Foreword: The progress of the times requires you and me to work together, and the thousand-year-old literary history needs you and me to inherit!
(Dream of Autumn Dust: Issue 92)
background
In 141 BC, the Han Jing Emperor Liu Qi died, and Liu Che, who was only 16 years old, ascended the throne and changed his era name to Jianyuan. At this time, the power of the government was in the hands of the people who were the lord of Empress Dowager Dou, and they advocated continuing to practice the study of Huang Laozhi and recuperating. However, the Xiongnu, a strong enemy in the north of the Han Dynasty, took advantage of this opportunity to start to stir, and the Han Dynasty was faced with internal and external troubles. At the same time, many princes took advantage of Liu Che's unstable political instability when he had just ascended the throne, and came to the capital to stir up the relationship between Empress Dou and Emperor Wu of Han, in an attempt to use Empress Dou to depose Liu Che in order to achieve their dream of being emperors.
implement
In the first year of jianyuan, emperor Wu of Han, in order to protect himself and strengthen the Han Dynasty to achieve his grand blueprint, so he used Dou Bao as his chancellor, his uncle Tian Yu as a lieutenant, and his teachers Zhao Xuan and Wang Zang as Lang Zhongling to carry out reforms. His reform initiatives are as follows:
1. Selection of talents
In the selection of talents, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty paid great attention to those aspirants who denounced the shortcomings of the times and the erudite talents who were innovative. Moreover, Emperor Wudi of Han issued an edict asking the localities to recommend people who were outspoken and daring, and more than a hundred people were recommended by the whole country, and Emperor Wudi of Han summoned them one by one to inquire about the way of governing the country in ancient and modern times. Among this group were famous scholars such as Dong Zhongshu, Yan Shu, and Dongfang Shuo, all of whom became important subjects during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
2. Flourishing Confucianism
At that time, there were princes and kings on the inside, and Koubian in the outside, and in the sixteen years of the reign of Emperor Jing of Han alone, the Xiongnu had five large-scale invasions, plundering tens of thousands of people. Moreover, after the Defeat of the Yue Dynasty, the Xiongnu had already pointed the spearhead directly at the Great Han, and the war between the Han and the Huns was inevitable, and if the Han Dynasty wanted to win, it must change the previous rule of inaction, implement the Confucian ideology of great unification, and devote the strength of the whole country to victory. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty suggested that the Hundred Families be deposed and only Confucianism respected.
Third, eliminate maladministration
1. The princes shall be in the kingdom. Simply put, the princes must return to their fiefdoms, and they are not allowed to enter the capital at will without the emperor's edict. This was mainly to prevent the princes from provoking dissension with Empress Dou, and also to prevent them from colluding with imperial court officials to plot against them.
2. De-off. It means to lift the ban on entering Hangu Pass, because thieves were rampant in the past, so to enter Hangu Pass, you must show a customs clearance document to enter the customs, but with the prosperity of wenjing rule to Emperor Wu of Han, there were already very few thieves, so in order to show taiping, this decree was promulgated.
3. Whistleblowing. This was mainly promulgated to combat the nobles and princes, and to encourage the reporting of those who violated the law and discipline among the relatives of the emperor and the state, in order to maintain social stability and consolidate the central government. However, its most direct target was the Dou clan, which was dominated by Empress Dou, so the Jianyuan reform was attacked and obstructed by Empress Dou and her henchmen.
outcome
In the end, Emperor Wu of Han's series of reforms to "elevate" Empress Dou completely angered the old lady, and she sent someone to investigate Liu Che's teachers Zhao Qi and Wang Zang, and put them in prison for "adultery". Eventually, Empress Dowager Dou deposed Tian Fei and Dou Bao, and forced Zhao And Wang Zang to commit suicide in prison. In this contest, Empress Dou, who had experienced three dynasties, won a complete victory.
Looking at the entire Jianyuan innovation, we conclude that the failure of the Jianyuan innovation is mainly due to the following reasons:
First of all, quick success. We do not deny the great talent and strategy of Emperor Wu of Han, but at that time, he was still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old child after all, so it was inevitable that he would think things simply when he considered things. Therefore, his reforms, although well-intentioned, were so anxious that they were all forced into a camp and became an insurmountable obstacle to them.
Second, the employment of personnel is improper. Although Zhao Xuan and Wang Zang had the intention and determination to innovate, they lacked the talent for innovation, and their lives were not in order, which allowed Empress Dowager Dou to grasp the handle. And Zhao Xuan's shortcomings were revealed as early as the time of innovation, and Empress Dou was still a relatively generous person, and she did not want to intervene in Emperor Wu of Han's Jianyuan innovation at the beginning. At this time, Zhao Xuan went to pour a pot of oil on the flames of the New Deal, and she told Empress Dou: "From now on, the national government does not need to ask the Eastern Palace!" This completely angered the old lady, how could the New Deal not fail under Zhao Xuan's "assist"?
But as the saying goes, "Saion is not blessed to lose his horse!" "Although the Jianyuan innovation failed, I think it has some positive significance:
First, the growth of Emperor Wu of Han. Although the Jianyuan reform failed, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty also became more mature after this incident. This laid the foundation for him to maintain a sober mind in the Sino-Hungarian decisive battle, and he gradually became an excellent decision-maker.
Second, the flames in the spring wind. Although the Jianyuan innovation failed, it has taken deep root in people's hearts. It also provided a template for his later thorough implementation of Confucian reforms, which became the prototype of the later thorough reforms of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Finally, the dissolution of the ancestral divide. In any case, Emperor Guangwu was Empress Dou's favorite grandson, and emperor Wudi of Han and Empress Dou's original intention was for the future of the Great Han. In the contest between Emperor Wu of Han and Empress Dou, Empress Dou had countless opportunities to depose Emperor Wu of Han. But she didn't do it, maybe in her heart her grandson was her favorite grandson, Liu Yan, no matter what she did wrong. Emperor Wu of Han also realized through Jianyuan innovation that no matter what, Empress Dou was his grandmother who hurt him the most. Therefore, although the Jianyuan reform failed, it deepened emperor Wu of Han's respect for Empress Dou. Therefore, until Empress Dowager Dou's death, Emperor Wudi of Han did not say that Empress Dowager Dou was not, and in Emperor Wudi of Han's heart, his love and respect for his grandmother even exceeded his feelings for her mother, Empress Wang.
Finally, I wish you all a happy day, thank you all for reading!
Reference: Book of Han, Benji of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty