"Reading history makes people wise" is a famous saying of British philosopher Bacon in the17th century. From the perspective of personal study of ancient articles, thoughts, morality and ethics, I think On Chao Cuo is a masterpiece of historical theory.
The article points out that "people who made great achievements in ancient times were not only outstanding talents, but also had the will to persevere." Yesterday, Yu cut the dragon gate to control water and decided to release the sea from the river. If the party's achievements are not achieved, there will be terrible conflicts on the cover; Only when you can know this, you are not afraid of things, and your plans are so successful. "
Looking back on the Western Han Dynasty, feudal separatist forces seriously threatened centralization. After Jia Yi, Chao Cuo repeatedly suggested that Jingdi "cut the vassal", which led to the "Seven Kingdoms Rebellion" and Chao Cuo was killed. Later generations mostly lamented that Chao Cuo's loyalty was hurt. But Su Shi thinks that Chao Cuo's conviction is "taking everything from him". After the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, Chao Cuo not only wanted to escape, but also wanted to "let the son of heaven die", meaning that the emperor was in command and took the lead. Even if the emperor is allowed to boost morale, it will be regarded by others as "keeping the emperor in danger", so the loyal subjects and righteous men are "resentful", so even if Yuan Ang does not alienate and stab Chao Cuo, more people will be dissatisfied with this.
Chao Cuo's death and Jia Yi's untimely death have always been called two major political tragedies in Kawabata Yasunari's period. As a courtier, Chao Cuo is indeed a loyal minister, but as a minister of the country, he does not have the quality to turn the tide. A person who does not have the corresponding quality is doomed to fail if he has to do something beyond his power in that post. What's more, Chao Cuo only knows to "cut the vassal state", but has not seen any feasibility study and nothing to operate. He just started hastily with his loyalty and correct views. Once the rebellion is triggered, it is impossible to be "fearless", take the initiative to take responsibility, resolve the crisis, and even panic, leaving the chaos to others. Such a person, tragedy has long been doomed.
I appreciate the saying that "all history is contemporary history". When reading history, we should look at the past from the present perspective and look at the past according to the current problems. The past is the foundation of the present, and the present contains the past and indicates the future. The importance of history lies in its profound enlightenment to people today. A person should choose his own path according to his own ability, be down-to-earth, step by step, pay attention to exercise, and constantly increase his ability to handle affairs, make decisions and take responsibility in practice.