Chapter 9 Chapter Eight
Now there is a political storm, causing a burst of fire, and finally the Northern Song Dynasty also fell for it.The turmoil arose from the struggle between Wang Anshi, a state capitalist, and the opposition, all of whom were political leaders cultivated under Renzong's atmosphere of academic freedom.We must understand the nature of this political struggle, because Su Tungpo's life was clouded by factionalism.
There is a folk short story "Yu Xianggong", which is the earliest surviving vernacular literature in China and is also a pioneer of Chinese novels.This is a recently discovered collection of vernacular novels from the Song Dynasty. Judging from the content, Wang Anshi was given this nickname as soon as he died, and is a household name in folklore.The tragedy of political disputes began with a big man who refused to listen to persuasion or admit his mistakes. The more his friends opposed him, the more determined Wang Anshi was to implement his policies.We all know that perseverance is a fine virtue, but it depends on what a person decides to do.Perhaps Wang Anshi kept in mind the family motto he heard when he was a child, and believed that determination was the key to success, so he regarded stubbornness as a virtue.Wang Anshi was famous for his "three inadequacies" throughout his life-"The destiny is not to be feared, the words of the people are not to be obeyed, and the law of the ancestors is not to be used." This is the label Su Dongpo added to him.
"Shouxianggong" cannot stand opposition from any party, friend or foe.He was good at speaking, and the emperor was convinced that he could build a strong country, so he was determined to implement the socialization policy.He had to quell the general opposition, especially the censor, whose task was to criticize the government and represent the "way of speech."A good government "opens up the way of speech", and a bad government does the opposite. This is the basic theory of Chinese political philosophy.So as soon as the New Deal was discussed, the question immediately turned to a more fundamental point, the freedom to criticize and disagree.In this struggle, Wang Anshi won the first round; from then on, the domestic officials were divided into two factions, and the party struggle continued fiercely until the fall of the Song Dynasty.A few years later, the new law was revised or abolished, but the partisanship caused by the reform brought more serious consequences to the country.
The focus of the court's political struggle this time is the battle between "popular custom" and "flexibility". These two terms appear again and again in contemporary literature, and Wang Anshi loves to use these words most.In his eyes, people he doesn't like or disagree with are "vulgar", while he and his subordinates are "flexible".The prime minister accused all the censors of maliciously obstructing the New Deal. On the contrary, the opposition said that he "invoked his pro-party and occupied important positions. Squeeze out dissidents to consolidate power and favor".Liu Zhi noted, "Today, there are those who are willing to dare to do something, and those who are happy to do nothing. They regard this as a popular custom, and this regards that as a disorder."The prime minister began to purge all the censors who opposed him. The opponent accused him of a more serious crime of "wanting to clamp the population", that is, to suppress all free criticism of the government.
The Chinese imperial court has never had a complete party politics, and strictly divides the rights and responsibilities of those in power and those in opposition.There is no counting of votes, show of hands, right and wrong, or any means of determining a majority opinion.Chinese people hold meetings just to discuss issues and then agree to a certain decision.Criticism of state affairs is also encouraged in principle and in practice.Opposition parties can overthrow the cabinet, or apply for retirement.Fierce party struggles broke out, and as usual, the opposition was sent out of the capital to serve in other counties.Even in the era of Renzong and Yingzong, famous officials such as Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu temporarily lost their official positions and came back to power later.In this way, when one party gains power, the other party leaves Beijing.
Due to the peculiar official system of the Song Dynasty, the quarrels and discords in the court were even more serious, and the Song Dynasty did not have an obvious post of prime minister.The cabinet is much like a parliament, with the emperor balancing power.The government has a complex and heavy chain of departments with repeated functions, and the final decision-making power always falls in the hands of the emperor.The full name of the so-called "Prime Minister" on social media is "Tong Zhong Shu Men Xia Ping Zhang Shi".There may be two deputy prime ministers.The general organization is as follows:
The financial institutions were completely separated and were directly responsible to the emperor.In addition to the censors of the three provinces, there is also an independent censor platform, and there are various institutions for the imperial court to award false titles. "Prime Minister" is often the leader of Zhongshu and Menxia provinces.The leaders of the three provinces and the Privy Council constitute the Zhiyuan, called Zhizheng.Later, Shenzong suddenly reformed, wanting to simplify the official system and clarify the functions: the order of the subordinate province to study, the Ministry of Zhongshu promulgated, and the implementation of the minister; but the chaos remained, and the responsibility could not be concentrated.
At first Wang Anshi was only a political advisor (deputy prime minister); but with Shenzong as his backer, he overstepped his authority to implement his plan and decided everything with Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu and others at home without authorization. good time.There are two important issues, one is young crop loans, and the other is the freedom of speech of the censor.On one side are veterans and important ministers, the number of which is large enough to represent the whole, and on the other side are Wang Anshi, supported by Shenzong, and a group of newcomers, who are ambitious but have evil intentions.For ease of reference, and in order not to involve too many names, I have listed the following important list of party struggles, so that everyone can see the order of power:
Wang Anshi (Yu Xianggong)
Shenzong (the ambitious emperor)
Zenbu (active politician)
Lu Huiqing (Notorious, later betrayed Wang Anshi)
Li Ding (will not run away when his mother dies, and will impeach Su Dongpo in the future)
Zheng Wan (two-faced person, serving Hui Qing and Wang Anshi successively)
Shu Quan (to impeach Su Dongpo with Zheng Wan)
Wang Yu (son of Wang Anshi)
Xie Jingwen (Wang Anshi's in-law)
Cai Bian (son-in-law of Wang Anshi)
Zhang Dun (later to become Su Dongpo's enemy)
Lu Jiawen (trade dictator under Wang Anshi)
Sima Guang (leader of the opposition, great historian)
Han Qi (an old minister)
Fu Bi (veteran)
Lu Hui (the first person to attack)
Zeng Gongliang (fragile character)
Zhao Bian
Wen Yanbo (good old man)
Zhang Fangping
Fan Zhen (veteran and important minister, a friend of the "uncle" generation of the Su family.)
