Chapter 795 You can’t only oppose me when His Majesty is around!
The public trial was a set of procedures devised by King Zhu Yili of Lu during the emperor's southern tour in the thirteenth year of Wanli. This was part of Zhu Yili's misdeeds.
Zhu Yixuan's mischief included extorting wealthy households in Xitucheng, raiding dissidents, bombarding Lianyun Bookstore, humiliating Wen Wen, hanging scholars on the city wall to blow wind, uprooting twelve bookstores and digging three feet into the ground, etc.
It really took three feet of digging, but it was later renovated into a new official residence for the emperor's reward.
At the beginning, Zhu Yixian was very disgusted with some Hanlin Academy scholars, Imperial College officials, and miscellaneous newspaper editors who accused the emperor. He believed that these guys were the mouthpieces of certain people. He took money and deliberately spoke ill of the emperor, so he arrested them and hung them up. On the city wall, these people were detained in Fusi, Beizhen.
Originally, everyone inside and outside the court was waiting for the Ming Emperor to come back and pardon these "innocent people". The Ming Emperor also intended to pardon, but was blocked by Zhang Juzheng. In the end, the emperor was persuaded and exiled to the Luzon Governor's Mansion to contribute to Luzon's cultural development. .
Zhu Yixian made so many nonsense, and the system that His Majesty the Emperor deliberately preserved was the public trial.
After arriving in Luzon, these innocent people immediately became loyal to the emperor and the country, and began to sing hymns of the Ming Dynasty, because only by singing hymns can they be recognized as people of the Ming Dynasty and be eligible to live in Hanxiang towns, enjoy protection, and enjoy the talent of the Ming Dynasty. All benefits available.
The final public trial is held in the execution hall, usually at noon. There is a whole set of procedures to go through before the public trial.
All imprisoned criminals will be hung on the tour buses created by Zhu Yili and Xiong Tingbi. They will depart from Fusi in Beizhen and the Prison of the Ministry of Justice, bypass the outer city of East City and West City, and enter the Imperial Palace Forbidden Garden from Daming Gate, in front of Jinshui Bridge. Stop at the execution hall.
Not all criminals are treated in a public trial. Crimes such as petty theft, fighting, accidental homicide, dereliction of duty, corruption, etc. are not eligible for public trial. Any public trial held outside Chengtianmen will endanger the country and the country. Major cases.
When the Ming Emperor appeared at the Meridian Gate, all the courtiers who attended the ceremony breathed a sigh of relief.
Your Majesty was just acting out of temper, feeling a little annoyed that his decree was opposed, rather than slacking off. This is great news for Ming Dynasty.
Just like when Zhang Juzheng made a desperate move to reform, he wanted to implement the examination method to rectify the administration of officials, change the smoky official environment, improve administrative efficiency, and leave all officials at a loss.
Now that the emperor is slacking off, it will also make all officials highly uncomfortable.
According to the explanation of the anthropic theory, it is: under artificial selection, people who cannot adapt to the environment and ecology have been eliminated. The current officials have either adapted to the environment, or people who are more suitable for the current ecology have taken over.
The officialdom of Ming Dynasty finally got used to the fast pace and relatively fair competition environment.
If the emperor suddenly slacks off, it will have to be replaced again. For the officials, losing power is more uncomfortable than killing their own parents.
Especially now when Zhang Juzheng is still alive, the emperor goes on strike for a day, and the courtiers are anxious for a day, for fear that Zhang Juzheng will turn over old scores.
Zhang Juzheng was an authoritative figure from beginning to end, but when the emperor was around, he didn't need to show off. The emperor was also an authoritative figure, but when Mr. Zhu was around, Zhu Yijun wouldn't go too far.
The seal of the monarch and his ministers is conjugated.
The sky is as blue as blue, the sun is shining high, the flags above the imperial city are fluttering, and they are blown by the wind in the summer wind. The melodious horn sounds at the top of the city. The Tiqi is wearing a flying fish suit, standing like a javelin. In front of the big drum, the eunuchs in red robes stood in groups on the stairs, waiting for the sound of the heavenly language.
