Once upon a time, the name Wang Mang left a profound trace in the long river of history. A saga of a mythical beginning to a mad end, how did Wang Mang's life fall from the top to the bottom? The self-proclaimed emperor, who single-handedly controlled a staggering amount of gold, showed incomprehensible stinginess in times of national crisis. Is his stinginess really due to lack of money? Or is there another hidden reason? Today, let us find out how this former overlord came to his demise step by step.
Wang Mang, a powerful minister at the end of the Han Dynasty, was originally a member of the family of a prominent figure in the Western Han Dynasty. His ambition not only stayed on the enjoyment of power, but gradually moved towards the road of complete emperorship. In 9 AD, Wang Mang usurped the Han dynasty, established himself as emperor, and established a new dynasty. His ambition seems to be a great success, but it also buries countless hidden dangers.
During his reign, Wang Mang implemented a series of radical reforms, including currency reform and land nationalization. These policies may have been well-intentioned, but their brutal and anachronistic implementation has led to widespread resentment and social unrest. And Wang Mang's currency reform led to economic chaos. He nationalized gold, a policy that allowed him to accumulate large quantities of gold in just a few years. According to historical records, Wang Mang's palace treasury in the treasury of gold as high as 60 tons, each weight of 10,000 catties, according to the standards of the Han Dynasty, the total amount of gold in Wang Mang's hands reached almost 200 tons, almost equal to the total amount of gold in the European world before the discovery of the Americas.
Under Wang Mang's rule, the people's suffering increased day by day. With such a huge fortune, he should be able to alleviate the country's financial crisis and the suffering of the people, but he showed incomprehensible stinginess and stinginess. When the Quartet revolted in the last years of the new dynasty and the entire empire was teetering on the brink of turmoil, Wang Mang decided to reorganize the army again and try to turn things around. He formed the "Nine Tiger Generals" with the intention of stabilizing the army's morale and defending it against rebels on all sides.
Unexpectedly, the bonus that Wang Mang provided to these nine generals was a paltry 4,000 yuan, which was difficult to maintain even basic living in the inflationary environment at that time. This kind of petty behavior is undoubtedly a great irony of the loyalty and sacrifice of these elite generals. In the ensuing battle, because of Wang Mang's stinginess and distrust, the fighting spirit of the Nine Tigers was completely lost, and the battle with the Genshi Han army was almost a one-sided rout.
Wang Mangzhong, there is another angle worth pondering, that is, his distrust of his generals. In Wang Mang's view, the wives and children of the generals could be used as hostages to ensure their loyalty. This extreme desire for control and suspicion can only make people feel chilling. In the case that the morale of the army has been weakened, Wang Mang still expects his generals to go to the soup for him, which is tantamount to a fool's dream.
Wang Mang's failure was not only due to his stinginess and suspicion, but also because of the many problems inherent in his policies. The failure of the monetary reform, coupled with successive years of natural and man-made disasters, made the new government powerless to turn things around. The troops of Deng Ye and Yu Kuang, the generals of the Han army, invaded Chang'an, marking the end of Wang Mang. Wang Mang's regime was like a big gamble, and in the end he gambled himself to nothing.
Wang Mang, let us see the process of an emperor from a mythical peak to the abyss of madness. His miserliness and suspicions, as well as a series of failed policies, eventually led to the collapse of his empire and his own destiny. History gives us not only a review of the past, but also a warning for the future. Wang Mang's defeat reminds every high-ranking person that behind power and wealth, wisdom and benevolence are needed to harness. Otherwise, even if you own the world, you may disappear overnight.