Under the ancient feudal social system, many inhumane tortures were born. Many tortures just sound the name is chilling, such as Ling Chi, peeling, car cracking and so on. Of course, these tortures are generally not easily used, unless they are committing serious crimes, such as rebellious criminals, and wizards who spread rumors in the folk. Among the many tortures, there is another special torture, which is exile.
The so-called exile is a punishment for the deportation of prisoners to remote areas for punishment. This kind of punishment originated very early, and there were similar cases in ancient times, but it was not until the Qin and Han dynasties that it was gradually systematized.
The Book of Han and the Two Xiahou Jingyi Li Chuanzan once recorded: "Zhongshu's subordinate officials, Xiahou prisoners, Xiao Mengjie, Li Xun exiled, this scholar's great precepts are also." ”
However, after the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it began to enter one of the five punishment systems, which were flogging, staff, discipleship, flow, and death. Among them, "exile" is a heavy sentence second only to the death penalty.
Many people have the impression that exile is a more lenient punishment than the death penalty. The feudal rulers of antiquity even boasted of a benevolent punishment. The Great Qing Laws and Regulations are even more recorded: "I can't bear to torture and kill, and I will flow far away." Is this really the case?
In fact, in ancient China, people believed in homeownerism. For children and grandchildren, reunion is a desire rooted in the heart. So in this context, once exiled, it is considered a very unfortunate thing. Generally speaking, exile means that people will die in other places, and even many people will not even be able to return to the bones. The so-called parting of life and death is not the case.
Other than that, exile is not as easy as it seems. The so-called exile is to escort prisoners to the cold places on the border. For example, in the Qing Dynasty's "Five Armies Daoli Table", the 4 levels of exile are recorded, divided into 2000 li (nearby), 2500 li (nearby), 3000 li (far away), 4000 li (pole edge and smoke miasma).
Prisoners must depart within one month and be escorted by two officials. It also stipulates that prisoners sentenced to exile must travel 50 miles a day, which means that 4,000 miles will arrive in 80 days. If it is exiled to the polar edge and the land of smoke, very few people can go there. Why?
First of all, everywhere you pass, you will pass through the primeval forest, and you often have to deal with jackals, tigers and leopards. In the "Miscellaneous Records of The Observations and Stories of the Study Hall", it is recorded: "Half of the way is eaten by tigers and wolves, grabbed by apes, or hungry people are eaten, and there is no birth." ”
In addition, there is another point that the food of the exiled is also very poor. Rushing every day, I still can't eat enough. If you don't get tired, you have to starve to death. And in order to ensure that the exiles cannot escape, they will also put heavy wooden shackles around their necks.
In the Qing Dynasty, the exile of "Ninggu Pagoda" is able to experience all the above factors, not only the road is far away, but there are many dangers on the way, such as encountering bandits and being taken as slaves, as well as jackals and wild leopards.
In the "Miscellaneous Records of Yantang Observations and Stories", it is recorded: "According to the Ninggu Pagoda, in the north of the Liaodong Pole, go to Beijing for seven or eight thousand miles. Its ground is heavy with ice and snow, and it is not a complex world. Chinese there is no one else. ”
If the prisoners in the capital go all the way to Ninggu pagoda, they will have to walk seven or eight thousand miles, and it will take half a year just to walk. Who can stand this? During the Qing Dynasty, many people simply committed suicide in advance when they heard that they were assigned to Ninggu Pagoda. This is why the officials of the Qing Dynasty who had committed punishment would rather be beheaded than exiled to Ninguta.