Chapter 38 In the second quarter, the tired people and the nobles actually resonated with anger

Like a thunderbolt of lightning, the new decree shook the castles and countryside of Qin! From Dr. Liyangqing down to Li Rural Han, everyone thought that this was an unimaginable change, which disturbed the state of Qin and made everyone feel awkward.Let's just talk about the "Shen Wulian Zuo Law" and "Private Fighting Criminal Law". The countrymen in the castle and the farmers in the countryside are all classified as "bao" and "ting", ten families have one guarantee, five guarantees and one pavilion.If it's just this kind of civil registration system, it's fine for people to talk about it.The most important thing is that sitting in a row makes people panic.If one family in Baonei commits a crime, the other nine families must report it together immediately. If the criminal escapes without reporting, the ten families will be convicted together and punished together.If someone breaks the law in the first guarantee, the other four guarantees must be reported quickly, otherwise it will be five guarantees!That is to say, if any one of the fifty families commits a crime, the forty-nine families may be punished.People must keep their eyes open all the time, pay attention to whether their neighbors are breaking the law or not, and constantly remind each other of various laws and regulations to avoid falling into a disaster of sitting together.How can the old Qin people bear such fear?

Qin's folk customs are the most troublesome.Don't say that the six kingdoms of Shandong shook their heads, even the old Qin people didn't take it seriously when they scolded themselves.But if they really want to make a serious change, the old Qin people are even more furious with cursing. The state of Qin is located in the western frontier, with a mix of agriculture and animal husbandry, especially in the grasslands of the Longxi Valley in the upper reaches of the Jingshui and Weishui Rivers, where animal husbandry is the mainstay.Even the Guanzhong Plain in the heartland has a large number of farming population who have recently transformed from nomadic tribes.Since ancient times, the folk customs in the west have been wild and aggressive, and they will be beaten to death in the fields for a trivial matter, which will lead to family fights, village fights, and even tribal vendettas.It has spread for a long time, and there are very few villages, tribes, and families without blood enemies.These tribal children who hate each other often provoke private fights in the army or even on the battlefield. They would rather help the enemies who fight privately for the sake of loyalty and hatred than rescue the brave brothers who killed the enemy on the battlefield.There are also old Qin people who live together with the Rongdi tribe in the west, who are even more aggressive and wild. They only recognize blood and loyalty, and never know what "rules and laws" are?In the vast grasslands and secluded river valleys, generations of blood feuds are often fought for competition for water, grass and arable land.Occasionally, a child of the enemy's family would be alone in the grassland, and he would be killed by the enemy's family without mercy.The old Qin people here and the Rongdi tribe all believe in the revenge method of "exchanging blood for blood, and life for life". Unless there is force and war, it is difficult for almost any law to extend to the bravery of the grasslands and valleys.In the era of Qin Mugong, in order to prevent the Rong and Di tribes from rebelling, they semi-forcibly moved many Rongdi tribes who surrendered to the Qin State to the sparsely populated Guanzhong, where they lived together with the farming villages of the old Qin people.

The general trend is stable, but the long-standing folk customs cannot be changed.The villages where the Rong and Di live together compete for water canals and land boundaries with the villages of the old Qin people just as they compete for water and grass in the grassland.Year after year, not only did the old Qin people have feuds with the Rongdi tribe, but there were also various personal blood feuds between the Rongdi tribe and the old Qin people.Whenever there is a chance, the enemies will fight with each other, and there will be no casualties. In the land of China at that time, there was no country whose folk customs were as strong as Qin's custom of private fighting.Even the "Southern Barbarian" three kingdoms—Chu, Wu, and Yue—who were also scorned and ridiculed by the Central Plains, were not as common and vicious as private fighting among the people of Qin.The Qin people boasted that "everyone is a warrior", but the eastern countries laughed at the Qin people for "being timid in public wars and brave in private battles. It is a bad habit!"

The government of the state of Qin has always turned a blind eye to this kind of folk custom, "the people will not sue, and the officials will not investigate".One is that there is no cure and there is nothing to do, and the other is that the great war has always relied on the people to join the army to fight bloody battles, and it is unable to investigate these private enmity disputes in detail.There is only one iron rule in Qin State: But if there is a war, everyone must fight to be the first and unanimously fight to the outside world, otherwise there will be no mercy!That is to say, as long as the people do not resist taxation or refuse to join the army, the government generally ignores vendettas among the people.

