Zuo Zongtang Defense Strategic Thought Research

Defense strategy is that apply comprehensive national power to maintain national security and realize overall idea about national defense goals,It depends on the national strategies and national policy,it finally reflects national interest.Zuo zong tang’s defense strategic thought gradually form in which domestic trouble and foreign invasion in the late qing Dynasty,he resist foreign aggression and set up the westernization,it relate to his personal life experience,personality characteristic and Chinese and Western Learning.Zuo zongtang’s defense strategic thought can be divided into four aspects:First, coastal defense is very important and self-improvement.He thinks, Western countries ship into Tianjin,coast defence of qing dynasty like as dummy, Its weakness has reached the pole. To defend the frontier, He pointed out there are three means,that is guarding, war, and peace,Only have the ability of defence then have the ability of battle, Only have the ability of battle then have the ability of peace,this is a traditional practice. Standing in such a strategy view, Zuo Zong tang created the Fuzhou dockyard with an effort,he rectify River and coastal defence, He give aid to Taiwan against the French Army, He also strongly suggest that qing dynasty set defense minister and Taiwan form province. Second, border and coastal defense is equally important. Facing the situation that land and coastal are in an emergency, He proposed that the coastal defence of east and the land defence of west are equally important and he also stressed that qing army send troops to Xinjiang. Third, the qing government apply two means, which are negotiation and force. With regard to return of Yili, according to the changing situation,in terms of justice and force,he always strives for the initiative, comprehensively use of war and diplomatic strategy, he coordinate the diplomatic strategy of qing dynasty, He forced Russia to surrender the occupied Yili, which achieved a rare victory in the history of the qing government’s diplomacy. Fourth, the qing government implemented together for the construction and preparation. Zuo Zongtang strongly advocates that the qing government to develop social economy and strengthen the combat readiness, He believes that comprehensive national strength is the basis of national defense security, only in this way can the government consolidate its power.Zuo Zongtang’s thought about national defense strategy contains the value of resisting aggression:which has strong anti aggression spirit; It unseals modernization of modern China’s maritime defense; He pointed out the way that Defense is sustainable development; He revealed the dialectics about defense of war and peace. The limitation of Zuo Zongtang’s thought of national defense is reflected in the following three aspects:He pursued a negative defense; It has two sides; He attached great importance to weapons and equipment but ignore the political and economic system of the West. In addition, His thoughts to contemporary’s revelation are as follows:Strong navy is the cornerstone of national security; We should attach great importance to the modernization of national defense; We should coordinate economic development with national defense construction; enrich the frontier population, enrich the frontier, maintain stability,it has strategic significance of national defense.