Wang Anshi and Sima Guang: Who is the gravedigger of the Northern Song Dynasty?

Foreword: In April of the second year of Jingkang (1127), the Jinbing broke through Kaifeng, the two emperors Hui and Qin were taken into captivity, and the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed, which was "the shame of Jingkang". For thousands of years, when people looked at this state of war, some people believed that Wang Anshi was the culprit of the Northern Song Dynasty, and some people believed that the Northern Song Dynasty's death began with Sima Guang. What are the facts? Who should carry this pot more, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang?

Wang Anshi and Xining Reform

Before Wang Anshi's reform, the Northern Song Dynasty had a brief reform during Song Renzong, which was called the "Qingli New Deal" in history. The reform lasted for more than a year, but was halted urgently, and failed to change the direction of the empire. The Northern Song Dynasty was still suffering from internal and external problems.

Compared with the "Qingli New Deal", Wang Anshi's reform lasted longer, and the content of the reform was more comprehensive. It involved politics, economy, military, society, and culture. It was another scale in ancient Chinese history after Shang Yang's reform. A huge social change movement.

From the perspective of future generations, Wang Anshi’s reform can be briefly summarized into three aspects: First, vigorously develop productivity, promote social and economic development, increase social wealth, and realize "the people do not add wealth. The purpose is to redistribute social resources, to “manage the wealth of the world to serve the world”, increase national fiscal revenue, and replenish the national treasury; the third is to vigorously develop armaments, upgrade the national military power, and completely solve the problems of Xixia and Liao The country and other foreign troubles restored the momentum of Han and Tang Dynasties, and established a unified Great Song Empire.

Although Wang Anshi’s reform ended in failure like the Qingli New Deal, the social and economic development of the Northern Song Dynasty has been rapid through the reform, and the burden on the people has been reduced. It presents a scene of prosperity that has never been seen in a century; the country’s fiscal revenue is large. The increase in the range, the treasury savings in the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty could be used for the government's fiscal expenditure for 20 years, which completely changed the situation of "poverty" in the Northern Song Dynasty.

According to the "Tong Kao", the number of cultivated fields in the world during the Yuanfeng period was more than 200,000 hectares than in the Zhiping period. In the first year of Yuanyou (1086), Bi Zhongyou said in "Sima Wengong's Book of the Going to the Door": "There are tens of millions of dollars of money produced in Changping, Immunity, Fangchang, Hedu, and Hujuezhuang. The official (referring to the Ministry of Households) thought that the funds could be used for 20 years."

Externally, Wang Anshi's "Strengthening the Army" reversed the passive situation in the northwest border of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the sixth year of Xining of the Northern Song Dynasty (1073), with the support of Wang Anshi, the Song Xihe Road pacified Wang Shao to lead an army to attack Tubo, regained the five states of He, Tao, and Min, reclaimed more than 2,000 miles, and received 30 Qiang people. Wan Zeng, this was the last unprecedented military victory of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it also established a favorable front for attacking the Xixia region.

Regarding the victory of the Battle of Xihe, the historical book evaluation is: "The Northern Song Dynasty has achieved the greatest military victory in 80 years after the end of the ten-nation separatist situation."

Although there are many shortcomings and shortcomings in the reform process, due to improper employment and eagerness to achieve results, the phenomenon that the new law harms the people has caused the consequences of disturbing and harming the people. This is in line with the original intention of Wang Anshi's reform. Peasants, the state is sufficient, and the people's wealth is not in short supply" are very different, and they have created a group of political speculators, such as Cai Jing and others, which laid the root of the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Records of Shenzong and Song History in the Southern Song Dynasty believed that Wang Anshi was the culprit of the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty. The great Confucian Zhu Xi had the phrase "quoting fierce evil, repelling loyalty, treacherous and heir abuse, and poisoning the world".

Yang Shen of the Ming Dynasty even described Wang Anshi as "the first villain in ancient and modern times" in "Shen Danlu". He believed: "Wang Anshi's reforms ruined the dying Northern Song Dynasty."

In fact, from the two starting points of "rich country" and "strong soldiers", the reform itself was partially successful. Xining went to Yuanfeng to regain the fertility of the treasury, regaining lost ground, and the military sound vibrated slightly, and the Northern Song Dynasty also appeared. Show the momentum of ZTE.

In the late Qing Dynasty, Liang Qichao compared Wang Anshi to Cromwell in China, saying that he was "a man who is not born in the world, but is covered by the dirt of the world." He said that Wang Anshi was "a perfect man under three generations. That's it". The conclusion of the reform was "the most prestigious social revolution in the history of the country and the world."

It can be said that before Wang Anshi’s reform, the Northern Song Dynasty was like a patient who was dying of illness. He was in a state of mixed eating and waiting to die. Through Wang Anshi’s treatment, the patient’s health became better. You can win a fight with your neighbors. If you continue to insist on treatment, your condition may get better.

