Chapter 24 4. How can governing be fearless?

On March 28th in the third year of Xining (1070), that is, one year after the reform began, Emperor Shenzong summoned Wang Anshi, the deputy prime minister, and asked him a question: There was a lot of discussion outside, saying that the court had "three deficiencies". do you know? Wang Anshi replied: I don't know.Which three are insufficient? Shenzong said: It is not enough to be afraid of changes in the sky, not enough to be sympathetic to people's words, and not enough to abide by the laws of the ancestors. Wang Anshi said: "I don't know where to say this."His Majesty listens to the government personally, only fearing harming the people, how can he not be afraid of changes in the sky?How can it be disrespectful to speak widely and be open-minded?As for the insufficiency of the ancestral law, I think it should be so.During Renzong's 40-year reign, he did not know how many imperial edicts were revised.If the family law is immutable, why should the ancestors change it?

There is no further information on this matter, but the "three deficiencies" have become suspicious cases.Excuse me, did Wang Anshi say these words?If so, why deny it?If not, why can the opposition make a big fuss about it?Can this be made up? Besides, no matter how you look at it, it's like what he said. Therefore, a judgment that can be accepted by most people is: no matter whether Wang Anshi said these three sentences, or made similar remarks, the "three deficiencies" all represent his thinking, and even the spiritual pillar of his reform and innovation . It's possible and scary.

That's right, according to modern scientific viewpoints, there is no causal relationship between changes in nature and things in the human world.As Dong Zhongshu and others in the Western Han Dynasty said, earthquakes or floods occurred because the rulers did not practice virtue and made mistakes, which is not true.But this unscientific statement has a positive meaning.Because the helm of the Chinese Empire, no matter the emperor or the representative of the imperial power, has too much power.They were neither restricted by the pope and the church like the later European emperors, nor were they controlled by princes like the emperors of the previous Zhou Dynasty.Only God can control these people.

Therefore, when Wang Anshi and the others showed signs of not being afraid of changes in the sky, the old prime minister Fu Bi was worried.He said: The only thing that the king fears is the sky.If you are not even afraid of destiny and scourge, what else can you not do? indeed so.It is no wonder that later Huizong and Cai Jingjun and his ministers dared to act recklessly, because their spiritual mentor Wang Anshi had helped them dispel their concerns. Those who are not afraid of changes in the sky, of course, are not afraid of people's words. In fact, it was not that no one persuaded Shenzong and the others.Fu Bi once reminded the emperor on a day when the spring rains fell happily: May your majesty not take joy in today's rain, but often take years of disasters as fear.Su Shi also criticized the emperor face to face: he was too eager to seek treatment, listened to too many words, and entered people too sharply.It is said that Shenzong was terrified when he heard the words.But what about the result?Su Shi was sent to Kaifeng to be a judge, and Fu Bi left Xiangxiang half a year later.

It was the first half of the second year of Xining, and the reform had just begun. Seeking truth from facts, Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi at the beginning of the reform were calm-minded, and even considered the possibility of failure and mess-up.Emperor Shenzong said that all the changes in the past and present are often caused by one person's mistakes and all the losses.Wang Anshi was also blunt: talents are rare and difficult to know.Back then, Yao, Shun and his ministers jointly chose Gun, and even if they failed to control the floods, how can they not be mistaken because more than one or two people are needed for today's reform?That's why they decided to set up the Three Divisions and Regulations Division, hoping to rely on the system rather than individuals to achieve prosperity and long-term peace and stability.

One month after the establishment of the Third Department of Regulations, Shenzong asked about the progress, and Wang Anshi replied: The document has been drafted.Today, however, money management requires the use of capable people.In this way, the world will think that the imperial court values ​​talent but not virtue, only knows to ask for money and does not pay attention to etiquette and music.Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to consider the priorities. Shenzong nodded in agreement. But soon, Wang Anshi became manic and excited. The changes are not surprising.On the fourth day of September in the second year of Xining, half a year after the establishment of the Third Department of Regulations, the Green Crop Law was promulgated.Of course, Wang Anshi and the others paid close attention to the first step of reform.Shenzong even sent two eunuchs to investigate on the spot, and the information they got was that this method was very popular.However, almost at the same time, critical opinions also poured in like a mountain and a sea, and they were about to drown the weak young shoots.