In the Wufeng Tower of Chengtianmen, the emperor, the queen, and the eldest son of the emperor were already seated. They were civilized on the left and military on the right. The ministers were seated in turn, except that there was an empty chair next to the emperor's right hand. That was Qi Jiguang's seat. Qi Jiguang was in North Korea. Fighting, but his seat is still in the middle.
Under the city gate, inside the Jinshui Bridge, there is a multi-story viewing platform. Officials of the fifth rank and below who are not qualified to go to the Wufeng Tower are all on the viewing platform. There are also a group of Fanyi envoys who don't even have seats.
The Ministry of Rites resolutely refused to arrange seats for the Fanyi envoys. Except for Legaz and Shah Maimaiti, who had seats because they were Ming officials, the others stood and watched. In the eyes of the Ministry of Rites, allowing them to come was already a favor from the emperor. So majestic.
Wan Shihe left many valuable assets to the Ministry of Rites, but of course he also left behind many bad habits. For example, the Ministry of Rites likes to speak of a barbarian with a wolf-faced beast's heart. He is afraid of power but not immoral. As long as it involves foreign affairs, this sentence They will definitely appear. Be very wary and suspicious of the Yi people.
They suspected that the Yi people had ulterior motives, suspected that the Yi people wanted to preach, suspected that the Yi people were seeking benefits, and suspected that the Yi people intended to subvert.
The Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty used to be the Ministry of Rites of the Rouyuan people, but now it is the Ministry of Rites of the barbarians with wolf faces and beast hearts.
"Um, why are there still people beating gongs and drums?" Zhu Yijun put down the telescope in his hand and asked with some confusion.
He just looked to see where the criminal had gone, and saw a surprising sight. Behind several tourist cars, there was a long tail.
The long tail led the group of jugglers on stilts. They wore strange costumes, bright colors, and some strange makeup on their faces. They deliberately looked ugly. They held various tools in their hands and performed various juggling. .
Wang Chonggu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, walking on stilts is actually because you want to fight corrupt officials."
"It is said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, people from Kaifeng to Luoyang would move around each other during the Spring Festival, hold community fires, hold temple fairs, dance with silver flowers and fire trees, and dance on the pavilion and song stage. It can be said that there are many fish and dragons dancing on the swing Skills, gather together all night and disperse at dawn."
"One day, a state official named Chen Erjin came to Luoyang. He thought it was profitable. It cost thirty coins to enter Luoyang and thirty coins to leave Luoyang. People walked across the moat on stilts and entered the city, refusing to pay the entry fee. and out-of-town fees.”
"It turns out that this is how the folk custom of walking on stilts came about." Zhu Yijun understood.
After the stilt team, there was the band, which was very lively with gongs and drums. Zhu Yijun was sitting on the Wufeng Tower and heard the beating, the arm-sized gongs, and the high-pitched suona, which could be heard from far away.
After Leban, there is the patrol sign. The patrol sign is as tall as two people and carried by four bare-chested men. There are some words written on it, which are all about the crimes of these villains.
After this long tail, there are also the car-drum formation, the big drum formation, the dancing drum formation, the crane formation, etc. On both sides of the street stood the yamen servants of Shuntian Mansion, and behind the yamen servants were people watching the excitement.
After hearing His Majesty's inquiry, Feng Bao went to Xiaohuangmen to inquire. Soon, Xiaohuangmen ran back quickly and told his ancestors what happened.
Feng Bao bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, I have asked clearly. It is the wine merchant from Fujian who caused the drama."
"They came to participate in the opening inspection at the end of May. This was not to create momentum and promote their wine. When they heard about the public trial, they made such a big show and called this Mr. You."
"You, what is this?" Zhu Yijun asked slightly surprised.
Feng Bao hurriedly explained: "Most of those who are qualified to open a public trial are masters. They are not poor coolies. Poor coolies are not worth the trouble. They are Mr. You."
Fujian wine merchants have created a beautiful scenery in Daming Jingtang. Follow the tour bus and stroll through the streets of Daming Jingtang, follow the planned route, and deeply experience Jingtang’s rich historical heritage, long-standing humanity, and vitality Surging local customs.
The great outlet for strolling in the capital was firmly seized by Fujian wine merchants!
Lu Guangzu, as the left minister of the Ministry of Justice, presided over the entire public trial. The government officials held patrol signs and showed the people the crimes of the returning bandits, Shi Chengwu, and other virtuous rural gentry from Ningdu, Ruijin, and Ninghua counties. These crimes were shocking and people were shocked. People shouted for beating.
