The real huge greed in the history of our country is even more powerful than He Shen
In the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, corruption spread to the countryside, and the rulers were greedy. Wang Xiu committed many crimes in the era of corruption and power, and finally ended up tragically. Wang Xiu's life warns future generations of the dangers of power and greed.
The first step is to bow to the strong and improve your status.
The heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty has passed and it has entered the end of a turbulent period. Arrogance, extravagance, and corruption have become commonplace, and the stench of corruption has spread silently. In these troubled times, those who are not right-minded are best suited to develop without limits. Wang Xiu is one of them.
This sneaky, honey-bellied villain has no talent, but he knows how to flatter and collude with the powerful. At first, he was just a small official, but his treacherous methods won the favor of the powerful minister Cai Jing, and he was promoted several times. After Cai Jing fell out of favor, Wang Xiu poured his anger on the new minister Liang Shicheng and called him"Mr. Enfu"and treat him as a father.
Wang Xiu witnessed the rise and fall of Cai Jing. Wang Xiu was well aware of the instability of power and decided to attach himself to Liang Shicheng to save his life. He is ready to be Liang Shicheng's minion in order to be motivated.
This is the reason why Wang Xiu is dominant. He always understands Liang Shicheng's thoughts and considers Liang Shicheng's words and deeds; In court, he accepted Liang Shicheng's words and deeds in full and did not dare to refute them; After the trial, he personally visited Liang Shicheng, gave him precious gifts, and praised him.
Wang Xiu was deliberately modest in front of Liang Shicheng. He said that his knowledge was shallow, and Liang Shicheng's concern only made him fortunate to be able to use it again. For these modest words, Liang Shicheng was very happy. Gradually, Liang Shicheng trusted Wang Xiu very much, and a close relationship was established between the two.
In order to win Liang Shicheng's favor, Wang Xiu did not hesitate to sacrifice the interests of other courtiers. He said in front of Liang Shicheng that he was a good person and slandered courtiers who had different political views from him. Wang Anshi snubbed these loyal generals and forced them to lose power and be forced to leave the palace.
Wang Xiu isolated Liang Shicheng around hostile forces, which made Liang Shicheng trust him even more, and almost all government affairs were entrusted to him. Wang Hao became the prime minister, and Liang Shicheng was very happy. Wang Hao monopolized the government and acted arbitrarily. At first, Wang Hao was more restrained and had little power.
At the court, he acted in an eclectic manner, and even carried out some measures for the benefit of the people. Wang Hao also really banned some of Cai Jing's harsh policies, which made the people breathe a sigh of relief.
But this is the image that Wang Xiu wants to create. He knew that if he wanted to stay in power for a long time, he must first win the hearts and minds of the people. Once the people praised him, his position was secured. Then, he can do whatever he wants.
ii.Plundering the wealth, greed and greed of the people.
On the surface, Wang Anshiping reduced the endowment and won"Virtuous Minister"reputation. But in fact, he secretly plundered all the treasures, and the emperor's wealth was his own, and ninety percent was his own. Song Huizong relied heavily on him. In order to gain Song Huizong's trust, Wang Xiu also spent a lot of money to buy the empty city of Liao State and deceived Song Huizong to show his merits.
After trying his best to please the emperor, Wang Hao began to show his true colors. He was insatiable and plundered the wealth of the people ten times more than the Qing Dynasty's Heshen. He sent people around the country to collect taxes that far exceeded the legal limit. The people were miserable, but they were helpless.
Wang Hao even abused his power to suppress dissidents, enslave the wives and concubines of his ministers, and expel ministers who did not obey him. The few loyal ministers who dared to make direct suggestions were accused of rebellion by Wang Hao and were finally beheaded. The loyal ministers of the court gradually disappeared and were replaced by the lackeys of Wang Huang's courtiers. These courtiers are even more brazen and open**.
Wang Xiu did not use his wealth for public welfare or the military needs of the state, but appropriated it for himself. He even built a lavish palace in his mansion, decorated with all kinds of gold, silver, jewelry, and beautiful women. Wang Xiu also specially made luxurious suits, and wore the best furs and silk every time he went in and out. His extravagance was in no way inferior to that of the emperor.
All this extravagant money is squeezed out of people's blood and bones. The people paid high taxes, and Wang Xiu was even more brutally oppressed. Many farmers had to sell their fields, livestock, and children to pay their taxes. Wang Xiu doesn't care about people's lives or deaths, he only cares about money and beauty.
Not only that, Wang Xiu also used his power to do evil. When he saw it, he often took the minister's concubines into the harem. For those who opposed the ministers, Wang Xiu would set a trap and let them go away or kill them. At the imperial court, they were afraid of the Wang family and did not dare to disagree.
iii: An offence for which a conviction has been made.
A powerful ** will definitely make people fear and hate. The crown prince Zhao Kai was very dissatisfied with Wang Hao and had been waiting for the opportunity to get rid of him. On the day of the title of the gold list, Wang Xiu suffered Waterloo. The new emperor, Song Qinzong, refused to congratulate Wang Hao, and when he heard that the Jin soldiers were coming, he immediately fled with his wife and children.
The traitor to the king has since collapsed. The new king ordered the hunt down of those who had caused displacement and abuse. The fleeing people finally recognized him and arrested him. Wang Hao died at the hands of the people, his body was paraded through the streets, and his head was hung from the city gates. He is guilty, and he is innocent of death.
What is even more criticized is that Wang Xiu deliberately displayed the wealth of the Northern Song Dynasty at the banquet of the Liao envoys, which caused the jealousy of the Liao State and eventually led to the invasion of the Jin soldiers. He only has gold and silver treasures in his eyes, but he does not care about the safety of the country. This former one"Virtuous Minister"In the end, it became an insidious ** that ravaged the country and brutalized the people.
When Wang Anshi feasted the envoys of the Liao State, he was extremely luxurious. He ordered his men to hang gold, silver, and jewels at the banquet, and prepared many delicacies for the envoys. The envoys of the Liao State saw that it was excessively extravagant, and they were jealous and greedy.
Wang Xiu also showed the envoys the wealth of the Song dynasty and asked them to visit the palace collection. It's like showing the enemy a fat sheep and making him salivate. After the Liao envoys returned to China, they provoked the monarch to send troops to attack the Song Dynasty. In the end, the Jin State replaced the Liao State and destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiu was still immersed in short-lived vanity and did not realize the serious consequences of his mistakes. When the golden soldiers threatened the border, this"Virtuous Minister"completely lost the trust of Song Qinzong. He fled and died.
Wang Hao not only created external troubles, but also emptied the treasury of the Song Dynasty. He squandered the wealth that could have enriched the treasury and strengthened the army, and turned it into his own personal money. This made the Song dynasty very financially disadvantageous to the Jin soldiers.
Various corruptions led to prosperity at the end of the dynasty. Wang Anshi put his former power with the wanton ***, but in the end he collapsed and was hated by the people. His life speaks volumes about the dangers of greed. Power cannot resist the judgment of morality for a moment, and it cannot escape responsibility.
These lessons deserve our reflection today. Power without moral restraint inevitably leads to corruption.
Wang Anshi went from a flattering and deceitful junior clerk to the pinnacle of power step by step, but finally went to the abyss of destruction due to greed. The trajectory of his life is one of reckless expansion of power and then to death.
This also reminds the rulers and ** of the last days that power must be based on morality, and greed will sooner or later lead to old age and heavenly punishment. Even in troubled times, those who have a righteous heart will not turn a blind eye, traitors and slaves will be executed, and the judgment of Heaven will be clear and clear.