Chapter 236 Luo Ling's Practice (Part 1)
Luo Ling can say without hesitation that he is the most powerful person in the world today. Although the princes are subservient to Xiang Yu, they may be afraid after being driven by wind, frost, rain and snow. But in any case, Luo Ling's prestige is too high, and he can make the whole world rebel against Xiang Yu with just one sentence.
As for the people from the hundreds of schools in the hall, it goes without saying that since the First Emperor unified the world, many people here were unwilling to go.
But with just one letter from Luo Ling, even those old guys with half their bodies buried in the ground had to ask their children to carry them here.
These people are well aware that the knowledge in their hands is the most valuable in the world. As long as they have these books, even if they fall to the bottom for a while, they can turn things around when the time comes.
Just as after Emperor Fusu ascended the throne, Confucianism immediately took over. Although it was still no match for Legalism, victory was inevitable given enough time.
After Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books, many schools of thought had to rely on the memories of some elders to rewrite the books from memory. These books were naturally full of errors and omissions, so many schools of thought began to forge books.
Especially for Confucianism, which was the most prosperous, many schools had already created classics, but the direct descendants of the Luo family were still in the world, which made many people panic.
If the direct descendants were able to escape when they were surrounded in Zhaocheng, would the books in the storage room disappear?
The books they forged, as well as those they copied from memory, were no match for Luo's original books.
The Luo family almost holds the lifeline of most schools of thought in their hands. Unless they expand their respective fields in the future, they can gradually break free from the Luo family's control.
Luo Ling and Xiang Yu sat together in the main seat. Although Xiang Yu was the common ruler of the world, Luo Ling was not his subject but a guest, enjoying various privileges. These were nothing.
Ding ding ding!
The crisp and dull sound of chimes rang out, and Luo Ling looked at the crowd that almost filled the entire hall. Even for a man with a heart as hard as iron and as cold as ice, his eyes couldn't help but become slightly moist.
More than ten years ago, his grandfather, father, uncles and uncles all died in Zhaocheng and were buried alive with the State of Luo. He took his brothers and sisters and hid in Taohuayuan.
It was not until the fateful moment arrived that he came out again and announced to the world that the Luo family was still there.
Afterwards, with the permission of King Su, each divine artifact once again reminded people of the Luo family's glorious days.
“Gentlemen.
When the Qin State unified the six kingdoms, it was so powerful and its military might far surpassed that of other states. However, within just a dozen years, the offensive and defensive situations changed.
As soon as the First Emperor passed away, the whole world rebelled.
Less than a year after the Zhaocheng Alliance, the Qin Dynasty collapsed. It was unprecedented that the Qin Dynasty was so unpopular.
Why was this the case only for the Qin Dynasty?
Is it because Hu Hai was too stupid?
But how can we explain the fact that the Zhou Dynasty had such incompetent and tyrannical rulers as King Li, King You, and King Huang, yet it had the Mandate of Heaven for a thousand years? "
"It's because Qin's laws are too strict."
Voices rose one after another in the hall, and these were the answers from everyone's hearts.
Also because the First Emperor died too early.
Even if these people are nobles, they have all lived at the grassroots level and know very well what Qin law is like at the grassroots level.
When there is no enforcement capability, the law cannot be made too strict, because officials will definitely try every means to profit from it. If the law is a little more relaxed, at most you will lose money to avoid disaster.
However, Qin law was strict. If the clerks pushed the issue a little, the sentence would be heavier, resulting in the destruction of the family and the death of the people. The literacy rate among the lower classes was already low, and the clerks had the final say on how to interpret the legal provisions, so such a result was inevitable.
Chen Sheng's words "attack the unjust and punish the tyrannical Qin" were enough to sweep across the Central Plains because no one could survive.
Luo Ling said: "Yes, because the Qin law is too strict, cruel officials are everywhere in the counties and villages.
All the people in the world were unable to survive, so they gathered together to overthrow the Qin Dynasty.
Even if a sage king from ancient times were to come to the world, he would have no way to change such a law.
I was born at the order of King Su to destroy the Qin Dynasty, but what I destroyed was not the Qin royal family in Xianyang City, but the Qin laws that had been implemented for a hundred years.
Now the Qin Dynasty has fallen, but what about Qin law?
I am very worried!
Fusu was considered a benevolent ruler. He was close to Confucianism and rejected Legalism, but he still inadvertently used the Penalists and sent the Qin people to the battlefield.
This proves that the greatest harm in the world lies in the law, not in people.
King Xiang, you are the new ruler of the world, will you use punishment to rule the world?"
Xiang Yu did not expect Luo Ling to ask him so suddenly, and immediately said, "Of course not. Ji is a descendant of Luo Huiyan Gong, a descendant of Su Wang's branch. Su Wang hates him, and so do the people of the world. If Ji continues to use him, does that mean the people of the world will rebel again?"
Xiang Yu laughed as he spoke, and the atmosphere in the hall became a little more relaxed. Luo Ling raised his cup to invite everyone to drink, and then sighed, "King Xiang, you are a wise and intelligent king, so you don't need to punish my family.
But what Ling was worried about was the kings of future generations. What if another monarch who used punishment appeared?
A thousand years ago, the Zhou Dynasty had just been established. After King Su passed away, there were several generations of wise and capable rulers. But the next one came the tyrant King Li. Even Duke Wen could not stop him from wreaking havoc on the world, and could only clean up the mess.
