Chapter 45 "China's Reformer of the Eleventh Century" Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi, courtesy name Jiefu, late Banshan, was born in Linchuan (now Linchuan County, Jiangxi Province). He was a statesman, writer and thinker in the Northern Song Dynasty.He was diligent and studious since he was a child. Before the age of 20, he traveled with his father and traveled to many places in the north and south. He witnessed bureaucrats, gentry, and landlords bullying and oppressing farmers, causing a large number of farmers to lose their land. Contradictions and ethnic conflicts are becoming increasingly acute, and national defense and finances are in serious crisis.These circumstances prompted him to aspire to reform politics and lay the ideological foundation for future reforms.

In the second year of Qingli (1042), Wang Anshi became a Jinshi and embarked on an official career. He successively served as a judge in Huainan, a magistrate of Yinxian County, a magistrate of Changzhou, and a prisoner on Jiangnan East Road. He worked in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for sixteen and seven years. magistrate of the year.In the areas under his jurisdiction, he showed outstanding political skills and initially implemented innovative measures.In the third year of Jiayou (1058), he was transferred back to the capital. Years of local official experience not only made Wang Anshi deeply aware of the general poverty of Song Dynasty society, but also made Wang Anshi realize that the root of social poverty lies in mergers.From this, Wang Anshi further realized that the crisis facing the feudal rule of the Song Dynasty was that "inside, one cannot be free from worrying about the country, and outsidely, one cannot be free from fear of barbarians."Shortly after returning to the capital to take up his post, Wang Anshi presented a famous book of ten thousand words to Renzong, which is "Book of Words and Things of Emperor Renzong of Shang".Put forward the idea of ​​reform, request to change the situation of "poor and weak", implement the policy of enriching the country and strengthening the army, restrain the annexation of big bureaucratic landlords, strengthen the ruling power, in order to prevent large-scale peasant uprisings and consolidate the rule of the landlord class.Wan Yanshu discussed political affairs freely, stated his plan to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and drew a blueprint for his future reforms, but it was not adopted at that time.

After Shenzong ascended the throne, he wanted to change the poor and weak state of the country, so he admired Wang Anshi's reform ideas very much. In the second year of Xining (1069), he was appointed as a political adviser (deputy prime minister), and promoted to Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhang the next year. Things (Prime Minister).Immediately establish the Department of Regulations of the Three Divisions (the official office in charge of formulating the regulations of the Three Divisions of Salt and Iron, Duzhi, and the Ministry of Households) as an institution to lead the reform.He promulgated a series of new laws starting from the two aspects of "financial management" and "army consolidation".Those belonging to the scope of "financial management" include the Farmland Water Conservancy Law, the Young Crops Law, the Exemption Law, the Fangtian Average Tax Law, the Market Change Law, and the Average Loss Law; Ordnance Superintendent.As a result of the implementation of the new law, to a certain extent, the tyrannical merger forces were restricted, and the national financial and military crises were eased.

The purpose of Wang Anshi's reform was to enrich the country and strengthen the army, so as to reverse the poor and weak situation in the Northern Song Dynasty and consolidate the rule of the landlord class.However, the reform greatly touched the interests of the bureaucratic group of big landlords and aroused their strong opposition.Although he tried his best to reject the dissent and implemented the new law tenaciously, he was eventually outnumbered. Under the slander and attacks of the opposition, he was forced to resign in the seventh year of Xining (1074).The next year, he paid homage to the prime minister again, but because Shenzong lost interest in continuing the reform, he had a disagreement with Wang Anshi on how to reform the law. After Wang Anshi returned to the prime minister, he could not get more support. The reform cannot be continued.What's more, his beloved son Wang Yu died of illness again, which hit Wang Anshi very hard, and his health was very sick, so he resigned and returned to Jiangning a year later.In his later years, he spent nearly ten years of retirement in Jiangning.In the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Shenzong died of illness, the old school came to power, and the new law was completely abolished.Wang Anshi couldn't help but said sadly and angrily: "Is that the end of it!?" Soon he died of illness.Although Wang Anshi's reform failed, its new law played a positive role in the political and economic development at that time.Lenin once said that "Wang Anshi was the reformer of China in the 11th century." He was granted the Duke of Jing during his lifetime, and he is known as Wang Jinggong in the world.After his death, he was posthumously named Wen, also known as Wang Wengong.

Wang Anshi attached great importance to the social function of literature, advocating that articles should be “relevant to the world” and “based on application”. He also did not neglect the role of artistic skills.His political essays are sharp in analysis, clear in attitude, grand in discussion and vigorous in writing, forming a sharp and steep artistic style.For example, "Sima Admonishment Book" highlights his uncompromising political attitude towards the conservatives and his broad mind that does not care about personal gains and losses. With only a few hundred words, he analyzes in detail, concisely and concisely, and refute the opponent very powerfully.Miscellaneous notes such as "You Bao Chan Shan Ji" combine travel notes and reasoning closely and naturally, and embody profound philosophy in ordinary life phenomena, which are thought-provoking.

Wang Anshi's poetry creation is greatly influenced by Du Fu and Han Yu. The content mostly reflects the sufferings of the people and social problems.The style of the short poems written in his later years when he lived at home has changed, blending into the scene, implicit and meaningful, with the charm of the Tang Dynasty, but less touching the contradictions of reality.He also has a small number of Ci works, with a dignified style.