Wang Shouren successfully put down the rebellion of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, so the court naturally wanted to reward him. A few months later, when the merits were discussed again, Wang Shouren was awarded the title of Xinjian Bo. The three generations and his wife were granted the

- Xiong Yi's reading notes of "All Minds"

Chen Hao's Rebellion

Wang Shouren successfully put down the rebellion of Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, so the court naturally wanted to reward him. Granted Wang Shouren the title of Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing - this is roughly equivalent to being cast aside. A few months later, when the merits were discussed again, Wang Shouren was awarded the title of Xinjianbo . The title was granted to three generations and his wife, and he was hereditary to his descendants. He was entitled to a thousand dan of rice every year. At this time, a full period had passed since the Chenhao Rebellion was pacified. Two years.

Although this belated reward is already considered valuable, none of the heroes who followed Wang Shouren to suppress the rebellion, except Wu Wen Ding, have been credited. It is conceivable that such an arrangement will put Wang Shouren in the public eye, as if it is deliberately trying to make him betray his relatives and friends - those old subordinates who follow him and are willing to take risks may believe that all the credit has been taken away by this superior officer.

How to deal with such a reward suddenly became a thorny issue for Wang Shouren.

After receiving the reward, Wang Shouren handed in a memorial letter, saying that he should not be greedy for God's merits and did not deserve the reward. This looks like angry words, but also like retreating into , and even some white lies.

This memorial lists four reasons why he is not worthy of the title:

First, the Chenhao Rebellion was planned for more than ten years, but failed in less than ten months. This is obviously God's will and not human power.

Secondly, the imperial court had already planned. Yang Tinghe, the cabinet bachelor, and Wang Qiong, the minister of the Ministry of War, were strategizing. I was just a pawn arranged by them.

Thirdly, Wu Wending, Ji Yuanheng and others (the names of the meritorious officials are listed in detail in the memorial) are all heroes who really worked hard for the justice. However, it is said that the merit books were often deleted, so that many meritorious officials were I didn't get the reward I deserved, but I got the reward alone. Doesn't this mean claiming credit from a subordinate?

Fourth, what I did was just fulfill my duties as a minister, and the reward is really unnecessary.

The memorial finally said that he hoped that your majesty would take back his life and let me retire and go home to support my father in his old age. —— "The Conferment of Nobles and Common Rewards to Honor the State"

As for the imperial court, the answer was "I don't agree with what I said" and avoided talking about other issues. The and tai chi of the officialdom are so helpless. So Wang Shouren wrote another sincere memorial, which was almost a plea.

In order to achieve a fair verdict, although on the surface he was motivating the armed forces in the name of loyalty, in fact he was using the rewards and rewards from high-ranking officials to win people's hearts. The imperial court will naturally reward people based on their merits, but who would have thought that they would only reward themselves and not others. How does this make Wang Shouren face those people who have been deceived by him into working for their lives? Rather than doing this, it would be better for him not to be rewarded at all.

However, this attitude is very taboo in the officialdom: imagine that the imperial court is really accurate, and if Wang Shouren's rewards are also removed, people will only be resentful of the imperial court and their feelings for Wang Shouren will become deeper and deeper. This is naturally what the court does not want to see. Loyal ministers should share the monarch's worries and have the obligation to take the blame. If the imperial court really does not want to reward everyone, all the loyal ministers have to do is to accept their share of rewards calmly, so that everyone's resentment can be focused on themselves.

Common combat experience is the best way to form a strong friendship, and Wang Shouren's shrewd political opponents easily disintegrated the "Wang Shouren reactionary group" formed in the battle with only one reward. Their methods were so clever. ah!

Politics is so cruel. Once a person enters the political arena, it is almost inevitable to make enemies.For example, Su Shi , just because he has a deep connection with the elders of the old party, even if he does nothing or expresses no opinions, he will naturally be regarded as a member of the old party and become the enemy of the new party. Once a scholar-official loses power and allies, whether he will end well depends on luck and the ambition and means of his political opponents.

