Every dynasty has its own fascinating stories; often, history is more captivating than fiction.
For example, during the Zhou Dynasty, there was a man from Chu who drowned the Zhou king, and King Mu who traveled the world and played with the feudal lords by lighting beacon fires.
The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods saw the emergence of a hundred schools of thought, creating a vibrant and bustling era. This period is known as the Axial Age of humankind, during which various classic works emerged, laying the foundation for future generations, like a constellation of brilliant stars, enduring through the ages.
During the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor transformed the land, and the Han Dynasty succeeded the Qin. The Chinese people officially adopted the Han ethnicity, and the name "Han people" became the name for the next thousand years, imprinted on this ancient country and becoming an eternal glory.
However, the Han dynasty perished because of its strength. After hundreds of years of turmoil, China was like a giant furnace, where the blood of the barbarians and the backbone of the Han people were forged together in the midst of massive slaughter, thus reforging the soul of China. Yang Jian founded the Sui dynasty, and Li Yuan established the Tang dynasty. After a century of war, China ushered in unprecedented vitality and a spirit of inclusiveness and openness.
Riding a horse in the spring breeze, I can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day.
Li Jing, who led three thousand light cavalry to defeat the barbarians, and Li Longji, who brought peace and prosperity to the land, lived in an era that belonged to China. That era lasted until the An Lushan Rebellion, when the heavens collapsed and the prosperity came to an end.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, various powerful figures emerged, eventually leading to the unification under the Zhao family and the establishment of the prosperous Song Dynasty.
Later historians all believed that Chinese culture reached its zenith during the Song Dynasty, with a great number of literary figures emerging. Moreover, the economy and commerce reached unprecedented levels, but none of these left much of an impression on later generations.
Anyone who has read even a little history will mention one person when discussing the Song Dynasty, besides its military weakness: Wang Anshi.
Compared to the events of the previous dynasty, Wang Anshi can be said to be a very representative figure in the history of the Song Dynasty, and even a particularly unique figure in the entire history of China.
This person is highly controversial, not only in later generations but also in the Song Dynasty. Not only during his lifetime but even after his death, the issues surrounding him continue to be discussed.
Many people in later generations only know that he implemented reforms during the reign of Emperor Shenzong. A quick search on Baidu will not reveal the details of his reforms. However, when it comes to the impact of his reforms on the contemporary era, opinions vary widely.
Some even argue that Wang Anshi was the main culprit in the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and should bear full responsibility!
Some argue that although Wang Anshi's reforms ultimately failed, they enriched the national treasury, enhanced the army's combat effectiveness, and allowed the Song Dynasty to survive for at least another hundred years.
Wang Anshi's statement, "Changes in the heavens are not to be feared, ancestral laws are not to be followed blindly, and public opinion is not to be heeded," stirred up a storm at the time.
Just how awesome is this statement?
What did "Heaven" mean in ancient times? It meant the Heavenly Lord, the master of the universe, and the law of nature. When people encountered misfortune, they would pray to Heaven for forgiveness.
The emperor's power is divinely ordained; he is the son of Heaven and governs the people on behalf of Heaven.
In ancient times, there were special officials who were responsible for observing celestial phenomena. If the celestial phenomena were ominous, it meant that Heaven was angry and was warning the emperor, who had to issue an edict of self-reproach.
Now, when Wang Anshi said, "Changes in the heavens are nothing to fear," he was basically pointing at the sky and telling the emperor, "There's no need to be afraid of changes in the heavens. What's there to be afraid of? Humans are the greatest and most powerful! So what if the heavens change? Humans will conquer nature!"
Look how brilliant and terrifying his thinking is!
Ancient China was a society based on clans. The state was a large clan, followed by prefectures and counties, and the family was the smallest clan. The state had ancestral temples, the imperial court was likened to a temple, families had ancestral halls, and even small families had ancestral tablets.
This relational structure is deeply rooted in the agrarian civilization of China, and even in later periods of opening up and development, it has not been eliminated in many ways.
To maintain this relationship structure, what philosophy must be used to sustain it in the long run?
Ancestors are the greatest, and what they set out cannot be changed arbitrarily. This is to maintain the stability of the clan. Otherwise, if later generations are restless and do this or that, the family will be ruined and everyone will be harmed.
What did Wang Anshi mean by "the rules of our ancestors are not necessarily to be followed"? It means that the rules of our ancestors are not necessarily to be followed!
The gist of it is telling the emperor, "Don't be afraid of Heaven, you can defeat it; and don't be afraid of the rules set by our ancestors, you can change them!"
Finally, there's the line "Public opinion is not worth heeding," which is also quite impressive!
There's a Chinese idiom called "three men make a tiger," which means that someone who's lost their mind claims there's a cute little tiger biting people on the street, so everyone thinks he's crazy.
No sooner had he finished speaking than another person came bounding over and saying that there was an adorable little tiger biting people on the street.
So everyone said that mental illness is contagious, and here comes another mentally ill person.
Then a third person ran up and said there was a cute little tiger biting people on the street.
Or is he insane? (In ancient times, three was an approximation, meaning a large number.)
But one after another, people have been saying that there are cute little tigers biting people on the street. You still don't believe it now, and you don't have the guts to do it!
Especially in a rigidly hierarchical feudal society, public opinion was a force to be reckoned with, unlike in later times when people could simply hurl insults at each other online. In such cases, someone might take it to the emperor and have you killed.
Wang Anshi now tells the emperor, "Public opinion is nothing to worry about," meaning that the emperor should not only be unafraid of Heaven and his ancestors, but also of people's gossip and slander.
In the history of feudal China, which prime minister would have dared to say such a thing to the emperor?
Therefore, Emperor Shenzong of Song, who aspired to be a great ruler, felt an instant connection with Wang Anshi. However, the ministers of the Song Dynasty were furious. Not only the ministers were furious, but even the empress and empress dowager in the harem were furious. Not only the women in the harem were furious, but even Wang Anshi's students were furious.
Holy crap! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to make the emperor criticize everything, from heaven and earth to his ancestors and all the officials?
I didn't believe your lies!
So Sima Guang resolutely stood up and said, "If I don't deal with you, who will I deal with? Your new laws are such a trivial matter. If you continue to implement them, it will only cause public resentment to boil over, enrich the government, and make the common people suffer. This is called competing with the people for profit and exploitation!"
Therefore, Wang Anshi's reforms, supported by the emperor but opposed by officials across the country, proceeded with great difficulty in this extremely contradictory environment. At the same time, it also led to the emergence of two factions, the old and the new, in the Song Dynasty court, which had a far-reaching impact from then until the reign of Emperor Huizong.
This is a phenomenon that has never occurred in any previous dynasty.
Zhao Huan was well aware of these things. In his view, if a matter had become extremely complicated, it should be resolved in the simplest and most direct way.
The more they pulled, the more tangled the yarn became!
Liu Yanzong is right. Wang Anshi can't touch them. After all, Wang Anshi is just a prime minister. The power of the prime minister in the Northern Song Dynasty is incomparable to that of the prime minister in the Qin and Han Dynasties. He is subject to checks and balances everywhere. To change all this, the emperor must personally take action.
Using knives is not a metaphor; it literally means people will be beheaded!
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