The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were an era when hundreds of schools of thought contended. Talents emerged in large numbers during this era, among which the rise of Legalism was thought-provoking. As an outstanding representative of Legalism, Shang Yang transformed the weak Qin State into a great country that could compete with Qi and Chu and compete for supremacy in the world through reforms.
One advantage of troubled times is that talents can be appointed eclectically, which provides a way for poor children to move upward. During the Warring States Period, as long as a person was talented and ambitious, he would not be buried. In his early years, Shang Yang was depressed and frustrated because he did not meet the Ming Dynasty. He almost died in Wei in vain. Shang Yang aspired to use all he had learned in his life to become famous in the world and to make contributions to future generations. Therefore, when he heard that Duke Xiao of Qin ordered a search for talented people from all over the world in order to revive Duke Mu of Qin, Shang Yang resolutely left Wei State, which made him completely desperate, and went to the then weak Qin State alone.
Shang Yang's surname was Gongsun, and his given name was Yang Yang. He was the son of a concubine of the king of Wei State. He was later called Shang Yang because of his fiefdom in the Qin State.
Although the Qin State was weak and remote, it was difficult for a little-known figure like Shang Yang to meet Qin Xiaogong. For the sake of his ideals, Shang Yang humbled himself and asked Qin Xiaogong's favored minister Jing Jian to introduce him.
When he met Qin Xiaogong for the first time, Shang Yang spoke sincerely, but Xiaogong was so sleepy that he didn't hear a word Shang Yang said. Afterwards, Qin Xiaogong blamed Jing Jian, saying that the people he recommended were pedantic and dull.
Jing Jian was also helpless. At this time, Shang Yang asked Jing Jian for an introduction again. Jing Jian still had a glimmer of hope for Shang Yang, so he agreed to Shang Yang's request again. When summoned for the second time, Qin Xiaogong was confused and felt that Shang Yang's words were reasonable, but not what he wanted. After Jing Jian was scolded by Qin Xiaogong, he used Shang Yang as a punching bag. Shang Yang said that he taught Qin Xiaogong how to become a king, but Qin Xiaogong was eager for success. After two conversations, Shang Yang fully understood Qin Xiaogong's wishes and asked Jing Jian to introduce him for the third time. Duke Xiao of Qin summoned Shang Yang for the third time. As Shang Yang expected, he believed in Shang Yang's words.
It turns out that Qin Xiaogong was anxious to resume his career, and his heart for revenge was even more ardent. He longed to dominate the Central Plains in his lifetime and revive the glory of Qin Mu Gong. As the old saying goes, haste makes waste. If you want to achieve great things, and if you want to accomplish them in just a few decades, the only way is to be domineering.
Later, Qin Xiaogong summoned Shang Yang several times, and Shang Yang always taught Qin Xiaogong how to dominate. Duke Xiao of Qin was obsessed with domineering, so when talking to Shang Yang, he would unknowingly move his seat closer to Shang Yang and listen to his explanations patiently.
Legalists focused on the study of punishment, and Shang Yang knew the weaknesses of Legalists, that is, too much majesty and lack of kindness. However, the vassal states continued to fight, Shang Yang was frustrated for a long time, and Qin Xiaogong was sincere in his role. He could only take a gamble and use harsh punishments to strengthen Qin's national power in the shortest possible time.
Facing the weak Qin State, Shang Yang wanted to assist Qin Xiaogong to dominate, and in order to change the old situation, he could only implement reforms. However, Shang Yang's reforms were opposed by conservatives Qianlong and Du Zhi.
Shang Yang told Qin Xiaogong that hesitation in the mind will inevitably hinder action. If the action is not decisive, the work will be in vain. People with lofty views will not stick to common opinions, and people with unique views may not be recognized by everyone. Foolish people don't plan in advance, and even if things succeed, they don't know why. On the contrary, smart people plan things before they happen, foresee things before they happen, and are clear about the causes and consequences.
The meaning of this statement is that people who stick to conventional wisdom are not worthy of discussing major changes with them, because they will only follow the etiquette of the past and do not know how to create.
