Chapter 21 Negative Effects and Controversies of the Reform

The negative effect caused by Emperor Wu's reform is also significant. Since the real industry and circulation were exclusively controlled by the state, the prosperity of the private economy formed by the "Government of Wenjing" was completely stifled. Since then, the commodity economy has become exhausted. The implementation of the counting order and the warning order has led to two consequences: First, social wealth is forcibly "cleared", the middle class goes bankrupt collectively, and business motivation is lost; Second, what is more serious is that the government is almost a "rogue" in this campaign, and has no spirit of contract with the people. In essence, it is a serious overdraft of government credit, which has caused an unprecedented surge in the concept of social wealth, and people's savings and investment Since then, the consciousness has dropped sharply. According to the "Historical Records Ping Zhun Shu": "The people steal sweet food and good clothes, and it is not an industry for livestock." No longer willing to save and invest.” Its historical consequences are intriguing.

While state-owned enterprises are "doing big things", they also show inherent inferior efficiency.The civilian ironware produced under the supervision of the subway officials in various places was of poor quality and very expensive, and the people were forced to buy it, which led to complaints. In the intellectual circles, Emperor Wu's reforms encountered many opponents, the most fierce of which included the two most famous intellectuals in the world - the great Confucianist Dong Zhongshu and the author of "Historical Records" Sima Qian.Dong Zhongshu was the founder of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty. He clearly opposed the nationalization policy and believed that "salt and iron should all belong to the people."Sima Qian’s economic views are similar to Dong Zhongshu’s. On the contrary, he gave more sympathy and recognition to the merchant class, saying that those big merchants are “those who are rich because of the virtuous”. "Book" and "Biography of Cargo Colonization" are actually two monographs written by Sima Qian in order to oppose the government-run industrial and commercial policy.

Judging from the long-term implementation effect of the reform, there were indeed major policy sequelae in the later period. The increased fiscal revenue due to the nationalization policy is mostly used for national defense and armaments, and the common people get very little benefit from it. This proves once again that under the nationalist policy, it is easy to get a strong country, but it is hard to find wealth for the people. .In the later years of Emperor Wu, there was a scene of "the world is in trouble, and thieves are swarming".In 89 BC, the 68-year-old Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promulgated the "Luntai Guilt Edict", which stated that "since he came to the throne, the actions of this emperor have been very rebellious and rebellious, which has made the people of the world miserable. I regret it now. From now on , All policies that harm the people and make the people of the world toil must be stopped."He proposed, "The most urgent task is to stop harsh and rude policies, reduce taxes and corvees, restore the policy of emphasizing farming and animal husbandry, and reduce military expenditures."This is the first recorded emperor's review in Chinese history.With the great talent and great strategy of Emperor Wu, he was invincible in his early years, and he felt guilty in his later years, which can be regarded as an irony and vigilance of history.Since then, the central policy has become more relaxed, and the people have had a little respite, and finally avoided greater turmoil. Sima Guang pointedly said in the middle that Emperor Wu "had the loss of destroying Qin, but was free from the disaster of destroying Qin."