Ouyang Xiu
Su Dongpo
Su Ziyou (Dongpo's younger brother)
Fan Zhongyan (great man)
Sun Jue (Gao Jun is irritable, Dongpo's close friend)
Li Chang (short, Dongpo's close friend)
Liu Shu (impatient, close friend of Dongpo)
Lu Gong (beautiful bearded man, once befriended Wang Anshi)
Han Wei (comes from the big Han family, was once a good friend of Wang Anshi)
Wang Anli (brother of Wang Anshih)
Wang Anguo (brother of Wang Anshi)
Liu Zhi (independent critic who later became Su Tungpo's enemy)
Su Song (Xining third degree)
Song Minqiu (Xining third degree)
Li Dalin (Xining third degree)
other censors
Zheng Xia (a small official with a big responsibility, as a door official, Wang Anshi collapsed because of him)
The disparity in the lineup is not only sad but also ridiculous.Looking at this list, we cannot help wondering how Wang Anshi offended all his friends, and why Shenzong was willing to pay such a high price to put Wang Anshi in power, dismissing, dismissing, and discussing crimes against all opponents.In the end, Shenzong had to depose Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, Deng Wan and others.The dream of a strong country was shattered, and he willingly ruled a mediocre government.If knowledge of people is the foundation of divinity, then the posthumous title of "Shenzong" is really not worthy of the name. Wang Anshi never indulged in sexual desires, nor did he commit corruption. His style was out of compulsion, and this is where the real tragedy lies.He knew he would have to overcome all opposition to his radical state-run program.Maybe that's why he waited so long.He has a beautiful dream, and everything he has is pointing to that distant goal. He does not want the country to be happy, peaceful, and prosperous, but hopes that the country will be rich and powerful, and its borders will expand north and south.God wants the Song Dynasty to expand its territory, just like the Han and Tang Dynasties, and Wang Anshi is the destined hero.But in the eyes of future historians, there is no "big hero" who does not appear to be pathetic—he is caught in the cage of his own ambition, a victim of a dream, which grows and expands, and then shatters like a bubble. He looked down on all "popular customs", not only alienated good officials and good ministers, but also lost two friends, Han Wei and Lu Gongzhu.We remember that when Shenzong was still the crown prince, Han Wei once completely turned Shenzong's will and hope to Wang Anshi.Wang Anshi implemented the new law and had a slight disagreement with these friends, so he immediately expelled them from the court.He is lonely and desperate, so he promotes unknown and unqualified villains, who know how to obey in everything and use him to achieve their own desires.In order to facilitate the recognition of the three villains, I have translated the names of Li Ding, Shu Quan and Deng Wan into English that is easy to spell.Li Ding concealed the news of his mother's death and refused to resign, which is a bold offense in Confucian society.Deng Wan once said a famous saying "I follow you with laughter and scolding, and I am a good official for myself", which has been passed down through the ages.However, Wang Anshi's biggest supporters were two resourceful and eloquent figures Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing, the latter being especially important, who finally betrayed Wang Anshi and replaced him.The collapse of the New Deal in eight years can be described by a contemporary saying: "Lu Huiqing betrayed Wang Anshi, Wang Anshi betrayed the emperor, and the emperor betrayed the people." Huiqing despicably published Wang Anshi's private letters, alienating his relationship with the emperor, and Wang Anshi collapsed. In his later years, he often wrote "Fujianzi" several times a day to vent his anger. Lu Huiqing is from Fujian.When the New Deal was abolished, Su Dongpo met Wang Anshi in Nanjing and accused him of causing war and persecuting scholars. Wang Anshi said that everything was caused by Huiqing.This defense is unreasonable, because Wang Anshi himself insisted on severely punishing heresy, and the activities of the capital to monitor the censors were established during the period from April of the fourth year of Xining (1071) to July of the sixth year of Xining (1073), when Hui Qing was resigning. The official wears the mother's funeral. In addition, the leaders of the two parties, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, have political disagreements, but they have sincere beliefs and their private lives are impeccable.Both men are financially innocent and have no reputation for immorality, and Ouyang Xiu has at least had an affair with his family. Once Wang Anshi's wife Wu bought a concubine for her husband.The woman appeared in front of him, and Wang Anshi asked her in surprise, "What's going on?" "My lady wants me to serve you." "Who are you?" Wang Anshi asked again. She said: "My husband was responsible for carrying rice for the army. The ship sank and its cargo was destroyed. We sold everything and couldn't make it up. So my husband sold me to fill the vacancy." "How much are you worth?" Wang Anshi said. "Nine hundred coins." Wang Anshi found her husband and asked the woman to go back with him, and she didn't have to pay back the money. Sima Guang also had a similar experience, someone else found a concubine for him privately.When he was young, he served as a general judge, and his wife had no son.The prefect's wife gave him a concubine, but Sima Guang ignored it.His wife thought that she was in the way, so she asked the servant to wait for her to go out before going into his study at night dressed up.Sima Guang found the servant in his room, and asked in surprise, "Madam is not here, how dare you come in?" and sent her away.Both of them aim to realize the policy and don't care about personal interests, and Wang Anshi doesn't care about money.He served as the prime minister, and as soon as he got his salary, he gave it to his brothers to spend. Sima Guang's knowledge and morals are the best in the contemporary era, and he fights for principles from beginning to end.He and Wang Anshi represent opposing policy positions.To paraphrase a contemporary saying: "Wang Anshi must carry out the new policy, but he is willing to be the prime minister; Sima Guang must abolish the new policy, but he is willing to be the deputy envoy of the privy." "Tong Jian" is an important Chinese history book, written in the Five Dynasties, with 294 volumes in total, and 30 volumes of source and comparative materials attached (examination of differences). This book not only has a rich foundation of knowledge, but also The writing style is even more excellent, and it will become the Big Dipper that must be referred to in the writing of Chinese history books in the future.The first draft (long edition) is several times as long as the finished book.He wrote on time; every day he had to copy a zhang paper of materials, and the manuscripts were said to fill two large rooms.This masterpiece took him twenty-five years. The first thing that caused disputes was farmers' loans.After several months of deliberation by the Department of Regulations and Establishment of the Three Divisions, the "Young Crop Law" was finally promulgated in September of the second year of Xining (1069).The imperial court sent forty-one envoys to the counties to implement the new plan.It soon proved that the loan could not be voluntarily applied by farmers as agreed.So the envoy faced two choices, one was to return to the court to report the failure, and the other was to force a loan and report credit to the court.The government would rather lend money to the rich, which is more secure, but the rich are not short of money.There are poor people who need money, but the government must have a guarantee that they will pay their debts.Some envoys designed a system of apportionment of loans, from the rich to the poorest farmers according to their economic capabilities.But the poor are too poor to borrow, and only the rich can borrow, which is the nature of modern finance and finance.To ensure that the debts will be collected, the government asks the rich neighbors to guarantee the poor.One emissary reported that the people "appreciated and thanked" when they received the loan.Another messenger, unwilling to persecute the people, brought back a different report.Yu Shi impeached the successful envoy, saying that he "suppressed" loans, which obviously violated the imperial edict.Wang Anshi went to Yushitai and said to the officials: "What do you mean? You impeach the envoys who implement the New Deal, but you don't blame those who neglect their duties." Han Qi was serving as the appeasement envoy of Hebei in the Daming Mansion at that time. He saw the implementation of the Green Crop Law with his own eyes, and wrote a letter to the emperor, describing the scene of the loan issuance.His statement is different from Su Shi's excited one. It is thoughtful, well-phrased, and realistic. It is written by a former minister who was once an extremely powerful minister, and it is extremely powerful.He said that even the poorest were given a fixed amount, and the rich got more.The so-called farmer's loans were also allocated to urbanites, landlords, and "monopoly exploiters" who were deliberately squeezed out and suppressed by the New Deal; therefore, the Young Crops Law has lost its original purpose.When people borrow one yuan, they will have to pay back one yuan and three in a few months.No matter how much the government denies that it is lending money for interest, the people will never believe it.Han Qi pointed out that prohibiting apportionment and relying entirely on voluntariness is empty talk, because the rich do not want to borrow money, and the poor want to borrow, but there is no property guarantee; in the end, they have to ask the guarantor to repay the debt.The ambassador wanted to curry favor with the dignitaries in