In the sky of ice and fire, how can you not be excited and manic? It cannot be said that the good news heard by the court is all flattering lies, and Li Ding does not seem to be lying.Not to mention that Han Qi and the others attacked viciously.Wen Yanbo is right: Isn't Han Qi the prime minister of the three dynasties more reliable than those two eunuchs? Therefore, the possible fact is that the Young Crops Law itself has advantages and disadvantages, and the implementation is also good in some places and poor in some places.Li Ding and the others saw something good, but Han Qi and the others discovered the problem.At this time, the most important thing is to be objective and calm.

Wang Anshi couldn't do it, instead he was furious.One day, Li Chenghao, the supervisory censor, was ordered to go to Zhongshu Province to meet him, and his voice was stern when he opened his mouth.Cheng Hao said unhurriedly: When discussing business matters, can't you be calm and talk? Therefore, Cheng Hao was sent to the local area to be a criminal judge. This is really not enough. What is the result?Everyone betrayed their relatives, and even Han Wei, who first recommended him to the emperor, also left him.Wang Anshi didn't care, and couldn't care.Because in his opinion, what he is engaged in is an extraordinary and great cause that benefits the country and the people. This sense of moral loftiness, mission and superiority makes him high-spirited and fearless.

Morality is Wang Anshi's chicken blood injection, even heroin. The same goes for Sima Guang.In fact, history has given him a chance, and the environment and conditions are much better than Wang Anshi's.In his camp, Su Shi, who can divide the labor law into two, is already considered sober-minded, and Fan Chunren is even more objective and fair.At this time, even if he calmed down a little, things would not be as bad as later. It's a pity that Sima Guang was more impulsive than Wang Anshi and seized the day and night. He was obsessed with counter-offensive and reckless calculations. He overthrew whatever Wang Anshi advocated, and restored whatever Wang Anshi abolished.As for whether this is really beneficial to the country and the people, whether it is reasonable and operable, it doesn't matter, because he has a moral blood that is dedicated to the public, and his eyes are full of sincere tears of worrying about the country and the people.

This is how the tragedy happened. It seems that I am afraid that we must make a deep reflection on the cultural tradition of the only morality and the supremacy of ideals.Morality is of course necessary, but it is not the only and primary.A truly good government requires science, democracy and the rule of law, all of which are more important than integrity.Politicians must judge the situation and not act arbitrarily because of pure motives. Similarly, the previous "non-cooperation" may not be desirable. Undoubtedly, there is nothing wrong with not cooperating.As an individual, everyone has the right not to cooperate, but as a politician, he needs to think carefully.If you are facing an authoritarian regime or a Nazi regime, not only cannot you cooperate, but you should also stand up and fight.However, Song is not.The politics of the Song Dynasty was at least enlightened, manifested in the joint rule of the world by the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats.With this premise, wouldn't it be a better choice to stay in the DPRK to fight?

But Sima Guang couldn't do it, because he had to stick to his moral position and occupy the moral high ground.As a result, monarchs and ministers can govern together, but scholar-bureaucrats cannot be compatible.What's more, the ancestral family law only stipulated that the emperor could not act arbitrarily, and the civil official group had different opinions but did not know what to do.As a result, the emperor was not dictatorial, but prime ministers such as Wang Anshi and Sima Guang became dictators instead. The results of it?It is only one step away from the emperor's dictatorship. In fact, one of the serious consequences of Wang Anshi's reform is that it is becoming more and more difficult to rule the world together, and the highest power is subject to fewer and fewer constraints.Because the reforms had a tendency to centralize power, and party struggles made the imperial power even cheaper.What's more, the ancestral family law is just a political rule, not a political system.If even this is not enough, and the literati and bureaucrats are fighting among themselves, the already fragile political civilization will disappear. Obviously, political civilization needs institutional guarantees, as well as psychological guarantees, that is, no matter in which field, even on the battlefield, no fearless spirit can be advocated and advocated.People have to be in awe, especially those who have mastered public power.You don't have to believe in God or the destiny, but you have to be in awe and refrain from action.It is scary not to be afraid of anything. There is a bottom line in awe.Therefore, throughout his life, Sima Guang would only oppose Wang Anshi's reform and would not make personal attacks.When the prime minister became Zhang Dun who didn't even care about his own life, the situation began to take a turn for the worse.Then Cai Jing, who is bold and has no bottom line, is out of control.Did Wang Anshi ever think of all this? Unexpectedly, he has been completely intoxicated by his selflessness and fearlessness.This is of course something we can do nothing about.The question is, is there really nothing wrong with Wang Anshi's motivation for reform?

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