When the system of an era cannot adapt to the environment of the time, then there are only two ways to choose.

The first is to continue to use the old system, which can no longer allow the country to continue, until it is destroyed. The second is to change the system that is more in line with the development and adaptability of the times.

In this regard, as long as it is a person of insight or a monarch with great courage, he will often choose the second way.

During the Warring States Period, the strength of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period was often a situation that arose after choosing the path of law change.

In this case, Li Kui can be said to be the ancestor of the reform of most countries in the Warring States period.

The Book of Law has also become the basis for the legal changes that the leaders of the reform, including Shang Ying and Wu Qi, paid attention to.

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However, with the exception of Wei, Qin, Korea, and Chu, the changes in Yan, Qi, and Zhao were not dominated by the Legalists.

Among them, the transformation of Qi is more of an extension of "Guanzi".

The reform of the Qi State is known in history as the "Zou Ji Reform".

Zou Ji, a "donkey", honored as "donkey", was a native of Qi during the Warring States period of China.

"Historical Records" is also known as a donkey, the minister of Qi Huan Gongtian at noon; During the Qi period, King Tian of Qi Wei lobbied King Qi Wei with a drum and piano, and was appointed as the prime minister of the country, and was sealed in Xiapi (now southwest of Pi County, Jiangsu), and was called a marquis; Later, he served Qi Xuan Wang Tian to open up the territory.

He once persuaded King Qi Wei to reward his ministers and the people to admonish, advocated reforming politics, revising laws, selecting talents, rewarding virtuous ministers, punishing traitors, and selecting capable ministers to stick to the four realms, and since then the Qi country has become stronger.

Around 360 BC, King Qi Wei used Zou Ji to carry out reforms, "carefully amending the law and supervising traitors".

King Qi Wei was determined to reform and was thirsty for virtue. Zou Ji Guqin recommended himself, was appointed as Xiangguo, and was sealed in Xiapi (now southwest of Pi County, Jiangsu), called Chenghou. persuaded the king to reward the ministers and the people, advocated revising the law, supervising the officials, strictly rewarding and punishing, and selecting capable ministers to stick to the four realms. The reforms carried out have made the national strength of Qi country stronger. The times create heroes, and Zou Ji is talented, talented, generous, and quite gentlemanly.

And Zou Ji's deeds are mostly seen in "Historical Records" and "Warring States Policy":

"Zou Ji satirizes the king of Qi":

Zou Ji is more than eight feet tall, and his appearance is beautiful. The court clothes are crowned, the mirror is speculated, and his wife said: "Who am I and Xu Gongmei in the north of the city?" and his wife said: "Jun is very beautiful, how can Xu Gong and Jun also?" Don't be confident, and ask his concubine again: "Who am I and Xu Gongmei?" The concubine said: "How can Xu Gong and Jun Ye?" "Tomorrow Xu Gong comes, who looks at it, thinks that it is inferior; Thinking about it at dusk, he said: "The beauty of my wife is also private, the beauty of my concubine is afraid of me, and the beauty of my guests is what I want." ”

So he entered the court to see King Wei and said: "Chen Cheng knows that he is not as good as Xu Gongmei." The wife of the minister, the concubine of the minister, the concubine of the minister, and the guest of the minister want to ask for the minister, all of which are beautiful to Duke Xu. Today, the place of Qi is thousands of miles, one hundred and twenty cities, the palace women are not selfish kings, the ministers of the court are not afraid of the king, and there are all requests for the king in the four realms: from this point of view, the king's concealment is very much. ”

The king said, "Good." It was decreed: "Whoever is able to stab the widow in the face of the ministers and the people will be rewarded, and whoever is able to write to the widow will be rewarded, and whoever can slander the city and the court and hear the ears of the widow will be rewarded." "At the beginning of the order, the ministers admonished, and the court was like a market; after a few months, they entered from time to time; after a period of years, although they wanted to speak, there was no one who could enter. Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei Wenzhi are all in Qi. This so-called victory was won by the imperial court.

"Zou Ji said that the piano admonished the king of Qi":

The donkey saw King Wei with a drum and a harp, and King Wei said that he would give up the right room.

Suddenly, Wang Guqin, and the donkey man pushed the household into the house and said: "Good Guqin!" Wang Boran didn't say, went to the qin and pressed the sword and said: "The master has not noticed it, how can he know that it is good?"

The man said: "The big string is turbid with the spring warmth, the gentleman is also; the small string is incorruptible and the one who is clean is also the same; the one who grabs the depth, the pleasure of the liquor, the government decree also; the Jun harmonic with the sound, the big and the small benefit each other, and the evil without harming each other, the four times also: I know its goodness." The king said, "Good speech." Su Jizi said: "He Duyan, the husband rules the country and the people are among them." ”

The king said angrily, "If the husband speaks the five-tone discipline, he who does not believe in the master." If the husband rules the country and destroys the people, what is the difference between the silk and the tong?"

