Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 13: Strict and Leniency
Guo Rong was not surprised at all and said bluntly: "Tell me what you think."
Luo Youdu nodded and said, "Zhang Fuyuan has a strong character and believes in the idea of legalism to settle troubled times. Therefore, he emphasizes strict laws and strict rules, and uses the law to restrain the people. Lu Facao focuses on education, and believes that only by changing the people's thinking and letting them know shame can the effect of inaction be achieved. Therefore, they focus on ideas, and I don't have such open-minded and advanced ideas. I am just a very pragmatic person. Everything is based on profit. No matter whether the law is strict or lenient, whoever can use it will be used. Whoever is more suitable will be used. Law, Confucianism and Taoism are all tools, whoever is good will be promoted."
"Therefore, I think that the two superiors have good ideas, but they are not practical enough."
Guo Rong was also a pragmatic emperor, and he was even more interested. He couldn't wait to say, "Tell me in detail."
Luo Youdu said: "First of all, lenient laws are not advisable, and the death penalty and severe punishment are even more unacceptable. The so-called light in name but heavy in reality. I think the effect of lenient laws is not conscious, but more of a result of not taking it seriously. The cost of crime is too low, which makes it easier to commit crimes, causing innocent people to suffer and causing greater harm to people's livelihood. Therefore, I agree with Chen Qun's words at the end of the Han Dynasty, 'Light in name makes it easy to commit crimes, but heavy in reality hurts people'"
"Secondly, strict laws are also unacceptable. Wei Zheng, a famous official in the Tang Dynasty, once said, 'Resentment is not about size, but people are what we should fear. A boat can be lifted or overturned, so we should be extremely cautious.' Excessively strict laws can easily accumulate public resentment and cause unrest in the government. The world will not be stable, and the barbarians will not be subdued. Excessive restrictions will lead to immeasurable consequences."
Luo Youdu's words here are very subtle.
Guo Rong certainly understood. Accumulating public resentment was one thing, but more importantly, it was creating unrest in the government.
If the restrictions are too strict, it is not the common people who will suffer, but the civil and military officials in the temple.
Especially those arrogant and brave generals who have little culture.
If these brainless and reckless men are pushed to the limit, their minds will easily go astray and their blood boil, and they may do unpredictable things.
Luo Youdu dared to bully Zhao Kuangyi like this because he was sure that Zhao Kuangyin was not an ordinary reckless man. If it were someone like Xu Chu, he would not even have time to hide.
Otherwise, this would be Xu You's fate.
Guo Rong frowned and said, "According to you, lenient laws are not advisable, and severe punishments are not advisable either. Do you want to compromise and take something in the middle?"
This is a middle ground, neither up nor down, which is so stupid.
"Of course not!" Luo Youdu was not stupid, and said, "I think it is a combination of strictness and leniency."
Guo Rong became more alert and asked, "What does it mean to be strict and lenient at the same time?"
Luo Youdu said: "Common crimes should be dealt with with severe punishments. Because they are often committed, they are common. Therefore, severe punishments must be imposed to rectify the world. Severe punishments are not the goal, but a virtuous policy, in order to protect the people and maintain public order. Punishment is to avoid punishment."
"It's a crime that can be punished with death or not. We should use leniency and choose not to kill. First, it can show your majesty's benevolence, and second, it can also add an extra worker."
"Abolish cruel methods of execution such as quartering, roasting, and burning, and replace them with beheading, severing, or hanging to gain a good reputation for Your Majesty."
Many cruel criminal laws were abolished during the Han and Tang dynasties, but the great turmoil of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms caused many of them to resurface.
"The death row will be changed to a first, second and third trial, to demonstrate the Confucianism of cautious killing, and win the hearts of scholars all over the world for Your Majesty. Secondly, those who commit multiple crimes will be severely punished. The criminals should have a criminal record, regardless of the severity of their crimes. Those who commit multiple crimes, regardless of the severity of their crimes, should be severely punished, and those who do not change after repeated admonitions can be killed."
"In the end, there is no pardon for the most evil people. For those who have committed heinous crimes, no matter how many times they are killed, it is never too late."
The more Guo Rong listened, the brighter his eyes became. Compared with Zhang Yue's strict laws, Lu Bin's teaching and leniency were more to his liking. Luo Youdu's practical approach was more to his liking, and he couldn't help but praise: "Wonderful! Strict and lenient are the way to legislate. Come on..."
Guo Rong suddenly called out to the outside world, "Give Luo Congshi a seat on the soft chair. I want to have a long talk with him."
Luo Youdu quickly stood up and thanked him. His body was used to kneeling, and he didn't feel his legs numb after sitting for a long time, but kneeling was not as comfortable as sitting on a chair.
Sitting on the soft chair, Luo Youdu straightened his back.
Guo Rong asked more detailed questions about criminal law.
Luo Youdu responded fluently.
In fact, the "Da Zhong Criminal Law" promulgated during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was already very humane. After all, anything will change with the times after thousands of years of development, and things that are out of touch with reality have long been eliminated by history.
Luo Youdu had memorized the "Da Zhong Criminal Law General Classification" and supplemented it with some advanced viewpoints accepted by that era, which opened Guo Rong's eyes.
Guo Rong looked at Luo Youdu who was answering questions freely and suddenly asked, "I have been worried about something recently, but I wonder if Luo has any experience in administration?"
Luo Youdu responded without hesitation: "Your Majesty, please ask, I dare not hide anything."
Guo Rong said with a bitter face: "Everyone thinks it's good to be an emperor, but no one knows my hardships. Don't worry about being laughed at by Luo Congshi, I don't have a single good piece of clothing except the dragon robe I wear to court. The Central Plains is in turmoil, and the people are living in poverty. There are refugees at home who need relief, and we have to support the army abroad. The Central Plains has been in war for years, and the treasury is seriously tight. My life is hard!"
Luo Youdu laughed secretly when he heard this.
Chai Rong in history was indeed a bit miserable.
To be precise, in the chaotic situation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, it was impossible to live a good life if you wanted to be a wise ruler.
Faced with the military governors who hold heavy troops under their command, should we support them or not?
Faced with the arrogant and powerful generals in the temple, should we reward them or not?
Faced with the dilapidated buildings that were looted by rebel soldiers, should we repair them or not?
Faced with the hungry and disaster victims, should we save them or not?
All of this costs money.
If Chai Rong wanted to be Li Shimin, he could only make himself suffer.
Luo Youdu said: "If we want to reorganize the people's livelihood in the Great Zhou, the first thing is to issue the Great Zhou currency. Our Great Zhou has been established for four years, but the popular currency on the market is still the Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty. There are even inferior coins from Liang, Tang, Jin, and Han. The chaos of currency in the market is the biggest source of obstacles to the development of people's livelihood. If this source is not eliminated, it will be extremely difficult for the people's livelihood in the Great Zhou to improve."
Chai Rong sighed and said, "That's right. But how easy is it to solve the currency problem? Copper is not abundant in our Great Zhou. After deducting the supply from various sources, there is not much left. If we use all the copper to make currency, it will not be enough to exchange the old money from the people. A hasty change will only cause unrest and make the people lose confidence in our Great Zhou currency."
Chai Rong had already discussed this with Prime Minister Fan Zhi, Li Gu and Wang Pu.
They are all famous officials, so there is nothing they cannot see through.
Luo Youdu said with a burning gaze: "It's not that there is no copper in the Central Plains, it's just that no one has taken it."
Chai Rong asked anxiously, "Where can I find copper?"
Luo Youdu said calmly: "In the temple, every Buddha statue weighs three to five hundred kilograms!"