Qianlong and other senior ministers overly respected the etiquette and laws of the past and believed that the old rules handed down were the best way to govern the country. Qianlong said, "Sages will not educate the people by changing folk customs, and wise people will not randomly change the ancestral etiquette and laws. If you follow the past folk customs to educate the people, you can succeed without labor and effort. If you follow the ancestral etiquette and laws to govern the country, the people's lives will be better." Only then will there be order, behavior will have a basis, and the world will be stable. If the law is reformed without authorization, the world will inevitably be in chaos." Qianlong was a conservative. Not only did he not advocate reform, he also believed that reform would have adverse effects.
Reforms will indeed harm the interests of some people and will be opposed by them, but if we always remain content with the status quo and only follow the orders of our ancestors, we will only maintain the status quo and fail to strengthen the country. Qianlong's views do not meet the requirements of historical development.
To refute Qianlong's point of view, Shang Yang said loudly: "Smart people are responsible for formulating etiquette, and stupid people do not know how to adapt. They are destined to be bound by the etiquette of wise people. Wise people know how to change the rules according to the situation, and incompetent people are as stupid as Stone will only cling to it foolishly, completely unaware of its changes with time."
These few sentences were like sharp arrows hitting Qianlong's vitals, leaving Qianlong speechless. Shang Yang's words were striking and domineering, and veteran Du Zhi stood up to refute.
What Du Zhi means is that if there is no hundredfold benefit, it is best not to change the etiquette rashly; if there is no tenfold effect, it is best not to replace the old state equipment. There will be no mistakes in adhering to the ancestral etiquette and laws, and there will be no deviations in letting the people be at ease with common opinions. If you act recklessly and act recklessly, you will inevitably disrupt the world.
Du Zhi's words are not unreasonable, but if you blindly reject the reform just because you are afraid of the adverse effects it will bring, you will inevitably lose the best period for the reform.
Facing these two die-hards, Shang Yang became more and more courageous as he fought. He said: "If there is no one way to govern the country, the country will not follow the laws of the past ("Historical Records: Biography of Shang Jun")." This means that there is no eternal way to govern a country. Etiquette remains unchanged, as long as it is beneficial to the country, the old etiquette can be surpassed.
The five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period all experienced domestic changes before they came to hegemony one after another. Duke Mu of Qin benefited from the assistance of Doctor Wuyang and eventually became the hegemon of one party. Duke Xiao of Qin was ambitious but had no good strategies. Shang Yang was talented and ambitious, so Duke Xiao of Qin naturally supported him strongly.
"Reality Show" Two Thousand Years Ago
In the Warring States period when etiquette collapsed and music collapsed, the vassal states had relations with each other based on interests and had no credibility with each other. The people suffered from continuous wars, lived in dire straits, and lived a life without knowing tomorrow. They longed for a stable life.
The people only want food and clothing, and cannot plan major changes with Shang Yang and others. However, social changes must ultimately be reflected in the daily lives of the people, and they are the ultimate bearers of the changes. If the country is separated from the people and only changes at the top, then no matter how advanced the country's top class is, it will only be a paper tiger.
Shang Yang realized that if the promulgation of new laws does not gain the trust and support of the people, it will be difficult to implement them. In an agricultural society, the people are an important factor in determining a country's strength. Although Shang Yang did not believe in the wisdom of the people, he believed in the power of the people. In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the new law among the people, Shang Yang believed that it must win the trust of the people.
In order to win the trust of the people, Shang Yang erected a three-foot-long log at the south gate of the capital of Qin and ordered that as long as anyone moved the log to the north gate, the state would reward him with ten gold pieces.
For moving a three-foot-long piece of wood, the reward was ten gold. For such a small thing, the people did not believe it at first. Many people stood outside the city gate and watched, wondering what kind of medicine Shang Yang was selling in his gourd. More and more people were watching, but no one moved forward to move the wood. Shang Yang increased the reward to fifty gold.
As a genius with extraordinary intelligence, Shang Yang not only had a deep understanding of punishment, but also had a unique set of insights into human nature. Generally speaking, Confucianism believes that human nature is inherently good and requires the court not to interfere arbitrarily with the people, believing that the people will develop towards good. Unlike Confucianism, Legalism believes that human nature is inherently evil and believes that people need to be strictly managed by the court, otherwise people will tend to the bad side.
