The legal systems of ancient societies and the torture used by rulers to consolidate their power were often appalling. Among the many cruel punishments, there was a special kind of torture called "laughing punishment", which made the victim die in joy in a unique way, which became a very terrifying punishment at that time.
In order to ensure the stability of power, ancient rulers used various cruel punishments to intimidate the people. These punishments not only caused great physical pain to the victims, but also caused them to experience extreme mental torture before they died.
Those who are subjected to such torture often experience endless torments of fear, despair and painThese scenes are deeply engraved in the memory of ancient history. In this way, the rulers showed the people the punishment for betrayal and resistance, and thus maintained their authority.
In ancient Chinese history, the Qin Dynasty was seen as a dynasty with strict laws. Qin Shi Huang reused Legalist thought, and adopted many of Han Feizi's suggestions, while he had reservations about Confucianism. This move led the Qin Dynasty to adopt strong legal measures, which did achieve certain results in a short period of time.
However, the authoritarian rule of the Qin Dynasty was also one of the reasons for its demise. Excessive harshness led to popular discontent, which eventually led to social upheaval and the collapse of the rule. In addition to these tortures, which led directly to death, there were many more subtle but equally cruel forms of punishment against nobles or those of high status.
In dealing with these classes, the rulers paid more attention to the use of "gentle" punishments to ensure that the victims suffered minor physical injuries but subjected them to unbearable mental torture.
Among these tortures, laughter is a typical example. It may seem soft, but it is extremely cruel.
17th-century Europe saw the emergence of a form of punishment called "laughing punishment".This punishment is not a "gentle" care for the victim, but a means of concealing the cruel nature of torture and killing the victim. Although the punishment may seem simple, it hides extremely horrific details.
In the process of executing the "laughing punishment", the victim will be tightly immobilizedThe feet are restrained and the shoes and socks are stripped off, completely exposing the feet. Next, the executioner or executioner will smear the torturer's feet with irritating substances such as honey, sugar juice, or table salt, and then attract a goat.
Not only do these goats have particularly long tongues, but they also have these barbs that give them a soft spot for liquids with sweet or savory flavors. In "Laughing Punishment", this trait is brutally exploited.
The executor will smear the soles of the victim's feet with substances with strong irritating properties, such as honey and salt water. As soon as the goats approached, they constantly licked the soles of the victims' feet with their tongues.
Because of the abundance of nerves, the barb on the goat's tongue touched the place, which caused the tortured person to fall into an indescribable itch, which was simply unbearable. What's more, the goat's licking process, stimulated by honey and salt water, continues to plunge the victim into a constant burst of laughter.
This kind of punishment may seem to involve no blood, but in fact it is full of horrific tragedy. The entire execution process may last for hours, even more than a dozen hours, and the prisoners are forced to laugh incessantly, but their faces are full of pain.
Gradually, the sound of suffocation came through the laughter, because the breathing space of the tortured person was extremely compressedEventually, it leads to suffocation due to lack of oxygen and towards the end of life
This kind of "gentle" punishment actually hides profound torture and destruction. Even though there are no scenes of blood and cruelty, the torture it brings goes beyond the physical body and goes straight to the heart, causing the tortured to break down in pain and despair until they die.
In ancient societies, aristocratic women were often victims of laughter. It is no accident that the punishment of laughter is milder than other cruel punishments.
It is unique in that it does not leave a permanent scar on the victim's body, allowing the victim to be able to ** relatively quickly after the sentence is stopped.
Since the tortured person is usually a woman of noble status, the executor also needs to take into account the preservation of identity and image when performing the punishment. The "gentleness" of laughter lies in the fact thatEven if a noble woman is sentenced to death, she can maintain a certain degree of dignity and decencyIt does not leave permanent physical marks, which is different from other rough corporal punishments.
Laughing torture was not confined to Europe, and similar torture was practiced in China during the Han Dynasty. Although ancient torture has retired from the stage of history in modern society, the constraints of the legal system still exist.
With the development of civilization, human society has gradually abandoned those cruel punishment methods and moved towards a more civilized society ruled by law.
Laughing as one of the most "gentle" tortures in ancient timesWith its peculiarity and unusual lethal means, it has become a thought-provoking episode in history. Today, while pursuing a society governed by the rule of law, we should also deeply reflect on the cruel history of the past and cherish the development of peace and civilization.