the court, but low-level officials dared not speak up. Han Qi said that as a senior minister in the court, he was obliged to tell the truth to the emperor. He demanded that the new law be abolished, the tax collectors be recalled, and the normal state of the past be restored. warehouse. "Han Qi is a loyal minister," the emperor discussed his appearance with Wang Anshi. "He is in a foreign country, and he has not forgotten the royal family. I thought the loan was good for the people, but I didn't expect it to do so much harm. And the green crop law should be limited to agricultural areas. What about lending in the city?" Wang Anshi immediately replied: "Why not? If urban residents need loans, why not let them borrow?" So Han Qi and the imperial court exchanged several letters, so the Prime Minister specifically pointed out that the state-run theory of the Han Dynasty squeezed the people's blood and sweat to enrich the emperor's arsenal, which could not be regarded as the way to "rich the country". Wang Anshi's status was shaken, and the emperor began to have the idea of abolishing "Qingmiao".When Wang Anshi heard the news, he asked for leave on the pretext of illness.Regarding Wang Anshi's request for leave, Sima Guang once said: "The scholars are boiling, and the people are in turmoil." The ministers discussed this situation. Zhao Yan still supported Wang Anshi at that time, and advocated that everyone wait for Wang Anshi to cancel the leave.That night Zeng Gongliang, one of the cabinet members, sent his son to inform Wang Anshi of the change in the political situation and persuade him to return from leave.Wang Anshi was informed, canceled his sick leave, and went to court again, finally convincing the emperor that the opposition wanted to "obstruct the grace of the New Deal." The emperor didn't know the truth, so he sent two eunuchs to the countryside to investigate the truth.The eunuch knew which side was the backer, and came back and said that the loan was popular with the people, and "there is no restraint".Veteran Wen Yanbo objected: "Your Majesty actually trusts two eunuchs, but not Han Qi, the good minister of the three dynasties?" But the emperor trusted his envoys and decided to implement the new law.A small number of irresponsible and ignorant reporters do not understand what they are talking about, but they often affect the development of events and influence the country's policies!If the eunuch had the courage to tell the truth, the Song Dynasty's line might have a different turning point.The truth is revealed, but the fate of the two eunuchs is unknown.They said what the emperor loved to hear.When the times changed and it was no longer fashionable to talk about the wonderful "land reformers," they dared not say a word. Sima Guang, Fan Zhen and Su Dongpo fought side by side.Sima Guang had a good impression of Wang Anshi and admired the emperor's confidence.The emperor talked to him about Wang Anshi, and he said: "People say he is hypocritical, maybe it is too much. But he is unrealistic and stubborn." However, he had a big fight with Wang Anshi's confidant Lu Huiqing in the emperor's history class In the end, the emperor had to stop the fight and asked both sides to be quiet.So Wang Anshi began to hate Sima Guang, saying that he opposed the New Deal.Wang Anshi suddenly asked for leave, and the emperor wanted Sima Guang to be the deputy envoy of the Privy Council.Sima Guang refused, saying that his official position is not important, what matters is whether His Majesty is willing to abolish the new law.Sima Guang went to the table nine times, and the emperor said: "I want you to manage the Privy Council and be in charge of military affairs. Why do you keep refusing to talk about these unrelated military issues?" "I did not accept the post of privy secretary," Sima Guang replied, "I will remind Your Majesty of these things after I have been under the door for a day." When Wang Anshi returned from leave, his position became more consolidated, and he reduced Sima Guang to the imperial edict.Fan Zhen refused to issue a new edict twice, and the emperor was furious, and handed over the edict to Sima Guang himself.Fan Zhenjian resigned from the job of "making a patent", and the emperor approved it.Wang Anshi was restored, and Han Qi also resigned from the post of Hebei pacifier and stayed on as the magistrate of the daimyo.The resignation was of course approved. Su Shi was filled with righteous indignation.He has a lot to say.He is more straightforward than others.At that time, he was only thirty-two years old, and he worked in the History Museum. He had a low position and power, and he was limited to literature.In February of the third year of Xining (1070) and February of the fourth year of Xining (1071), he wrote letters to the emperor respectively.These two letters are very long, full of force, and straight to the point.Just like the occasional good editorial in modern times, it immediately caused a national sensation.The first letter began by attacking the Green Sprout Law.He told the emperor that the whole country was disgusted and advised him not to oppress the people.He quoted Confucius as saying: He reminded the emperor step by step: Su Tungpo warned that the emperor was mistaken if he thought monopoly was enough to get things done.Many ministers have been dismissed, and there is even talk of reinstating corporal punishment.He continued: Wang Anshi cleared up Taiwan's admonitions, which was a big issue that shocked the entire officialdom.Wang Anshi shocked the whole court from the beginning, not because of his drastic and extensive economic plans and policies; but because he arbitrarily deposed the censor who criticized them.The power to criticize the regime faces a major challenge.The foundations of government organization were gradually undermined.They touched the most sensitive part of group politics.The courtiers were frustrated, and friends began to leave him. The issue of purging the admonishment officials alone is enough to disgust the officials and ask them to resign.Taijiao is an ancient organization of the Chinese government. Its function is to represent public discussion and constantly review and criticize those in power.Everyone agrees that under the rule of a good government, free criticism should be able to reach the emperor's ears at any time, and properly reflect public opinion.The special status of admonishment brings great authority and responsibility, and a group attack is enough to overthrow a government.This can be regarded as an unwritten way to change government personnel and strategies, a bit like modern newspapers and magazines.The difference is that the power of admonishers and opposition parties in ancient China was not guaranteed by law, but it was recognized that a "good" emperor should tolerate criticism; as for whether he cared about a good reputation, it was up to the emperor himself.If he does not abide by moral restrictions, he can order demotion, punishment, torture, and even kill the admonisher himself and his family.Many emperors did this.Advisers have the responsibility to warn the government and the emperor that personal freedom is not legally guaranteed, and the situation can be said to be very difficult.However, in modern times, some chief writers have a sense of responsibility to the public, bravely offend the centralized government, and do not hesitate to go to jail or sacrifice their lives.This was especially the case in the Eastern Han and Ming dynasties. Some admonishers wrote a statement to denounce a traitor, knowing that they would die, and often hanged themselves first before the protest letter was delivered to the court.These censors are like warriors on the battlefield, who follow each other and die.A good emperor cherishes his reputation and will not easily deal with these censors in order to gain reputation and love for himself, but a bad government only wants to silence the admonitors, just like modern dictators prohibit the freedom of the press. When Wang Anshi was in power, many senior officials had high expectations of him.Now Lu Hui, the censor Zhongcheng, fired the first shot at Wang Anshi, saying that he "holds on wrong views and does not understand things. Putting him in the prime minister, the world will suffer from it."Even Sima Guang was taken aback.The two went to the emperor's classics and history class together. On the way, Lu Hui told Sima Guang what he was going to do that day, and showed him the report in his sleeve. "What can we do? He is very popular." Sima Guang said. "You said the same thing!" Lu Hui replied in shock. Lu Hui was dismissed, and the purge campaign began. Now a small spark kindled a raging fire in the middle.A female prisoner tried to kill her husband, but she survived her injuries.She admitted that she intended to kill, but the officials had different opinions on the punishment.The case stalled for more than a year.Sima Guang wanted to settle the case in one way, but Wang Anshi had another idea and insisted on implementing it.The imperial decree stated how to deal with it, but Yushi Liu Shu asked for a retrial.Advisers often do this.This is the second admonisher who violated Wang Anshi's will, and Wang Anshi impeached him through his subordinates.So the battle is open. Yu Shitai was panicked.The question is whether they will be free to carry out their duties, or be removed one by one.Several censors jointly impeached Wang Anshi and asked him to step down.Wang Anshi was furious and planned to put them in prison.Sima Guang and Fan Chunren resolutely opposed it, and as a result, the six censors were demoted to other counties as wine supervisors.Fan Chunren attacked wantonly.He asked the court to revoke the order to remove the censor - only to be removed himself.The next unlucky person was Dongpo's younger brother Ziyou, who had always opposed the Young Crop Law and the Market Change Law.After two months, old Prime Minister Fu Bi