After visiting the countryside of Qin State, Wei Yang was deeply impressed by this custom of private fighting.He called this phenomenon "a strong people and a weak country".The people's customs are strong and the country is weak, the root cause is private fighting.In order to eliminate this evil trend and guide the people of Qin to the right path of fighting to the death for the honor of the country, it is necessary to completely prohibit private fighting and cultivate a common people's spirit that is brave to fight in public.Wei Yang wrote a special article "Weak People" for this purpose, and proposed to Qin Xiaogong the general strategy of "the people are weak and the country is strong, and the people are strong and the country is weak. A country with the right way should focus on the weak people".The so-called weak people is to put the people in a weak position before the national laws, so that they dare not violate the laws.The so-called strong people are those who defy the law and dare to break the law.To make the people weak, it is necessary to make the people honest and simple.If people are honest and simple, they will abide by the law; if they are tricky and wild, they will dare to violate the law.This is the principle of "plainness makes you weak, prostitution makes you strong".This kind of profound and even cold argument conquered Qin Xiaogong, and made this young and sober monarch see the hope of uniting the Qin people, and decided to support Wei Yang to fundamentally change the spiritual style of the Qin people.

For this reason, Wei Yang made careful planning and decided that the reform should begin with ordering chaos and establishing authority. The first batch of five decrees he promulgated on the day he opened the government were all centered on the governance of the "weak people". The "Private Fighting Crime Law" first strictly prohibits all private fighting.In other words, all private vendettas and fights are illegal and criminal acts, and all disputes should be adjudicated by the government in accordance with laws and regulations, and cannot be resolved by private vendettas. The "Shen Wu Lian Zuo Law" ensures that all private fight criminals will not be hidden or escaped, and will be severely punished. The "Inn Search Act" is to prevent the hiding of vendetta criminals and oriental spies.In other words, it will be difficult for any criminal to hide in Qin.Because these two laws stipulate that "accusing an adulterer will be rewarded with beheading the enemy's head, and hiding an adulterer will be punished with surrendering the enemy."That is to say, exposing a criminal is the same as beheading an enemy on the battlefield, and rewarding him with a title; hiding a criminal is the same as surrendering to the enemy's country, and it is a capital crime.Obviously, the new national law clearly regards the crime of private fighting as a major enemy, and it must be completely eliminated. The "Farming Reward Law" and the "Military Merit Award Law" are to cultivate righteousness and encourage the people to strive for national honor, work hard, kill the enemy bravely, make contributions, and honor their ancestors.

The timing of the promulgation of these five decrees is just before the busy month of May. It will not affect the farming work, and will also give a sense to the large number of private fights and killings between villages and tribes for water and land that will inevitably occur every year during the busy summer. Shock head on!Wei Yang's view of the rule of law is that new laws can gain a firm foothold only by standing up against the wind, and the dignity of laws and regulations must be established in the chaos. However, almost all of these five decrees changed the way of life of the Qin people.It is tantamount to asking people to wipe out all past grievances and hatreds and embark on a path based on the law.Whether it is a castle countryman or a farmer in the countryside, they all feel tied up by a huge rope and feel uncomfortable.The hatred for the neighbors and villagers can no longer be arbitrarily retaliated against, the days of happy enmity and hatred will no longer exist, you can't escape if you kill someone, and you can't even stay in an inn without a government portrait; Congratulations; all disputes must be sued to the officials, the law of the jungle must be treated fairly, and the dispute over water and land must be subject to the ruling of the government... All these, to the old Qin people who do what they want, are simply too awkward.

According to the new law, everything has to be reversed, how can you not feel awkward?How can we not complain? The same is true for the farmers in the mountains, and the same is true for the Chinese in Liyang City.The so-called nationals refer to the craftsmen, merchants, city people and farmers living in the capital and the territory of the capital.Among these types of people, the status of artisans called "Hundred Craftsmen" is higher, that of merchants is lower, and that of free farmers is in the middle.But in the Warring States period, merchants were far from being called "low merchants" and restrained as they were later, but they were not respected as much as craftsmen.Because most of the artisans are technicians in government-run workshops, they are typical "Chinese people", while most of the merchants are private owners, the government naturally treats them differently.

The complaints of the people in the capital city about the law are mainly in the "punishment fatigue" law.The so-called punishment of fatigue refers to the punishment of lazy, slack and idlers who do not do their jobs properly. "Zhou Li" called this kind of people "tired people", so the laws and regulations to punish such people are called "punishing tired people".The decree issued by Wei Yang to reward military merit and farming also stipulates that such "tired people" should be severely punished: regardless of farmers, businessmen, and those who are poor because of laziness and slack, they will all be punished as government slaves. Be a servant and maidservant; anyone who has a job but does not work and idles will be punished as a government slave and forced to work; whoever is punished as a slave, the husband and wife are not allowed to live together, and the family members are not allowed to have the same master.A more stringent one is that the parents of the principal offender cannot be restored as free civilians for the rest of their lives.

