One of the first words that come to mind when we think of law is "change." In fact, Qin Xiaogong and Shang Ying were not the ones who created a precedent for change, and the first country in China's history to try to change was Wei, one of the "Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons".
Wei Wenhou attached great importance to the rule of law, and he appointed Li Kui, a representative figure of the Legalists, as prime minister. Li Kui collected the laws and regulations of various countries, compiled China's first relatively complete legal code, the "Book of Laws", and put forward the concept of the rule of law of "clear rewards and punishments", and put it into practice.
Li Kui advocated breaking the hereditary system of aristocracy and selecting talented people based on the principle of "merit award". He believed that in order to enjoy the benefits, one must contribute to the country, and those nobles who did not work only by blood should be deprived of their privileges and give them to the talented, so as to attract talents to serve the country.
This is the first challenge in history to the Zhou ritual regime that relies on blood, and it is of far-reaching historical significance.
Li Kui is an economist who attaches great importance to agricultural production, he emphasized"Do your best"In "The Teaching of Doing the Best of the Land", he emphasized the importance of diligence to increase agricultural yields, and at the same time to prevent the reduction of yields caused by industriousness.
He believed that the industriousness and infertility of the people were essential to the country's relations of production, and that agricultural production must therefore be encouraged. In addition, he also emphasized the protection of farmers' rights and interests, proposing"Good leveling", that is, to buy the peasants' grain at a fair price in a good year and store it for emergencies.
This method not only guarantees the livelihood of the peasants and increases their enthusiasm for production, but also helps the state to increase taxes and store grain for army building. Li Kui was the first general"Rule of law"with"Heavy Agriculture"Combined with the thinkers, his influence was far-reaching, posterity"Shang martingale change"That's it"Li Kui's reform"Modeled.
Hufu cavalry shooting"The story is believed to be familiar to everyone, King Zhao Wuling insisted on his own ideas, regardless of the constraints of traditional concepts, introduced the short-sleeved uniforms of the northern ethnic minorities in the Zhao ** team, and at the same time learned the cavalry and archery tactics of the Hu people.
At first, his approach was ridiculed and despised by the princes of the Central Plains, who saw it as a betrayal and forgetfulness of Chinese culture. However, when Zhao's iron cavalry swept the world, all the mockers were speechless, and could only admit their ignorance and narrow-mindedness.
This incident prompted everyone to begin to realize the importance of reform, and they have carried out the reform of the military system and clothing, and finally formed the basic style of China's ancient military uniforms"Master Yi's long skills to control it"。
Confucius in the Analects had an opinion about Guan Zhong, who assisted Duke Huan of Qi, and thought that he"Not thrifty"、"I don't know how to be polite"。But he also said that if it were not for Guan Zhong, we would probably have our hair draped and the placket of our clothes open on the left side, living a savage life.
This shows that although Confucius had some criticism of Guan Zhong's character, he was very much in agreement with Guan Zhong's achievements in allowing us to maintain Chinese civilization, wear clothes with our hair tied and right, and live a civilized life.
Therefore,"Hufu cavalry shooting"This incident has a deeper significance in the history of China's reform and law reform.
After the full implementation of "Hufu cavalry shooting" in the Central Plains and achieved the effect of enriching the country and strengthening the army, the entire Zhou ritual system was greatly impacted. Only by taking practicality as the first principle and not sticking to ancient or modern rules is the core significance of the reform.