The Ming Dynasty is very big. The capital is the Ming Dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture is the Ming Dynasty, the wealthy Taizhou Prefecture in Zhejiang is the Ming Dynasty, and the poor place Ruijin in Jiangxi is also the Ming Dynasty. We are all from the Ming Dynasty, but our understanding of the Ming Dynasty is still somewhat different.
The people of the capital, because they were at the feet of the emperor and the most virtuous place in the Ming Dynasty, were naturally extremely indignant towards this kind of crime, because if these things were reasonable, did it mean that the emperor could eat alive the 3.5 million people in the capital?
The class theory written by Zhang Juzheng makes it very clear that the emperor is an independent class, located above all ruling classes.
Feng Bao took two small yellow gates, walked down to the Wufeng Tower, and stood in the middle of the execution ground. After standing still, the small yellow gate opened the imperial edict. Feng Bao flicked the fly whisk and shouted loudly: "Fengtian Carrying the emperor, the edict said: "
"The officials and gentry of Ningdu, Ruijin and Ninghua counties colluded and indulged in lawlessness, causing harm to the villagers. The villagers tolerated and retreated again and again, gambling houses, increasing rents, asking for annual quotas, collecting late grain rents, and forcing Tax, kill before everyone else.”
"The leaders of the people, Wan Ganchang, Lian Yuanhou, Zheng Sanwan and others, led the tenants to revolt. They had no choice but to plead for the people, occupied three county seats, and established an alliance. The alliance included rent reduction, New Year's Eve and other old regulations, closing gambling houses, petitioning There is a reason for the camp law and the hoeing of traitors. I am particularly lenient to the three leaders of Tianbing."
"As a ruler, there is nothing more important than serving the heaven, and to maintain its integrity, nothing is more important than the ancestors; as a ruler, there is nothing more important than respecting heaven and ancestors and loving people; as a minister, there is nothing more important than being loyal to the emperor, the country, and cherishing the people."
"When people are poor, they turn against their roots. Therefore, when they are extremely tired and toiled, they may not stop calling out to heaven; when they are sick and miserable, they may not stop calling out to their parents."
"The monarch and his ministers work together, share the same virtue and respect each other, and work together to achieve peace."
"Future generations will grieve and not take note of it, which will also make future generations mourn for future generations again."
"Today's Ruijin Tianbing turmoil, officials and ministers at home and abroad should remember to be loyal and honest, and avoid being unkind, and upright, and avoid being evil and in vain; do not be attached to those below and ignore those above, do not abuse others with reckless abandon; do not use cleverness to mess with the old rules, Don’t waste your money and reputation! ”
"I indulge in selfish desires and bend the law. The ancestral laws of rewards and punishments are still there, and the national law hangs high on top. I dare not be selfish!"
"The constitution was established after the dynasty, the virtues were extended and benefits were given, the edict was issued to the world, and the envoys heard about it."
"I admire this."
Zhu Yijun's imperial edict is half-written and half-written. It is written in classical Chinese and is written for scholars. It warns them not to forget what they do. The imperial court has stipulated that the crimes committed by rural gentry and gentry will be punished by three-level penalties.
All the vernacular articles were spoken to the common people, and the three leaders of the civil unrest who were most concerned about the common people were specially pardoned.
These three civilian leaders will not return to Ruijin, Jiangxi, but will be sent to Zhejiang to Shen Shiqing to help Zhejiang return the land.
Wan Qianshang, Lian Yuanhou, and Zheng Sanwan cannot return to their hometowns. This is the suggestion of Wang Chonggu, the Minister of Punishment. Indeed, the local officials will not dare to embarrass the three people who hold the emperor's pardon edict, and it is very likely that these three people will hold the pardon edict. The imperial edict of amnesty coerced the local government.
It might happen, but if the three of them go back, they're dead.
The situation in Jiangxi is very complicated. The local power is powerful and the local gentry and gentry are powerful. They can't do anything to the court. But dealing with the three civilian leaders is just like playing tricks. If they go back, the bandits will destroy their homes the next day. Kill them all and disappear without a trace.
