Zeng was a proponent of the Great Leap Forward, but as Anhui became one of the first provinces to sink into famine, Zeng in 1961 allowed for farmers to rent land for private use, like growing crops. The land was recollectivized in the following years. In 1962 he was criticized during Seven Thousand Cadres Conference and replaced by Li Baohua and transferred out of Anhui to take on the office of Second Secretary of the Southeast Bureau. He died in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution, as his prior actions had been considered anti-revolutionary.
