What are the pros and cons of Sima Guang for the Northern Song Dynasty?

"Qing Ping Le", Sima Guang for Song Renzong's family affairs all day upload, causing the officials a great headache, Hui Rou is directly to the court directly satirized Sima Guang, see the audience stomped their feet, scolded Sima Guang pedantry.

And the history of Sima Guang, after the death of Emperor Renzong, hidden for several years, until the death of Emperor Yingzong Zhao Shu, Emperor Shenzong Zhao Xu Zhao Xu died, 9-year-old Song Zhezong Zhao Xu in the grandmother Gao Tuo Tou aided, began to overturn the laws of the late emperor modified, so that the economic strength of the Northern Song Dynasty, diplomatic strength, military strength step by step to the decline of the North Song Dynasty can be said to lead the Northern Song Dynasty to the abyss of history of the first person. Sima Guang such a lukewarm historian, "Qing Pingle" can be said to be a real show of his pedantry, and even more show his heart.

Sima Guang opposed Wang Anshi's change of law, temporarily retired from the officialdom

Song Xining five years (1072), Emperor Shenzong reused Wang Anshi, began to change the law on agriculture, military, economy, etc., to change the redundant officials of the Northern Song Dynasty, the accumulation of poverty and weakness of the situation, and Sima Guang was the first to come forward to oppose the change of law, in order to oppose the change of law, Sima Guang began to Wang Anshi a personal attack, saying: <

The people of Min are cunning, and the people of Chu are easy.

The intention is to accuse Chen Sheng, a Fujianese who supported Wang Anshi's change of law, of being cunning and dangerous, while Wang Anshi, a southerner, was even more frivolous and rash, and his character was obstinate. But Emperor Zhao Xu did not listen to Sima Guang's? But he did not listen to Sima Guang's slanderous words. but chose to ignore it. Sima Guang repeatedly remonstrated, repeatedly no response, after returning home to savor the attitude of the Godzong, he decided to quit the officialdom, told the Godzong that he wanted to compile a work of historiography, "Ziji Tongjian", so the Godzong gave Sima Guang a large sum of money to let him go to repair the history.

Mindful man Sima Guang abused himself for the title

Sima Guang lived in seclusion in Luoyang for 15 years, and seemed to have completely withdrawn from the officialdom, but his status and reputation rubbed off on him. The biggest reason is because Sima Guang lived in the basement to repair history, the harsh conditions, creating his? Sublime? s personality.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, many officials live in high-rise buildings, such as Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, Wang Gongchen, etc. are living in the pavilion, luxurious mansions, every day, drinking wine, poetry, landscape and flowers, truly enjoy the joy of seclusion, but Sima Guang is living in a remote, low houses, the house is only able to shelter from the wind and rain, the summer heat, but also special craftsmen dug the basement in the basement to repair the book said.

Repairing history is a very hard brain work, Sima Guang himself is also in order to write a book exhausted, sick all over, but he still insisted, made a ? Wake up pillow?

People at the time ridiculed Sima Guang as a ? a caveman? , but also satirized Wang Gongchen and others for their extravagance and wastefulness. Apparently, Sima Guang's puritanical writing of history was recognized by many. It was not until he finished writing the Ziji Tongjian that the entire Northern Song Dynasty began to tout Sima Guang's excellence everywhere, calling him ? Sima Xianggong?

The name of Xianggong, which is very high, is usually reserved for those who have been prime ministers in the imperial court, such as Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, and Fu Bi, etc. While Sima Guang was just a minor official when he was in seclusion, he won this title after repairing the history books, which is enough to see that Sima Guang took a unique shortcut to reach the sky in a single step, and became the position of one person and ten thousand people.

In order to avenge his own personal hatred, regardless of the fate of the country, overthrowing all the achievements of the previous emperor

Yuanfeng eight years (1085), only 38 years old, the death of Emperor Shenzong of Song, the establishment of the 9-year-old son of Zhao Hsu as the next emperor, the dowager Empress Dowager Gao Tou Tao curtain, Gao Tou Tou took office, began to prevent Wang Anshi change of law, Wang Anshi has lost the dependence, then resigned to return to his hometown, retreat from the officialdom, at this time Si Ma Guang Immediately, he made a petition, saying:

The country has been declining again and again in these years, all because the ministers in the court do not know right and wrong, and change the ancestral rules at will, and the people are very stupid, so they resent Shenzong. Especially Wang Anshi himself, who was too stubborn, was to blame for the current situation.