However, if the three of them do not return to their hometown, it will be beneficial to the return of land in Zhejiang and to the camp in Jiangxi.
As long as the three of them are still alive, the virtuous and gentry of Jiangxi Township will not dare to go too far. Otherwise, if the emperor puts the three of them back, there will be another bloody storm;
Zhu Yijun finally adopted Wang Chonggu's suggestion and sent the three civilian leaders to the Taizhou government official Shen Shiqing to promote the return of land in Zhejiang.
"Take it." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, and the two pairs of little yellow gatekeepers Tianyu Lun's sound was passed down layer by layer to the execution ground.
Shi Chengwu, the head of Ningdu Banxian House, was pushed to the execution ground. He had eaten a good meal yesterday and knew that he was going to die today. It was a decapitation meal.
Shi Chengwu regretted a little. What he was very upset about was that he wanted too much. If he had known it, he would not have let his servants go to the countryside with the county government officials to collect the money.
When the death card was taken off by the executioner, Shi Chengwu finally realized clearly that his life had come to an end, and that he would die by separating the corpses and leaving no intact corpses. Shi Chengwu's desire for life and fear of death were finally aroused. come out.
At this moment, he did not struggle, because his legs were weak and he had no strength at all. Even breathing became difficult. His body clearly knew that he was going to die.
The executioner took out a bone prying knife that was not as long as a stick. The bone prying knife was very thin and sharp. The executioner pressed his hand on Shi Chengwu's neck and counted the third one. The bone prying knife was very smooth. Stabbed into Shi Chengwu's neck. "Click."
Shi Chengwu heard the noise. He didn't know what happened, but soon the severe pain began to pass. Just as he was about to shout, he felt the world spinning, and there was only a bright sunny day and a scorching sun in the sky.
Until his consciousness completely dissipated and he felt nothing at all, Shi Chengwu was still confirming whether he was dead. He was still regretting that he should not have let his servants go with the government officials to collect land taxes. As for gambling houses, rent increases, asking for yearly records, and late closing He didn't feel that what he was doing was wrong at all.
In his opinion, what else could a group of unruly people do?
He died a very dignified death. If the three leaders had not restrained the tenants, Shi Chengwu would have been skinned and bled by the tenants, and the pieces would have been fed to the dogs.
Shi Chengwu's sins were so serious that as many as seventeen tenants died directly in his hands, which he killed personally.
The villagers do not read well and are not aware of the dangers of gambling. Those gambling houses set up on the main traffic roads and the legends of getting rich overnight have attracted the villagers to the gambling houses.
Having lost his ancestral home, his wife, children, and children, he still fantasizes about getting his money back. He owes a huge gambling debt and cannot pay it back, so he can only become one of the lackeys.
Songjiang Governor Shen Shixing once said bluntly: Debt will make people lose their freedom and become slaves.
These villagers became Shi Chengwu's actual slaves, taking them alive and dead. After some small farmers and tenants became domestic slaves, if they disagreed, they would be beaten so that they could not get out of bed for several days, and their legs and hands would be broken. They were of little value. Just kill them and throw them into the compost pit.
Please...you...collect 6...9...books...!
Shi Chengwu is another kind of returning bandits, but they are more secretive than the returning bandits in Taizhou Prefecture, Zhejiang.
When Zhu Yijun saw that the execution was over, he stood up. The public trial was over. He was going to the Wenhua Hall for a court meeting. There was a strike yesterday and a public trial today. The court meeting had been suspended for a day. It was time to restore the previous order.
The court meeting began again, and the emperor appeared on the platform as always, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, I object to the official promotion method proposed by Yuan Fu!" Li Changchun, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, came out of the shift and said loudly.
Zhang Juzheng showed a puzzled look and said calmly: "Li Shilang, you can't only oppose me when His Majesty is here!"
"Please Yuan Fu, please listen to what I have to say." Li Changchun bowed his head to the platform again and said, "Your Majesty, Rong Chen will give you a detailed report."
"Sir, listen to what Li Shilang says about his thoughts." Zhu Yijun motioned to Zhang Juzheng to calm down and listen carefully to see what these conservative officials thought.
Li Changchun bowed his head again, straightened up, and then held his hands and said: "This official method looks good everywhere, but it will become dangerous. No government order is perfect, so what is the price of the official method?" ?”
