How did the wisdom of the ancients solve the polarization between the rich and the poor?

At the beginning of Han Dynasty, after the bloody war between Chu and Han at the end of Qin Dynasty, the country fell into abject poverty. Year: "Han Xing. The world stands, the people perish and hide. Since the son of heaven can't get drunk, he must be in charge or take an ox cart. " The emperor can't use four horses of the same color, and the generals are too sloppy to go to the court and can't ride ox carts.

After the rule of Wenjing, "seventy years before Emperor Wudi, the country died, there was no flood and drought, and the national treasury was full." In other words, the rulers of the early Han Dynasty, such as Emperor Gaozu, Lv Hou, Wendi and Jingdi, had already made a super cake of social wealth. At the beginning of Emperor Wu's accession to the throne, the biggest problem facing the society was how to divide this big cake.

However, in the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the financial resources that the treasury could mobilize were still very limited. The reason is that the powerful interest groups in the Han Dynasty amassed most of the social wealth and occupied most of the national interests. The polarization between the rich and the poor in society is even more shocking: on the one hand, the rich and powerful are extravagant; On the other hand, "the poor often wear the clothes of cattle and horses, but eat the food of dogs." Dong Zhongshu, a great scholar in the Han Dynasty, once said: "The rich have more fields, but the poor have no place to stand." Luxury, profiteering and wealth, chaotic market, weak country and poor people make the gorgeous and rich Han Dynasty vulnerable to the fierce horses and strong bows of Xiongnu, and can only muddle through by the soft diplomacy of the princess and her relatives.

How to concentrate national strength to alleviate border troubles? How to solve the polarization between the rich and the poor that pushes the national economy to the cliff? Without shaking social stability? Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty carried out a series of "soft" reforms, which was quite wise.

First of all, use the soft "forced demolition" method to let the luxurious and flashy local strongmen move with their families. In the second year of yuanshuo, namely 127 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promulgated the famous Record of Eating Goods in the Han Dynasty. He ordered all rich and powerful men with a wealth of more than 3 million yuan to move to Maoling near the capital. Some historians have pointed out that this standard is equivalent to today's billionaires in wealth and power.

What is commendable is that the property deprivation of billionaires in the Han Dynasty was not a bloody revolution, but a charming soft immigration policy, unlike the violent demolitions of some local governments today. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty is very clever. He rewarded the rich and powerful people who moved to Maoling-the government gave each immigrant a "relocation compensation" of 200 thousand yuan, and also awarded political honors, which made them lose their commercial status and become famous families. The children of Maoling moved with their families, lost their land, stopped hoarding wealth and spent money like water, making Chang 'an the first luxury metropolis in the world. And "Maoling children" has also become an ancient hot word dedicated to the "rich second generation".

Of course, this soft reform that deprived the rich group of huge dividends was not smooth sailing. When it was first promulgated, there was a national boycott. Many rich and powerful families are staying put, but the famous Guo Jie has no choice but to take the upper line. He suggested that his wealth was less than 3 million, and he asked the court to allow him not to move. If this Guo Daxia appeals directly through legal procedures, there may be room for mediation. But he thinks that power is omnipotent, and the most important thing is that "there are people on it", so he found Wei Zifu's most trusted brother, General Wei Qing, to intercede for himself. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty immediately realized the danger of the combination of officials and businessmen, and sighed, "Isn't it a local snake who can make the court generals intercede?" He decided to have "zero tolerance" for the private rich who colluded with officials and businessmen. As a result, Guo Jie, a famous generation hero in history, was wanted by the court for indirect homicide and was eventually exterminated.

Secondly, the powerful official interest groups based on royal lineage and nepotism were also the object of the "soft reform" to solve the polarization between the rich and the poor in Han Dynasty. As we all know, the enfeoffment system

It was also the first month in the spring of the second year of yuanshuo. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued an order to move the mausoleum, stipulating that princes other than the eldest son of each vassal state could separate several Hou Yaozong States from the kingdoms of their fathers and ancestors. In the early Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that only the eldest son of a vassal could inherit the throne, while other vassals were down and out, even belonging to Shu Ren. After the promulgation of the order to move the mausoleum, the cheers thundered, and the ministers and concubines told each other with joy. In fact, the powerful vassal states became smaller and smaller, and became counties under the jurisdiction of Hou Yaozong. It can no longer extort money, nor will it create tension between local and central authorities. The institutionalized official kinship interest groups have since faded out of the historical stage.

Third, the Han Dynasty dealt a devastating blow to the business tycoons who planned to hoard. The state uses "balance" and "equal loss" to stabilize prices; Adjust the tax rate and reduce taxes for the people; However, hell to pay, an unscrupulous businessman who disturbs finance, profiteers and monopolizes the market, sets a maximum price for daily necessities and implements a "salt and iron monopoly". In this way, the phenomenon of collusion between officials and businessmen to monopolize the market has been curbed, and the price has also been greatly reduced. According to records, from BC 1 10 to 49 BC, there was no record of inflation in the history of the Western Han Dynasty in 6 1 year.

For ordinary businessmen who lost the monopoly of salt and iron, the Han Dynasty did not kill them with a stick, but provided more trade opportunities. The Han Dynasty defeated the Huns to recover the Hexi Corridor and then reached the Western Regions. In the end, today's Xinjiang region was unified by the state power, and the "Western Regions' Capital Protection House" was built, which completely opened up the commercial routes in Eurasia and opened up the Silk Road stretching across Wan Li. With the support of national finance, hundreds of thousands of border guards protected the long business travel along the Silk Road, exported China's exquisite porcelain, gorgeous silk and rich products to Persia and Rome through the glorious and eternal Silk Road, and even made the Han civilization break through the border of China and spread to Eurasia. Those big business travelers who dare to set foot on the journey of Wan Li will soon get huge profits, even "hundreds of times of profits".

Fourth, in order to relieve the border troubles and fight against the Huns, the Han Dynasty also greatly increased the salaries of soldiers, making them "get rich first". According to records, the minimum wage of border guards in Han Dynasty was 600 yuan per month, while that of military commanders was as high as 16000 yuan per month. According to the price conversion, his salary is equivalent to today's monthly salary of 4,800 yuan to 1.28 million yuan. In addition to wages, there are subsidies: when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty visited the north, he gave border guards 1 10,000 silks and 2 million yuan at one time. The substantial improvement in the treatment of military personnel has given grassroots people another way to get rich and join the army. Inspired by "Wan Li looking for a job", the hot-blooded men of the poor went to the frontier to join the army and serve the country, and low-level intellectuals like Ban Chao also joined the army. As a result, the Han Dynasty became the largest power in the world, and the Xiongnu won six attacks, which led to the wild Xiongnu fleeing from Mobei, where there was no Wang Ting.

After several rounds of policy reform, the polarization between the rich and the poor in the Han Dynasty was alleviated. It can be said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has his own unique skills in managing the polarization between the rich and the poor, rationally distributing social wealth, weakening the interests of the rich and powerful, narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, and finally ensuring social stability and unity.