Chapter 307: Twin-Star Buff
Although Wang Anshi was stubborn by nature, he was neither rigid nor pedantic.
In fact, anyone who engaged in reform and institutional change was quite open-minded. How could rigid and pedantic people possibly seek active change?
Wang Anshi’s stubbornness stemmed mainly from two aspects. First, he was extremely intelligent, and intelligent people were certainly more inclined to trust their own judgment.
Second, his political stance. Throughout history, those who pursued reform had to firmly believe in their convictions, because everyone knew this would encounter many troubles. If one did not persist, things would quickly come to nothing.
Wang Anshi did not disagree with Zhang Fei’s indirect approach of using donations as a form of taxation. In fact, his own reforms were also about collecting money through different methods – this was essentially the same approach with different means.
He simply felt it was unreliable.
Donations were voluntary, while taxes were mandatory.
If they were willing to donate voluntarily, why wouldn’t they pay taxes?
However, the confidence Zhang Fei displayed, along with Zhang Fei’s previous successes, ultimately moved Wang Anshi.