"It's just nonsense, this is absolutely not okay." Zhao Bao stood up and said firmly.
If Xunzi's method is followed, even if the other nobles and gentry cannot say anything, it will cause everyone to be in danger, and may even unite against the imperial court, or even defect to other countries.
Don't think that these people have such high moral integrity. Everything in the world is for profit, and all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. Why do they serve as officials?
For the common people in the world? For the common people to live a good life?
Nonsense!
Zhao Bao can guarantee that nine out of ten people do it for profit, and the remaining one does it for a lot of benefits!
Back then, the Qin State promoted Shang Yang's reforms, which affected the interests of the nobles. It took the King of Qin nearly ten years to suppress it. Finally, when the new king came to power, he took a step back and executed Shang Yang.
Of course, the Zhao State was only involved in corruption, and its impact was far less than that of the Qin State, but the current situation of the Zhao State is not as good as that of the Qin State.
Outside, the six countries are watching with eager eyes, and five countries are attacking the State of Zhao. Internally, Zhao Kuo has just ascended the throne and his foothold is not stable. If he offends the domestic officials and gentry at this time, the State of Zhao will be in danger of overthrowing.
"Are Pingyang Lord going to support those corrupt officials?"
The worst I can do is leave Zhao State. It’s not the first time anyway.
If you don’t leave me here, I will leave you alone.
"I am not supporting those nobles. But Zhao State is supported by the nobles, not by the common people." Zhao Bao said sincerely.
As a member of the Zhao royal family, Zhao Bao hopes for a better Zhao country than anyone else.
However, he was also more worried than anyone about the unrest in Zhao.
In addition, Zhao Bao's own thinking is relatively conservative, and he prefers to reduce major issues to trivial matters. During the Shangdang dispute, Zhao Bao believed that he should not offend the Qin State.
He and Wei Qi had the same idea. It was just corruption. It wasn't the first time, and it couldn't be the last.
Didn't Mr. Pingyuan still evade taxes back then?
Even Mr. Pingyuan is like this, so you can imagine what is going on down there.
Everyone has long been used to it.
As long as Zhao Kuo and the court don't make a big fuss, this matter will calm down in a few days.
As for the victims, no one cares.
"If you don't give them a chance, how do you know whether they can support Zhao State?" Xunzi asked.
"Last year there was a shortage of food on the front line, so it was the nobles who donated food and money, not the common people. Six years ago, Qin attacked Zhao, and Lord Chang'an came to Qi as a hostage before Qi sent troops. If the prince is like this, let alone others. The reason why the nobles
They have achieved this status because they have paid more for it," said Chulong.
"Ask the 300,000 soldiers and soldiers whose bones are buried in Changping, how much they paid?" Xunzi slammed the table and said in a cold voice.
Even though he had withdrawn his strength, a clear palm print still appeared on the table made of elm wood.
Xunzi said that since words can't do it, let's do it.
I am not targeting any of you, everyone here is rubbish!
Yu Xin quickly pressed Xunzi on the bench and said: "It is undeniable that the nobles did pay more, but the country has already given rewards. This does not become a reason for them to embezzle rewards. In any case, this matter must be dealt with strictly
." Yu Xin said.
"Well, I think some punishments can be imposed, just severe punishments." Wei Qi did not stand on his friend's side.
This involves a position issue.
First of all, everyone here is from a noble family, without exception.
Zhao Bao is the son of King Wu Ling and a member of the royal family of the Zhao Kingdom. It can be said that without this status, he would definitely not be able to reach the heights he is today. Behind him are countless nobles and the aristocratic system of the Zhao Kingdom.
In his opinion, the Zhao State is the Zhao State of the nobles, not the Zhao State of the common people.
But Xunzi and Yu Xin were different. Although they were born into noble families, they had long since left their families to travel and pursue more of their own ideals.
They did not rely on the clan behind them to get to where they are today, so the clan behind them has no binding force on them.
They have traveled for many years in the past few years and have seen too many injustices in the world and too many sorrows of the people at the bottom.
At the beginning, they had no ability to change.
Now, they want to try it!
As for Chulong and Wei Qi, they are centrists. They mainly think that this matter is just a trivial matter and there is really no need to make a fuss about it. If they really feel sorry for themselves, they can just give some compensation to the soldiers.
It is undeniable that in this era, nobles are the elite, and all countries are indeed supported by nobles. Ninety percent of Zhao's officials are from nobles, and the remaining 10% are not from common people, but from poor families.
That is, the declining aristocracy.
