Through film and television dramas, or literary works, we also have some understanding of the punishments in ancient society. Many torture instruments may have never been seen in real life, but they must have heard of them, such as shackles. In all dynasties, shackles were one of the main instruments of torture, so there are many types, especially the long shackles in the "Ten Kings Sutra" make people feel disgusted, but fortunately, they disappeared in the end. What exactly is a long shackle and why did it disappear? Let me reveal the secrets to you one by one.
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In ancient feudal society, the legal system and the punishment system were not perfect, so many torture instruments were born. They not only played a positive role in punishing crimes, but also became tools to destroy human nature due to their excessive use. Among the many torture instruments, the most common one is shackle, which is a torture instrument that binds the freedom of a criminal person. It can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou period. As recorded in "Zhou Yi Shi Ke": "Sading is shackle, and the crime is heavy and the head is the heavy weapon."
Research shows that there are many types of shackles, and the longest used one is square shackle, as the name suggests, is a square shackle board with four square and four straight shackle boards, with a round hole stuck in the prisoner's neck; there is also a round shackle, also called a pan-head shackle, which is similar to a square shackle, but it has changed from a square to a round shape, and the weight ratio has increased; there is also a shackle suitable for exile prisoners. This shackle is lightweight and will not be too heavy to carry a long distance walk, but it has to bind your hands to prevent the prisoner from escaping halfway; however, the most cruel thing is shackle , which is a prison car, which is stuck in the neck with a shackle board and is completely unable to move.
There are so many types of shackles, and other torture instruments can also be seen. In the paintings of this sutra, some people also discovered a rare special shackle, which is narrow and slender, different from the shackles we think of. Later, after reviewing the historical records, I realized that this type of special shackle is called long shackles. As recorded in " Wei Shu ": "(心) is one zhang three feet long, and one zhang long under the throat." If converted to the current unit is about 3.6 meters, it is taller than two adults.
In addition, long shackles are also mentioned in the literary novel " Water Margin ", such as Lin Chong , Wu Song and Song Jiang , etc. They all wore long shackles during the process of being escorted. Experts said that the long shackle originated from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, developed from the Tang and Song Dynasties, and basically disappeared by the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Long shackles also scared the prisoners because of their length. Experts speculate that the meaning of the long shackles is to prevent prisoners from escaping, because the shackles of more than three meters long are carried on the neck, and it is impossible to walk no matter where they are, let alone escape. For example, in the streets and alleys of the downtown city, prisoners cannot run in, and it is impossible to hide in the woods when they go to the wilderness. In addition, for the prisoners who escort prisoners, they tied ropes to the long shackles and pulled the prisoners to walk quickly. If the prisoners want to take the opportunity to sneak attack the prisoners and escape, there will be time for reaction, so the prisoners like to wear long shackles on the prisoners. However, this is a torture for the prisoners, making them unable to escape, unable to walk, and even sleeping is difficult.
See this, perhaps you understand the severity of the long shackle and think that it disappeared in the end, but in fact, it is not the case. Most people can't imagine the reason for its disappearance. In "Water Margin", it is mentioned that "a shackle is on the right track", which means that the tiger thunder was convicted of being convicted and was brought with it on a long shackle. As a result, while parading in the streets, Lei Heng actually beat the enemy Bai Xiuying to death with a long shackle. As a result, the long shackles turned from torture tools to murder weapons, and when Jie Zhen Jie Bao escaped from Dengzhou prison, he also used the long shackles as a weapon to kill several officials. Not only is it mentioned that the long shackles become weapons in the novel, but the Song Dynasty's " Xiwen Jilu " also mentioned the symptoms left after being injured by the long shackles or being beaten to death.
No one could have thought that the long shackles were used as torture instruments, but they accidentally became weapons. Therefore, the officials at that time did not dare to continue to use the long shackles to punish prisoners. Maybe they would become the lonely soul under the prisoner's long shackles. In the middle and late Ming dynasties, long shackles basically disappeared, and replaced by other shackles, such as shackles with iron chains and steel nails. They are larger and can also punish prisoners; there are also shackles that bind their hands and feet at the same time, which are generally suitable for prisoners with great sins to prevent them from escaping. These various shackles all punish illegal crimes to the greatest extent and have no potential danger to officials.
Society is developing, and civilization must continue to progress. After the Qing Dynasty, with the collapse of feudal society, many torture instruments were slowly disappearing, including various shackles. In today's rule of law society, we have a more perfect legal system and a more scientific, standardized and human management method. It can not only effectively punish those who commit crimes, but also protect human nature, reflecting the progress and warmth of society.
Reference materials:
"History of Chinese Legal System" Author: Deng Jianpeng, Publisher: Peking University Press
Wen Xiucai, editor-in-chief of Wenlan Hairun Studio, this article is written: Special History Writer: Liu Lijiang
