Chapter 10 2. Reform and strengthen the law, Qin Xiaogong moved the capital to reform the law

In the early Warring States Period, Qin State was the most backward among the Seven Heroes.At that time, the princes of the Central Plains fought against each other, and Qin State did not participate in the war in the Central Plains because it was located in a remote place in Yongzhou.In order to change the backward situation of Qin State, Duke Xiao of Qin took advantage of Qin's advantage of being far away from the battlefield in the Central Plains, accumulated strength, extended kindness, helped orphans and widows, cultivated moral government, and emphasized martial arts, which achieved good results.Qin Xiaogong also issued a "seeking talents order", which attracted a large number of talented people from all over the world to come to Qin to offer suggestions for Qin's reform.Among them, Shang Yang's entry into Qin played a huge role in the rise of Qin.

After Shang Yang came to the state of Qin, he was guided by people to find Jing Jian, the favorite minister of Duke Xiao of Qin, and he told Jing Jian about his reform methods.Jing Jian was shocked when he heard the words, knowing that Shang Yang is a rare talent.He persuaded Shang Yang to stay and said: "Qin is currently in dire straits and needs talents like you." Later, Jing Jian recommended Shang Yang to Qin Xiaogong.Qin Xiaogong was in the midst of seeking talents, and when he heard Jing Jian's strong recommendation, he immediately summoned Shang Yang.Shang Yang told the history of the rise of the Five Hegemons, preached to Duke Xiao the art of making the country rich and the army strong, and explained the importance of reform and innovation.Qin Xiaogong was very interested in Shang Yang's talk about the way to revive a strong country. The two talked for several days.

Qin Xiaogong felt that Shang Yang's method of reform touched the heart of the country, not only was not bound by the original law, but boldly applied the new law.Qin Xiaogong was very happy and said to Shang Yang: "Since the issuance of the 'Decree for Seeking Talents', there are not a few people who come to see me under the guise of 'ruling the country by law'. Most of them are mediocre talents who follow the steps and apply the original law. I At that time, I was very distressed. The rise and fall of a country are actually three points: the monarch, the ministers, and the people. From the current situation, our country lacks ministers who dare to speak and act. Talents like Mr. are rare in other countries, not to mention our country. what."

Shang Yang was very happy to see Qin Xiaogong praised himself like this, and replied: "Your Majesty appreciates the award. I think that if a person with real talent does not meet someone with talent, he will be reduced to mediocrity. Before I came to Qin, I went to In the state of Wei, at that time the prime minister, Gongsun Cuo, recommended me to meet the king of Wei, but the king of Wei thought I was young, and said that I had no food in my stomach, and no real talents.” Qin Xiaogong said with a smile: "Wei Wang is good at using old people. He is also a young man himself, so he underestimates people who are about his own age but have real talents." Then he turned the topic around and said: "Our country's The power of the country urgently needs to be strengthened, and there is no need to delay. Some people think that it is because of the lack of new laws that the country has come to this point. Therefore, when the country is undergoing changes, the laws must also be changed and increased.”

When Qin Xiaogong said this, Shang Yang's brows tightened. Qin Xiaogong was puzzled, so he asked: "Why are you frowning, sir? Could it be that what I said is wrong?" Shang Yang waved his hand and said: "Your Majesty is wrong. You are very right. The law should indeed be amended as the country progresses..." After a pause, he continued: "What I am worried about is that this reform is not a simple one. Amend the original law, but discard the old and replace it with the new. Once this law is implemented, there will be many people who oppose it in the court, so it will be very difficult to implement the reform."

Qin Xiaogong thought for a moment and said: "This love, just rest assured, the widow will give you the most steadfast support." Shang Yang was still a little worried, and said: "There are generals with great military exploits in the court, doctors with outstanding achievements, and even relatives who are close to the king. If they object, what should the king do?" In this way, it will be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law.” Upon hearing this, Shang Yang immediately bowed and knelt on the ground and said: "Your Majesty has such an idea, and the country's revival is sure to be hopeful. Please allow your Majesty to agree to a request from my minister."

Qin Xiaogong hurriedly helped Shang Yang up and said, "Sir, you don't need to perform such a great ceremony, and I don't know why you are asking for it?" "The implementation of the reform will inevitably encounter obstacles from some people in the court. The minister is an outsider who entered the Qin State and cannot be supported. Therefore, the king has to give the minister the right to punish those who oppose the reform by means of the reform. In this way It will have the effect of killing one and warning others, and the implementation of the reform will go smoothly." Qin Xiaogong readily agreed to Shang Yang's request.

A few days later, Qin Xiaogong summoned the ministers of the court to announce the reform. After Shang Yang read out the outline of the reform, His Highness caused a commotion. The courtiers talked in twos and threes, some shook their heads, some shook their heads. "This is clearly slandering the former king!" "Reforms cannot solve fundamental problems..." "He is an outsider, what qualifications does he have to discuss reform..." "He's too young..." After a while, Qin Xiaogong waved his hands, and the place became quiet.Qin Xiaogong said: "The purpose of the widow's issuance of the 'Order of Seeking Talents' is to find someone with talent and strategy like Shang Yang. The widow decided to implement Shang Yang's reform. If you have any questions in front of the palace today, you may wish to ask them directly. Let's discuss it together."

