flstandardbreds Chapter 174 Wang Mang: I am destined by Heaven!
Chapter 174 Wang Mang: I am destined by Heaven!
"After listening to the advice of those around her, Wang Zhengjun had no choice but to accept it, but she could only allow Wang Mang to exercise the powers of the emperor on behalf of the emperor until a suitable person to be the emperor was found from among the Liu clan."
"In the end, Wang Mang found a baby to succeed him as emperor. After all, he was just a puppet. He probably thought that it was up to him to decide when to make a baby emperor."
"However, this does raise serious doubts about whether this little child can grow up safely. After all, the example of Emperor Ping of Han is right before our eyes. Clearly, this is not an isolated case; the Liu family disagrees! It's simply outrageous!"
"For example, Marquis Liu Chong of Anzhong disagreed. He thought, 'Is Wang Mang trying to seize the throne from our Liu family? No way!' So he assembled a group of over a hundred people to attack the city, but they were wiped out in seconds! I don't know where he got the courage to ensure that these hundred-plus people would succeed!!"
"However, I must acknowledge his commendable courage, but if you really can't handle this, you shouldn't have gone through with this! You could have just played it safe!"
"But we can't blame him, because Wang Mang's actions did influence a group of people, giving them money and jewelry! Isn't that just a sugar-coated bullet?"
"Even Emperor Wu of Han's 'Yangmou Tui'en Edict' has to bear some blame. Here's an explanation for those before Emperor Wu of Han about what the 'Tui'en Edict' was."
"At that time, in order to weaken the power of the feudal lords, the pig announced that each of the feudal lords' children would be entitled to a share of their father's land. This was passed down from generation to generation. I heard that some of them became county magistrates, while others went on to sell straw sandals!"
Zhang Fei, rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside: Hahaha! My older brother also sold straw sandals!
Liu Bei of the Eastern Han Dynasty: ...
A scholar-official from the Qin Dynasty: This Edict of Grace is a bit toxic! It seems the descendants aren't very good!
A spoiled brat from the Song Dynasty: It's okay if I can't beat him now, Brother Xiu will teach him a lesson!
A poor student from the Ming Dynasty: A member of the royal family, yet he ended up not doing so well!
……
Lin Ke quietly added, "Even Wang Mang, who transmigrated, couldn't defeat Liu Xiu, the chosen one of the world!"
"I never expected that Wang Mang and the Liu family would be so devoted to him. Some members of the Liu clan who were watching from the sidelines rushed to Wang Mang to show their loyalty after Liu Chong failed."
"It is said that he also petitioned to smash Liu Chong's windows and dig a stinking ditch. He especially suggested that all members of the Liu clan should take this as a warning and always remind themselves of this."
"You look down on Liu Chong? As a member of the Liu family, at least he dared to fight. You, you sycophant, just gave up! And you even dug a stinking ditch!?"
"However, there were also those who dared to actually challenge him. Zhai Yi, the governor of Dongjun, took advantage of the military exercises to launch a rebellion. He accused Wang Mang of murdering the young emperor and attempting to usurp the Han throne! He called on anyone who would join him in reclaiming the Liu family's empire."
"Zhai Yi's actions clearly inspired the Liu family, who cobbled together an army of 100,000 and marched in a mighty procession toward Chang'an. Wang Mang was terrified and kept praying."
"I don't know if it's just that Wang Mang's time isn't right yet, but these 100,000 people were miraculously suppressed. He was relieved and felt that no one could stop him from ascending the throne."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: If this succeeds, there'll be no need for our Brother Xiu!
A Ming Dynasty official said: "It's all thanks to him that the Han Dynasty survived for more than two hundred years! Otherwise, the Han Dynasty wouldn't have lasted more than two hundred years!"
A lazy official from the Tang Dynasty: Liu Che probably never imagined that his Han Dynasty would be split up, with a new dynasty emerging in between!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
People from all over the world never expected that none of Liu Bang's descendants, including Emperor Wu of Han, would be capable of fighting. This situation could only be ended more than ten years later with the emergence of Liu Xiu.
"After Zhai Yi's troops were suppressed, Wang Mang had no worries about the rear, and his ambition to become emperor was revealed."
"Since the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, court officials have liked to attribute various natural disasters to the emperor's moral failings, which is why during the reigns of Emperors Zhao and Xuan, some officials petitioned for the abdication of the throne."
"But even if these people's demands are met, the natural disasters that are destined to happen will still occur. In the end, these natural disasters have nothing to do with whether the emperor is doing a good job or not."
