“I dare not say!”
Li Si shook his head slightly, and Ying Zheng retracted his gaze.
He was pondering in his heart, did Wang Anshi's reforms succeed in saving the Song Dynasty from the brink of collapse?
…
In the realm of Han Gaozu, outside Weiyang Palace.
“Zi Fang, what do you think of these reforms?”
Liu Bang smiled at Zhang Liang, such a question should be asked of Zhang Zi Fang, who was well-versed in classics and had profound knowledge!
“Hahaha! Your Majesty, I believe these reforms will fail.”
“Oh? Zi Fang, do you think the resistance to the reforms is too great? But wasn't that the case with Shang Yang's reforms back then?”
Liu Bang was very puzzled and raised his eyebrow in question.
“Your Majesty, if the reforms were successful, how could the Northern Song Dynasty have perished? If it didn't perish, how would it be on this golden list?”
“Besides, these reforms were the beginning of partisan strife. If I'm not mistaken, they will ultimately fail due to partisan strife!”
“Moreover, the reforms offended the Empress and the Dowager Empress. If Emperor Shenzong dies, they will surely be stifled!”
Zhang Liang shook his head, his eyes dimming.
It was a pity, he didn't know the content of the other party's reforms, otherwise, he could have made a more accurate judgment!
Liu Bang smiled slightly, raised his wine cup, and looked at the Crown Prince and Empress Lv who were sitting and looking up.
The Empress and the Dowager Empress… yes, wasn't his own Crown Prince like that?
Currently, the Han Dynasty was facing both internal and external troubles, would the future reforms also be broken by the powerful Lv clan?
…
In the realm of Song Kaibao, outside the Chonggong Palace.
“Xia? What dynasty is that?”
Zhao Kuangyin widened his eyes, completely astonished.
He knew about the Liao Kingdom in the north, but what was this Xia in the northwest?
Could it be that a new regime emerged in the northwest of the Song Dynasty in later generations?
And the “three redundancies” problem and more defeats than victories, were the internal and external troubles of the Song Dynasty really this severe?
“Tell me, what are the problems that arose in the later Song Dynasty?”
Zhao Kuangyin’s gaze intensified, and his expression became grim.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Pu, the chief minister, stood up and bowed.
“It is highly likely that it was because there were too many officials, too many troops, and too much miscellaneous spending, which led to the problem of ‘three redundancies’!”
Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly, he never expected that his efforts to balance the power of the generals and strengthen the central authority would lead to the emergence of a new “three redundancies” problem!
He just didn't know what the root of the problem was or how to solve it!
“So, Wang Anshi's reforms are indeed a blessing for our Song Dynasty, but how could they lead to partisan strife?!”
Zhao Kuangyin was confused, as a monarch, he hated nothing more than the civil officials forming factions below!
Once factions are formed, they will surely unite to threaten imperial power, and then the country will be unstable, and it is very likely to be overthrown by powerful ministers!
But could Wang Anshi’s reforms cause such a problem?