His Highness has a military general named Wanwei who has made a lot of military exploits. Qin Xiaofair respected him very much.At this time, he stood up and objected: "The laws formulated by the previous kings are changed at will? Shang Yang is an outsider and is still young, but how can he formulate a standardized law? I hope the king will think twice and reject this reform." After Wan Wei finished speaking, all the ministers of His Royal Highness agreed. Shang Yang knew that this was a chain reaction. Qin Xiaogong showed anger, and said: "This country is in a difficult time. If there is no change, the survival of the country is unspeakable. My mind has made up my mind. The reform is imperative. Anyone who violates it will be severely punished!" "

Qin Xiaogong's words are really different from the "discussion and settlement" just now. It seems that the matter of the reform has been decided in advance, and it is just a few words of perfunctory. Some people think so. Unwilling, Wan Wei still had the courage to say: "The law can be changed, but the consequences of the change have never been considered. The fantasy of reaching the sky in one step is too unrealistic." Shang Yang thought to himself, "When you feel it is true, the country will perish." Qin Xiaogong said: "Although what General Wan said is somewhat reasonable, judging from the current national conditions, there is no time to study it further. The laws of the former kings also came through in this way. Not only did they not do what you said, but they made people Qin stood firm in the turmoil at that time. The law also needs to be updated, and now our law obviously has many flaws, and it is imperative to replace it."

"Don't you think it's far-fetched to say this, Your Majesty? How can Shang Yang's laws compare with those of the previous kings? Shang Yang is still young and has a few buckets of food in his belly. The laws of the previous kings are the essence extracted from the state of war. It has been integrated with the law, you can ask the subjects, this law has been deeply rooted in people's hearts." A wave of anger rose in Shang Yang's heart, but because the scene didn't explode, he just said in his heart: "It's really stubborn, stubborn!" Qin Xiaogong slapped down the table vigorously, and then swept a stack of bamboo slips on the table to the ground with his sleeve, and said angrily: "I thought you had done a lot of meritorious service, and I gave you face, but you didn't know the way, and repeatedly contradicted the widow. Come, Put Wan Wei in prison and wait to be punished!" Wan Wei didn't expect Qin Xiaogong to make such a decision, and the arrogance on his face disappeared for a while, replaced by a panicked look.Seeing this situation, the rest of the ministers dared not speak out again. At this point, the reform began to be implemented in a real sense, and the state of Qin gradually became stronger. In 352 BC, Qin Xiaogong appointed Shang Yang as "Da Liang Zao".This is the sixteenth level of Qin Jue, which is equivalent to a phase and general.Two years later, Qin moved the capital from Liyang to Xianyang (now Xianyang, Shaanxi).In the same year, Shang Yang began to implement the second reform, mainly to further reform economically and politically.The second reform further deprived the old nobles of their privileges and harmed their interests.These people hated Shang Yang deeply, and wanted to put Shang Yang to death, but because of Qin Xiaogong, there was nothing they could do for a while. One day, a man named Zhao Liang came to visit Shang Yang.After meeting, he said: "I came today because I have something important to talk to adults about." Shang Yang had long heard that Zhao Liang was an important and representative figure among the nobles and relatives of the clan. Shang Yang had already guessed the purpose of his visit. "Master Zhao, you might as well speak up if you have something to say." Zhao Liang thought that he had a lot of face, so he let go and said, "On behalf of most of the subjects, I would like to give you a piece of advice." "What advice?" Shang Yang asked. "Abolish the law of torture and give way to sages." Zhao Liang said: "Qin is now prosperous and strong, whether it has relied on your reform, the subjects can see it. You kill innocent Zhongliang and create cruel punishment, I advise you It's better for you to abandon the New Deal and abdicate to the worthy." Shang Yang laughed and shot back: "It's just nonsense. Your irrational words are groundless. I would like to advise you to go back and think about it." Seeing that Shang Yang had no intention of retreating, Zhao Liang threatened, "In the world, there are many aliens. Some can penetrate walls, and some can kill people a hundred steps away. Do you want to see it?" Shang Yang said without fear: "Please invite strangers here to discuss with each other." Zhao Liang was at a loss for words for a moment, unable to squeeze a word out of his teeth, and left in a disheveled manner. Although there were minor obstacles, Shang Yang's second reform was successfully carried out, and the Qin army also actively carried out military activities abroad, and achieved successive victories. Qin Xiaogong's excellence is also that he can not only discover talents, but also delegate power at critical moments, use power to support him in doing things, and give people full trust.Without Shang Yang, there would be no Shang Yang reform that changed the fate of Qin; without Qin Xiaogong, the reform would not be carried out smoothly.