resigned. Before leaving, he warned that in political struggles, good people always lose, and villains will definitely climb to high positions.Because good people fight for principles and bad people fight for power, in the end both sides get their own place, good people leave their jobs, and bad people stay.He predicted that if this continues, the country will soon fall into chaos. Now the court is in turmoil.The Department of Regulations and Regulations of the Three Divisions was established in February of the second year of Xining (1069).Within a few months, public opinion turned from expectations to doubts about the New Deal. Doubt caused confusion, and confusion brought anger and fear. Things happen quickly.In March and April of the third year of Xining (1070), the censors were comprehensively purged.Then the unlucky ones were two friends of Wang Anshih, who had helped him gain power, and he depended on their support for everything.The handsome, irritable, and talkative Sun Jue was also Dongpo's lifelong friend. Wang Anshi cited that the Zhou Dynasty lent money to the people in the 12th century BC with an interest rate of 25%.He objected to this statement, and Wang Anshi still wanted his support. It happened that someone near the capital heard that loans were "suppressed" to farmers, and the emperor ordered an investigation.Wang Anshi sent him out.When Sun Jue came back, he honestly reported that there was a phenomenon of forced sharing. Wang Anshi said that he betrayed his friend-so Sun Jue was dismissed.What's more important is the case written by the "beautiful bearded man" Lu Gong. He is the son of the prime minister and has a lot of knowledge, but he doesn't like to talk.In the early years, Wang Anshi and Lu Gong shared the same subject name and were respected by scholars.Lu Gong once helped Wang Anshi get promoted, so Wang Anshi appointed him as Yushi Zhongcheng.Now Lu Gong wrote a letter to the emperor, which made Wang Anshi very uncomfortable. In the letter, he said: "The so-called sages in the past are all wronged by doing this. How can they be disrespectful now?" The wording is just right to show his changeable character.When Wang Anshi was on good terms with him, he once said to the emperor: "Mr. Lu is talented enough to be a good minister." Now he compares Mr. Lu's works to one of the "four evils" in the Yao and Shun era. That month, Wang Anshi appointed two notorious figures to replace the admonishers he dismissed, making those who admired him even more contemptible. He appointed Li Ding as the censor with full power, and the admonitions in Taiwan were in an uproar.Li Ding had not passed the imperial examination, and had no necessary service qualifications. He had concealed the news of his mother's death and refused to accept her mother's funeral.In the eyes of the Chinese, he is like a beast.Wang Anshi promoted him only because Li Ding was from the countryside, and he once said that the people were "happy" young crops; Wang Anshi brought him before the emperor and reported it in person.The censors were filled with righteous indignation.At the same time, Wang Anshi sent his in-law Xie Jingwen as the censor.In order to get promoted, Xie Jingwen once married his younger sister to Wang Anshi's brother.Three supervisory censors refused to issue appointment letters—all three were dismissed.Other censors raised objections.Zhang Jian asked the imperial court to recall the resigned censor and dismiss Li Ding and Hui Qing who supported Wang Anshi.Zhang Jian went to Zhongshu Province to submit the form and found that Wang Anshi's attitude was very strange.Hearing what Zhang Jian said, he covered his face with his fan and laughed without saying a word. Zhang Jian said, "I know you laugh at me stupidly. But you should understand that there are more people in China who laugh at you." At the same time, the important person who was unlucky was Cheng Hao, a famous Song Dynasty agent and the leader of "Er Cheng".In the early days of the reform, Cheng Hao worked closely with Wang Anshi.Now he also went to Zhongshu Province to personally protest the case to Wang Anshi.Wang Anshi was furious just after reading his petition.The Neo Confucianist said meaningfully: "My friend, what we are arguing about is not about personal or family affairs; we are discussing important national affairs. Can we talk about it calmly?" By Confucian standards, Wang Anshi was ashamed and ashamed. Within a few weeks, the purge of the censors was completed.Together with the censor who was dismissed last year, the number of people who resigned reached fourteen, eleven were from the imperial censor, and three were admonishers in the palace.Sima Guang warned the emperor in an affirmative tone that only Wang Anshi, Zeng Bu, and Lu Huiqing supported the new law, and the entire court opposed them. "Your Majesty wants to rely on these three people to organize the government and the country?" Han Qi and Zhang Fangping resigned in February; Sima Guang refused to serve as a privy envoy and was demoted that month; Fan Zhen left Beijing angrily.In September, Zhao Sui, who had been hesitant and favored the New Deal, decided to resign.He also pointed out that "the emissary of young crops is small in body, but the minister who is close to the ears and eyes is the big one." As an excuse, it was actually bombarded by critics.In December of the third year of Xining (1070), Wang Anshi officially paid homage to the prime minister (the same as Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi), ranking first among the officials, and his position was unshakable.In July of the following year, Ouyang Xiu resigned from all official positions and lived in seclusion. Now Su Dongpo wrote his famous 9,000-character "Letter to the Emperor", intending to accept the fate of dismissal.He fought side by side with Sima Guang and Fan Zhen, and both Sima Guang and Fan Zhen left in a rage.Fan Zhen was later related to Su Dongpo, and served in the Ministry of Education under the two previous emperors.He looks fat and gentle, but his heart is like steel.Before he left, he said in his resignation letter: "Your Majesty has the ability to accept advice, and the minister has the strategy of rejecting it. Your Majesty has the nature of loving the people, and the minister uses the art of remnants of the people." When the emperor went to court, he showed the letter to Wang Anshi, and Wang Anshi His face was livid.People standing nearby said that everyone was shaking with anger when they saw him holding the paper. In September of the third year of Xining (1070), Sima Guang was sent to a county in Shaanxi to serve.He had no time to refuse.He exchanged three sincere and harsh private letters with Wang Anshi, and finally turned his face completely.The emperor also wanted him to stay in the capital, and he repeatedly told the officials that as long as Sima Guang was by his side, he would not make a big mistake.The emperor repeatedly asked him to return to the capital, but Sima Guang refused.His word was exhausted.If the emperor refused to listen to the persuasion and insisted on riding a stubborn mule to seek death, there was nothing he could do.He was determined to resign and go into seclusion, and he couldn't hold back his anger.He wrote to the emperor and said: "An Shi thinks he is virtuous, he is virtuous, he thinks he is stupid, he is stupid. The talents and knowledge of the ministers are what Gu Anshi is stupid. The opinions of the ministers are what Gu Anshi is wrong. What you say today is the so-called slander of your Majesty. I hope for the grace of God and punish him. If the crimes of the ministers are the same as those of Fan Zhen , then begged to follow the rules of Fanzhen to become an official. If the crime was more serious than the town, he would flee or be punished, so he dared not escape." During the sixteen years from now to Shenzong, Sima Guang devoted himself to writing behind closed doors, and finally completed the masterpiece of history that he had started a few years ago.Later, Shenzong deposed Wang Anshi and wanted Sima Guang to return to serve as a senior official. His answer was still Shenzong willing to change the economic policy?As a result, the two factions of political thought stand firm and cannot be changed.But in the early years of Zhezong, Wang Anshi passed away. As the prime minister, Sima Guang said before his death: "Wang Anshi is not a bad person. The only shortcoming is stubbornness. Try to posthumously give him all the noble titles." Su Dongpo's 9,000-character "Book of the Emperor" is very important. It can represent his political philosophy, and also shows his personal temper and writing style, full of wit, knowledge and fearless courage.Indignant arguments are interspersed with cool, concise reasoning.Sometimes he is frustrated, harsh, critical, and straightforward; sometimes he argues slowly, citing scriptures (Confucius and Mencius), and citing historical examples to support his theory.Clever, earnest, powerful, full of excitement and pathos about the events of the world.He met the emperor in January, and the emperor praised him for "discussing the school's tribute" and asked him to "take pictures of the gains and losses without hiding anything".Su Tungpo followed his will directly.At that time, all the senior officials had resigned, and the timing was not good for him. He desperately tried to persuade the emperor to change his mind for the last time.He knew that if he didn't suffer a catastrophe, he would also be dismissed. In the eyes of modern readers, the two most important arguments are Mencius's so-called granting power to the people by the monarch, and the issue of accommodating dissent and criticism.Su Dongpo warned the emperor that the monarch does not rely on "divine power" to rule, but on the support of the people.Beware the Emperor! But if the monarch does not allow people to express their opinions freely, how can he win the hearts of the people?Su Dongpo went