In ancient societies, whether it was slavery or feudalism, punishment played an extremely important role in the rule.
And all kinds of punishments have different roles and origins.
However, most of the punishments are mainly individual punishments, and there are few collective punishments or family punishments.
However, in order to strengthen the ruler's rule and deterrence, new forms of punishment emerged.
As a result, there is a punishment method that violates the spirit of punishment and ethics of the Nine Clans.
So, how did the Zhulian Nine Clans rise, and where did it originate?
What role does it play in the regime of the ruler, and what side effects does it have?
First of all, it is necessary to understand which clan the Zhulian Nine Clan refers to.
In ancient society, the understanding of the clan was very clear, but all those who were related by blood belonged to the same clan.
Moreover, the targets of the Zhulian Nine Clans are not divided into men and women, young and old, as long as they are the families and relatives of death row prisoners, they will all be punished.
Secondly, it is the nine of the nine clans, since it is the nine clans, then, what exactly do these nine clans refer to.
There is a more unified saying that the father is fourth, the mother is third, and the wife is second.
The fourth father refers to the four clans on the side of the condemned prisoner.
They are the relatives of the condemned prisoners themselves, as well as the families of aunts, sisters and daughters who are married.
The third mother refers to the three clans on the mother's side, namely the maternal grandfather's family and the maternal grandmother's maiden family, and the aunt's family.
The second wife refers to the two clans on the wife's side, which are the father-in-law's family and the mother-in-law's maiden family.
In this way, the nine clans were gathered.
Of course, in addition to this statement, there is another theory that is more circulating.
That is, the nine generations of clansmen from Gaozu to great-grandson, but it is basically impossible for such nine generations to survive at the same time.
Therefore, the first argument is more credible.
In addition, the Zhulian Nine Clans did not have to slaughter the Nine Clans from the beginning, it had an evolutionary process.
In the rise of the nine tribes of Zhulian, the Xia and Shang dynasties can be found.
There is a clear record in the Shangshu that when the Xia and Shang dynasties were about to die, it was stipulated that soldiers would be severely punished if they escaped during the battle.
The punishment was to be executed along with the soldier's father and son.
This is the earliest broadly defined Zhulian Nine Clans.
Since then, the punishment of the Zhulian Nine Clans has continued in the feudal society.
After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, the continuous cropping system continued to be used, and the normative punishment of the three tribes of Yi appeared.
If one of the members of the family commits a crime, then all the members of the three families are to be put to death.
It was precisely because of the strictness of the laws of the Qin Dynasty that the Chinese people had an excuse to rebel against the brutal rule of the Qin Dynasty.
It's just that when the Qin Dynasty died and the Han Dynasty rose, although Liu Bang temporarily abolished the policy of Yi San, after his regime was consolidated, he reused this punishment, and even intensified it.
The Han Dynasty upgraded the three Yi tribes implemented by the Qin Dynasty to the Yi five tribes, and it was elevated to the state's penal policy in the form of legal provisions.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, under the influence of the imperial style, the number and scope of the use of the nine clans of Zhulian were more extensive.
Even, in the Zhu Di period, there was a practice of the ten tribes.
Since feudal society is so keen on the nine clans, what is its role?
The answer is obvious, in ancient societies, the family was often regarded as a whole, and the crime of one person was inflicted on the whole family to prevent the occurrence of criminal behavior.
At the same time, through the cruel punishment method of the nine tribes, the ruler's determination and will to maintain the rule was demonstrated.
Moreover, in the eyes of the rulers, criminals who can match the cruel criminal law of the Shangzhulian Nine Clans are often extremely heinous and even threaten the rule.
The Nine Clans were able to solve all the hidden dangers and wipe out all the criminals, leaving no scourge that threatened the rule.
In addition, the feudal society pays attention to the ascension of one person to heaven, because one person is promoted, the whole family can enjoy feudal benefits.
Then, if one person commits a crime, the whole family will naturally have to bear the punishment.
However, the Nine Clans are not only beneficial, but also counterproductive.
The biggest side effect is the innocent.
When a person commits a crime, the scope of knowledge or participation is extremely limited, and the majority of the entire family may not know about it.
But in this case, the whole family will also be executed, which is obviously a bit cruel.
In addition, the nine clans of Zhulian have further challenged the family relationship and family feelings in feudal society, and it is very easy to cause estrangement in social relations and even dissatisfaction.
Another point that cannot be ignored is that the anti-human punishment method of the Nine Clans is easy to cause revenge.
This kind of punishment because one person involves multiple families can easily cause the survivors to have thoughts and practices of bloody revenge.