北宋神宗时期,王安石主持变法,而作为反对变法旧党首领的司马光主动要求出京为官。在他外放做官期间,就将自己酝酿已久的编著一本既系统又简明扼要的通史的想法付诸了行动。还在宋英宗治平元年(1064年),司马光就已把自己编写的史书《历年图》二十五卷呈献给英宗,过了两年又呈上了八卷本的《通志》。英宗看后,非常满意,要他继续写下去,并下诏设置书局,供给费 During the Northern Song Shenzong period, Wang Anshi presided over the reform and Sima Guang, leader of the old party opposed to the reform, voluntarily demanded that Beijing be an official. During his absence from office, he put into operation his long-awaited idea of ​​a systematic and concise general history. Still in the first year of the reign of Song Yingzong (1064), Sima Guang had presented twenty-five volumes of his historical records, “Calendar of Historical Images,” to Yingzong. Two years later, he presented the “Annals of the Eight Volumes.” Yingzong looked very satisfied, asking him to continue to write down and set down the bookstore, offering fee