【Historical Story】 Song Dynasty officials broke the law, why did this general invent "probation"?

Ancient architecture along the Great Wall of China.

Cao Bin (931–999), courtesy name Guohua, was a native of Zhending Lingshou (present-day Hebei), and a famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty. Cao Bin was the nephew of Later Zhou Taizu Guo Wei's concubine Zhang Shi. During the reign of Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, he was sent as an envoy to Wu Yue, and he was tired of serving as an envoy. Cao Bin was strict in governing the army, especially military discipline, and was trusted by Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, and made great contributions in the Unification War of the Northern Song Dynasty.

When Cao Bin was envoy to Xuzhou, a young official under him had broken the law, and the case had been verified, and he should have been punished 20 boards. But Cao Bin just ignored this matter. Cao Bin has always enforced the law strictly, so everyone feels strange about this matter. A year later, Cao Bin suddenly ordered the subordinate to be arrested and beaten 20 times, saying that this was punishment for the crimes he had committed the previous year.

For this practice, everyone was even more like falling into the clouds, asking him: "Since this person committed a crime a year ago, why didn't he deal with it at that time, but wait for a year before he was punished?" Cao Bin explained: "A year ago, when this person's crime was first verified, I learned that he had only married his daughter-in-law, and if he was punished at that time and beat him up, his parents would definitely think that it was the bad luck brought to him by the new daughter-in-law, then they would scold the new daughter-in-law early and beat him late, and the new daughter-in-law would also feel that her life was not good, and she had no face to see people, and maybe something unexpected would happen, and his marriage would be over." However, the national law and military discipline could not be abolished, so my punishment for him was suspended for one year. When everyone heard it, they all expressed their admiration for Cao Bin and praised his good intentions in "probation". The young man who was punished not only did not hold a grudge against him, but also thanked him gratefully.

His loyalty and benevolence were also vividly demonstrated on the battlefield. In the seventh year of Kaibao (974 AD), he led his troops to attack the Southern Tang. Jinling City held firm, and in order to reduce casualties, he ordered the adoption of long-term siege tactics, slowing down the siege several times, hoping that Li Yu, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, would surrender.