Colmar von der Goltz vs Zeng Guofan

Goltz published Das Volk in Waffen (The Nation in Arms), a widely read military treatise. The book argued for a citizen army based on universal service and national mobilization, influencing military thinking in Germany and the Ottoman Empire. It established his reputation as a military theorist.

Goltz was sent to the Ottoman Empire to lead a German military mission. He spent 12 years reorganizing the Ottoman army, establishing military schools, and training officers. His work modernized the Ottoman military and strengthened German-Ottoman ties, which later influenced World War I alliances.

During World War I, Goltz was appointed commander of the Ottoman 6th Army in Mesopotamia. He successfully besieged the British-Indian forces at Kut al-Amara, forcing their surrender in April 1916. This was a major Ottoman victory. Goltz died of typhus shortly after the siege.

Zeng Guofan was ordered by the Qing court to raise a militia to fight the Taiping Rebellion. He organized the Hunan Army (Xiang Army) from local Confucian gentry and peasants, creating a disciplined force that became the primary instrument for suppressing the rebellion.

Zeng Guofan was a key proponent of the Self-Strengthening Movement, which aimed to modernize China's military and industry. He established the Jiangnan Arsenal in Shanghai, which produced modern weapons and warships, and promoted the translation of Western technical texts.

After years of campaigning, Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army, led by his brother Zeng Guoquan, captured the Taiping capital of Nanjing in July 1864. The fall of Nanjing ended the Taiping Rebellion, which had caused an estimated 20-30 million deaths, and preserved the Qing dynasty.

After the Taiping Rebellion, Zeng Guofan was tasked with suppressing the Nian Rebellion in northern China. He employed a strategy of fortified villages and mobile cavalry, eventually defeating the Nian forces by 1868, further stabilizing Qing rule.