班固所作《王莽传》,是《汉书》中的第一巨制——上中下三卷,洒洒洋洋四万言,对王莽的一生行事,叙述可算详尽。虽然有研究者认为这一篇传记“带有无情的偏见和捍卫汉朝的情绪”(见《剑桥中国秦汉史》),大约不够做信史,但舍此之外,似乎也就没有更加可靠的材料。令人觉得有点为难的是,我们对它可以信赖到什么程度?譬 Ban Gu made “Wang Mang Biography”, is the “Han Dynasty” in the first giant system - three volumes, sprinkling ocean forty thousand words, Wang Mang’s life, narrative can be exhaustive. Although some researchers think that this biography “with merciless prejudice and defending the Han Dynasty’s sentiment” (see Cambridge History of Qin and Han Dynasties) is not enough to do the history of information, but beyond this, it seems there is no more reliable material. What makes it a little embarrassing is that to what extent we can trust it?