The man said: "The husband of the big string is turbid with the spring warmth, the gentleman is also; the small string is incorruptible and the one who is clean is also the same; the person who grabs the deep and gives up the pleasure is also the decree; the jun harmonic is the sound, the size is beneficial, and the evil is returned without harming each other, and the four seasons are also." Those who are restored and not chaotic will be governed by prosperity, and those who are connected will survive and die: so it is said that the tone of the piano is governed by the world. There is no one who rules the country and destroys the people like the five tones. ”

The king said, "Good." ”

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Although Zou Ji's reform was based on Legalism, there is no doubt that Zou Ji's reform was based on the framework of the political subject situation of Qi rather than a drastic and comprehensive reform like Li Kui, Shang Ying, Wu Qi and others.

This is more like the policy situation of Guan Zhong's ruling of Qi as described in "Guanzi".

The appointment of Zou Ji by the State of Qi to carry out the reform, and the appointment of Shen Buxian by South Korea to carry out the reform, and the appointment of the Shang Dynasty by the State of Qin to change the law, were almost at the same time.

In 357 BC, King Qi Wei ascended the throne. Soon, Zou Ji "used the drum and piano to see the king", and used the rhythm of the "drum and qin" to explain the truth of "governing the country and killing the people".

He believes that Jun is like the big strings on the piano, which are "turbid and warm in spring"; like the small strings on the piano, they are "incorruptible and clear" when played; and government decrees are like "the pleasure of grasping them deep and giving them up." If you play "big and small", "complex but not chaotic", the sound of the piano will be harmonious and good, and "governing the country and killing the people" is the same reason. King Qi Wei appreciated him very much, and after three months, he conferred the seal on him.

Starting from the father of King Qi Wei, Duke Qi Huan, the state of Qi set up a school palace in Jixia outside Jimen in the west of Linzi, the national capital, and invited scholars of all factions to come to write books and discuss politics, called "Mr. Jixia", also known as doctors. One of Mr. Jixia was named Chun Yuji, who was born as a slave and was a progressive thinker, who twice accused Confucianism to his face, believing that Lu Miaogong's heavy use of Confucianism had weakened the country, which showed that Confucianism was "not beneficial to the country", and like Confucianism, "those who do nothing for their work" are not considered "sages".

At this time, Chun Yuyu used "micro words" to talk about Zou Ji, which made Zou Ji decide on the following strategies: for the monarch, "please be careful not to leave the front", "please be careful about things"; for the people, "please attach yourself to the people"; for the subordinates, "please choose gentlemen carefully, not mixed with villains", "please be careful to amend the law and supervise the traitors".

These advocates of acting in obedience to the monarch, advocating the selection of "gentlemen" as officials to prevent "villains" from mixing, and advocating the revision of laws to supervise the elimination of traitorous officials, are all Legalist policies.

Zou Ji attaches great importance to recommending talents, and King Qi Wei also attaches great importance to these talents and regards them as "treasures". Once King Qi Wei and King Wei Hui were hunting together in the suburbs, King Wei Hui boasted that he had ten "pearls of diameter and inches", which could "take twelve times before and after the car", so they were "treasures"; while King Qi Wei thought that his "treasures" were different, and several powerful ministers were his "treasures", such as Tanzi who guarded Nancheng, Panzi who guarded Gaotang, Qianfu who guarded Xuzhou, and the seed head of "making preparations for thieves" were all his "treasures" and "will shine for thousands of miles".

At this time, there were many talents in the Qi State, and Sun Bin also served as a military advisor due to Tian Ji's recommendation. This is all the result of Zou Ji's implementation of the Legalist policy of "choosing gentlemen carefully". In response to the situation of "a hundred officials in chaos" in Qi State, Chun Yuyu once said to King Qi Wei in a hidden language, and he asked King Qi Wei: "There is a big bird in the country, and it stops at the royal court, and it does not sing for three years, so why does the king know this bird?" King Wei replied: "If this bird does not fly, it will soar into the sky; if it does not sing, it will be a blockbuster." Seventy-two magistrates from all over the country were summoned to "reward one and punish another."

Because the Jimo doctor governed Jimo, "the fields were opened, the people gived, the officials had nothing to do, and the east was Ning", and did not serve the monarch left and right to seek reputation, and King Qi Wei rewarded him with ten thousand food estates. And because Ah Dafu ruled A, "the fields are not cleared, and the people are poor", and he used coins to serve the king left and right in order to seek honor, and King Qi Wei cooked Ah Dafu and the people who praised him left and right to death. It is said that from then on, "the country of Qi was afraid, and everyone did not dare to pretend to be wrong, so as to fulfill their sincerity, and the country of Qi was governed".

This is also the concrete implementation of Zou Ji's policy of "revising the law and supervising traitors" of the Legalists.

At the same time, due to Zou Ji's advancement, King Qi Wei ordered his ministers and officials: "Those who can stab the widow in the face will be rewarded; those who can write to the widow will be rewarded; and those who can slander the city and court and hear the ears of the widow will be rewarded." It is said that at the beginning of the edict, the ministers came to admonish the city, and a few months later, there were still people who gave advice, and a year later, "those who want to speak cannot enter."