"For example, during the reign of Emperor Ai of Han, the reign title was changed according to the advice of alchemists and Confucian scholars. However, natural disasters in the Western Han Dynasty continued after the change of reign title, which provided favorable conditions for Wang Mang to usurp the Han throne."
"At that time, the social atmosphere was still influenced by the concept of abdication. Wang Mang took advantage of this and many people came to promote him. Among them was a man named Ai Zhang, who presented a golden box book to the temple of Emperor Gaozu of Han, which stated that Wang Mang was the true Son of Heaven."
"On January 15, 9 AD, Wang Mang forced his aunt, Empress Wang Zhengjun, to hand over the Imperial Seal of the State and accept the abdication of Emperor Ziying, a descendant of the Liu family. He changed the name of the state to Xin and Chang'an to Chang'an. Wang Mang became the founder of the Xin dynasty, and the Western Han Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years, came to an end."
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: Why do I feel so sad? The once very powerful Western Han Dynasty has come to an end.
A Tang Dynasty official: It's alright, Brother Xiu will take care of it!
Emperor Xuan of Han
Liu Xun sighed deeply, as if a sense of relief had settled. So this was how the Western Han Dynasty was usurped by Wang Mang.
He had considered that the crown prince might be mediocre, but he never expected that not only would he die young, but the court would also be in such a state, with each generation worse than the last!
Even King Pingjun wasn't like this! And look at the children in the harem, not a single one is outstanding!
Fortunately, Princess Pingjun was not killed. This time, things went a little better than recorded in history. Hopefully, she can live a little longer and have a few more children!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"Looking back at Wang Mang's entire operation, I can't help but think of the saying: Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. And throughout the entire course of history, almost no usurper has a very good reputation among the people."
"Almost everyone in the world knew about a great sage named Wang Mang, and it seemed that everyone realized that only he could end this chaotic era."
"But compared to the end of other dynasties, the end of the Western Han Dynasty seems to be doing alright, although it's not much better. For example, in the second year of Emperor Ping of Han's reign, the young emperor who was poisoned by Wang Mang, the population of the Western Han Dynasty was still maintained at nearly 6000 million."
"Based on this, we can infer that the lives of ordinary people at that time were relatively stable. However, under these circumstances, Wang Mang was able to make everyone in the world realize that only he could save the people from suffering and bring peace."
"Isn't this also a model of usurper? After all, there are other usurpers besides Wang Mang, such as a certain Cao man, a certain Sima man, and Old Zhao, etc., but none of them have gained the approval of most people like Wang Mang!"
Cao Cao, a man surnamed Cao: ...
Old Zhao (Zhao Kuangyin): ...
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Putting everything else aside, Wang Mang's usurpation of the throne was truly extraordinary!
An official from the Ming Dynasty: It's a pity he ran into a beauty!
……
"Does the new dynasty established by this democratically elected 'Chosen One' truly meet their ideals?!"
"After Wang Mang came to power, he carried out reforms. Reforms have been pursued by successive generations for thousands of years. Successful reforms have made the country prosperous, while unsuccessful ones have been enough to destroy a dynasty."
"First, Wang Mang demanded the restoration of the well-field system, that land be nationalized, and that the buying and selling of land and slaves be prohibited, with all slaves being dismissed."
"The first thing he did was to infringe on the interests of the powerful clans. Let me also explain what the well-field system is. It means that the land is divided into nine equal plots, one of which is public land and the other eight are private land."
"However, due to a lack of information, some people believe that this system is a pipe dream, a complete idealism, and perhaps it has never been implemented."
"Perhaps Wang Mang was well-versed in doctrines such as the Rites of Zhou from a young age, so that such a seed was planted in his heart long ago. He believed in the wisdom of his predecessors and always acted accordingly. Otherwise, how could he have been destined for greatness?"
"But he forgot that what was abandoned in the course of historical change will ultimately not be suitable for its development."
"Although his move to attack the powerful clans was not wrong, after all, land annexation has always been a major problem in every dynasty."
"But not only did he fail to investigate whether the well-field system was suitable for the Han Dynasty, he also directly cut off the interests of powerful clans, without considering that these people, whom he believed were destined for greatness, had contributed their efforts."
"Didn't he consider that those powerful clans might turn against him?! Besides, when Wang Mang sent money and jewels, all those valuables belonged to the Liu family. He was incredibly generous with them. Now that it's Wang Mang's turn to send things to his own family, he's reluctant to part with them?!"
"Similarly, would powerful clans who owned their own land be willing to give it away to Wang Mang for nothing?"
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty said: "Nobody's money comes from thin air, how could anyone agree to that!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: They're too hasty. They're trying to become powerful clans now. They can't compete with that!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...