100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 5

Chapter 14 Shang Yang Stands a Tree as a Faith
——Winning trust is the first step in doing things In daily life, we often encounter various regulations.But many regulations are not followed by many people.The reason is very simple, because sometimes even those who set the rules don't follow the rules, let alone others if they don't believe what they say.Not to mention that people are rarely punished for not following the rules.It can be seen that no matter what you do, you must first win the trust of others. This is the first step in successfully communicating with others.In 361 BC, Qin Xiaogong, the new king of Qin, came to the throne.Determined to make himself stronger, he first searched for talents, and issued an order: "Whether it is from Qin or outsiders, whoever can find a way to make Qin prosperous and strong, he will be appointed as an official."

Qin Xiaogong's call really attracted many talented people.Shang Yang, an aristocrat of Wei State, was not valued in Wei State, so he went to Qin State to ask someone to introduce him, and was received by Qin Xiaogong.

Shang Yang said to Qin Xiaogong: "If a country wants to be rich and strong, it must pay attention to agriculture and reward its soldiers; if it wants to rule the country well, it must have rewards and punishments. With rewards and punishments, the court has prestige, and all reforms can be carried out easily. "

Qin Xiaogong fully agreed with Shang Yang's proposition.However, some nobles and ministers of Qin State strongly opposed it.Qin Xiaogong saw that there were so many people who opposed him, and he had just ascended the throne. He was afraid of causing trouble, so he temporarily put aside the reform.

After two years, Duke Xiao's throne was firmly established, so he worshiped Shang Yang as Zuo Shuzhang, saying: "From today on, the matter of reforming the system will be decided by Zuo Shuzhang."

Shang Yang then drafted a reform decree.He was afraid that the people would not trust him and would not act in accordance with the new decree, so he first ordered someone to erect a log at the south gate of the capital, and ordered: "Whoever can carry this log to the north gate will be rewarded ten times." gold."

After a while, a large group of people surrounded the south gate, and everyone was talking about it.Some said: "Anyone can carry this log, so where is the ten gold?" Some said: "This is probably Zuo Shuchang's joke."

Everyone, look at me and I look at you, but no one goes up to carry logs.

Shang Yang knew that the people still didn't believe him, so he increased the reward to fifty gold.

When everyone was discussing, a person in the crowd ran out and said, "Let me try." He said that he really picked up the wood and left, moving all the way to the north gate.

Shang Yang immediately sent someone to spread the word, rewarding the wood bearer with 50 taels of yellow gold.

This incident spread immediately, causing a sensation in Qin State.The common people said: "Mr. Zuo Shu keeps what he says, and he will do what he orders."

Shang Yang knew that his order had taken effect, so he announced his new decree.The new decree clearly distinguishes rewards and punishments, and stipulates that the size of official positions and the level of titles are based on success.Nobles who have no military merits will have no titles; those who produce more food and cloth will be exempted from official posts; those who are poor because of business or laziness, together with their wives and children, will be punished as slaves of the government.

Since Shang Yang's reform, Qin's agricultural production has increased, and its military power has also become stronger.Soon, Qin State attacked the western part of Wei State, from Hexi to Hedong, and also defeated Anyi, the capital of Wei State.

In 350 B.C., Shang Yang carried out the second reform. The main contents of the reform were:

[-]. Abandoned well fields and open fields.The state of Qin leveled the wide field roads, planted crops, and reclaimed the mounds, wasteland, woods, and ditches that were used to divide the boundaries.Whoever reclaims the wasteland belongs to him.Land can be bought and sold.

Second, the establishment of county organizations, combining towns and villages into counties, which are directly managed by officials sent by the state.In this way, the power of the central government is more concentrated.

[-]. Move the capital to Xianyang.In order to facilitate the development to the east, the capital of the country was moved from the original Yongcheng to Xianyang on the north side of the Weihe River.

Such a large-scale reform will of course lead to fierce struggles.Many nobles and ministers opposed the new law.Once, the prince of Qin State broke the law.Shang Yang said to Qin Xiaogong: "The laws and regulations of the country must be obeyed by all. If the people above cannot obey, the people below will not trust the court. If the crown prince breaks the law, his master should be punished."

As a result, Shang Yang punished the prince's two masters, Gong Zixu and Gongsun Jia, one cut off his nose, and the other tattooed his face.As a result, some nobles and ministers dare not violate the new law.

After ten years like this, the state of Qin really became more and more prosperous and powerful. The emperor of Zhou sent envoys to deliver sacrificed meat to Duke Xiao of Qin, and named him "Fang Bo".Wei Guo even had to cede the land in Hexi and move the capital to Daliang.

Wisdom Interpretation:

People cannot stand without trust, and winning the trust of others is the first step in our work, especially in a modern society that emphasizes teamwork, and many tasks require everyone's cooperation.And earning trust is the first step in this process. If others don't trust you, they won't cooperate with you, or even bring resistance to you.In this case, what great things can be done?

(End of this chapter)