This kind of admonition by subordinates is indeed helpful for the political reform of the monarchy.

But Zou Ji has a strong desire for his own authority, and once framed Tian Ji, the general who was the head of the military attache of the Qi State:

Chenghou Zou Ji has always been at odds with Tian Ji. After the Battle of Maling, Sun Bin said to Tian Ji: "Does the general intend to do something big?" Tian Ji didn't know why. Sun Bin said: "It is better for the general not to disarm and return to Qi, but to let the tired and old soldiers defend the main land (southwest of present-day Zibo City, Shandong Province). The roads in the main area are narrow, and vehicles can only pass in turn, colliding and rubbing past. If those tired and old soldiers are allowed to guard the main land, they will be able to treat one as ten, ten as hundred, and one as thousand. Then the general has his back to Mount Tai, there is Jishui on the left, there is Gao Tang on the right, and the baggage can go directly to Gao Wan (now in Huantai County, Shandong Province), and only a light car and war horse can go straight to the Yongmen of Linzi, the capital of Qi State. In this way, the power of Qi can be decided by the general, and Zou Ji must flee at that time, otherwise the general may not be able to return to Qi safely. But Tian Ji did not listen to Sun Bin's advice. [19]

Later, Zou Ji sent Gongsun Yue to carry a lot of money to swagger through the market, find someone to divination, and introduced himself: "I am a subordinate of General Tian Ji, and now the general has won three battles and three victories, and his fame is shocking the world. Tian Ji panicked when he heard the news and was forced to flee to the state of Chu.

Zou Ji was worried that Tian Ji would return to Qi with the power of Chu. The lobbyist Du He said to Zou Ji: "I am willing to leave Tian Ji in the Chu State for you." ”

Du He went to the king of Chu and said, "The reason why Zou Ji is not friendly with Chu is because he is worried that Tian Ji will return to Qi with the power of Chu. It is better for the king to reward Tian Ji with the south of the Chu River, to show that Tian Ji does not intend to return to the Qi State. Zou Ji will definitely be very friendly with the Chu State. Tian Ji is a fugitive man, he has obtained a fief, he will definitely be grateful to the king, if he can return to Qi in the future, he will definitely make Qi and Chu very friendly. This is the way to take advantage of the contradiction between Tian Ji and Zou Ji to benefit the Chu State. ”

The king of Chu listened to Du He's words, and sure enough, he gave Jiangnan to Tian Ji.

After King Xuan of Qi succeeded to the throne, he learned that Tian Ji had been framed, and recalled Tian Ji to his post as a domestic official.

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There are two more famous changes in Zhao State, one is the Gongzhong Lian change in the period of Zhao Liehou, and the other is Hufu cavalry shooting.

Zhao Liehou can be said to be the founding monarch of the official establishment of the Zhao State, and after his succession, he appointed many virtuous ministers to govern the country, among which Gong Zhonglian was the minister of Zhao at that time.

Zhao Liehou liked music, and said to Xiangguo Gongzhonglian: "Can I make him noble?" Gongzhonglian said: "It is okay to make him rich, but it is not okay to make him expensive." Zhao Liehou said, "Yes." The two singers from Zheng Guo, Gun and Shi, I gave them fields, 10,000 acres each. Gong Zhonglian said, "Okay." "They weren't actually given to them. A month later, Zhao Liehou returned from Daidi and asked about the fields given to the singers.

Gong Zhonglian said: "We are looking for it, but there is no suitable field yet. Soon, Zhao Liehou asked again. The public middle company never gave it, so he deduced that he was sick and did not go to court.

Fanwujun came from Dai Di and said to Gong Zhonglian: "You do like virtue, but you don't know the means to implement it. Now that you have been the Minister of Zhao for four years, have you ever recommended the Magi?" said Gong Zhonglian, "No. Pan Wujun said: "Niu Livestock, Xun Xin, and Xu Yue are all wise men who can be introduced. The public then introduced the three of them. When it came to the pilgrimage, Zhao Liehou asked again: "How is the field given to the singer?" Gong Zhonglian said: "Decent people choose the best fields." The cattle waited for Zhao Liehou, persuaded him with benevolence and righteousness, and encouraged him to go to the royal road, and Zhao Liehou readily agreed. The next day, Xun Xin waited for Zhao Liehou, and persuaded him with the language of selecting capable people to recommend virtuous people and appointing officials to use capable people. Two days later, when Xu Yue was waiting, he persuaded him by saving money and inspecting and measuring the moral merits of his subordinates. The reasoning of their persuasion was all fully accommodated, and Zhao Liehou was very happy. Zhao Liehou sent an envoy to Gong Zhonglian and said: "The singer's field will be stopped for the time being. "Grant Niu Livestock as a teacher, Xun Xin as a lieutenant, and Xu Yue as the official position of internal history, and give Gongzhong Lian two sets of clothes.