Chapter 19 Chapter Five: Wang Anshi's Reform

Wang Anshi grew up in a family of officials.His father's name was Wang Yi, and he was a Jinshi. During the Tianxi period, he served as a general judge in the Linjiang Army.Afterwards, during his 24 years of official career, Wang Yi has been transferred to other prefectures.In his youth, Wang Anshi followed his father to Guangdong Road (now Shaoguan, Guangdong) in the south and Kaifeng in the north, and traveled to many places in the north and south of the river.Although the north-south migration was not stable in life, it broadened his horizons and increased his knowledge. Wang Anshi loved reading since he was a child. He learned a lot by memorizing, and wrote exquisite articles.He "learned less about Confucius and Mencius" and read books of various schools of thought and "Nan Jing", "Su Wen", "Materia Medica" and other books a little longer, which enriched his knowledge.One of the outstanding characteristics of Wang Anshi's reading is to connect book knowledge with reality, so as to "apply what he has learned" instead of blindly following it.He also pays attention to learning from the society, humbly seeking advice from farmers and female workers.Wang Anshi once said: "People who are good at learning read books and pursue the truth. Whatever is reasonable, the woodcutter and herdsman must obey. If the words are unreasonable, even Zhou Gong and Confucius dare not obey." Bao Yuan II In February of 1039 AD, when Wang Anshi was 19 years old, his father Wang Yi died of illness suddenly.The whole family of dozens of people suddenly fell into a difficult life, and they often ate wild vegetables to satisfy their hunger.During Jiang Ning's three-year mourning, the poor days tempered his resolute and stubborn character.The disparity between the rich and the poor in society made Wang Anshi more sympathetic and understanding of the hunger and cold of the working people in the lower class.When he entered the government school, he was thinking about the issue of social reform.

In the first year of Renzong Qingli (1041 A.D.), Wang Anshi went to Kaifeng, the capital, to take the examination of the Ministry of Rites.The chief examiner selected him as the number one scholar in the undergraduate course, and submitted the paper to the imperial examination.Because there is a sentence in the Fu that "a child is his friend", it violates the taboo of "friends and friends", so it is ranked fourth.After passing the Jinshi examination, Wang Anshi was sent to Yangzhou to serve as an official of the Huainan Jiedu Judicial Office, that is, to serve as an aide of Han Qi, the prefect.During his tenure in Yangzhou, he was still self-motivated. He often studied all night and took a nap in the early morning before rushing to the mansion to handle errands.In this way, Wang Anshi spent three years nervously in Yangzhou.

In the fifth year of Qingli (1045 A.D.), Wang Anshi's term of office in Yangzhou expired.According to the system of selecting officials in the Song Dynasty, after the expiration of the term of the Jinshi sent by Zhonggaodi, they were allowed to submit articles to the imperial court, apply for a position in the imperial court, and enter the Central Zhaowen Museum, the History Museum and other institutions that are known as talent reserves.Wang Anshi did not choose this path. He hoped to take advantage of the opportunity of serving as a local official to practice what he had learned, so he asked to serve in other counties.At the beginning of the seventh year of Qingli (1047 A.D.), he served as the magistrate of Yin [yinyin] County (now Ningbo, Zhejiang Province). He served for nearly three years and ruled Ji Fei [fei Bandit] Ran.

Yin County is near the river and the sea, and it is a place with good natural conditions.But over the years, the canal project fell into disrepair and ruined.In his first year in office, Wang Anshi used the slack season to mobilize the people to build water conservancy projects.In the eleventh month of the lunar calendar that year, he crossed mountains and ridges, and traveled tirelessly to 14 townships in the east and west of the county. He personally supervised the villagers to dredge the canals, build embankments, and store water to prevent drought.Wang Anshi attached great importance to water conservancy construction, adjusted river courses, and dredged ponds, so that the residents of the county benefited greatly from water and land.Comprehensive water control and development of production are the first virtues of Wang Anshi's tenure.Every spring when the crops are lean, the local tycoons take advantage of the opportunity to lend usury and exploit the vast number of poor farmers.In the second year of Wang Anshi's tenure, he immediately took measures to open the county government's granary and loan the stored grain to self-cultivating farmers who were struggling.After the autumn harvest, add two points of interest and pay off the principal.In this way, it not only helped the residents to survive the spring famine, but also exchanged the old food in the official warehouse, which was widely praised by the people.Borrowing grain at low interest rates to help farmers solve their urgent needs is the second virtue of his tenure.After Wang Anshi arrived in Yin County, he deeply felt that the local culture was backward and the lack of talents was not conducive to changing customs and realizing the great governance of the county.He decided to put education first and set up county schools.The prefectural and county schools that had been converted into Confucian temples since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties were restored as academies, and famous scholars from all over the world were invited to serve as teaching instructors.Running schools and teaching, and humanities flourishing, this is his third virtue.Wang Anshi gave favorable policies all over the place, and won the support and love of the people of Yin County.

In the third year of Huangyou (1051 A.D.), Wang Anshi was transferred to Shuzhou (now Qianshan, Anhui).The status of the general judge is slightly inferior to that of the prefect, and he is in charge of supervision and taxation.At this time, the prime minister Wen Yanbo repeatedly recommended Wang Anshi to work in the literary museum, and the imperial court also specially ordered him to enter the examination.He always resigned on the grounds of family poverty and old relatives.In the first year of Jiayou (1056 A.D.), Wang Anshi was transferred to Kaifeng, where he was a magistrate with Sima Guang, but he often wanted to be an official in prefectures and counties.In the second year of Jiayou (1057 A.D.), the imperial court approved him to be the prefect of Changzhou (now Changzhou, Jiangsu).Since the mid-Song Dynasty, the atmosphere of the government and the public has become increasingly extravagant.When the governor of the state and county took office, he rode a tall horse, and the accompanying officials and soldiers hugged him, looking very majestic.Wang Anshi went to Changzhou from Kaifeng to take up his post. He rode a 婽 [nu slave, inferior horse] horse, and all he brought with him were old everyday things, and he had few entourages.Later, he was transferred from Changzhou to Jiangning, where he served as a criminal prison on Jiangnan East Road, and was in charge of justice and prisons.During his tenure, he proposed to adjust the state's tea system (queque, monopoly) to allow tea vendors to sell and the government to collect taxes.Mobilized the production enthusiasm of tea people and tea merchants, and the country obtained greater benefits from it.

Wang Anshi is a courageous man of action. From being the magistrate of Yin County to being the governor of Zhoulu Road, he is different from ordinary bureaucrats in every place he goes. Reform.These practical activities have undoubtedly accumulated very valuable experience for Wang Anshi to realize his political ambitions and complete his overall vision of reforming society in the future.