Chapter 235 Kobe Bryant
Feng Shu couldn't believe his ears.
When in Luoyang, many people expressed their appreciation for Feng Shu because of the status of the Bohai Feng family.
However, this appreciation is based on his family and personal reputation. In fact, few people are interested in the things that Feng Shu studied.
There is no way. Law is something very profound even among scholars, and it is not within the scope of study for ordinary scholars.
But Su Ze pointed out the shortcomings of the country's laws and asked for his opinion.
Feng Shu was so moved that he almost cried!
This is the feeling of a man dying for his friend!
Feng Shu almost recognized Su Ze as his lord on the spot.
But he calmed down.
This was the attitude when King Qinghe recruited him. Su Ze's questions might have been prepared in advance. After all, he was a warrior from a poor family, so how could he understand the importance of the law?
It's not just about what Su Ze says, but also about what he does.
So Feng Shu suppressed his excitement, bowed to Su Ze and said:
"What Feng Shu has learned is all about law, but I don't know if he can be of service to the general."
Feng Shu said this in a tactful way, but Su Ze could also hear the subtext.
Amending the law is something that only the court can do. Su Ze is just a general of Anxi and he is not qualified to issue laws.
Since Su Ze has no power to issue laws, Feng Shu's talents will be of very limited use to him.
Feng Shu said this to lower Su Ze's expectations and to clarify his own area of expertise. He served Su Ze to revise the laws, and he could not help with other matters.
Feng Shu's worries were justified. His nephew Feng Longzhi, like him, was also a famous scholar of law and served under Xiao Baoyin.
However, Xiao Baoyin did not make use of Feng Longzhi. Instead, he assigned him some clerical work.
In his letters to Feng Longzhi, Feng Longzhi often complained about this matter. This was also because Xiao Baoyin did not have enough talented people under his command, so he was used to fill the numbers and his expertise was not brought into play at all.
Feng Shu had his own ambitions, so naturally he was unwilling to be a clerk in Su Ze's military office. If that were the case, he might as well stay in Luoyang.
Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
"The state has its own laws, which I cannot change, but the army has its own laws, which each military office can formulate on its own."
"This general would like to ask Feng Lang to formulate a military law. Is this a waste of talent?"
Feng Shu nodded. Military law is also law. He thought about it and thought that he could start practicing his ideal of reforming the law from military law, so he wanted to agree.
Unexpectedly, Su Ze said:
"The laws of the country are divided into laws and decrees. Laws are the foundation of the country and can only be amended by a wise ruler. Decrees are imperial decrees and can only be issued by Your Majesty. However, the latter two are not enough."
Su Ze asked Feng Shu:
"I wonder if Feng Lang knows anything about military law?"
This is Su Ze examining Feng Shu in turn.
Although Feng Shu was also a person who left his name in history, this was just a rule that Su Ze would use to assess talents in the future.
Feng Shu also has to prove his ability in order to get the position he wants here with Su Ze.
Feng Shu said seriously:
"Military law is different from legal law, but Feng knows that as well."
"Unlike the laws governing the people, military law is first and foremost about simplicity, and secondly about strictness."
As soon as Su Ze heard this, he knew that Feng Shu was capable, so he asked again:
"Why?"
Feng Shu said:
"Most of the people in the army come from humble backgrounds."
After saying this, Feng Shu glanced at Su Ze and saw that he had no strange expression on his face, so Feng Shu continued:
"So for ordinary soldiers, the most important thing about military law is that it is easy to understand. It is best to compile it into a mnemonic and sing it in the army so that ordinary soldiers can remember it."
"If ordinary soldiers don't understand those subtle military laws, they will become evil laws for officers to exploit and oppress soldiers."
Isn’t this the “Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention”?
It seems that military law follows this pattern no matter what era it is.
This Feng Shu is able to adapt to local conditions, he is indeed a talent!
Feng Shu said again:
"Second, strictness. Managing the army is different from managing the people. Severe punishments are used to manage the army. Severe rewards must be accompanied by severe penalties. Only in this way can we enforce discipline and build an army with excellent military discipline."
Feng Shu didn't give any specific details, but Su Ze thought it was enough.
He pulled Feng Shu and said:
"Jun Yi, having a talent like you is better than having thousands of troops!"
[A strict military judge] is indeed an orange follower who is able to enforce military law impartially and is respected by officers and soldiers.
But he could only enforce military law but could not amend it.
The military law that Su Ze is using now is based on the military law of the imperial guards established by Emperor Xiaowen. Su Ze also feels that some of the regulations are inappropriate, but Su Ze does not know how to modify them.
Now that Feng Shu has arrived, he can help Su Ze revise the military law.
Just when Feng Shu was about to join Su Ze, Su Ze said:
"But revising the military law is a waste of time for a talent like Jun Yi."
Su Liang looked at Su Ze in confusion, and Feng Shu also looked at Su Ze. Apart from military law, is there any other job suitable for Feng Shu?