on to raise what I think is the most important point.It is the principle of political disagreement, and the Taiwan remonstrance system is a concrete manifestation of this principle.Su Tungpo believed that good government depended on the healthy functioning of dissent.Democracy exists on the principle of dissent between parties.I believe that if Su Dongpo was born in modern times, he would definitely oppose the veto power of the UN Security Council and think it is undemocratic.He knew that since Pangu opened the sky, no two people have exactly the same views, except that democracy is autocracy.I have never found that a person who opposes democracy is not a tyrant at home, in the country, and in the political situation of the world.Su Dongpo also said: I believe that no one has explained the reasons for the existence of Taiwan's remonstrance and the principles contained in it more clearly than Su Dongpo's letter.Free, unimpeded, and fearless discourses represent free public opinion: He compared the current state of public opinion with the past: Su Dongpo studied and compared the government systems of various dynasties, and clarified the reasons for the existence of Taiwan remonstrance.Here he shows his talent as a strategist, with profound content, powerful reasoning, and profound insights: Su Dongpo advised the emperor not to use power to force the people to submit.He again mentioned the legend of the restoration of corporal punishment.Hundreds of years ago, the government used various corporal punishments to punish criminals, including the four punishments of mo, ji, jing and gong.These inhumane punishments were abolished in the second century BC.Castration was not abolished until AD 600.Thanks to these two letters from Su Dongpo, the Song Dynasty did not resume torture.Rumors grow day by day: Su Dongpo pointed out that commerce was paralyzed and prices soared; from the provinces around the capital to Sichuan and Sichuan, rumors abounded and the hearts of the people boiled.Alcohol is banned even in mountainous areas.Monks and nuns were arrested, property was confiscated, and salaries of soldiers and officials were reduced: He believed that the emperor could clearly see the discord and struggle in the country.He should be able to see the tendency of public discussion from the minister's resignation.He repeatedly expressed his opposition to the new law, and then returned to the topic, saying that the emperor's implementation of the new policy had lost popular support, and public discussions opposed him and the current government. There was no reply to the letter.Su Dongpo wrote a third letter in March.At this time, the emperor had ordered the prohibition of forced loan distribution, but he did not intend to abolish the New Deal.Su Dongpo quoted Mencius as saying that this is like a chicken thief intending to reform, but intends to steal a chicken every month.Since January of the fourth year of Xining (1071), he has served as the official of Kaifeng Prefecture, and passed a rural examination.The topic is "On Arbitrary" (the full text is "Jin Wu Ping Wu, died by arbitrariness. Qi Xiaobai was appointed as Guan Zhong to dominate. Yan Kuai was appointed as his son and lost. The same thing but different results, why?"), Wang Anshi was very angry, make the situation worse. Su Tungpo was dismissed immediately.As expected, the emperor accepted his advice with good intentions, but the treacherous villain could find some trumped-up charges to punish him.Xie Jingwen, Wang Anshi's relative and entourage, turned the wheel of law to Su Dongpo.Some people rumored that he escorted his father's coffin back to Sichuan, abused the government guards, bought furniture, ceramics, and even sold private salt for profit.The imperial court sent officials to the provinces where the Su brothers passed to collect information from boatmen, soldiers, and ceremonial officials.Su Dongpo may have bought a lot of furniture and ceramics, but he did not do anything illegal.The messenger came back and said: Nothing was found. If they could find it, they would definitely bring it back. He wrote to his brother-in-law (Wang Zhen) who was living in Sichuan at the time, saying: "A certain and twenty-seven mothers are very safe, and little Tian Jishu is fine... A certain has been ill for a long time due to the fortune of power. However, it is futile to do nothing. Stirring, making fun of Sifang'er. Don't worry about Yuanyuan." Before Sima Guang returned to his hometown in Luoyang, the emperor once said to him: "I think Su Shi's character is not good. Maybe you overestimated him." "Your Majesty is referring to Su Shi's impeachment case?" Sima Guang replied. "I know him better. Your Majesty knows that Xie Jingwen is Anshi's relative, and Wang Anshi initiated the case. Su Shi is not perfect, but he is much better than the beast Li Dingke who concealed his mother's death." According to the evaluation of the official performance, Su Dongpo should be the prefect, and the emperor also had this intention.Wang Anshi and Xie Jingwen disagreed and asked him to serve as a judge in a partial county; but the emperor reassigned him to Lidu Hangzhou to be a general judge.Su Dongpo didn't even bother to write a statement of defense against the censor.He asked the investigators to check it out, and he took his family to Hangzhou.
The disparity in the lineup is not only sad but also ridiculous.Looking at this list, we cannot help wondering how Wang Anshi offended all his friends, and why Shenzong was willing to pay such a high price to put Wang Anshi in power, dismissing, dismissing, and discussing crimes against all opponents.In the end, Shenzong had to depose Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, Deng Wan and others.The dream of a strong country was shattered, and he willingly ruled a mediocre government.If knowledge of people is the foundation of divinity, then the posthumous title of "Shenzong" is really not worthy of the name. Wang Anshi never indulged in sexual desires, nor did he commit corruption. His style was out of compulsion, and this is where the real tragedy lies.He knew he would have to overcome all opposition to his radical state-run program.Maybe that's why he waited so long.He has a beautiful dream, and everything he has is pointing to that distant goal. He does not want the country to be happy, peaceful, and prosperous, but hopes that the country will be rich and powerful, and its borders will expand north and south.God wants the Song Dynasty to expand its territory, just like the Han and Tang Dynasties, and Wang Anshi is the destined hero.But in the eyes of future historians, there is no "big hero" who does not appear to be pathetic—he is caught in the cage of his own ambition, a victim of a dream, which grows and expands, and then shatters like a bubble. He looked down on all "popular customs", not only alienated good officials and good ministers, but also lost two friends, Han Wei and Lu Gongzhu.We remember that when Shenzong was still the crown prince, Han Wei once completely turned Shenzong's will and hope to Wang Anshi.Wang Anshi implemented the new law and had a slight disagreement with these friends, so he immediately expelled them from the court.He is lonely and desperate, so he promotes unknown and unqualified villains, who know how to obey in everything and use him to achieve their own desires.In order to facilitate the recognition of the three villains, I have translated the names of Li Ding, Shu Quan and Deng Wan into English that is easy to spell.Li Ding concealed the news of his mother's death and refused to resign, which is a bold offense in Confucian society.Deng Wan once said a famous saying "I follow you with laughter and scolding, and I am a good official for myself", which has been passed down through the ages.However, Wang Anshi's biggest supporters were two resourceful and eloquent figures Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing, the latter being especially important, who finally betrayed Wang Anshi and replaced him.The collapse of the New Deal in eight years can be described by a contemporary saying: "Lu Huiqing betrayed Wang Anshi, Wang Anshi betrayed the emperor, and the emperor betrayed the people." Huiqing despicably published Wang Anshi's private letters, alienating his relationship with the emperor, and Wang Anshi collapsed. In his later years, he often wrote "Fujianzi" several times a day to vent his anger. Lu Huiqing is from Fujian.When the New Deal was abolished, Su Dongpo met Wang Anshi in Nanjing and accused him of causing war and persecuting scholars. Wang Anshi said that everything was caused by Huiqing.This defense is unreasonable, because Wang Anshi himself insisted on severely punishing heresy, and the activities of the capital to monitor the censors were established during the period from April of the fourth year of Xining (1071) to July of the sixth year of Xining (1073), when Hui Qing was resigning. The official wears the mother's funeral. In addition, the leaders of the two parties, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, have political disagreements, but they have sincere beliefs and their private lives are impeccable.Both men are financially innocent and have no reputation for immorality, and Ouyang Xiu has at least had an affair with his family. Once Wang Anshi's wife Wu bought a concubine for her husband.The woman appeared in front of him, and Wang Anshi asked her in surprise, "What's going on?" "My lady wants me to serve you." "Who are you?" Wang Anshi asked again. She said: "My husband was responsible for carrying rice for the army. The ship sank and its cargo was destroyed. We sold everything and couldn't make it up. So my husband sold me to fill the vacancy." "How much are you worth?" Wang Anshi said. "Nine hundred coins." Wang Anshi found her husband and asked the woman to go back with him, and she didn't have to pay back the money. Sima Guang also had a similar experience, someone