In a small village near Nanjing, there is a boy named Zhu Yuanzhang. His family is so poor that even the dogs dislike them, but this kid is not willing to be an ant at the bottom of society.
When he grew up, Zhu Yuanzhang was stirred into a pot of porridge by the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the whole of China was in chaos like, and there were simply more corrupt officials in the imperial court than flies. This kid personally experienced the pain of the people being plundered, and hated these corrupt officials to the root of his teeth.
Zhu Yuanzhang is not an ordinary waste, he has known how to forge ahead and be self-reliant since he was a child. One day, by chance, he stood out and attracted a group of loyal brothers. Gradually, he became a leader, leading the rebel army against the chaotic rule of the Yuan dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang's military talent and firm determination eventually led him to capture Nanjing and establish the Ming Dynasty. This kid became a great monarch in Chinese history, famous in history.
When Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, the problems he faced could not be solved with a few small knives. One of them is the fight against corruption. He was well aware of the harm that corrupt officials did to the country, and he was determined to cut off this bane.
In order to punish corrupt officials, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a stipulation: Anyone who embezzles more than 60 taels of silver shall be sentenced to death. This seems a bit excessive, but under the circumstances, it was also a helpless move. After all, during the Ming Dynasty, the value of silver was much higher than today's banknotes.
In the Ming Dynasty, one or two pieces of silver were worth far more than today's money. Not only can it buy a lot of food, enough for the average family for a year, but it can also support the purchase of various necessities, such as clothing, furniture and other miscellaneous things. Silver was an important player in the exchange of money, trade, and resources at that time.
Considering the economic situation at that time, if converted to today, 60 taels of silver is a large amount of money, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of yuan.
This is because during the Ming Dynasty, there were not many silver resources, and the economic system was not as complex as modern. Therefore, the value of silver is relatively higher, and a person has 60 taels of silver, which is almost equal to the economic strength of the upper class of society at that time.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's stipulation that those who embezzled more than 60 taels of silver should be sentenced to death in order to severely punish corrupt officials and ensure that the country's wealth would not be abused and misappropriated.
Behind this is Zhu Yuanzhang's deep concern for the country's stability and the well-being of the people. Although this policy may seem harsh, the aim is to ensure the long-term stability of the country.
However, in the early Ming Dynasty, officials were relatively poorly paid, and even high-ranking officials could only eat and drink some fresh water. Compared with the treatment of the previous dynasty, it is simply chicken ribs.
The low treatment of officials in the early Ming Dynasty was due to the country's economic difficulties and tension in the early days of Zhu Yuanzhang's reign. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was just beginning, and it experienced many years of war and the hardships of national construction. It was a time when a lot of money was needed, and financial resources such as silver were used for nation-building and military needs.
The low treatment of officials in the early Ming Dynasty also reflected Zhu Yuanzhang's personal experience and economic attitudes. This kid grew up in poverty, and he personally experienced that kind of hard days.
As soon as he came to the throne, his economic concept was still cautious, emphasizing thrift. This affected his setting of the treatment of officials, making them more restrained.
Although commerce was relatively prosperous during the Ming Dynasty, silver began to be in short supply. This is partly due to the limited resources of silver, and Zhu Yuanzhang's closed-door policy has also affected the circulation of silver.
In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, although silver had a certain circulation among the people, resources were still relatively scarce. Ancient mining techniques were limited, and silver minerals were not as abundant as later.
Moreover, the closed-door policy implemented by Zhu Yuanzhang also had a great impact on the circulation of silver. For the sake of national security, he adopted a closed policy, restricting foreign trade and the inflow of silver. This led to a greater shortage of silver in the country, so in the early Ming Dynasty, officials were treated poorly, and embezzlement of sixty taels of silver was an astronomical amount for that time.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very worried that the Jiangshan he had worked so hard to build would be crushed by corrupt officials, and he took severe punishment measures for the stability of the country and to protect Jiangshan.
In addition to the death penalty for embezzling more than 60 taels of silver, Zhu Yuanzhang also used some torture to demonstrate deterrence. The purpose of these tortures is to show other officials and officials the serious consequences of corruption and deter them from committing abuses.
The most famous of these is the torture of "peeling daylilies". One can imagine how cruel this criminal law is, peeling off people's skins alive and stuffing straw into it.
This not only made life worse than death, but also became a warning sign at the time, scaring the greedy officials. Although these criminal laws seem too cruel in modern times, in the historical context of the time, they were regarded as an effective means of maintaining social order and preventing corruption.
Behind Zhu Yuanzhang's draconian measures is his deep concern for the future of the country and the well-being of the people. He knew that embezzlement and corruption could lead to social unrest and the disintegration of the country, so he took extreme measures to safeguard the unity of the country and the interests of the people.
Although these measures may seem radical in modern times, they did play a role in helping the Ming Dynasty establish a relatively clean political environment and lay a solid foundation for the country's stability and prosperity. Zhu Yuanzhang's decisiveness and courage also set an example for future generations to fight corruption.
As we all know, "governing the country is constant, and benefiting the people is the foundation", just as the ancients said, Zhu Yuanzhang had to take these measures for the long-term peace and stability of the country and the happy life of the people. In today's society, corruption still exists, which has triggered many people's thinking and discussion about Zhu Yuanzhang's governance methods.
Do you think Zhu Yuanzhang's handling of corruption is reasonable? Are his measures too harsh? Please leave your comments now!