Su Ze said:
"Laws and decrees, the general cannot change them, but the laws and decrees used are determined by the states for the reference of the clerks."
"So, after perfecting the military law, please help revise the laws of this dynasty."
This time Lian Fengshu was completely shocked.
Modifying the law by starting with the rules and regulations was what Feng Shu had thought about doing when he was in the Qinghe Palace.
I didn't expect that what I failed to accomplish in Qinghe Palace could be accomplished here with Su Ze?
Law is the fundamental law, equivalent to the national constitution, and both are metaphysical contents.
Ling refers to various imperial decrees issued by the court, which are almost equivalent to various administrative decrees in later generations and are the highest judicial power exclusive to the imperial power.
"Ke" means articles or matters, which are specific provisions of laws.
The number of decrees is generally only a few hundred, but there are too many laws and regulations throughout the dynasties.
For example, the Han Dynasty Code has only more than 300 laws and regulations, but the number of regulations is innumerable.
The number of "comparison" is even more terrifying. There are 232 classic judicial precedents in "Spring and Autumn Judgments Comparison" written by Dong Zhongshu alone.
It is precisely because there are too many Kobes that some of them even contradict each other.
After the Northern Wei legal system completely absorbed this huge pile of shitty codes, the clerks were able to manipulate the judiciary, harm the people, and help the powerful escape punishment through these subjects and comparisons.
Su Ze said:
"I think the first thing is to revise the laws and regulations, simplify the laws and regulations of the current dynasty, classify them, and eliminate the laws and regulations that are not suitable for this dynasty, are vague, and are too strict." "The second is the problem of 'abuse of comparison'. This dynasty uses too many comparisons to decide matters."
"It is true that the things of the past are a guide for the future, but if the decision-making ratio is abused, some people will profit by studying these vast laws, and it will also cause problems that the Legal Affairs Department cannot enforce."
"Comparing each case individually will consume too many judicial resources and will not be conducive to the rapid resolution of the backlog of cases."
"So I think that from now on, except for extremely serious capital crimes, it is forbidden to use case ratios as the basis for sentencing."
"I am also planning to set up a position of Criminal Law Sima under the Military Office. From now on, all death penalty cases in the three states and one county will be submitted to the Criminal Law Sima for review, and then the sentence will be carried out."
"Jun Yi, what do you think?"
At this moment, Su Liang and Feng Shu who were present were stunned.
What surprised Su Liang was that Su Ze had never shown his talent in law, but this set of combined punches could be said to be quite powerful. It completely bypassed the two fundamental laws that were difficult to shake, the laws and decrees, and simply achieved the purpose of rectifying the judiciary by revising the regulations and abolishing abuses.
Wonderful!
Are there really geniuses in this world?
In fact, Su Ze is not a legal genius. He just borrowed the "wisdom of future generations."
On the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, the Northern Qi Law was derived from the "Linzhi Ge".
Ge means science.
The person who presided over the revision of "Linzhi Ge" was Gao Huan's crown prince Gao Cheng.
When the "Linzhi Ge" was revised, the Gao family had not yet replaced the Wei Dynasty, so it was impossible to rectify the legal system by amending laws and issuing imperial decrees.
The method used by Gao Cheng was to start with the rules and regulations and achieve the effect of revising the law by revising specific judicial interpretations.
Later, after the Gao family replaced the Wei Dynasty, they promulgated the "Northern Qi Law" based on the "Linzhi Ge".
In history, the person who was specifically responsible for revising the "Linzhi Ge" was Feng Shu.
Feng Shu's whole body was shaking with excitement. Replacing legal orders with science was exactly the direction of judicial reform he had envisioned.
The "Ten Categories" he presented to King Qinghe was a compilation of the ten major crimes, and was also the result of Feng Shu's hard work.
At this time, Feng Shu no longer hesitated. He took out the "Ten Subjects" he had compiled, handed it to Su Ze and said:
"My lord, this is the Ten Disciplines compiled by me. Please have a look at it."
Su Ze took the "Ten Subjects" handed over by Feng Shu. It was indeed the result of Feng Shu's hard work. The subjects listed were very suitable for the current social situation.
Su Ze was delighted and said:
"Jun Yi, I plan to appoint you as the Criminal Law Sima, first as a military officer. After you revise the military law, I will recruit you as a full-time official of the imperial court. What do you think?"
The most taboo thing in any system is that later people are promoted beyond their qualifications.
The officers under Su Ze who had made military achievements had not yet been granted official positions by the court. If Feng Shu, who had just come to surrender, was promoted, it would push Feng Shu to the forefront and would also discourage the soldiers under him.
Let Feng Shu make some achievements first, and then promote him based on his merits, so that other subordinates can be convinced.
Feng Shu also understood this truth. He was very satisfied that he could realize his political ideals with Su Ze. He bowed to Su Ze on the spot, clarifying the status of lord and subject.