Rules of officialdom: Always make a clear statement on sensitive matters. Even if you may be on the wrong team, at least you still have a chance to bet correctly, and the relationship between allies will be consolidated and strengthened. Not expressing one's stance may seem like a wise act to protect one's own safety, but in fact, one will be hated by both the pros and cons. Not taking a stand is also a statement. From a utilitarian point of view, this is often the most unwise approach.

Si Tian Zhi Rebellion

In May of the sixth year of Jiajing , the imperial court sent an appointment, appointing Wang Shouren to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing and concurrently as the censor of the Duchayuanzuodu, to go to Guangxi to quell the rebellions in Sien and Tianzhou.

In June, Wang Shouren resigned. The main meanings are as follows:

First, since the Chenhao Rebellion, I have been slandered many times and my life is in danger.

Secondly, I am obliged to accept any assignment from Your Majesty, but my physical condition does not allow it. It is a small matter to die in battle, but it is a big thing to delay the important affairs of the country.

Third, the changes in Guangdong and Guangxi only started from the vendetta of local officials, and were not as critical as the bandit rebellion. Yao Rong was mature and prudent, and his temporary defeat was just a common thing for military strategists. It would be better to give him more time.

Fourth, I am just a scholar, and my previous achievements were purely a fluke. I think I am not as talented as Yao Rong, and I do not understand the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi. If I and Yao Rong are allowed to cooperate, once there are differences of opinion, it will limit his performance. .

Fifth, the way of using troops must have a dictatorial and arbitrary coach. Your Majesty, it is better to entrust Yao Rong with full power.

Sixthly, when employing people in the imperial court, they are not valued for their extraordinary talents, but for their loyalty to the king. If he only has extraordinary talents but no military loyalty, then his talents will only be used for his own benefit.

The imperial court made a standard interpretation of this. Since you said it is inconvenient to cooperate with Yao Rong, then let him become an official, and you, Wang Shouren, will come.

Wang Shouren did have some opinions about Yao Rong. He believed that the chaos in thinking and fields originated from those talented bureaucrats who were greedy for rewards. Therefore, the more talented officials are, the more motivated they are to cause trouble, because the more incidents there are and the bigger the situation, the better the prospect of committing crimes . If you just keep doing nothing and rest with the people, what political achievements should you use to claim credit and reward? This is the reason for the chaos in Si and Tian, ​​and also the reason for many social chaos throughout the ages.

Those who play with fire always have the possibility of self-immolation, and there will always be times when the situation they provoke is too big to handle.

The imperial court understood Wang Shouren's intention and decisively ordered Yao Rong to become an official, giving Wang Shouren exclusive power. With the original position of Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing and censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he was in charge of the military affairs of the four provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Huguang. The imperial edict was clear and urgent: Yao Rong had already taken up his post. " Qing Yi went to at night", full They all have the attitude of using people to move forward and not using people to move backward.

In November of the sixth year of Jiajing, Wang Shouren arrived in Wuzhou, Guangxi, and quickly sorted out the chaos in Si and Tian. Don’t save face for your ex. First, he demobilized the tens of thousands of troops that Yao Rong mobilized from various places, leaving only a few thousand troops to lift the state of war preparations. The camp will be moved to Nanning , which is only one step away from Si and Tian. Then the bandit leader asked to see Wang Shouren to tell him the difficulties of the government forcing the people to rebel, and begged for forgiveness. Wang Shouren accepted the surrender calmly, and gave the two bandit leaders, King Lu and King Lu, a hundred sticks in front of the army gate. The edict said: Accepting surrender and pardoning sins is the benevolence of the court, and a hundred punishments with a rod are the righteousness of ministers to enforce the law. It is necessary to establish both morality and prestige. Universal pardon will create an example of "golden belt for murder and arson".

