In ancient China, ordinary people sometimes encountered some things that made people laugh and cry. Take, for example, a peasant woman who reported that a military horse had stolen her family's grain.
This peasant woman originally wanted to protect her own interests out of good intentions, but her report actually attracted the attention of the emperor Shi Jingjiao of the current dynasty.
As a generation of military strategists, Shi Jingjiao's approach was really shocking - he actually ordered to cut open the belly of the horse accused of stealing grain, and directly check whether there was any grain residue inside!
This unexpected measure immediately caused an uproar. After all, Ma Ke is the fighting force of the army, and killing horses is equivalent to attrition, how can it be so hasty?
Furthermore, if the horse was really wronged, wouldn't it be an additional sin? At that time, both sides were stunned, and no one expected the emperor to be so ruthless for a while.
Having said that, the intention of Shi Jingjiao's move is actually not difficult to understand. As a former general, what he values most may be military discipline.
Once you can't resist the temptation to steal the property of the common people, it will be a great damage to military discipline. Therefore, in order to maintain military discipline, why not hesitate to worry about an unjust case?
Sure enough, a caesarean section turned out to be empty, proving that the peasant woman's report was a false accusation.
It stands to reason that she should be punished for slandering the military horse, but Shi Jingjiao didn't do anything to her out of magnanimity, but just reprimanded her severely.
This incident was once a good story at the time, and people praised the emperor for his reasonableness and impartiality in judging the case.
However, if you think about it, such a practice of adjudicating cases through extreme means is actually worth thinking twice.
First of all, killing a horse is a waste of resources for the army. Although a horse is insignificant, if you wantonly kill a horse like this every time, it will really outweigh the losses. Moreover, there is always a more humane way of hearing, so as not to disable life.
Second, while this approach has its deterrent effect, it ultimately deviates somewhat from the track of the rule of law.
It is reasonable to treat the parties equally and to proceed with due process of justice, rather than resorting to violence and extremist means.
Although Shi Jingjiao is the emperor and the power in his hands is supreme, it is not advisable to abuse his private power.
Moreover, this way of adjudicating cases is also contrary to human ethics. Although horses are livestock, they also have life, and any life should be respected and cared for. Shi Jingjiao's practice is to treat the horse as an object and dispose of it arbitrarily, which is obviously against the way of benevolence.
Finally, the practice of establishing authority through deterrence and violence is a short-sighted act.
The use of intimidation and brutal means to suppress the will of the people may lead to the distraction of the people, which will lead to the disintegration of the people and social unrest.
A generation of Ming monarchs should be to convince people with virtue, rather than desperately imposing cruel rule.
This case of dissecting the horse's abdomen undoubtedly shows Shi Jingjiao's rough nature as a generation of martial artists.
Although his actions shocked all parties for a while, in the long run, they ran counter to the political philosophy of benevolence and tolerance.
As the ruler of a country, he should uphold the spirit of the rule of law and resolve conflicts with wisdom and gentleness, instead of indiscriminately lynching and causing harm.
This incident also reflects the root cause of Shi Jingjiao's later loss of power and the decline of the country's fortunes.
Blindly relying on force and playing tricks will inevitably lose the hearts of the people, and the eventual destruction of the country itself is inevitable. The so-called "people's will to lose their hearts" and replace moral governance with majesty will not last long.
As a generation of emperors, Shi Jingjiao has certainly made great achievements in military affairs, but in terms of political wisdom and benevolence, he is still underqualified.
This dissection may be a trivial episode, but it reflects serious flaws in Shi's character and ruling philosophy. In the final analysis, a generation of British lords should think about what the people think and what the people care about, so that they can be immortal.
In addition to the ridiculous incident of dissecting the horse's abdomen, Shi Jingjiao's life has also left many lessons worth reflecting on.
As a generation of generals, Shi Jingjiao's family was poor since he was a child, but he soon made great achievements in his military career with his extraordinary martial arts and strategy.
He assisted Li Siyuan in defeating the warlords on one side of the separatist side, laying a solid foundation for later unification. It can be said that if there is no military genius like Shi Jingjiao, it will be difficult for future generations to have a unified situation.
It's a pity that Shi Jingjiao's performance after ascending the throne was not satisfactory. Although he has fought countless battles and performed many miraculous feats, he seems to be ineffective in handling state affairs and foreign relations.
In order to keep his own country, he did not hesitate to cede the sixteen states of Youyan to foreign tribes, which was undoubtedly a great damage to the great cause of national unification.
In later generations, some critics called Shi Jingjiao "the founder of the country and the ruin of the country". It is true that he founded a dynasty by force, but the short-sighted actions that followed also laid the root of the change of dynasty. This is exactly what a generation of male lords should take precautions for.
In addition, Shi Jingjiao had some other practices in his later years that are worthy of our reflection. For example, in order to suppress the rebellion, he brutally exploited the people and increased taxes.
This will undoubtedly cause public resentment to boil over and hasten the fall of the dynasty. A generation of Ming monarchs should share weal and woe with the people, rather than being arrogant and lascivious, brutal and unreasonable.
In general, Shi Jingjiao's life is like a mirror, reflecting the gains and losses during the reign of a general after he ascended the throne.
His martial arts and founding deeds deserve to be admired, but many of his ideas and practices of governing the country have also left many regrets and lessons.
It is not difficult to see that a generation of leaders needs not only military valor but also foresight and benevolence to achieve an eternal legacy. Only by combining these two aspects can we truly go down in history.
All in all, we might as well look at Shi Jingjiao as a mirror from which to look forward and learn from. It illuminates the glorious years of a generation of heroes, and also reveals some bad habits and malpractices in governing the country.
It is hoped that future leaders can draw wisdom from history, and while defending their homes and countries, they must also have a heart of benevolence and solidarity with the people, so as to be immortal.