At that time, people all sought advantages and avoided disadvantages, and there were few people who did what Mencius called "sacrificing one's life to become a benevolent person, sacrificing one's life for righteousness" ("Mencius"). First of all, after the chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Zhou rites as a code of conduct for people had completely collapsed. The upper class of society regarded Zhou rites as a cover to achieve their goals, while the lower classes regarded Zhou rites as nothing. In order to survive, many people live in an ignoble existence, and their inner moral values have collapsed.
Shang Yang increased the reward from ten gold to fifty gold in order to induce the people with heavy profits. There must be a brave man under the heavy reward. After the reward was increased to fifty gold, the people gathered in groups, discussing in low voices. Everyone was eager to try, but no one dared to come out to move the wood. Just as everyone was talking about it, a man finally walked out of the crowd and said, "Let me try it." Then he picked up the wood and moved it to the north gate. Shang Yang indeed sent someone to reward the man carrying the wood fifty taels of gold.
After this incident spread, it caused a sensation in Qin State. The common people believed that Shang Yang, the chief minister of Zuo Shu, was a man of his word.
The city gates were erected with wooden walls just to win the trust of the people. Through this incident, Shang Yang wanted to tell the people and make them trust the court. Any edict issued by the imperial court must be true to its word. Regardless of status, those who have made merit must be rewarded, and those who violate the law must be punished.
Since ancient times, "the emperor committed the same crime as the common people" has been a blatant lie. The people saw that Shang Yang had done a very real thing, and they hoped to see Shang Yang fulfill his promise.
When people pass by the city gate and erect a tree, they remember the fifty gold coins, the reformer Shang Yang, and even more, the imperial court must keep its word. In the Warring States period, when credibility was lost, winning the trust of the people was what the vassal states most wanted to do but was most difficult to do. Shang Yang erected a tree at the city gate, winning the trust of the people in one fell swoop, eliminating people's suspicion of the court, and winning the basis of people's trust for the reform.
Wang Anshi, a legalist and scholar who was a great reformer in the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem named Qijue, directly named "Shang Yang", praising Shang Yang for his ability to win the trust of the people:
Since ancient times, people have been driven by sincerity, and a word is worth a hundred gold.
Nowadays, no one can be better than Shang Yang. Shang Yang can order the government to be carried out.
"Shang Yang" not only expresses Wang Anshi's admiration for Shang Yang in winning the trust of the people, but also expresses Wang Anshi's own eagerness to win the trust of the people. Wang Anshi and Shang Yang, two great reformers, seemed to transcend the limitations of historical time and space, making two reforming hearts meet.
After gaining public support, Shang Yang began to formally preside over the reform.
Shang Yang presided over two reforms in total. The first reform mainly included the following contents:
First, organize the household registration and order the people to organize ten families into one ten and five families into one corps. Each family will monitor and report each other; if one family breaks the law, the ten families will be jointly punished.
In an agricultural society, the number of people affects the degree of land development. Shang Yang organized household registration to help manage the population of Qin. Shang Yang implemented the law of continuous sitting, allowing people to supervise each other, which greatly reduced criminal activities.
Second, if a treacherous person is discovered, the person who conceals the treachery and fails to report it will be cut in half. The reward for the person who informs the person is the same as going into battle and beheading the enemy. The punishment for the person who harbors the treacherous person is the same as that for the person who surrenders to the enemy. By passing the second decree, the Qin State completely eliminated the soil where evil people grew up. If there are no evil people in the country, the people will naturally live in peace and work hard to develop production.
Third, if a family has two strong men and they stay together, their family's taxes will be doubled. Shang Yang forced the adult men to separate their families in order to force them to support themselves and work together to develop Qin's production.
Economic strength is the backbone of war, and the supply of combat equipment and wartime logistics all depends on economic strength. Without strong economic strength, military development will not receive strong support, and the country will naturally be unable to expand.
The law also stipulates that those who devote themselves to agricultural production, increase grain and cloth production, can be exempted from labor or taxes; if they are poor due to engaging in industry and commerce or their own laziness, their wives will be adopted as official slaves. This law directed people's efforts towards farming and was conducive to promoting agricultural development.
Fourth, those with military merits will be promoted and rewarded according to the standards. Royal families without military merits cannot be included in the family roster. If you fight in private, you will be punished to varying degrees according to the severity of the nature. This regulation led the common people's violence to war, and at the same time lifted some of the royal family's privileges, opening up a path for the common people to advance to the upper class. Shang Yang's emphasis on conferring titles based on military merit inspired the fighting spirit of talented people at the lower levels and recruited a large number of talents for Qin Xiaogong.
