A study of Wang Anshi's poems in his later years abroad

In the second year of Li Qing (1042), Wang Anshi took the fourth place as a scholar, and successively signed books for Huainan (Yangzhou), Yinxian (now Ningbo, Zhejiang), Zhou Shu (now Buried Hill, Anhui) and other places to pass the verdict. He was transferred to Kaifeng as a judge of the animal husbandry department, and then transferred to Changzhou to raise officials and businessmen on Jiangnan East Road, which was called the third department. Years of experience as a local official made Wang Anshi realize that the root of social poverty in the Song Dynasty was merger, and the crisis faced by feudal rule in the Song Dynasty was "worrying about the country at home and not fearing barbarians abroad". Therefore, Wang Anshi called for a comprehensive reform of the written law since the early Song Dynasty in the book Yan Hong Shu written by Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong in the third year of Jiayou (1058) in order to reverse the situation of poverty and weakness. Take the example of Sima Yan, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Li Longji who only wanted to "relax" and did not seek reform, and finally fell down. Wang Anshi had a rare sense of urgency for reform, and shouted: "If the ancient times are accurate, the world can be peaceful and chaotic, and don't rush to today when possible", demanding immediate reform of the written law; Otherwise, the history of Huang Chao's death in the Tang Dynasty will repeat itself, and the Song Dynasty will also embark on the road of extinction. The feudal scholar-officials also placed high hopes on Wang Anshi and looked forward to his coming to power as soon as possible. At the beginning of Xining, Wang Anshi, as the attendant minister of Hanlin bachelor, discussed the way of governing the country with the young Song Shenzong Song Shenzong, which won the appreciation of Song Shenzong. In the second year of Xining (1069), Wang Anshi became a consultant in politics, and was promoted to prime minister the following year, and began to vigorously carry out reforms.

The purpose of Wang Anshi's political reform is to enrich Qiang Bing, so as to reverse the situation of poverty and weakness in the Northern Song Dynasty and consolidate the rule of the landlord class. Wang Anshi clearly put forward that financial management is the prime minister's first priority, expounded the relationship between politics and financial management, and pointed out that "politics is the principle of financial management, and financial management is the so-called righteousness." More importantly, before Wang Anshi came to power, he thought that only on the basis of developing production can the national financial problem be solved: "The wealth of the world is born with the strength of the world, and the wealth of the world is taken from the expense of the world." After Wang Anshi took office, he continued to play this view. He once pointed out: "Those who do nothing today are short of money, so I put financial management first", while "financial management is urgent for farmers, and farmers are eager to get rid of hardships, restrain mergers and promote agriculture". In this reform, Wang Anshi put the development of production in the first place as the top priority. In Wang Anshi's view, in order to develop production, the first thing is to "relieve (laborers) suffering, restrain mergers and take pleasure in agriculture", mobilize the enthusiasm of laborers, and bring those idle people back to the front line of production. Harvest depends on people, not on the sky. To achieve this goal, the state power needs to formulate corresponding principles and policies and carry out top-down reforms nationwide. Although Wang Anshi emphasized the leading role of state power in the reform, he disapproved of excessive state intervention in social production and economic life, opposed excessive patent collection, and put forward and adhered to the proposition and practice of "not too much monopoly law". Under the guidance of Wang Anshi's above thoughts, the reformists formulated and implemented a series of new laws, such as farmland water conservancy, young crops, exemption from labor, fair loss, easy market, exemption from money and mining tax system, and carried out extensive social reforms from agriculture to handicrafts, commerce and from rural areas to cities. At the same time, the reformists headed by Wang Anshi reformed the military system, improved the quality and combat effectiveness of the army, and strengthened control over the vast rural areas; In order to cultivate more talents needed by society, the imperial examination and school education system have also been reformed. The so-called Three Classics and New Meanings, such as Zhou, Yi Shu and Poetic Art written by Wang Anshi himself, have provided new teaching materials for school education reform.

Political reform goes against the interests of conservatives and is opposed by conservatives. So Wang Anshi and Ning JaeHee went on strike for the first time in seven years. In particular, due to the differences between Wang Anshi, the designer of the reform, and Song Shenzong, the supreme moderator of the reform, Wang Anshi could not get more support after reunification and could not continue the reform. Coupled with the internal division of the reformists, his son Wang Kan died, and Wang Anshi resigned as prime minister for the second time in the ninth year of JaeHee Ning, and has lived in jiangning house ever since. In the first year of Yuan You, Song Zhezong (1086), conservatives came to power, and all previous new laws were abolished. Wang Anshi was deeply disturbed by the reversal of the political situation. When he heard that the immunity law had also been abolished, he could not help but say with indignation, "Enough!" Soon, he died of depression.