What I am worried about is that a dictator will revive the penal system, or use the body of Confucianism, Taoism, or Mohism to secretly use the penal system. What should I do then? "
The spirits of the people from the hundreds of schools instantly perked up, and they understood why Luo Ling had called them here. Luo Ling wanted to completely crush the Punishment School into the ground, and even their attempt to revive by borrowing the names of other schools would not be allowed.
Confucians of Xunzi's lineage were somewhat uneasy, as their thoughts had a lot in common with the Legalists.
The most excited were naturally the other Confucianists. Confucianism and Legalism were two prominent schools of thought, and they were very opposing, and the two sides had always been hostile.
The Huang-Lao Taoists were equally excited. Their doctrines were almost the opposite of the Penalists. Now Luo Ling wanted to completely crush the Penalists. Wouldn't the spring of the Huang-Lao school be here?
The Legalists of Qi were not at all panicked. Their lineage was originally spies sent by the Luo family to infiltrate the Legalists. They were completely different from the Penalists and even advocated the Kingly Way more than the Confucian Xunzi.
The practices led by the Luo family could not trample on them.
"Respected Lord Luo, you said that you used a body to secretly punish people, I don't know how to divide it?"
Finally, the Confucians of Xunzi's lineage could no longer sit still and wanted to ask which part belonged to the penalists, so as to avoid destroying them as penalists when the time came to enforce the law.
Luo Ling said slowly: "It is the Qin law that harms the world, not one person, but the people of Xia."
This time even Xiang Yu sat up straight. Once the Luo family started to mention Zhu Xia, it meant that this matter was the Luo family's bottom line, and the Luo family was willing to pay any price to accomplish it!
Both King Su and Zhu Xia were brought out, and Luo Ling's strong determination shocked everyone.
Luo Ling's voice resounded throughout the hall, "My lords, in the past, King Su established the Zhou rituals, wrote books, and educated the world, so that the Chinese people had beautiful clothes and weapons, and thus they defeated the barbarians and have the present day.
The punishments were used to keep the people ignorant, and even books were burned. People were not allowed to keep books. How horrible it was! People are born with a love of learning, but if they do not know how to read, they are not human beings and are just like barbarians.
The penalists are trying to cut off the roots of the Chinese nation. If this law is implemented, even if there are people with the talent of Duke Wen or Duke Xuan among the people, they will just be mediocre. If we only rely on princes and nobles, where can we find so many geniuses?
There are no sage kings or wise men among the Chinese, and the barbarians have virtuous monarchs. Within three generations at most, the offensive and defensive situation between the Chinese and the barbarians will change, and the Chinese may even lose their lives while the barbarians will succeed.
This is the first crime under criminal law.
Punishing the poor and tired people is a completely different path from the kingly way. How vicious it is.
The ancient sage kings would shed tears when they saw hungry livestock. The emperor is the patriarch of all people in the world and people treat him like their father, but in the end he is treated so viciously.
If such a king is not overthrown or killed, is there still justice and morality in this world?
This is the second type of punishment for domestic crime.
Family members are punished for collectively reporting on others, neighbors are like enemies, and even parents talk about profit. If the laws of the dynasty cannot guide people to be good, cannot reward good and punish evil, and people dare not practice benevolence and righteousness, the world's customs will inevitably turn irreversibly towards indifference.
If the world is extremely cold and indifferent, and everyone is only concerned with profit, when the barbarian army is approaching, is there anyone willing to sacrifice their lives?
In the past, there were brave warriors and sharp soldiers in the Luo State, all of whom were Luo people who volunteered to join the army, because everyone in Luo knew that someone had to fight to protect the elderly, women, and children. They also knew that even if they died on the battlefield, their parents, wives, children, and the government would properly support them, eliminating their worries.
In Luo State, neighbors lived in harmony, families were close and helped each other, and people cared about each other, so they could do what ordinary people could not. Punishing families destroyed these and would destroy everything.
This is the third type of punishment for domestic crime.
The penalists strictly controlled the people of the world. Except for fighting, they were not even allowed to leave their hometowns, read thousands of books, or travel thousands of miles. The Xia people had thousands of miles of vast land, with mountains and plains in the north, mountains and lakes in the south, and countless exotic beasts. The magnificent scenery of the world could not be seen in a lifetime, but the Qin people only stayed in a small piece of land all their lives.
Did our ancestors, generation after generation, open up such a vast territory just to build those straight roads and then travel around the world?
Of course not. The land of the Xia Dynasty and the footsteps of the people of the Xia Dynasty should be traveled all over. Without experiencing the beauty of the Xia Dynasty, can people feel a sense of belonging just by relying on the few records in the book?
When it came time to punish the tyrannical Qin, the people of Luo, the Chu people in Jiangdong, and the Qi people in Linzi were the most enthusiastic. Why was that?
Because even the most ordinary people in the country have their homeland in their hearts. Look at the Qin State. After Fusu's death, no Qin people were willing to restore their country.
The Qin family with the surname Ying ruled the Qinchuan area for a full eight hundred years, but they failed to cultivate a sense of belonging among the Qin people in such eight hundred years. In the past, during the time of Qin Mu, the Qin people were willing to fight with Qin Bo, but after Shang Yang's reforms, things became like this. Isn't this the fault of the penalists?
This is the fourth punishment for family crime!"
(End of this chapter)
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