Fifth, clarify the hierarchy of titles. Officials owned land and real estate according to their rank, and even the clothes and clothing of domestic slaves had to be worn according to their rank. Military merit is the main way for people to obtain titles. In order to encourage people to actively join the army and fight bravely against the enemy, Shang Yang still emphasized the nobility of titles, which would help enhance the social status of those with military merit.
The law also specifically stipulates that only those who have achieved military merit can enjoy the prominent glory of society. People without military merit cannot enjoy social glory even if they are extremely rich.
The first reform had three major functions. The first emphasis was on developing production and enhancing national strength, which was reflected in the policy of encouraging farming; the second was on establishing military merit and improving the social status of soldiers, which was a war strategy; the third was on maintaining social stability and putting an end to Crime is the stabilization of social order through severe punishment.
Judging from the content of the reform, the reform was monotonous, the punishments were harsh, and it was too aggressive and could easily arouse people's dissatisfaction. The people were used to being lazy, and they felt deeply uncomfortable with the sudden implementation of household registration and joint sitting laws. However, they were intimidated by Shang Yang's harsh punishments and did not dare to talk much. They could only swallow their dissatisfaction.
The new law has been implemented for more than a year, and people are complaining. In the capital alone, more than 1,000 people criticized the new law. Shang Yang had a majestic voice, but he did not dare to easily provoke public anger. Just when Shang Yang was anxious about the implementation of the new law, the prince violated the new law.
The reform lacks prestige, and we need to establish prestige. We are just trying to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, but someone happens to be on the edge of the knife at this time. God helps Shang Yang. Shang Yang told Qin Xiaogong that it was difficult to implement the new law because the upper class would offend at will and the lower class would follow suit, causing the new law to lose its prestige.
The erection of trees at the city gate established the credibility of the reform, and Shang Yang needed to punish high-ranking officials again to establish the prestige of the new law.
It was the prince who violated the new law. The prince was the future king and punishment could not be imposed lightly. However, if the prince is not punished, the prestige of the new law cannot be established. In the dilemma, Shang Yang adopted a compromise method and punished the prince's supervisors and teachers. Therefore, the prince's teacher Gongsun Jia was sentenced to death by ink.
Ink torture involves stabbing the face with a knife and then applying ink on it. The prince's teacher was so humiliated by Shang Yang, and the prince naturally hated Shang Yang. At the same time, the lower class also saw Shang Yang's majesty because of this incident.
"Historical Records" records, "Tomorrow, all the people of Qin will follow the order" ("Historical Records: Biography of Shang Jun"). It means that after punishing the prince's supervisors and teachers, the people of Qin State acted in accordance with the new laws, which shows that Shang Yang, a reformer, was both determined and courageous.
After punishing the prince's supervisors and teachers, no one dared to criticize or obstruct the new law. After opposition speeches were suppressed, the new law was successfully implemented. Seven years after the implementation of the new law, it has achieved obvious results. Every household has enough food, households are not closed at night, and people do not pick up things on the road. The phenomenon of occupying the mountain as the king or blocking the road and robbing has become very rare.
After the reform, Qin's economy developed rapidly and had enough economic strength to cope with the consumption of war. What is more important is that the people fight bravely and are ashamed of private fighting. The violence in the country was hidden in the army and directed at other vassal states. The social order in Qin was stable and there was no law or discipline.
After the first reform, Qin State embarked on the road to prosperity and strength.
Although the country is prosperous and powerful, the society is still under a high-pressure policy, and the people are very afraid of Lian Sifa. Living in the Qin State, people must be careful in everything and pay attention everywhere. They cannot say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, as if there is a sharp sword hanging above their heads.
After several years of reform, those who originally criticized the new law began to advocate the new law after gaining benefits. After Shang Yang heard about it, he thought those people would disturb the education, so he moved them to surrounding towns.
Shang Yang's reform received strong support from Qin Xiaogong, so he was able to carry out drastic reforms. As a reformer, Shang Yang was very resolute and dared to think and do, so he offended the interests of many people in the process of promoting reforms. Making too many enemies doomed Shang Yang to a tragic ending.