In Sima Guang's passage, it seems that he is satirizing the ministers for not being able to do anything, but in fact, he is denying the achievements of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, just to give the empress dowager a step down, so as not to embarrass the late emperor, Emperor Shenzong. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the teachings of Confucianism were always followed? When a father dies, the son does not change his ways for three years, which can be called filial piety? , while Sima Guang changed this teaching, had to overthrow the achievements of Wang Anshi's change of law, it changed the slogan ? Change the son by the mother? , which probably means that the mother of Emperor Shenzong, was ready to modify the regulations, rather than the son to modify the regulations, so that the filial piety of Song Zhezong Zhao Xu could be preserved, and the change of the law could be successfully overthrown.

So Sima Guang began to overturn all of the content of Wang Anshi's change of law, the armor law, green seedling law, the law of equalization and so on one by one are overthrown, Shenzong spent a few years just to establish the regulations, so that the Song dynasty's treasury is slightly filled up, Sima Guang, however, think that it is not conducive to the development of the country, and look down on the people of the Song dynasty, said:

Our own how to practice the army, not as the people of the Western Xia, Liao country of the god of martial arts, the people of the Song dynasty on the They are not the material for practicing army.

This made the 15 years spent on the establishment of, neither waste of money nor miss the agricultural policy of all the soldiers, all broken. In addition, Sima Guang in the handling of the Western Xia incident, trying to seek peace, returned to the year the castle, resumed trade with the Western Xia, the year to the Western Xia people to pay the New Year's Eve money, transport all kinds of materials. This can be angry with the people of the Song Dynasty officials, how many years, the Song Dynasty fought the world, are to be returned to the Western Xia as is, the Song Dynasty is how cowardly? But all these, Queen Gao agreed.

At this time, even Su Shi, who opposed Wang Anshi's change of law, angrily scolded Sima Guang? Sima Niu? accusing him of pedantic behavior and stubbornness! Wang Anshi heard the news, even more angry to vomit blood, soon, died of anger.

Later, Su Shi wrote an epitaph for Wang Anshi, Sima Guang is from the obstruction, said:

Jiefu article, the righteousness of many people, but the nature does not know and like to Sui Fei, to the loyal and straight alienation of slanders and sycophants spokesman, the defeat of Baidu to this. This party is correcting its loss, the evils, unfortunately jiefu Xie Shi, repeated people will be denigrated a hundred end, the light intention to say that the court is particularly appropriate to add a generous gift to revitalize the wind of the floating thin.

In this epitaph, Sima Guang only said Wang Anshi character is not bad, then said Wang Anshi character problems, is a sycophant, corrupt law. Back then, Sima Guang recommended Wang Anshi, but did not agree with Wang Anshi change of law, the two fell out, but Sima Guang has been harboring a grudge, and waited for 15 years, only to be considered to avenge the personal revenge, and even Wang Anshi died, are not spared.

Sima Guang this life, into also high Tao, defeat also high Tao

Sima Guang was able to level the playing field in the dynasty, thanks to the high Tao's appreciation, but Sima Guang died, his reputation did not last forever, on the contrary? White, fall really clean? , nothing.

Wang Anshi died in May 1086, the first year of Song Yuanyou, and Sima Guang also died in September of this year, his funeral specifications are very senior, the gift of the Imperial Master, the Duke of Wen, a dress, silver and silk 7,000, posthumous title Wenzheng, engraved monument ? Loyalty and purity of virtue? , Gao Tao attended the funeral was very sad.

Sima Guang died, the court party politics is very serious, Gao Tao Tao began to cut across the board, the old and the new party all get the court to discuss, they took out Sima Guang, said he was the old party to abolish the new law leader, in order to give him the punishment, then all the bounty after the death of Sima Guang, all the rewards, all the recovery, at this time, Sima Guang is also nothing.

Looking at Sima Guang's life, many people know because of the smashing cylinder his courageous, intelligent and kind, but look at the "Qing Pingle" to know Sima Guang himself pedantic and petty, the history of Sima Guang is really the heart to get the highest title, and with time, destroyed a lifetime of honor.