else found a concubine for him privately.When he was young, he served as a general judge, and his wife had no son.The prefect's wife gave him a concubine, but Sima Guang ignored it.His wife thought that she was in the way, so she asked the servant to wait for her to go out before going into his study at night dressed up.Sima Guang found the servant in his room, and asked in surprise, "Madam is not here, how dare you come in?" and sent her away.Both of them aim to realize the policy and don't care about personal interests, and Wang Anshi doesn't care about money.He served as the prime minister, and as soon as he got his salary, he gave it to his brothers to spend. Sima Guang's knowledge and morals are the best in the contemporary era, and he fights for principles from beginning to end.He and Wang Anshi represent opposing policy positions.To paraphrase a contemporary saying: "Wang Anshi must carry out the new policy, but he is willing to be the prime minister; Sima Guang must abolish the new policy, but he is willing to be the deputy envoy of the privy." "Tong Jian" is an important Chinese history book, written in the Five Dynasties, with 294 volumes in total, and 30 volumes of source and comparative materials attached (examination of differences). This book not only has a rich foundation of knowledge, but also The writing style is even more excellent, and it will become the Big Dipper that must be referred to in the writing of Chinese history books in the future.The first draft (long edition) is several times as long as the finished book.He wrote on time; every day he had to copy a zhang paper of materials, and the manuscripts were said to fill two large rooms.This masterpiece took him twenty-five years. The first thing that caused disputes was farmers' loans.After several months of deliberation by the Department of Regulations and Establishment of the Three Divisions, the "Young Crop Law" was finally promulgated in September of the second year of Xining (1069).The imperial court sent forty-one envoys to the counties to implement the new plan.It soon proved that the loan could not be voluntarily applied by farmers as agreed.So the envoy faced two choices, one was to return to the court to report the failure, and the other was to force a loan and report credit to the court.The government would rather lend money to the rich, which is more secure, but the rich are not short of money.There are poor people who need money, but the government must have a guarantee that they will pay their debts.Some envoys designed a system of apportionment of loans, from the rich to the poorest farmers according to their economic capabilities.But the poor are too poor to borrow, and only the rich can borrow, which is the nature of modern finance and finance.To ensure that the debts will be collected, the government asks the rich neighbors to guarantee the poor.One emissary reported that the people "appreciated and thanked" when they received the loan.Another messenger, unwilling to persecute the people, brought back a different report.Yu Shi impeached the successful envoy, saying that he "suppressed" loans, which obviously violated the imperial edict.Wang Anshi went to Yushitai and said to the officials: "What do you mean? You impeach the envoys who implement the New Deal, but you don't blame those who neglect their duties." Han Qi was serving as the appeasement envoy of Hebei in the Daming Mansion at that time. He saw the implementation of the Green Crop Law with his own eyes, and wrote a letter to the emperor, describing the scene of the loan issuance.His statement is different from Su Shi's excited one. It is thoughtful, well-phrased, and realistic. It is written by a former minister who was once an extremely powerful minister, and it is extremely powerful.He said that even the poorest were given a fixed amount, and the rich got more.The so-called farmer's loans were also allocated to urbanites, landlords, and "monopoly exploiters" who were deliberately squeezed out and suppressed by the New Deal; therefore, the Young Crops Law has lost its original purpose.When people borrow one yuan, they will have to pay back one yuan and three in a few months.No matter how much the government denies that it is lending money for interest, the people will never believe it.Han Qi pointed out that prohibiting apportionment and relying entirely on voluntariness is empty talk, because the rich do not want to borrow money, and the poor want to borrow, but there is no property guarantee; in the end, they have to ask the guarantor to repay the debt.The ambassador wanted to curry favor with the dignitaries in the court, but low-level officials dared not speak up. Han Qi said that as a senior minister in the court, he was obliged to tell the truth to the emperor. He demanded that the new law be abolished, the tax collectors be recalled, and the normal state of the past be restored. warehouse. "Han Qi is a loyal minister," the emperor discussed his appearance with Wang Anshi. "He is in a foreign country, and he has not forgotten the royal family. I thought the loan was good for the people, but I didn't expect it to do so much harm. And the green crop law should be limited to agricultural areas. What about lending in the city?" Wang Anshi immediately replied: "Why not? If urban residents need loans, why not let them borrow?" So Han Qi and the imperial court exchanged several letters, so the Prime Minister specifically pointed out that the state-run theory of the Han Dynasty squeezed the people's blood and sweat to enrich the emperor's arsenal, which could not be regarded as the way to "rich the country". Wang Anshi's status was shaken, and the emperor began to have the idea of abolishing "Qingmiao".When Wang Anshi heard the news, he asked for leave on the pretext of illness.Regarding Wang Anshi's request for leave, Sima Guang once said: "The scholars are boiling, and the people are in turmoil." The ministers discussed this situation. Zhao Yan still supported Wang Anshi at that time, and advocated that everyone wait for Wang Anshi to cancel the leave.That night Zeng Gongliang, one of the cabinet members, sent his son to inform Wang Anshi of the change in the political situation and persuade him to return from leave.Wang Anshi was informed, canceled his sick leave, and went to court again, finally convincing the emperor that the opposition wanted to "obstruct the grace of the New Deal." The emperor didn't know the truth, so he sent two eunuchs to the countryside to investigate the truth.The eunuch knew which side was the backer, and came back and said that the loan was popular with the people, and "there is no restraint".Veteran Wen Yanbo objected: "Your Majesty actually trusts two eunuchs, but not Han Qi, the good minister of the three dynasties?" But the emperor trusted his envoys and decided to implement the new law.A small number of irresponsible and ignorant reporters do not understand what they are talking about, but they often affect the development of events and influence the country's policies!If the eunuch had the courage to tell the truth, the Song Dynasty's line might have a different turning point.The truth is revealed, but the fate of the two eunuchs is unknown.They said what the emperor loved to hear.When the times changed and it was no longer fashionable to talk about the wonderful "land reformers," they dared not say a word. Sima Guang, Fan Zhen and Su Dongpo fought side by side.Sima Guang had a good impression of Wang Anshi and admired the emperor's confidence.The emperor talked to him about Wang Anshi, and he said: "People say he is hypocritical, maybe it is too much. But he is unrealistic and stubborn." However, he had a big fight with Wang Anshi's confidant Lu Huiqing in the emperor's history class In the end, the emperor had to stop the fight and asked both sides to be quiet.So Wang Anshi began to hate Sima Guang, saying that he opposed the New Deal.Wang Anshi suddenly asked for leave, and the emperor wanted Sima Guang to be the deputy envoy of the Privy Council.Sima Guang refused, saying that his official position is not important, what matters is whether His Majesty is willing to abolish the new law.Sima Guang went to the table nine times, and the emperor said: "I want you to manage the Privy Council and be in charge of military affairs. Why do you keep refusing to talk about these unrelated military issues?" "I did not accept the post of privy secretary," Sima Guang replied, "I will remind Your Majesty of these things after I have been under the door for a day." When Wang Anshi returned from leave, his position became more consolidated, and he reduced Sima Guang to the imperial edict.Fan Zhen refused to issue a new edict twice, and the emperor was furious, and handed over the edict to Sima Guang himself.Fan Zhenjian resigned from the job of "making a patent", and the emperor approved it.Wang Anshi was restored, and Han Qi also resigned from the post of Hebei pacifier and stayed on as the magistrate of the daimyo.The resignation was of course approved. Su Shi was filled with righteous indignation.He has a lot to say.He is more straightforward than others.At that time, he was only thirty-two years old, and he worked in the History Museum. He had a low position and power, and he was limited to literature.In February of the third year of Xining (1070) and February of the fourth year of Xining (1071), he wrote letters to the emperor respectively.These two letters are very long, full of force, and straight to the point.Just like the occasional good editorial in modern times, it immediately caused a national sensation.The first letter began by attacking the Green Sprout Law.He told the emperor that the whole country was disgusted and advised him not to oppress the people.He quoted Confucius as saying: He reminded the emperor step by step: Su Tungpo warned that the emperor was mistaken if he thought monopoly was enough to get things done.Many ministers have been