-
The first year of Zhengguang, early September.
Xiao Baoyin finally got good news that Mo Zhe Tiansheng, who was stationed in Chencang, had withdrawn his troops!
After receiving this news, Xiao Baoyin was afraid that he would be ambushed by the rebels like Cui Yanbo, so he carefully sent his men to investigate. Only after Mo Zhe Tiansheng calmly rescued the people in the western part of Yongzhou and brought them back to Qizhou did Xiao Baoyin's army slowly move into Chencang.
Chencang was completely looted and the city was destroyed, but at least it returned to the hands of the government troops.
Although Xiao Baoyin recaptured the ruined Chencang without defeating a single soldier, it did not prevent him from asking his subordinates to write a report of victory of several thousand words and send it to Luoyang as soon as possible.
Everyone was in high spirits. With this confidence, Xiao Baoyin decided to move his office from Huazhou to Chang'an.
Yongzhou governor Yuan Xiuyi died in a battle with Mozhe Tiansheng. Taking advantage of the fact that the court had not yet appointed a governor for Yongzhou, Xiao Baoyin took control of Yongzhou.
The situation on the battlefield reversed, Xiao Baoyin's mood improved, and his wife Princess Nanyang also prepared to travel from Huazhou to Chang'an.
Thinking of his wife, Xiao Baoyin felt a little guilty.
If the war in Guanxi could continue, he could take advantage of the opportunity to suppress the bandits and build up his own power in Guanxi. As long as there were changes in the future, he could occupy Guanxi.
Xiao Baoyin had a good plan in mind and summoned all the generals and advisers for a military meeting in high spirits.
There was a festive atmosphere in the big tent. With the achievement of "recapturing" Chencang, everyone had accumulated another military merit.
Xiao Baoyin looked at his men. The one who attacked Chen Cang this time was Guo Zihui, his old general who had fought in the war against Southern Liang. Finally, after Cui Yanbo was defeated, the general was able to hold his head high.
In addition to Guo Zihui, there was also Zhang Shirong, the heroic general of Huazhou, who was also a general who defected to Xiao Baoyin after he entered Guanzhong.
Zhang Shirong dared to fight and charge, chasing the remnants of Mozhe Tiansheng all the way and achieved the record of beheading 300 people.
This is considered a great achievement in Xiao Baoyin's army.
In addition, there was also the Guanxi aristocratic general, Wei Sui from the Jingzhao Wei family.
Wei Sui was appointed governor of Xianyang, and was also the leader of the Guanxi gentry who defected to Xiao Baoyin after Xiao Baoyin entered Guanzhong. Wei Sui performed outstandingly in defensive military operations and the battle of Fufeng.
However, some are happy while others are worried. The Guanxi samurai and their generals made many contributions in this counterattack. The above-mentioned generals were all listed on the meritorious service list, which made the Guandong samurai under Xiao Baoyin very dissatisfied.
But there was nothing they could do about their dissatisfaction, as the people from Guandong were basically all counselors under Xiao Baoyin.
The troops that Xiao Baoyin brought from Luoyang were all defeated by Cui Yanbo in the battle of Wuzhangyuan, so if Xiao Baoyin wanted to counterattack, he still had to rely on the power of the powerful aristocratic families in Guanxi.
Therefore, if one wants to fight, one must rely on the power of the local powerful families in Kansai.
Except for Guo Zihui who was an old subordinate of Xiao Baoyin, Zhang Shirong and Wei Sui were both newly rising people from Guanxi.
Xiao Baoyin only felt that he had many talented people under his command, but he didn't know that the rift between the people in Guandong and Guanxi was still widening.
This military meeting was originally intended to discuss the battle to recapture Yongcheng, the capital of Qizhou.
However, the two sides argued endlessly over the selection of head coach, and in the end Xiao Baoyin was so annoyed by the quarrel that he had to put the issue on hold.
Wei Sui returned home exhausted, and was greeted by a twelve-year-old boy.
"uncle."
When Wei Sui saw the boy, he said affectionately:
"Xiao Kuan, your uncle wants to discuss today's military meeting with you."
If others heard what Wei Sui said, they would probably be surprised that he, the prefect of Xianyang, actually wanted to consult the opinion of this twelve-year-old boy.
Wei Kuan, whose courtesy name was Xiaokuan (later called Wei Xiaokuan), was also born into the Jingzhao Wei family, but he and Wei Sui were not from the same family.
Wei Xiaokuan's father was the prefect of Fufeng and Wugong counties. Wei Xiaokuan was a child prodigy famous in Chang'an since he was young.
Wei then led his troops to join Xiao Baoyin, and also brought his twelve-year-old distant nephew with him.
After hearing this, Wei Xiaokuan sighed and said, "Uncle, the Duke of Danyang cannot stay for long."
(End of this chapter)