It is rare for an emperor to be known as the "Emperor of the Ages", and a ruler who can receive such praise must not only have the ability of the dragon and phoenix, but also make remarkable achievements. The author believes that the only person who can bear this title is the Qin Emperor Han Wu.
Especially Emperor Wu of Han, during his reign, the Han Dynasty flourished. Not only that, the two emperors after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pushed China's development to a new situation. If there is any historical period after the Sheng Tang Dynasty that Chinese most proud of, the author believes that only the Western Han Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty are the most proud. From the "census" of the late Western Han Dynasty, we can get such a set of data.
In the sixth year BC, the total population of all of China was about 59 million. You know, the census rate at that time was relatively low, and this data was not accurate. If all the "black households" at that time were counted, then this number would at least double. Perhaps many people think that this population can not be compared with contemporary China, to know that the level of medical care at that time was very low, and the productivity was also very backward, and it is rare to develop the population to this extent.
However, just as the so-called great trend of the world will be divided for a long time, the prosperity of feudalism is not long-lasting. Throughout the historical development of our country, we have never escaped this law. After the Western Han Dynasty created a harmonious and prosperous world for the people for two hundred years, the world was once again facing a situation of danger. This situation is inevitable, there are wise and divine rulers, naturally there are faint and incompetent mediocre monarchs. About after the Han Yuan Emperor, the level of emperors in the Han Dynasty declined day by day, and the taxes paid by the common people became higher and higher. Increasing taxes, coupled with frequent natural disasters, made the days of Han Dynasty farmers worse than ever.
Ordinary people cannot live a life of food and clothing, so naturally they want to express their demands in the form of rebellion. In the chaotic world, the Han Emperor could not stop this scene, because the monopoly foreign relatives at that time had threatened centralized rule. The emperor's right to speak in the court was very limited, and the foreign relatives headed by Wang Mang single-handedly covered the sky, almost to the extent of blackmailing the son of heaven to order the princes. It is interesting to note that even if Wang Mang usurped power through illegal means, the people at that time still admired him.
After all, Wang Mang was very good at winning people's hearts and minds, and when epidemics and famines occurred everywhere, Wang Mang often opened the national treasury and helped the people in his own name. After a long time, the people across the country applauded Wang Mang, believing that he was the only choice for the emperor. Wang Mang gained the advantages of the time and place, and naturally usurped the throne and established a new dynasty. The common people were full of hope that after the emperor who "loved the people like a son" ascended the throne, he would bring them a good life of national peace and security. As everyone knows, the nightmare that awaits them has just arrived.
Wang Mang was an unrealistic politician, and a series of reforms implemented after taking office brought an incomparable burden to the people. For example, wang mang's implementation of land state ownership caused the people to lose their private arable land, so that the peasants at that time lacked the enthusiasm for farming, and the country's grain production plummeted. In addition, Wang Mang also forbade merchants and craftsmen to have assets of more than ten thousand dollars, and if the number of assets of merchants and craftsmen exceeded this figure, then their property would be confiscated in full. For a while, the country's business development continued to be sluggish, and no one wanted to do business.
In terms of foreign wars, Wang Mang was exhausted. However, Wang Mang's military ability was very low, and he did not even have basic commander-in-chief common sense, and he ordered soldiers from the north to fight in the south, so that the vast majority of soldiers were incapacitated due to the incompatibility of water and soil. Because the soldiers were infected with the plague in the south, the disease spread to the north during the return to the capital in the north. According to the literature, in 23 AD alone, Chang'an suffered heavy casualties due to epidemics, and the streets and alleys were filled with a disgusting smell of corpses.
It is no wonder that the new dynasty was not established for a long time, and there were constant uprisings everywhere. In the end, Wang Mang was killed by the rebel soldier Du Wu, and the lieutenant Gongbin asked Du Wu where Wang Mang's body was, and Du Wu told him that in the "northwestern part of the room", Gongbin beheaded Wang Mang's head and hung in the city of Wan, and dozens of soldiers rushed to kill Wang Mang and split Wang Mang's body. The people heard that Wang Mang's head was in the city of Wan, 'strike at him together, or cut his tongue'.
It can be seen how much people at that time hated Wang Mang, the ruler. The absurd rule originally practiced by Wang Mang had made the common people lose their vitality, and in addition, the epidemic that spread everywhere simply turned the Central Plains into a purgatory on earth. It can be said that Wang Mang's regime lasted for more than ten years, directly subverting the prosperous world created by the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty in two hundred years, and causing irreparable wounds to the Central Plains.
Fortunately, Liu Xiu rose in the midst of the riots, overthrew the new dynasty and established the Eastern Han regime, continued the great Han dynasty, and spent twenty years adjusting people's livelihood and recuperating. In a national census twenty years after the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the total population counted by the imperial court was only 21 million, less than half of the Western Han Dynasty.
Proportionally, this should be regarded as the most serious population loss in the history of our country in ancient times. The main reason for the evaporation of nearly two-thirds of the population is not the war, but the harsh government and the consequent epidemic. This is enough to show that for a country, harsh government is fiercer than tiger, and the impact of decision-making power on the country is huge.
Resources:
["On Wang Mang's Ethnic Policy", "Wang Mang (Emperor of the New Dynasty)--The Story of the Emperor"]