For this kind of punishment, loyal and hardworking people will naturally not object or complain.But loyal and hardworking people are generally cautious and fearful, and have little influence.It is all kinds of tired people who are angry.These people are very tricky and tough, and they usually make a living by oppressing kindness, blackmailing merchants, stealing chickens and dogs, and robbing property.There is also a kind of "wealth and fatigue". Because the family is rich and has no shortage of money, they don't work, evade military service, and wander around all over the world, acting as a knight-errant hero.This kind of person has prestige, ability, martial arts, great influence, and is the most tired of the people.There is also a kind of "scholar fatigue" who is in a poor family. He can read and read, but he doesn't suffer.Wen is not Wen, Wu is not Wu, or shake their lips and tongues to judge right and wrong among the city people all day long, or spread various hearsay rumors among government officials, or help the "rich and tired" to make suggestions and eat.This kind of "shi tired" scolded the laws and regulations on punishing tired people most harshly, saying that the laws and regulations on punishing tired people were "femme hearted and detrimental to morality", "an old woman is in charge of the house, and her yin energy is at its peak", etc., and so on. .

In addition to the complaints among the people of the common people, the upper class is also full of resentment, and there is great unrest. Wei Yang's first batch of decrees also included the punishment of the royal family and nobles, the so-called punishment of "gui Yu".Clan nobles are the tribes where the monarch (king or duke) belongs.According to the tradition for thousands of years, this kind of person is a natural aristocrat. He does not do things, and does not make meritorious deeds. He is still a hereditary high-level title. various privileges, includingAlmost everyone thinks this is justified, and there is nothing unreasonable, because they are princes and nobles, and their enjoyment cannot be deprived.However, the "Military Merit Receiving Nobility Law" was born out of nowhere, and it stipulated: the hereditary title system should be banned!All nobles of the royal family are not allowed to obtain titles if they have no military or other great achievements; those who have no military achievements for two years will be removed from the nobility; All servants belong to the government, and their family members and other members of the population (such as sheltered relatives) are not allowed to enjoy the original aristocratic treatment in the mansion, land, carriages and horses, food and clothing; The level of knighthood determines the basic necessities of life, and should not be overridden in the slightest because of strong financial resources or other backgrounds.To do so is to create the reality that "those who have meritorious service will be distinguished; those who have no meritorious service will not be prosperous even though they are rich", and encourage people to make contributions to the country. This kind of decree is unimaginable to the clan and nobles of Qin! Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, even if the nobility has no merit, at worst they are still a lower-level hereditary nobility.Has there ever been a strange thing about being expelled from the noble class without credit!After all, the aristocrats at that time were still the backbone of the country, and there were not a few people who wanted to make contributions to the country, and there were indeed many aristocrats who made great achievements.In ordinary times, decent aristocrats would also think that it is entirely appropriate to make contributions to the country.But with this decree, the meritorious nobles thought it was contempt for the clan nobles, deliberately restricted the nobles, and felt that their dignity had been greatly hurt.Those "Guiwei" who are useless and incompetent, and goof around all day, are panicked, and they scold Wei Yang for digging out the old roots of Qin, and for being a villain who eats inside and outside!The new law is a "harmful law"! Some clan aristocrats colluded secretly to find Yingqian, the most powerful of the clan aristocrats. Among the clan and nobles, not only was Yingqian once the powerful Zuo Shuzhang, he is still the Taifu and the de facto general, but more importantly, Yingqian is also the eldest son of the former emperor Qin Xiangong, the most prominent clan noble minister.If Yingqian also opposes this "evil law" that insults the royal family and nobles, they can ask the monarch to complain about their grievances, and the climate will form. Wei Yang's decree is likely to be banned, and even Wei Yang himself is very likely to capsize .However, when this group of old and young came to the gate of Yingqian's mansion one after another in the twilight, the elders of the mansion came out and said that the Taifu was unwell and could not see the guests, so they should go back early.Everyone in the government and the opposition knew that Yingqian was a hard-eyed and formidable character. Hearing this, he didn't dare to stay, and they all left in despair. At this moment, the three of Meng Xibai are complaining in Yingqian's mansion. Yingqian naturally fully supported Wei Yang's reform. It can even be said that without Yingqian's full cooperation and support, it would be extremely difficult for Wei Yang to gain a foothold in Qin and put the reform on the right track.However, Yingqian thought that the reform was to rectify the administration of officials, abolish well fields, train the army and so on.He was busy with military affairs, and he didn't have time to preview the content of the new law. He really never thought that the reform would be so thorough that he would show no mercy to the clan and nobles.More importantly, he felt that the reform was a matter for the monarch and Wei Yang, and he didn't need to take care of it, and it would be bad if he took too much care.It wasn't until the promulgation of the first batch of new laws that caused