The Reforms of Shang Yang

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During the Warring States Period, Qin Xiaogong, king of Qin, was determined to reform and recruit talents. From Wei to Qin, Shang Yang put forward a set of reform and innovation development strategies, such as abandoning ore fields, emphasizing agriculture and mulberry, rewarding meritorious military service, implementing unified quantity and establishing county system, which won the trust of others and made it a long-term leader. In 356 BC and 350 BC, "abandoning ore fields, building buildings, implementing county system, appreciating farming and practicing sitting" were implemented twice [1].

After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin's economy developed, and the fighting capacity of the army continued to strengthen, and it developed into the most prosperous feudal country at the end of the Warring States Period.

Background editing

Shang Yang

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, slavery collapsed and the feudal system was established. During this period, the use of iron farm tools and the gradual popularization of Niu Geng led to the state-owned land ownership of slave owners being gradually replaced by feudal private land ownership, and two opposing classes of landlords and peasants appeared. [ 1] [3]

With the growth of economic strength, the emerging military landlord class demanded corresponding political rights, which caused changes in social order. Therefore, there are demands for political reform, the development of feudal economy and the establishment of landlord class rule. Countries have set off political reform movements, such as the Li Kui Reform of Wei State and the Wuqi Reform of Chu State. [3]

In the early Warring States, the collapse of the well-field system and the emergence of private ownership of land, the tax reform of Qin was later than that of the other six countries, and the social and economic development was also behind the six countries of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei and Han. In order to enhance the strength of Qin State, it is in a favorable position rather than in the hegemony of vassal States.

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Brew reform

We should argue with a large number of Confucian scholars and refute the arguments.

In 359 BC, Qin Xiaogong planned to carry out political reform in the State of Qin. He was afraid of people's comments, so he hesitated. Qin Xiaogong held a court meeting and ordered ministers to discuss the matter with industry and commerce.

Gan Long and Du Zhi, representatives of the old aristocracy, rose up against political reform. They think that profit is unchangeable and it is not easy to use. "The ancient can't.

The Reforms of Shang Yang

Polite and innocent. Shang Yang pointed out tit for tat: "What were the ancient laws of different religions in previous lives? If the emperor doesn't mend fences, why follow? " "Governing the world is different, and the country is illegal. Wu Wangtang, not from ancient times; You can't die easily with courtesy when the summer is over. But you don't have to be anti-ancient, and you can follow the ceremony. " Therefore, he advocated "establishing the ceremony at that time and making the ceremony according to the events" (Shang Jun Gengfa and Biography of Historical Records and Shang Jun). This refuted the so-called "legalist" and "etiquette" of the old aristocracy with the thought of historical evolution, and made public opinion preparations for the implementation of the reform. [5-6]

Build a letter tree

The decree of Shang Yang's political reform has been prepared, but it has not been announced yet. Worried that the people don't believe in themselves, he erected a three-foot-high wood outside the south gate of Guodu Market. [7]

Notice: Who can move this piece of wood to the north gate of the market and get twelve taels of gold? People are surprised that no one dares to touch it. Shang Yang also issued a notice saying, "Give him 50 Jin of gold if you can move it (the ancient" gold "is actually brass)." A man got up the courage to move the wood to the north gate of the market, and Shang Yang immediately ordered him to give him fifty taels of gold (brass). [8-9]

Carry out reform

Shang Yang moved wood to establish a letter.

Issue a grassland reclamation order

Main items: grassland reclamation order

After the end of the political reform, in 359 BC, Qin Xiaogong ordered Shang Yang to issue the Qin Reclamation Order, which started the comprehensive political reform.

Its main contents include: stimulating agricultural production, restraining commercial development, remolding social values, improving agricultural social consciousness, weakening the privileges of nobles and officials, allowing domestic nobles to join agricultural production, and implementing a unified tax and rent system.

The first political reform

Subject: Shang Yang Reform [10]

In 356 BC, Qin Xiaogong appointed Shang Yang as the governor of Zuo Shu and carried out the first political reform in Qin.

Its main contents are:

(1) Promulgating and implementing Wei Li Kui's Law Classic, increasing the sitting method [1 1], and adopting heavy punishment for minor crimes [12];

(2) Abolish the old Shi Qing Shi Lu system, [13] reward military service, prohibit private fighting, and promulgate a 20-level jazz system that rewards military service; [ 14- 15]

(3) emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce, rewarding agriculture and weaving, and especially rewarding land reclamation; It is stipulated that those who produce more grain and cloth can be exempted from their own labor and taxes, take agriculture as the "industry" and commerce as the "last industry", limit the business scope of businessmen, and levy business tax again. [ 1]

(4) Burning Confucian classics and prohibiting people from wandering around the government. [ 1]

(5) Compulsory implementation of the individual small family system. [16] expanded the sources of national tax and military corvee, and laid a solid foundation for the growth of Qin's economic strength and military strength.

The second political reform

Xianyang (now the northeast of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province) is located in the middle of Guanzhong Plain, bordering the plateau in the north and the Weihe River in the south. It can reach the Yellow River along the Weihe River, or it can reach Hanguguan between Zhong Nanshan and Weihe River. In order to facilitate the development to the east of Hanguguan, in 350 BC, Qin Xiaogong ordered Shang Yang to recruit soldiers, build Jique Palace according to the capital scale of Luwei, and build a new capital. The following year, he moved the capital from Liyang (now southeast of Fuping County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province) to Xianyang, and ordered Shang Yang to carry out the second political reform in Qin State.