"That is the officials who came from the imperial family. Their interests have been harmed, and they will sincerely oppose these decrees."
"It took ten years of hard work in exchange for a court uniform. However, these officials are not talented enough and can still be officials after failing the exam. Resentment naturally accumulates in their hearts."
"It is true that they are afraid of His Majesty and Yuan Fu, and dare not openly oppose the official law, but they can violate it in other ways."
"Your Majesty, power is still in the hands of officials who were born in Juren or Jinshi. Double the execution and let things get out of control. Once a consensus is formed, the New Deal will be in danger!"
Zhu Yijun thought again and again, nodded and said: "It makes sense, but it is imperative for officials to implement the law."
The official recruitment method, the first three words in the history books, will completely affect the fate of the next few decades or even hundreds of years.
The method of appointing officials was really important to the Ming Dynasty. The Wanli Reform brought about many emerging industries. The shortage of auditors in the Ministry of Household Affairs, the lack of computing power, and the competition for talents with the private sector were just a microcosm.
As the productivity of the Ming Dynasty increases, we will definitely encounter this kind of dilemma. The people will become more and more professional, and the court will become less and less professional because of its rigidity. The court will become incompetent, unable to control the direction, afraid of risks, and will fall into passivity.
The official method explains this dilemma. The promotion of civil servants to officials is a general trend, but if it cannot be completed, the New Deal will come to this point.
Li Changchun glanced at Wang Chonggu. Wang Chonggu was a little strange. As Zhang Juzheng's political opponent, Wang Cifu was watching his nose and heart at this time, just like an old monk in meditation, with no intention of taking advantage of the situation to pursue him.
He originally planned to propose it himself and Wang Chonggu would follow up so that he would not have to fight alone, but his plan was miscalculated.
"I have something to say." Li Changchun took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, we need to further divide and differentiate. If we cannot form a consensus and let officials oppose officials, then the decree can be implemented."
"Officials who inspect and promote officials can receive some preferential treatment during the examination. This alone is enough."
The theory of contradictions brought a new perspective to Ming Dynasty's observation of problems, that is, the history of spiral upward. The military, political, economic and culture of the Central Plains dynasty were all in a spiral upward, and Ming Dynasty was also reincarnated in this cycle of rise and fall.
Once the dynasty is out of order, falls, and loses its throne, it will trigger a crisis of dynasty change.
Since it is an upward spiral, it is natural to take three steps forward, two steps back, climb up the stairs, and keep moving forward.
There is no doubt that compared to the previous time when Wang Chonggu wanted to completely replace the rural gentry with the craftsman class, and Wang Qian wanted to replace the Confucian scholar-bureaucrat class with professional officials from the Kowloon University Hall, Zhang Juzheng's method was a step back, and Li Changchun's method was another step back. step.
Xuanzong loved cricket fighting the most, using a straw stick to spin the crickets around. Similarly, Li Changchun's meaning was very clear. The extra preferential treatment for passing the law was the straw stick.
The officialdom of Ming Dynasty attaches great importance to love and affection. If Zhang Juzheng falls, everyone in Zhang Juzheng's party will cry for beatings. Even if there is a slight relationship, they will be beaten and liquidated for Zhang's party.
Not only can the officials obtain political resources, but they can also gain a group of passionate colleagues. This is a more intimate relationship, and they rely on each other to form a forest.
Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said: "There will definitely be cliques and selfish interests, but among the hundreds of thousands of officials in the Ming Dynasty, everyone is selfish and party-minded."
The Jin Party formed by Gao Gong, Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei at the time was a township party and an ethnic party, with highly convergent interests.
In the second year of Wanli, when Zhang Juzheng was giving a banquet, he said to the emperor: Everyone is selfish and everyone is party.
It means: There is no one who is not selfish, and everyone must consider their own interests; then there is no one who is not party-minded, because they must stand together to protect their own interests.
This discussion starts from Xunzi’s view that human nature is inherently evil.
Zhang Juzheng was a Confucian scholar. He also talked about the goodness of human nature, benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust. He also talked about the Han Dynasty and the loyalty of every generation.
Even the courtiers sitting in the Wenhua Hall, they are all the emperor's ministers, and they also have their own factions, and they are very complicated. There is me among you and you among me.
