In the following year (1069) Wang An-shin was appointed minister state. Tne emperor, who had often conferred with him' in the Han Lin academy, was acquainted with his ideas so that Wang had no difficulty in winning the emperor's support in organizing a Commission on Reform, there had been newspapers. in those days they, no doubt, would have featured the debates of this mission, but all we know is that within a few months two radical measures were adopted, namely "the state monopoly of commerce and "the state loan to. farmers." These were made law, however, face of strong opposition from other statesmen who predicted ruin if the administration persisted in its elect~ ed course. But the dic was cast, The chief minister, Fu Pi, who that he was actually superseded submitted a memorial by way of protest and asked permission to. resign, Other ministers of the conservative school also withdrew. Wang was made chief minister of state and, ere long, was virtually a dictator in the empire.
Numbered amongst his opponents were the greatest minds of an illustrious century. Most of them besides being statesmen of the first order were famous in other fields of endeavour. On-yang Hsin and Ssuema Kuang were celebrated historians. Ssu Tung-p'o was perhaps the greatest poet of the dynasty. Han Ch'i was a successful general. This list could be extended to include a score of exceptional personalities. It must be remembered that the history, as we have it, was written by the members of this group and their followers and, therefore, we must often read the truth about Wang An-shih bé~ tween the lines. He may have been self-willed and of a temperament tagonizes, as they report, ly these distinguished men of affairs would not meekly submit to the machinations of a theorizing. upstart. Their wholesale withdrawal from office must mean that in Wang An-shih they met a force of character which was irresistible and that his interpretation of the facts was too much for them. On the other hand it was unfortunate for Wang that he was deprived of the services of men of such abilities at that time of crisis,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.