Text/Gibb
In other words, in ancient China, "exile" can be described as a kind of major punishment, which is simply put: capital crimes can be avoided, and living crimes cannot be escaped. Exile is the second punishment after public beheading, and those convicted of exile (exile) will be sent to a barbarian land thousands of miles away for "labor reform.".
As we all know, in ancient China, traffic was very backward, and dozens of kilometers of road had to be walked for several days. However, it is such a difficult errand, many of the dismissals are still trying their best to grab the "job", especially in the escort of "female prisoners", the competition is particularly fierce, there is such a situation, why is there such a situation?
To be sure, exile is more terrible than beheading. In the present, we usually think that exile should be a relatively light punishment, and as the old saying goes, it is better to die than to live.
It is better to be alive than to die, and maybe one day in the future, there will be a chance to turn over or even make a comeback. Like Su Shi in the Song Dynasty, he was also exiled, but happened to be recalled by the amnesty of the world and was able to turn over.
However, in ancient China, exile was actually a more cruel punishment than beheading. Although exile can barely survive, exile will definitely make prisoners realize what is called "better to live than to die"! Exiled prisoners are chained from the starting point to the finish line.
Moreover, the place of exile is a wild place thousands of miles away, even if they do not die on the way, fortunately reach the end, and what awaits them will be the heavy work that will never be completed, the feeling of being like an animal, like being strangled by a knife, and the body and spirit are constantly destroyed.
However, the rulers enjoyed this punishment, not only to show compassion for their lives, but also to solve the problem of labor in the wilderness or remote areas. However, it is absolutely impossible for those criminals to go voluntarily, so they can only send a messenger to escort them.
For example, in "Water Margin", heroes such as Lin Chong Wusong were exiled. If you happen to encounter an errand to escort a female prisoner, those errands will scramble to grab the right of escort. The so-called unprofitable early, do not look at the escort of prisoners this errand is very bitter, but in it is hidden very large oil and water, a trip can get a lot of unexpected benefits.
Although it is said that the solution is very bitter, but the extra money can earn a lot. For the dismissal, although the escort prisoners are hard, they can get a lot of rewards.
In particular, those who are very tight on hand usually compete for the opportunity to work, and if they can meet the escort of female prisoners, they will compete even more, because in the work of escorting female prisoners, they have to earn more extra money.
And these extra money are the benefits secretly given by the families of the female prisoners, and it is also hoped that those who solve the problem can give more care to the female prisoners on the road to alleviate their pain.
Also, the profession of solving is very free. Friends who have some understanding of the history of ancient officials in our country should know it. In the ancient official system, it was divided into officials and officials, officials are within the system, and officials are temporary workers outside the system.
The official's status in the yamen is very low, and the usual work to be done is to do some chores, run a leg, arrest a person, and the usual night patrol duty is also their work. Once the official is discovered, he not only has to deduct money but also has to be hit by several large boards.
Compared with escorting prisoners, even if the road is tiring and risky, they can enjoy absolute freedom, and they are the boss, they don't have to look at the faces of those officials and masters, and they can also manage the exiled prisoners and live an official addiction. And every time you go to a place with beautiful scenery, you can stay longer to enjoy the scenery, and you are not happy.
In ancient times, most female prisoners had some background, and their families were mostly middle-class, and if they encountered good conditions, they might be able to send a small carriage as a means of trekking. In the ancient period of our country, the vast majority of those sentenced to exile were implicated by others.
For example, some officials who have been convicted of crimes, or local tycoons and gentry who have committed crimes, most of the female relatives in their families are Miss Qianjin and the like, and the next thing is the maid, who has not committed any mortal crimes, but they have suffered the disaster of innocence, which is really helpless.
For the solution, if they can take over this kind of female prisoners, most of them will give some carriages and other means of transportation at home to reduce the labor along the way, so that the solution is also very easy, after the work is done, they can also ride back on horseback, and after returning, they can also sell the horses and other trekking tools to earn a benefit fee.
These are the reasons why xie cha likes to escort female prisoners. Of course, in this, the benefits are not only these, the road is difficult, thousands of miles back and forth, not only can increase their life experience, but also after returning, you can also brag with acquaintances, talk about the interesting things and affairs on the road.
References for this article: "General History of China", "Miscellaneous Notes in Prison", "Prison Officer's Order", "CNKI Related Literature - China's Ancient Interpretation of The Secret of The Difference, etc.", "Baidu Encyclopedia Related Terms - XieCha, Ancient Female Prisoners, Exile, Zhulian Nine Ethnic Groups, etc."