Its main contents are:

(1) Abolish the aristocratic well-field system, [17] "open the border", abolish the slave state-owned land system, and implement private land ownership. The state recognizes private land ownership and allows free trading. [ 18]

(two) the universal implementation of the county system, the establishment of county-level bureaucracy; "Set small cities as counties", take counties as local administrative units and abolish the enfeoffment system. "Where there are thirty-one counties", counties and counties have county magistrates in charge of county administration, county magistrates assist county magistrates, and county commandants are in charge of military affairs. The county has jurisdiction over several cities, townships, cities and towns.

(3) Move the capital to Xianyang and build a palace; [ 1]

(4) unifying the measurement system and promulgating standards for weights and measures; [ 1]

(5) Compiling household registration, five for five, ten for why, requiring residents to register household registration, and starting to levy military tax according to population; [ 1]

(6) Get rid of the remnants of Rongdi custom, prohibit father and son from sharing the same room, and implement the policy of small family. It is stipulated that if more than two sons in a household are not separated at the age of building, the household registration tax will be doubled. [1] This is a supplement to the "heteronomy" law in the first political reform, and it is also a norm for social customs. [ 16]

Result editing

After Shang Yang's political reform, the old system of Qin State was completely abolished, the feudal economy developed, and Qin State gradually became the strongest country among the Seven Heroes in the Warring States Period, which laid a solid foundation for the later Qin Dynasty to unify the world. In 338 BC, Qin Xiaogong died and Qin Huiwen succeeded to the throne. [16] The political reform violated the interests of the nobles and was strongly opposed by them. Shang Yang lost his strong supporters of the political reform, so it was difficult to argue, and he had to flee. In the end, Shang Yang was killed in the pursuit of Qin Jun, only to end up with a "split car". However, the reform continues. [ 1] [3]

Influence editing

Shang Yang's political reform was a successful political reform in ancient China, which made A Qin a powerful country, laid the foundation for the unification of the six countries in the future, and determined the idea of rule of law. [ 1] [3]

Shang Yang

Shang Yang absorbed the experience of Li Kui, Wuqi and other Wei Chu legalists, and combined with the specific situation of Qin State, further developed the legalist policy, and then came from behind, and the reform achieved great results. He further broke the well field system, expanded the mu system, emphasized agriculture and restrained commerce, rewarded the production of male ploughing and female weaving, encouraged reclamation, and promoted the development of small-scale peasant economy in Qin State. He generally carried out the county system, enacted laws, established the unified measurement system, and established a centralized monarchy. He banned private fighting, rewarded meritorious military service, and formulated a system of 20 ranks, which was conducive to strengthening the combat effectiveness of the army. He cracked down on the old aristocrats who opposed the political reform, and "burned poetry and books to understand the law", which enabled the political reform to be implemented. Because of all this, Qin became rich and strong rapidly, which laid the foundation for the unification of China. As Wang Chong said in the Han Dynasty, "Shang Yang was filial to the public and opened the imperial business for Qin." (On Shu Jie) [19]

After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin changed the old relations of production economically, abandoned mines and reclaimed land, and fundamentally established private ownership of land. Politically, the old patriarchal clan system was impacted and disintegrated, the feudal state mechanism was more perfect, and the centralized construction began. Militarily, rewarding the meritorious military service achieved Qiang Bing's goal, greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the army, and developed into the most powerful feudal country at the end of the Warring States Period, which created favorable conditions for the next strategic development of Qin State and laid the foundation for unifying the whole country. [ 1] [3]

Shang Yang's political reform had a far-reaching impact on the post-Qin State and the Qin Dynasty. The Qin law unearthed in Yunmeng was revised, supplemented and accumulated on the basis of this reform. The method of sitting together is also discussed in many places in Qin Law. For example, if the household registration is hidden or false, not only the township officials will be punished, but also every household who is "Wu" will be punished with a shield and "everyone will move" (that is, guarding the border will be punished). "Qin Law" also puts the suppression of "thieves" in the first place, and uses heavy punishment for minor crimes. For example, those who steal one or two hundred dollars should be "removed", those who steal more than two hundred and twenty dollars and those who steal more than six hundred and sixty dollars should be punished as crimes respectively, those who steal cattle should be punished as crimes, and those who steal sheep or pigs should also be severely punished. Even those who steal someone else's mulberry leaves for less than a dollar will be punished for 30 days. For "thieves" with more than five people, the punishment is more severe. At the same time, there are many provisions on the punishment of various fugitives in the Qin Law. [ 19]

Evaluation editor

Reform is bound to touch vested interests and will inevitably be opposed by all sides. Any reform in history is not only a re-selection of the general plan of governing the country, but also a re-adjustment of interest relations. This is the real reason why the reform will be resisted. [ 1]

progress

Shang Yang's political reform was a thorough feudal reform movement during the Warring States Period, which conformed to the trend of feudal historical development, promoted the transformation from slave society to feudal society, conformed to the interests of the emerging landlord class, and greatly promoted social progress and historical development. Through reform, Qin abolished the old system and established a new system to adapt to social and economic development. The reform promoted the social progress and economic development of Qin State. At the same time, it strengthened its national strength and made Qiang Bing a rich country. It laid the foundation for national reunification in the future and played an important role in the historical development of China. [3]

limit

However, in Shang Yang's political reform, he despised enlightenment and advocated heavy punishment for minor crimes, which aggravated the exploitation and oppression suffered by the broad masses of people to a certain extent and brought great pain to the broad masses of people to a certain extent. It has not completely drawn a line with the old system, culture and customs. The idea of "using expert knives and saws, using armored soldiers for external use", superstitious about violence and neglecting enlightenment, also has its obvious historical limitations.

It was annexed by other countries, and Qin Xiaogong introduced talents. [4] The reform plan is strong. [3]