Local achievements: Fan Zhongyan became Taizhou, recruited more than 40,000 people and rebuilt the defending weir. From the fifth year of Tianxi (102 1 year) to the fourth year of Tiansheng (1026), the new dike spans the three countries of Tong, Thailand and Chu, with a total length of about 200 miles. At that time, people's life, farming and salt production were guaranteed, and it also played an important role in "preventing disasters" in later generations. Fan Zhongyan's classic paintings on water control, with the main content of "trimming fences, dredging rivers and setting gates", not only won the praise of the times, but also attracted the attention of later generations. From the Southern Song Dynasty to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, this model was followed to control floods.
Implementing the New Deal: In August of the third year of the Qing Dynasty (1043), in view of the present situation of domestic troubles and foreign invasion (huge bureaucracy but low administrative efficiency) and foreign invasion (Liao and Xixia threatened the northern and northwest frontiers), Fan Zhongyan revised Ten Things to Reply to Letters and put forward ten reform plans, advocating clarifying official administration, reforming imperial examinations, innovating military equipment and reducing taxes.
Military thoughts:
In the first year of Kangding (1040), Fan Zhongyan was transferred to the northwest front line and served as the frontier defense coach. In view of the vast territory, sparse population, staggered valleys and dangerous terrain in the northwest, Fan Zhongyan put forward the strategy of "active defense", that is, building castles in key areas, strengthening fortifications and training border guards in order to achieve the goal of defending as the offensive.
In the military system, the old system of leading troops according to official positions was abolished, and the contingency tactics of selecting war generals according to the enemy's situation were changed; The establishment of the farm camp system and the solution of the problem of military supplies have greatly improved the army's adaptability and combat capability.
In terms of fortifications, through building castles, repairing castles, and building bonfires, a solid strategic system with Dashuncheng as the center and echoing the fortress has been formed. For the ethnic minorities in the border areas, we should unite sincerely and give them generous preferential treatment, as well as the strict reward and punishment convention, so that they can return to the Song Dynasty with peace of mind.
At the same time, Fan Zhongyan selected generals, vigorously promoted army generals, made famous soldiers such as Di Qing and Zhong emerge in the Northwest Army, and trained a group of soldiers who dared to fight hard. Until the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, this army was still a strong force in the Song Dynasty. Fan Zhongyan's thought of active defense in building cities and villages fundamentally changed the military defense situation in northwest China and greatly improved the border situation.
Literary achievements:
Prose: In the creation of prose, Fan Zhongyan's works are mostly political sparse and letters, stating current politics, with strict logic and strong persuasion. The famous story of Yueyang Tower, as an opportunity to commemorate, warned friends "not to be happy with things, not to be sad for yourself". The full text integrates narrative, scenery description, lyricism and discussion, and the combination of dynamic and static has become an innovation in miscellaneous notes. Among them, "worry about the world first, and enjoy the world later" is a famous sentence throughout the ages.
Poetry: In poetry, Fan Zhongyan advocates "harmony but difference" and "keeping pace with the times".
Educational strategy:
Fan Zhongyan inherited and developed Confucian orthodox educational thought, and regarded "promoting learning" as the fundamental means to cultivate talents and save the world and help the people. When Fan Zhongyan was in power in the Qing Dynasty, he once again put forward the idea of "rejuvenating learning by restoring ancient ways and learning from foreigners", and made great efforts to reform the imperial examination system, improve the education system and strengthen school management. Schools have also been built by imperial edict in various places, and schools have sprung up everywhere, which is called "beautiful things".
In the choice of teachers, Fan Zhongyan advocates that teachers should teach by teachers and pay equal attention to practice. Fan Zhongyan pays attention to the training and selection of teachers and regards "learning from teachers" as the focus of education. The famous teachers he recommended, such as Hu Yuan and Li Gou, were all famous educators in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In terms of teaching content, Fan Zhongyan advocated "Jing Zong" to cultivate talents who can master the "Six Classics" and know the martial arts. At the same time, pay attention to teaching basic skills such as arithmetic, medicine and military affairs, and cultivate practical talents with specialized knowledge and skills.
Calligraphy achievements:
Fan Zhongyan is good at writing.
Song and Huang Tingjian said in "The Monument to the Valley": "The official book is very close to the book of Jin and Song Dynasties." There is another saying: "Ode to Boyi is the official book of Fan Wenzheng, which is very popular with predecessors. It is difficult to make it clear and dynamic in small letters.
Zhu's "Continued Book" refers to Zhong You's learning from Wang Xizhi's "Yue Lun Yi" in his later years, which is also a generation.
Fan Zhongyan, a native of Tang and Jin Dynasties in Ming Dynasty, commented on the book "The Remnant Records of Longjiang Dreams" with great beauty, without any indulgence. Gao Shiqi in the Qing Dynasty also called Fan Zhongyan's calligraphy "very vigorous and beautiful, a character".