For example, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Guoguang, Shen Li, and Li Huli are highly similar; while Wang Chonggu, Wang Daokun, and Zeng Shengwu are closer.
And Shen Li and Hai Rui, two tough ministers, got closer because of their reputation.
Zhang Juzheng immediately said: "Your Majesty, I think that it is okay to conduct inspections, but the inspections must convince the public, and more importantly, they must pass the test. It cannot be done to promote filial piety and integrity. That would make a fool of generosity."
The Ming Dynasty only banned the imperial examination system in the 13th year of Zhengtong. Before that, some people without meritorious titles had entered the center of power, such as Fang Xiaoru and Yang Shiqi, who had never passed the exam.
Yang Shiqi was recommended to the court by Wang Shuying, who was Fang Xiaoru's close friend.
This is the difficulty in implementing the decree. In order for the decree to be implemented, we have to provide some conveniences. We have to give conveniences, but we have to worry about the negative effects. We have to go back and forth, pull and pull, and constantly improve the system design in practice.
If during the Wanli period, the identity politics trick of promoting filial piety and integrity had been played, the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty would have been laughed at by future generations.
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty went around and over and over again and tried to promote filial piety and integrity. He was simply a foolish king who reversed the course of history!
No one from Liaodong would believe that lying on the ice to ask for carp is true, because lying on the ice in the winter will definitely freeze to death. The filial piety that moves the world cannot move the ice.
"I understand that after all, it is a very clear time limit, deadline, and completion limit. The three-limit test method has been practiced for fifteen years and is quite effective. But how to judge this to convince the public?" Zhu Yijun was a little curious. asked.
Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said: "For example, there are twenty-seven clerks in the household in Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture. If one of them is recommended by Yao Guangqi to Songjiang Institute of Technology, the remaining twenty-six clerks will have to write reviews and report Governor of Songjiang”
"If you are awarded a special Enke Jinshi, your colleagues will write a review and report it to the court. After weighing it, you will decide whether to entrust it with an important task."
Officials are not monolithic among themselves. It is not impossible for them to be jealous of their colleagues' promotions, to be jealous of their colleagues, or to simply reveal some negative information.
Since we have to fight crickets, not only officials must fight, but also officials. Even writing reviews is easily affected by some factors, but it is still a straw stick.
This selection process is definitely not completely fair and impartial, just like the anti-corruption campaign is not about catching all corrupt officials in the world.
Each additional layer of screening mechanism will increase the cost of deception and concealment, increase the risk of exposure, and the court will be able to obtain more real talents.
"What do you think, Minister Li?" Zhu Yijun looked at the left minister of the Ministry of Rites with a smile on his face and asked about his attitude.
"I thought Yuan Fu was thoughtful." Li Changchun bowed his head and sat on the Taishi chair. The more he thought about it, the more something was wrong. He always felt that he had been deceived.
Because Zhang Juzheng's reaction was so fast, it was as if he was waiting for someone to jump out!
Wang Chonggu glanced at Li Changchun and showed a specious smile. Xiao Li had just made progress and was a bit young. He was too eager to express himself.
Wang Chonggu knew Zhang Juzheng very well!
People like Zhang Juzheng plan before making decisions. They take one step and look at three steps, or even look at ten steps. Li Shilang can think of Zhang Yuanfu who has been the official minister for fifteen years, but he can't think of it?
The reason why Zhang Juzheng did not take the first step to improve the system may be because he did not think carefully, he may be weighing, or the time has not come, but it is impossible to leave anything for others to criticize.
Wang Chonggu raised his head and said: "Your Majesty, I heard something."
"The Paradise Cult of Japan has caused some troubles in Japan recently. Some wandering girls who believe in the Paradise Cult played a trick of white chicken feathers. These wandering girls did not receive the wounded soldiers who returned from the Korean front. Give him a white chicken feather.”
"Uh, I don't understand, what's the purpose of this?" Zhu Yijun said with a frown.
Wang Chonggu explained: "Any wounded soldier or ashigaru or samurai who is given white chicken feathers will be regarded as a coward who dare not fight to the death on the battlefield. They are cowards and weaklings."
"Some wounded soldiers could not bear the humiliation, and many committed suicide by committing seppuku."
(End of chapter)