As for civilian origins, there may only be about 1% of them. These people have made far more efforts than ordinary people and have very good luck to achieve a class counterattack.
"Some punishments are fine." Zhao Bao nodded.
He is not really on the side of corrupt officials, he just doesn't want to make everyone feel at risk.
Because there are not many clean officials.
"What's the difference between a little punishment and no punishment for those nobles and squires?" Xunzi asked, looking unhappy.
"Okay, stop arguing. What did the king say?" Chulong looked at Yu Xin.
"The king didn't say anything, he just informed us and let us discuss." Yu Xin shook his head.
In the end, none of the five people could convince anyone and they broke up unhappy.
Until...a message came from the front line...
…
Outside Lingshou County, more than 20 officials and gentry were kneeling on the muddy ground. The luxurious silk and satin hanging down from their bodies was covered with mud. If it were in the past, they would have lifted it up carefully for fear of staining their clothes.
.
However, at this time, these people had no time to feel sorry for their clothes.
Because their lives are almost at risk.
They never thought that one day they would kneel down in front of a group of mud-legged people, and they never thought that one day they would be executed for embezzling some rewards.
Aren’t we all our own people?
Besides, hasn’t this kind of thing been the default practice since ancient times?
"Your Majesty, please spare us. We won't dare to do it again next time."
They kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, their eyes full of despair, hoping to be forgiven by Zhao Kuo, but Zhao Kuo was indifferent.
His face was full of anger. In just a few days, it was discovered that the rewards of more than 200 soldiers had been corrupted to varying degrees. If it were extended to the whole country, how much would it be?
several thousand?
Tens of thousands?
How many soldiers does Zhao have in total?
The surrounding area was impenetrable. Except for the Zhao soldiers, all the nearby people came. It was the first time for them to see so many officials executed.
Standing at the front were hundreds of soldiers whose rewards had been embezzled and their relatives.
With tears in their eyes, they looked at the young and upright figure at the front.
Throughout the ages, no monarch has ever made a decision for these mud-legged people. Even if they were treated unfairly, those monarchs would remain indifferent.
Today, someone finally made the decision for them.
"Kid, remember, he is our benefactor, the king of our Zhao Kingdom. From now on, no matter who slanders him, don't believe it. Do you understand?" A mother pointed at Zhao Kuo's back and said to her child.
"My child understands." The child nodded solemnly.
Zhao Kuo stood at the front and looked at these corrupt officials.
"Your Majesty, isn't the punishment a little too cruel?" Le Cheng couldn't bear it. Zhao Kuo not only wanted to execute these corrupt officials, but also implicated the whole family. This was something that had never happened in the Zhao Kingdom.
"Tell me, if you were one of those soldiers whose rewards were embezzled, and your mother had no money to pay for medical treatment and died on the hospital bed, your wife went to beg for it, you were humiliated, and your child was almost beaten to death, what would you do?" Zhao Kuo
asked in a deep voice.
Cruel? Zhao Kuo wished he could punish these people.
These people don’t do what people do!
"Although that is the case, just follow the ancestral law and cut off one or two levels of title. Moreover, such a punishment will have an impact on the reputation of the king, and he may even be called a tyrant." An Zong advised.
During the Warring States Period, the laws of various countries were not perfect, and there was no clear standard for many things. If there was a precedent for this kind of thing, it was usually based on how the ancestors did it in the past, and how it is done now.
If there is no precedent, then it depends on the game between the parties, and the final result of the game will also be recorded as a basis for future generations to judge.
This is the ancestral method.
As for reputation, it is mainly the reputation among the nobles, so that the common people will not hate Zhao Kuo because of it, and it is not too late to be grateful.
However, in this era, the pen and the mouth belong to the nobles, and it is useless even if the common people think that Zhao Kuo is a good person. As long as the nobles think that Zhao Kuo is a tyrant, then Zhao Kuo is a tyrant.
"The ancestral law does not stipulate that you An Zong must be the county magistrate." Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Although An Zong is only the county magistrate, everyone knows that An Zong will most likely become Zhao Kuo's father-in-law. Now that Zhao Kuo won't even give him face, others don't have to look for trouble.
"There is no fear of the changes in the sky! There is no law for the ancestors! There is no compassion for the words of the people!" Zhao Kuo's voice rang in everyone's ears like a yellow bell, and there were bursts of thunder in the sky.
"Whether it's a tyrant or a coward, I don't care."