dismissed, and there is even talk of reinstating corporal punishment.He continued: Wang Anshi cleared up Taiwan's admonitions, which was a big issue that shocked the entire officialdom.Wang Anshi shocked the whole court from the beginning, not because of his drastic and extensive economic plans and policies; but because he arbitrarily deposed the censor who criticized them.The power to criticize the regime faces a major challenge.The foundations of government organization were gradually undermined.They touched the most sensitive part of group politics.The courtiers were frustrated, and friends began to leave him. The issue of purging the admonishment officials alone is enough to disgust the officials and ask them to resign.Taijiao is an ancient organization of the Chinese government. Its function is to represent public discussion and constantly review and criticize those in power.Everyone agrees that under the rule of a good government, free criticism should be able to reach the emperor's ears at any time, and properly reflect public opinion.The special status of admonishment brings great authority and responsibility, and a group attack is enough to overthrow a government.This can be regarded as an unwritten way to change government personnel and strategies, a bit like modern newspapers and magazines.The difference is that the power of admonishers and opposition parties in ancient China was not guaranteed by law, but it was recognized that a "good" emperor should tolerate criticism; as for whether he cared about a good reputation, it was up to the emperor himself.If he does not abide by moral restrictions, he can order demotion, punishment, torture, and even kill the admonisher himself and his family.Many emperors did this.Advisers have the responsibility to warn the government and the emperor that personal freedom is not legally guaranteed, and the situation can be said to be very difficult.However, in modern times, some chief writers have a sense of responsibility to the public, bravely offend the centralized government, and do not hesitate to go to jail or sacrifice their lives.This was especially the case in the Eastern Han and Ming dynasties. Some admonishers wrote a statement to denounce a traitor, knowing that they would die, and often hanged themselves first before the protest letter was delivered to the court.These censors are like warriors on the battlefield, who follow each other and die.A good emperor cherishes his reputation and will not easily deal with these censors in order to gain reputation and love for himself, but a bad government only wants to silence the admonitors, just like modern dictators prohibit the freedom of the press. When Wang Anshi was in power, many senior officials had high expectations of him.Now Lu Hui, the censor Zhongcheng, fired the first shot at Wang Anshi, saying that he "holds on wrong views and does not understand things. Putting him in the prime minister, the world will suffer from it."Even Sima Guang was taken aback.The two went to the emperor's classics and history class together. On the way, Lu Hui told Sima Guang what he was going to do that day, and showed him the report in his sleeve. "What can we do? He is very popular." Sima Guang said. "You said the same thing!" Lu Hui replied in shock. Lu Hui was dismissed, and the purge campaign began. Now a small spark kindled a raging fire in the middle.A female prisoner tried to kill her husband, but she survived her injuries.She admitted that she intended to kill, but the officials had different opinions on the punishment.The case stalled for more than a year.Sima Guang wanted to settle the case in one way, but Wang Anshi had another idea and insisted on implementing it.The imperial decree stated how to deal with it, but Yushi Liu Shu asked for a retrial.Advisers often do this.This is the second admonisher who violated Wang Anshi's will, and Wang Anshi impeached him through his subordinates.So the battle is open. Yu Shitai was panicked.The question is whether they will be free to carry out their duties, or be removed one by one.Several censors jointly impeached Wang Anshi and asked him to step down.Wang Anshi was furious and planned to put them in prison.Sima Guang and Fan Chunren resolutely opposed it, and as a result, the six censors were demoted to other counties as wine supervisors.Fan Chunren attacked wantonly.He asked the court to revoke the order to remove the censor - only to be removed himself.The next unlucky person was Dongpo's younger brother Ziyou, who had always opposed the Young Crop Law and the Market Change Law.After two months, old Prime Minister Fu Bi resigned. Before leaving, he warned that in political struggles, good people always lose, and villains will definitely climb to high positions.Because good people fight for principles and bad people fight for power, in the end both sides get their own place, good people leave their jobs, and bad people stay.He predicted that if this continues, the country will soon fall into chaos. Now the court is in turmoil.The Department of Regulations and Regulations of the Three Divisions was established in February of the second year of Xining (1069).Within a few months, public opinion turned from expectations to doubts about the New Deal. Doubt caused confusion, and confusion brought anger and fear. Things happen quickly.In March and April of the third year of Xining (1070), the censors were comprehensively purged.Then the unlucky ones were two friends of Wang Anshih, who had helped him gain power, and he depended on their support for everything.The handsome, irritable, and talkative Sun Jue was also Dongpo's lifelong friend. Wang Anshi cited that the Zhou Dynasty lent money to the people in the 12th century BC with an interest rate of 25%.He objected to this statement, and Wang Anshi still wanted his support. It happened that someone near the capital heard that loans were "suppressed" to farmers, and the emperor ordered an investigation.Wang Anshi sent him out.When Sun Jue came back, he honestly reported that there was a phenomenon of forced sharing. Wang Anshi said that he betrayed his friend-so Sun Jue was dismissed.What's more important is the case written by the "beautiful bearded man" Lu Gong. He is the son of the prime minister and has a lot of knowledge, but he doesn't like to talk.In the early years, Wang Anshi and Lu Gong shared the same subject name and were respected by scholars.Lu Gong once helped Wang Anshi get promoted, so Wang Anshi appointed him as Yushi Zhongcheng.Now Lu Gong wrote a letter to the emperor, which made Wang Anshi very uncomfortable. In the letter, he said: "The so-called sages in the past are all wronged by doing this. How can they be disrespectful now?" The wording is just right to show his changeable character.When Wang Anshi was on good terms with him, he once said to the emperor: "Mr. Lu is talented enough to be a good minister." Now he compares Mr. Lu's works to one of the "four evils" in the Yao and Shun era. That month, Wang Anshi appointed two notorious figures to replace the admonishers he dismissed, making those who admired him even more contemptible. He appointed Li Ding as the censor with full power, and the admonitions in Taiwan were in an uproar.Li Ding had not passed the imperial examination, and had no necessary service qualifications. He had concealed the news of his mother's death and refused to accept her mother's funeral.In the eyes of the Chinese, he is like a beast.Wang Anshi promoted him only because Li Ding was from the countryside, and he once said that the people were "happy" young crops; Wang Anshi brought him before the emperor and reported it in person.The censors were filled with righteous indignation.At the same time, Wang Anshi sent his in-law Xie Jingwen as the censor.In order to get promoted, Xie Jingwen once married his younger sister to Wang Anshi's brother.Three supervisory censors refused to issue appointment letters—all three were dismissed.Other censors raised objections.Zhang Jian asked the imperial court to recall the resigned censor and dismiss Li Ding and Hui Qing who supported Wang Anshi.Zhang Jian went to Zhongshu Province to submit the form and found that Wang Anshi's attitude was very strange.Hearing what Zhang Jian said, he covered his face with his fan and laughed without saying a word. Zhang Jian said, "I know you laugh at me stupidly. But you should understand that there are more people in China who laugh at you." At the same time, the important person who was unlucky was Cheng Hao, a famous Song Dynasty agent and the leader of "Er Cheng".In the early days of the reform, Cheng Hao worked closely with Wang Anshi.Now he also went to Zhongshu Province to personally protest the case to Wang Anshi.Wang Anshi was furious just after reading his petition.The Neo Confucianist said meaningfully: "My friend, what we are arguing about is not about personal or family affairs; we are discussing important national affairs. Can we talk about it calmly?" By Confucian standards, Wang Anshi was ashamed and ashamed. Within a few weeks, the purge of the censors was completed.Together with the censor who was dismissed last year, the number of people who resigned reached fourteen, eleven were from the imperial censor, and three were admonishers in the palace.Sima Guang warned the emperor in an affirmative tone that only Wang Anshi, Zeng Bu, and Lu Huiqing supported the new law, and the entire court opposed them. "Your Majesty wants to rely on these three people to organize the government and the country?" Han Qi and Zhang Fangping resigned in February; Sima Guang refused to serve as a privy envoy and was demoted that month; Fan Zhen left Beijing angrily.In September, Zhao Sui, who had been hesitant and favored the New Deal, decided to resign.He also pointed out that "the emissary of young crops is small in body, but the minister who is close to the ears and eyes is the big one." As an excuse, it was actually bombarded by