a sensation in the government and the public that he took a serious look and thought about it.From the bottom of his heart, he thinks these laws and regulations are all right, but there is always a faint unhappiness in his heart, and he also feels that these laws and regulations are always a little bit wrong.After thinking about it, he felt that these laws were too strict, especially the ruthlessness towards the clan and nobles, which made him feel uncomfortable.Even so, Yingqian is a clear-headed person after all. He was determined not to interfere with the reform, and immediately called his family members to sternly tell him not to discuss the new law outside alone, otherwise he would never show mercy! Just as Yingqian settled down with his family, Meng Xibai and the three came together.Since the three of them are generals, and Yingqian is the de facto commander-in-chief of the Qin army, it is not surprising that they came to Yingqian's mansion.However, Yingqian never met with generals and ministers at home, nor did he make an appointment to meet Meng Xibai and the other three beforehand, so he knew in his heart that the three of them had other things to do.However, Yingqian could not hold his breath, greeted the servants politely and asked about some military affairs after serving tea, never mentioning the state affairs of Liyang.The three of Meng Xibai talked for half an hour but couldn't find a chance to change the subject, and they were secretly anxious.Just at this time, the elders of the family came to report that there were more than ten people from the clan, old and young, begging to see them outside the gate of the mansion.Yingqian replied coldly: "Let them go back. Just say that I am unwell and can't see guests." After the old man went out, Meng Ji asked cautiously in a low voice: "Dare to ask the Grand Tutor, did I interfere with the reunion of the clan?" Yingqian He smiled lightly and said: "I never see my clan relatives and officials at home, they should know." As soon as these words came out, it was like telling the three people that they should leave.Xi Hu tried his best to smile, "I've been waiting for a long time, so it's time to say goodbye." Yingqian immediately stood up and cupped his hands and said, "The unfinished business will be discussed by the official office in the future. I will send it off soon." The three of them came out resentfully, you looked at me, I looked at you, shook their heads and sighed, speechless for a long time.When he came to the West Arc Mansion, Meng Ji said in a deep voice, "Thinking about it carefully, I think Mr. Qian has something to say." Bai Jin sighed, "What's the point? I didn't even have a chance to speak. I understand that it's Wei Yang's party. Meng Ji shook his head and laughed, "No, it's not. You know one thing, but you don't know the other thing. This son Qian has always been a tough and open person. If it's true as you said, he firmly agrees with the new law, and he won't reprimand me with stern words." Why do you allow me to sit quietly for an hour? Think about it." Xi Hu suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Oh, why did you get lost in this trick? People in Qin today, who doesn't talk about new methods? Young Master Qian avoids it, and understands it. Pimples! It’s just that it’s not easy to talk about, right?” Bai Jin laughed loudly and said, “Get over it! Yes, that’s the truth.” The three of them laughed at the same time, feeling particularly comfortable.Xiqu ordered wine to be served, and the three of them drank heartily. Although the three families of Mengxi and Bai are not clan nobles, they are nobles who have made meritorious service for a century.Although they have meritorious service and are not afraid of expulsion, their family has intermarried with clan and nobles for more than a hundred years, forming an intricate blood network.These nobles of the clan and nobles who received meritorious service were associated with their families in honor and disgrace. How could they just sit idly by when these "noble and tired" asked them for help?Besides, they regarded Wei Yang as a different kind from the very beginning. Seeing that his arrogance has grown, it will be difficult for them to reuse nobles like them in the future. How can they feel at ease?After much deliberation, they felt that it would be best to find Yingqian first to find out the direction of the wind. Now that they have such a judgment on the direction of the wind, how can they not laugh? Throughout April, rumors flew away and resentment filled the air.The industrious and generous Chinese people originally supported the reform, and wholeheartedly agreed with the new law's rewards and punishments.However, in the face of rumors and grievances flying all over the sky, I also feel that the new law is too strict.For example, hard labor is punished for personal fights, three fingers are cut off for pouring firewood and ashes on the side of the road, and four toes are cut off for every step exceeding six feet when measuring acres of land, etc., and generous and hardworking people also find it very inconvenient.Everyone makes unintentional mistakes, but the new law doesn't even give you the chance to correct your mistakes. Once you make a mistake, you will be punished by punishment, ranging from hard labor to severe punishment. If you don't die, you will be injured.Thinking of this, the honest people also felt terrified, and complained one after another, because they had forgotten the fundamental benefits that the new law would bring to them. For the first time in Chaoye Mountain Township, the bottom and the top, the poor, the rich, the tired, the tired, the tired, and the tired have a spontaneous resonance.They responded with one voice, begged each other with the same spirit, cursed at the new law, and cursed viciously at Zuoshu Changwei Yang.The honest people were uncomfortable, the tired people were not convinced, and all kinds of grievances flowed endlessly. For a while, the new law fell into an embarrassing situation where everyone looked sideways and a thousand people pointed at it.