Zhao Kuo walked up to the corrupt officials who were kneeling on the ground and said in a deep voice, "You may feel unjust and think that you were just unlucky and got caught. Many people who have committed more corruption than you still have nothing to do. Ben
The king can tell you clearly that corruption, I can understand, I never expect that there will be no corrupt officials in Zhao country, this is impossible."
"However, you should never embezzle the money that a soldier exchanged for his life. If you embezzle this money, it is equivalent to killing them with your own hands. Since you killed my soldiers, then I will kill them."
about you."
"boom!"
A thunderbolt sounded out of nowhere, and all the corrupt officials were shocked and looked at Zhao Kuo in fear.
"I was wrong. I am willing to die. I just ask the king to spare the official's wife and children. They are innocent and they did not know about the official's corruption." An official kowtowed and said sadly.
“When your wife and children use your embezzled money to buy a new dress, when she uses your embezzled money to buy hairpins and rouge, when your entire family lives a better life because of your embezzled money.
Do you think they are innocent?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"If you enjoy benefits, you have to pay a price. Is there anything in this world that only benefits without paying any price?"
"I was wrong!" The official collapsed on the ground, his eyes filled with endless regret.
"What else do you want to say?" Zhao Kuo asked.
No one spoke.
Zhao Kuo glanced at Liu Ping, and Liu Ping understood. He walked to the front and read out: "Manjian ordered Luocheng to be rewarded with a total of 30,000 yuan for corruption, 4,500 stones of corn, 200 acres of upper fields, and 100 acres of middle fields.
.The soldier was raped to death by Man Jian Ling Luocheng before his wife reported to the official position. When the old mother at home learned the news, she was furious to death. We are hereby sentenced to Man Jian Ling Luocheng's entire family to be executed."
"Manjian Lieutenant Huang Xing was awarded a total of 25,000 yuan for corruption, 3,000 stones of corn, 180 acres of upper fields, and 100 acres of middle fields. Soldier Sangou's father, Mao Yin, was seriously injured because he did not agree to sell the fields at a low price.
, succumbed to his injuries. Moreover, Mao once fought with King Wu Ling and opened up territory for Zhao State, but now he died in the hands of traitors. This is the fault of the country. We are hereby sentenced to behead the whole family of Captain Man Jian."
"Chen Zhi, the head of Tihe Township, embezzled a total of 10,000 yuan, 1,000 stones of corn, and 100 acres of land. Soldier Yang's mother was seriously ill. She was embezzled because of her son's reward. She had no money for medical treatment and died. Chen Zhi is now sentenced to be beheaded.
, ransacked the house and demoted the whole family to ministers and concubines."
…
"Fan Wu ordered Yu Chang to embezzle a total of 30,000 yuan, 3,500 stones of corn, and 300 acres of farmland. Fan Wu ordered Yu Chang to be beheaded and his house ransacked."
…
Every sentence was personally decided by Zhao Kuo. For those who sought wealth and killed others, Zhao Kuo did not hesitate and sentenced them all to death.
For those who only seek wealth but not life, the punishment is relatively light. Only embezzlers are sentenced to death, their homes are confiscated, and their wives and children are either demoted to concubines, that is, slaves, or they are spared.
As for how to live in poverty in the future, that is not under Zhao Kuo's control.
"puff!"
"puff!"
"puff!"
As each one fell to the ground, a strong smell of blood filled the air. Except for some parents covering their children's eyes, no one was afraid. Everyone looked at the execution ground excitedly, wishing they could be the executioner and kill corrupt officials.
.
"Because of my poor supervision, everyone's rewards were embezzled. These are all my fault. I have betrayed everyone's trust. I, my king, ask for your forgiveness."
After saying this, Zhao Kuo bowed and saluted all the soldiers and their families.
"Your Majesty, you can't do it." Pang Nuan and others rushed over and tried to pull Zhao Kuo up, but Zhao Kuo insisted.
The soldiers and people wanted to ask Zhao Kuo to stand up, but they did not dare to come forward. They just kept saying: "The fault is not your fault."
It wasn't until the salute lasted for one minute that Zhao Kuo stood up and walked to a three or four-year-old child standing in the front.
His father died in the battle in Changping, his mother was raped and murdered by Manjian in Luocheng, and his eldest mother was also angered to death. He is the only child left in the family who is less than four years old.
When Liu Ping found him, he was huddled in the house alone, with fear in his eyes. If his neighbor hadn't been kind enough to give him some food, he might have starved to death before Liu Ping found out.
"How about I be your godfather from now on?" Zhao Kuo picked up the child and asked softly.