in the south, so it is not necessary to claim the title of emperor. Let's analyze the Huai army first. The Huai army was led by Zeng Guofan's favorite pupil Li Hongzhang. At the beginning of the Huai army, it should have helped Zeng Guofan's Xiang army to pacify the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement. Later, the Huai army gradually broke away from Zeng Guofan's control and obeyed Li Hongzhang's command. Therefore, Zeng Guofan had no choice but to take the Huai army. Moreover, the regular army of the imperial court, especially the cavalry of SengQin, also had an influence on Zeng Guofan. Therefore, for the cautious Zeng Guofan, he will not rashly proclaim himself emperor.

Second, Zeng Guofan's cowardly character decided that he did not dare to proclaim himself emperor. Zeng Guofan's character has two sides. On the one hand, he dares to fight. In the face of the powerful Taiping Army, he did not fear difficulties and went forward bravely. In fact, he still has a weak side. After being defeated by the Taiping Army, he committed suicide many times to save his honor. Therefore, his personality also determines that he dare not proclaim himself emperor.

Thirdly, influenced by Huang Lao's thought, Zeng Guofan dismissed the idea of calling himself emperor. Zeng Guofan's thought has undergone three changes in his life. The first time he learned from Ci Fu to Zhu Cheng Neo-Confucianism. The second time, from Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism to Legalism. The third time, from legalism to the study of Huang. He believes in the life realm of "flowers are not in full bloom, and the moon is not full". Therefore, he gave up the idea of calling himself emperor.