…
【Wang Anshi's reforms faced opposition from the officials right from the start, and as the opposition grew stronger, coupled with the lobbying of the Empress and Dowager Empress beside Emperor Shenzong, Emperor Shenzong's trust in Wang Anshi began to decrease.】
【In the seventh year of Xining, there was a severe drought across the land, and the people were displaced. The officials seized the opportunity to petition against the reforms, fiercely pointing out the harms caused by the reforms. In April of the same year, under pressure from the Empress and Dowager Empress, Emperor Shenzong dismissed Wang Anshi and appointed Lv Huaiqing as Prime Minister.】
【Lv Huaiqing was originally promoted by Wang Anshi, and after Wang Anshi was dismissed, he was recommended by Wang Anshi to the position of Assistant to the Prime Minister. It can be said that Wang Anshi was exceptionally kind to him. Lv Huaiqing was also a firm supporter of the new policies.】
【However, after becoming Prime Minister in the seventh year of Xining, Lv Huaiqing became greedy for power and began to ruthlessly suppress Wang Anshi, using the Li Shining case to obstruct Wang Anshi's return to court. Han Jiang learned about this and secretly recalled Wang Anshi.】
【In the eighth year of Xining, Wang Anshi was reappointed as Prime Minister, and Lv Huaiqing was transferred to be the governor of Chenzhou. But although he was reappointed, the opposition to the reforms within the court was now unprecedentedly strong. Wang Anshi was overwhelmed and couldn't carry the weight alone.】
【In addition, divisions and infighting arose within the new policy itself due to the matter of Lv Huaiqing, making it difficult for the new policies to continue to be implemented.】
【Under these circumstances, in the ninth year of Xining, Wang Anshi petitioned to resign on account of illness. In October of the same year, he resigned from the position of Prime Minister and retired to Jiangning. In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong passed away, and Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Gao took power as regent.】
【As Empress Dowager Gao had been opposed to the reforms during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, now that Emperor Zhezong was young and the Empress Dowager was in charge, she immediately appointed Sima Guang as Prime Minister, rallied officials who supported the old policies, and vigorously suppressed the new policies.】
【Sima Guang even used the method of "using the mother to change the son," completely abolishing the new policies. From that point on, the old policies prevailed, and it was known in history as the "Yuan You Reform"!】
【In the fourth year of Yuan You, Wang Anshi died in Zhongshan at the age of sixty-six. He was posthumously granted the title of Grand Tutor and was buried in Banshan Garden.】
【Thus, Wang Anshi's reforms came to an end, ushering in the reign of Emperor Zhezong.】
…
In the realm of Qin Shi Huang, outside Xianyang Palace.
“Failure? The forces of the old policies are so powerful?”
Ying Zheng frowned slightly, clenching his fists.
Li Si and the others were also stunned.
They never expected the outcome to be like this!
Not only were the forces of the old policies powerful, but even those who supported the new policies began to split internally, especially that Lv Huaiqing!
Wang Anshi had gone to great lengths to promote this fellow, but who would have thought that this fellow would treat his benefactor like this?!
…
In the realm of Han Gaozu, outside Weiyang Palace.
“Zi Fang, you really said too much. As soon as Emperor Shenzong died, those who supported the old policies came to power, and Wang Anshi's reforms failed.”
Liu Bang pursed his lips, clicking his tongue in wonder.
It was true, Wang Anshi’s reforms were able to achieve such great results at the beginning because of the support of Emperor Shenzong behind them!
Once the emperor passed away, it was conceivable that the reforms would be practically destroyed!
The key was that the successor was still a young child, and the Empress Dowager who held power was extremely opposed to the new policies. The outcome was clear!
“It's a pity that the Song Dynasty didn't have a Duke Wen!”
Liu Bang sighed, and his gaze involuntarily fell on Lv by his side.
After the death of Duke Xian of Qin, Shang Yang also lost support and was pursued and suppressed by domestic opponents!
If the successor, Duke Huiwen of Qin, hadn't persisted in Shang Yang's reforms, abolishing the man but not the law, Shang Yang's reforms wouldn't have achieved such great success!
This was enough to prove that only with a strong monarch behind them could reforms succeed!
Unexpectedly, Zhang Liang suddenly said:
“Your Majesty, I don't think so.”
“Oh? What do you mean, Zi Fang?”
“Emperor Shenzong may have passed away, but Emperor Zhezong is still alive. Now that Emperor Zhezong is young and the Empress Dowager is in charge, naturally the new policies will fail, but once Emperor Zhezong takes power, things will likely change!”
“Oh? Is there such a thing? But what if Emperor Zhezong also opposes the reforms?”
Liu Bang frowned, his body tense.
“Hahaha! Your Majesty, don't worry. If Emperor Zhezong opposes the reforms, why wouldn't the golden list mention it? After all, that's the Crown Prince's power!”
“Since the golden list doesn't mention it now, it at least proves that Emperor Zhezong isn't very opposed to the new policies!”
…
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