critics.In December of the third year of Xining (1070), Wang Anshi officially paid homage to the prime minister (the same as Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi), ranking first among the officials, and his position was unshakable.In July of the following year, Ouyang Xiu resigned from all official positions and lived in seclusion. Now Su Dongpo wrote his famous 9,000-character "Letter to the Emperor", intending to accept the fate of dismissal.He fought side by side with Sima Guang and Fan Zhen, and both Sima Guang and Fan Zhen left in a rage.Fan Zhen was later related to Su Dongpo, and served in the Ministry of Education under the two previous emperors.He looks fat and gentle, but his heart is like steel.Before he left, he said in his resignation letter: "Your Majesty has the ability to accept advice, and the minister has the strategy of rejecting it. Your Majesty has the nature of loving the people, and the minister uses the art of remnants of the people." When the emperor went to court, he showed the letter to Wang Anshi, and Wang Anshi His face was livid.People standing nearby said that everyone was shaking with anger when they saw him holding the paper. In September of the third year of Xining (1070), Sima Guang was sent to a county in Shaanxi to serve.He had no time to refuse.He exchanged three sincere and harsh private letters with Wang Anshi, and finally turned his face completely.The emperor also wanted him to stay in the capital, and he repeatedly told the officials that as long as Sima Guang was by his side, he would not make a big mistake.The emperor repeatedly asked him to return to the capital, but Sima Guang refused.His word was exhausted.If the emperor refused to listen to the persuasion and insisted on riding a stubborn mule to seek death, there was nothing he could do.He was determined to resign and go into seclusion, and he couldn't hold back his anger.He wrote to the emperor and said: "An Shi thinks he is virtuous, he is virtuous, he thinks he is stupid, he is stupid. The talents and knowledge of the ministers are what Gu Anshi is stupid. The opinions of the ministers are what Gu Anshi is wrong. What you say today is the so-called slander of your Majesty. I hope for the grace of God and punish him. If the crimes of the ministers are the same as those of Fan Zhen , then begged to follow the rules of Fanzhen to become an official. If the crime was more serious than the town, he would flee or be punished, so he dared not escape." During the sixteen years from now to Shenzong, Sima Guang devoted himself to writing behind closed doors, and finally completed the masterpiece of history that he had started a few years ago.Later, Shenzong deposed Wang Anshi and wanted Sima Guang to return to serve as a senior official. His answer was still Shenzong willing to change the economic policy?As a result, the two factions of political thought stand firm and cannot be changed.But in the early years of Zhezong, Wang Anshi passed away. As the prime minister, Sima Guang said before his death: "Wang Anshi is not a bad person. The only shortcoming is stubbornness. Try to posthumously give him all the noble titles." Su Dongpo's 9,000-character "Book of the Emperor" is very important. It can represent his political philosophy, and also shows his personal temper and writing style, full of wit, knowledge and fearless courage.Indignant arguments are interspersed with cool, concise reasoning.Sometimes he is frustrated, harsh, critical, and straightforward; sometimes he argues slowly, citing scriptures (Confucius and Mencius), and citing historical examples to support his theory.Clever, earnest, powerful, full of excitement and pathos about the events of the world.He met the emperor in January, and the emperor praised him for "discussing the school's tribute" and asked him to "take pictures of the gains and losses without hiding anything".Su Tungpo followed his will directly.At that time, all the senior officials had resigned, and the timing was not good for him. He desperately tried to persuade the emperor to change his mind for the last time.He knew that if he didn't suffer a catastrophe, he would also be dismissed. In the eyes of modern readers, the two most important arguments are Mencius's so-called granting power to the people by the monarch, and the issue of accommodating dissent and criticism.Su Dongpo warned the emperor that the monarch does not rely on "divine power" to rule, but on the support of the people.Beware the Emperor! But if the monarch does not allow people to express their opinions freely, how can he win the hearts of the people?Su Dongpo went on to raise what I think is the most important point.It is the principle of political disagreement, and the Taiwan remonstrance system is a concrete manifestation of this principle.Su Tungpo believed that good government depended on the healthy functioning of dissent.Democracy exists on the principle of dissent between parties.I believe that if Su Dongpo was born in modern times, he would definitely oppose the veto power of the UN Security Council and think it is undemocratic.He knew that since Pangu opened the sky, no two people have exactly the same views, except that democracy is autocracy.I have never found that a person who opposes democracy is not a tyrant at home, in the country, and in the political situation of the world.Su Dongpo also said: I believe that no one has explained the reasons for the existence of Taiwan's remonstrance and the principles contained in it more clearly than Su Dongpo's letter.Free, unimpeded, and fearless discourses represent free public opinion: He compared the current state of public opinion with the past: Su Dongpo studied and compared the government systems of various dynasties, and clarified the reasons for the existence of Taiwan remonstrance.Here he shows his talent as a strategist, with profound content, powerful reasoning, and profound insights: Su Dongpo advised the emperor not to use power to force the people to submit.He again mentioned the legend of the restoration of corporal punishment.Hundreds of years ago, the government used various corporal punishments to punish criminals, including the four punishments of mo, ji, jing and gong.These inhumane punishments were abolished in the second century BC.Castration was not abolished until AD 600.Thanks to these two letters from Su Dongpo, the Song Dynasty did not resume torture.Rumors grow day by day: Su Dongpo pointed out that commerce was paralyzed and prices soared; from the provinces around the capital to Sichuan and Sichuan, rumors abounded and the hearts of the people boiled.Alcohol is banned even in mountainous areas.Monks and nuns were arrested, property was confiscated, and salaries of soldiers and officials were reduced: He believed that the emperor could clearly see the discord and struggle in the country.He should be able to see the tendency of public discussion from the minister's resignation.He repeatedly expressed his opposition to the new law, and then returned to the topic, saying that the emperor's implementation of the new policy had lost popular support, and public discussions opposed him and the current government. There was no reply to the letter.Su Dongpo wrote a third letter in March.At this time, the emperor had ordered the prohibition of forced loan distribution, but he did not intend to abolish the New Deal.Su Dongpo quoted Mencius as saying that this is like a chicken thief intending to reform, but intends to steal a chicken every month.Since January of the fourth year of Xining (1071), he has served as the official of Kaifeng Prefecture, and passed a rural examination.The topic is "On Arbitrary" (the full text is "Jin Wu Ping Wu, died by arbitrariness. Qi Xiaobai was appointed as Guan Zhong to dominate. Yan Kuai was appointed as his son and lost. The same thing but different results, why?"), Wang Anshi was very angry, make the situation worse. Su Tungpo was dismissed immediately.As expected, the emperor accepted his advice with good intentions, but the treacherous villain could find some trumped-up charges to punish him.Xie Jingwen, Wang Anshi's relative and entourage, turned the wheel of law to Su Dongpo.Some people rumored that he escorted his father's coffin back to Sichuan, abused the government guards, bought furniture, ceramics, and even sold private salt for profit.The imperial court sent officials to the provinces where the Su brothers passed to collect information from boatmen, soldiers, and ceremonial officials.Su Dongpo may have bought a lot of furniture and ceramics, but he did not do anything illegal.The messenger came back and said: Nothing was found. If they could find it, they would definitely bring it back. He wrote to his brother-in-law (Wang Zhen) who was living in Sichuan at the time, saying: "A certain and twenty-seven mothers are very safe, and little Tian Jishu is fine... A certain has been ill for a long time due to the fortune of power. However, it is futile to do nothing. Stirring, making fun of Sifang'er. Don't worry about Yuanyuan." Before Sima Guang returned to his hometown in Luoyang, the emperor once said to him: "I think Su Shi's character is not good. Maybe you overestimated him." "Your Majesty is referring to Su Shi's impeachment case?" Sima Guang replied. "I know him better. Your Majesty knows that Xie Jingwen is Anshi's relative, and Wang Anshi initiated the case. Su Shi is not perfect, but he is much better than the beast Li Dingke who concealed his mother's death." According to the evaluation of the official performance, Su Dongpo should be the prefect, and the emperor also had this intention.Wang Anshi and Xie Jingwen disagreed and asked him to serve as a judge in a partial county; but the emperor reassigned him to Lidu Hangzhou to be a general judge.Su Dongpo didn't even bother to write a statement of defense against the censor.He asked the investigators to check it out, and he took his family to Hangzhou.