Wang Shouren said in " Report to Tianzhou, Si'en Pingfu Shu": The way to govern barbarians is to follow their own emotions. What was originally a protracted disaster caused by military conflicts was easily resolved in this way. A man who subdues others without fighting is also a good person.

However, it is easy to break through the mountains, but it is difficult to break through the heart.. Wang Shouren vigorously carried out cultural and educational undertakings in Guangdong and Guangxi as soon as he broke the law. He believed that long-term peace and stability could only be achieved by promoting Confucian education and unifying ideology.

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平 瑶

Wang Shouren was ordered to quell the chaos in Si and Tian. After the incident was over, he resigned and returned to his hometown. This was the most common practice, and it must be what the jealous people in the court were most happy to see. However, the officials and people of Guangdong and Guangxi felt that Wang Shouren was the last hope to pacify another "Yao bandit".

This time Wang Shouren once again used the "surprise attack" technique to quickly put down the rebellion of the Yao people. The total number of troops mobilized was only 8,000, and it lasted three months, and more than 3,000 were beheaded. The "Yao thieves" who had been dead for more than a hundred years were easily resolved in this way. In terms of tactics, this victory means that " everything happens without knowing whether there is a battle from far or near, and the enemy is defeated but the soldiers cannot predict the direction of their actions."

With Wang Shouren's qualifications and reputation at this time, coupled with his recent military exploits, it was a matter of course for him to join the cabinet. However, Wang Shouren was busy cleaning up the aftermath in Guangdong and Guangxi to prevent the Yao thieves from having another chance to be re-sentenced, but there were slanderous rumors everywhere in the court.

Any organization will lose its standards in rewards and punishments, and even in terms of right and wrong. The cohesion will disintegrate at a terrifying speed.

The reward for Pingyao is: a reward of fifty taels of silver, four pieces of silk on the inside and outside, and the chief envoy the comprador sheep wine will be given as a gift. Wang Shouren, who was fifty-five years old at the time, was already calm and did not care about the court's attitude. Neither the emperor's indifference nor the courtiers' suspicion could compare to his worsening condition in the damp climate of Guangdong and Guangxi.

without receiving the imperial edict. Wang Shouren returned home by boat. On the evening of November 28th, the seventh year of Jiajing reign, I parked in Qinglongpu. The next day I called my disciples and said: I am leaving.. The students asked, “What are your last words?” Wang Shouren replied calmly: If my heart is bright, what else can I say? passed away not long after, at the age of fifty-seven.

Epilogue

Gui E and others detailed that Wang Shouren mishandled Tianzhou affairs and left his post without authorization. When the Chenhao Rebellion was put down, military discipline was not maintained and many victories were false. The most important thing is to say: Be benevolent and do not follow the ancients, and speak unworthy of the teacher. Forbid evil theories in order to rectify people's hearts .

The final conclusion of the court discussion was that Wang Shouren's title of newly built Count should be retained, but it would not be hereditary. The emperor designated Yangming's Xinxue as pseudo-study and strictly banned it from then on. This is the final verdict of the imperial court on Wang Shouren: he is a man who seeks fame and reputation, but he has had mixed success as an official, and he is extremely reactionary as a scholar.

Emperor Sejong passed away with dissatisfaction with Wang Shouren and his academics. Emperor Mu Zong who succeeded finally issued a vindication order and posthumously awarded Wang Shouren the title of Xinjian Hou, with the posthumous title "Wencheng". In the twelfth year of the Ming Shenzong Wanli year, Wang Shouren's tablet was welcomed into the Confucius Temple, where was enshrined Confucius . This is the highest honor a Chinese Confucian can receive, and at this time Yangming's philosophy of mind had already become popular all over the world.

2022.7.1 Yu Sanlihe

When I have time, I want to write an article about "literary posthumous names" and count how many big names in the "literary" generation have existed in the past and present, such as Ouyang Wen Zhong Gong, Su Wen Zhong Gong, Fan copywriting public, Zeng Wenzheng public, and the king of this article Wen Cheng public.