Unfortunately, the patient and family members interrupted the treatment due to fear of side effects. In the end, the patient hiccups due to various reasons during the fight with his new neighbor. The family members attributed the cause to the doctor. They felt that it was a problem that the doctor had treated. Just as Cai Shangxiang from the Qing Dynasty said:

"At the time of King Jing, the country was in full prosperity, Xihe's victory, expanded thousands of miles, unprecedented in the century since the founding of the country. After the southern crossing, Yuan blessed the descendants of all sages, And the old officials of Su Cheng’s door were angry at the disaster of the party ban. They attacked Cai Jing as a reason for defeating the chaos, and pushed the original in Jing Gong, all of them were false. In fact, the disaster of Huiqin was due to Cai Jing. Cai Jingzhi It is used because of Duke Wen. And because of the use of Guishan, because of Cai Jing, the waves are pushed together, and they have nothing to do with Duke Jing."

Sima Guang and "Removing the Four Harms"

Sima Guang did two in his life. Major events: One is to write the Ministry of Zizhi Tongjian, and the other is to oppose Wang Anshi's reform.

Regarding the law reform dispute, Sima Guang once said: "Light and Jiefu have different interests, but the general return is the same." Wang Anshi also said: "Whenever there is a discord in the discussion, there are many tricks. For different reasons". In other words, the struggle between them does not involve personal grievances and self-interest, but is a battle between gentlemen for the country and the people.

But after he came to power, he compared the new law to poison and must be abolished. In fact, some measures of the new law have achieved good results and have been recognized by the society.

For example, the once controversial "Young Crop Law", "Exemption Law", and "Floor Land Average Tax Law", etc., have allowed the country's fiscal revenue to grow rapidly, effectively reducing the burden on farmers; another example is the "General Military Law" and other "strong soldiers" "The Law" has greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the Song army, and achieved a major victory in the war with Xixia.

Fan Chunren, Su Shi and others who once strongly opposed the new law, as they witnessed the benefits the new law brought to the country and the people, they all admonished: the new law cannot be completely abolished! The Shangshu Li Chang of the Ministry of Households said: "There is no new law in the law, and the people are good; if there is no one, the last is true." This sentence is just like Deng Gong said, regardless of black cats and white cats, those who can catch mice are good cats. .

However, Sima Guang still insisted on completely abolishing the new law. Regardless of whether black cats or white cats, whether or not to catch mice, the new law was abolished in only half a year. When he learned that the Immunity Law, the Young Crop Law and the General Law had not been abolished, he said with infinite sentiment: "The four evils have not been eliminated, I will never die!" Finally, with his efforts, the Immunity Law and the Young Crop Law were also abolished. Su Shi was so angry that he stomped and cursed at home: "Sima Niu! Sima Niu!"

When Shi Zai Wang Anshi retired to Jinling, he didn’t care when he heard that the court changed its law; He lost his voice and said:'Why don't it matter?', for a long time said:'This law can't stop.'" Wang Anshi was puzzled by the abolition of the immunity law. Didn't you say that the new law disturbs the people and harms the people? Do you want to oppose my reform in name? The law of immunity is a real law that benefits the people and it has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Why do you even abolish this law?

In fact, any fight will change in the end. Sima Guang once said that "Wang Anshi and others enacted a new law, the effect is better than the old one to save it", and in actual operation, he not only chooses the best and the bad to give up the new law, but also indiscriminately cracked down on the reformists. During the reform period, the territories laid down by the soldiers of the Northern Song Dynasty must be returned to Xixia for free. Every inch of rivers and mountains and every inch of blood, Sima Guang's move can already rise to the height of "traitor."

Sima Guang once commented on Wang Anshi like this: "People who say that they are treacherous and treacherous will be too ruined; but they don't know things and they are stubborn." In the end, he was more persistent than Wang Anshi.

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, facing the broken mountains and rivers and the country under alien rule, a generation of Confucian kings and husbands reread Song history, leaving their own anger: "The demise of the Northern Song Dynasty began with Sima Guang."

The most taboo of history is either black or white. We cannot deny Sima Guang’s starting point for opposing Wang Anshi’s reform. The reform did have a negative impact on society at the time. If Sima Guang could selectively abolish and correct the new law when he abolished the new law, or Propose better solutions, and the wheels of history may change.

But his views on the new law are too extreme, and some are purely opposed to opposition, turning the old and new party disputes into a dispute of mood and power, and no longer focuses on the operation of state affairs. From then on, the Song Dynasty was trapped in the quagmire of partisan struggle and could not extricate itself. The new law therefore became a tool for various factions to smash, and finally achieved Cai Jing and a group of political speculators, which brought annihilation to the Northern Song Dynasty.

If Wang Anshi brought hope to the Northern Song Dynasty, then Sima Guang brought the Northern Song Dynasty into despair.

As the Ming Dynasty Chen Ruqi said: "The disaster of Jingkang, the critics say that it began with Jiefu (Wang Anshi), I believe that the reality began with Junshi (Sima Guang). Non-junior facts can harm Jingkang, but Jingkang is excited. The culprit is also true.