The way to deal with prisoners during the Wei and Jin Dynasties was determined by the era and adapted to its social situation and ideological concepts. It showed the characteristics of the expansion of the scale of prisoners, the diversity of treatment methods, the complex and special sources of prisoners, and the coexistence of standardization and flexibility, harshness and gentleness in the treatment of prisoners.
The scale of captives expanded and the methods of disposal were diversified.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, except for the Western Jin which achieved a brief unification of about 37 years, other periods were in a state of long-term division and war. Separatist regimes, warlords, and ethnic minority forces established their own political power one after another. tried to expand territory, compete in the Central Plains, and achieve unification. This was the most changing period in China's feudal regime.
The turbulence and disputes during this period had its own obvious characteristics. Battles were extremely frequent and wars were of various types. Peasant wars, wars for hegemony, wars within the ruling class and wars between ethnic groups were mixed and intertwined. The relationship between the various regimes was even more complicated. In such an era, population mobility, regime changes, changes in class and ethnic relations... Compared with previous generations, this resulted in an unprecedented increase in the scale of captives.
In line with the expansion of the scale, the Wei and Jin Dynasties diversified the methods of handling prisoners. There were eleven main methods of disposal, including the complete deprivation of the prisoners' personal rights. That is, the execution of captured enemy generals, soldiers who refused to surrender, surrendered prisoners, torture of prisoners and implicated three tribes, etc.
There are ways to partially deprive the captives of their personal rights, demote the captives into slaves, insult the captured women, restrict the captives' personal freedom, etc.
There are also ways to retain the basic personal rights of prisoners, such as incorporating elite soldiers into their own army, relocating prisoners in some cases, or pardoning and releasing them on the spot.
Those prisoners who have funds, strength, reputation, and talents will be developed and utilized again. will be selected and appointed, and they will be appointed as marquises.
The sources of captives are complex and specific
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, according to the sources of prisoners, they can be mainly divided into three categories: "capture", "surrender" and "return", that is, enemy generals and their families captured directly on the battlefield, enemy generals and soldiers, officials and civilians who came to surrender, countries, counties and counties under the jurisdiction of the losing party, and all surrendered subjects.
According to the wars that produced prisoners, they can be divided into warlord wars, wars within the ruling class, class wars, and wars between national regimes.
Due to the social situation of ethnic integration in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, among the captives in this period, the proportion of non-native captives resulting from wars between different ethnic groups increased. This was the particularity of the source of captives in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
The Han regime will adopt different treatment methods for captured ethnic minority prisoners according to the situation and situation of the war. Regarding the rebellious dependent ethnic groups, such as the ethnic minorities in the Wuxi area of Soochow (now west of Yuanling County, Hunan), they colluded with each other to launch rebellions. Pan Jun was ordered by Sun Quan to suppress the ethnic minority rebellions, and killed or captured tens of thousands of rebels.
"The barbarians are weak and one side is peaceful." For those who can be won over, they will also adopt the method of surrender. In the third year of Jianxing after the Shu Han Dynasty (225), Nanzhong area (today's Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan junction) A rebellion broke out in the border area), Zhuge Liang used the policy of "attacking the heart first, attacking the city below, fighting with the heart first, and fighting with soldiers below". He defeated the rebel leaders Yong Kai, Zhu Bao, and Gaoding one by one, and then surrendered to the barbarian leader Meng Huo and pacified Nanzhong.
In the early Wei and Jin Dynasties, ethnic minorities were in the transitional period from slavery or slavery to feudal society. Their productivity was low, and the methods of dealing with captives were relatively cruel. As ethnic minorities move south, along with economic development and ideological emancipation, 's methods of dealing with captives of non-ethnic groups have also been relatively relaxed.
Western Qin In the thirteenth year of Taichu (400), Later Qin Yao Xing fought with Qifu Qiangui. After Qifu failed, he fled back to Jincheng. Qian Gui had no idea and took only a few hundred cavalry to ask King Tufa Lilugu of Nanliang to surrender. Guangwu Gong Bald Latan went to greet them and treated them with the courtesy of distinguished guests.
Zhenbei General Tufa Juyan believed that Qifugan's return and surrender was not sincere. If he defected again, he would become a disaster for Nanliang , and they should be moved to the Yifuxianbei area to prevent them from escaping.
Li Lugu refused. He believed that since he wanted to do something great, he needed to "promote faith and righteousness to conquer the world." In the face of surrendering people, if you blindly "distrust their hearts, how can you persuade them?" So he was more polite to the beggars and surrendered.
The reason for this change in the attitude of various ethnic groups towards the treatment of captives of non-ethnic groups is precisely the geographical and ideological integration of ethnic groups.
Normativity and flexibility coexist in the disposal of prisoners.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, in order to consolidate the rule, laws were improved and rituals were actively introduced into the laws. The ethnic minority regimes were deeply influenced by the legal culture of the Han and Jin Dynasties, and established the guiding ideology of the legal system based on virtue and rituals. The legal system construction has made great achievements.
Regarding the disposal of prisoners, systematic and complete legal norms have not yet been formed during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. However, there are already some customary disposal concepts and edicts during wartime.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the Shangshu Duguan Lang Zuodu Military was established. This was the prototype of an official responsible for the affairs of officials, slaves, maids and prisoners. In the eleventh year of Jian'an, Changxi rebelled against Wei, Cao Cao sent Yu Ban to conquer him.
Cao Cao sent Yu Jin and Xia Houyuan to conquer. Changxi and Yu Jin were old friends and surrendered to Yu Jin. The generals believed that Chang Xi had surrendered and should be sent to Cao Cao. Yu Jin retorted: "You guys don't know the public order! Those who surround you and surrender will not be pardoned. I follow the law and follow the orders, and it is the integrity of things. Even though Xi is an old friend, Jin can lose his integrity!" So he was killed. This is a manifestation of the normative nature of prisoner treatment.
The affairs of the world are not difficult to legislate, but difficult to implement. When Cao Cao commented on "Sun Tzu", he believed that "If you set it up but do not violate it, if you violate it, you must punish it." This emphasized the seriousness of the law, but flexibility is also needed in actual combat command. As the saying goes, "Soldiers have no constant momentum, water has no constant shape, and when the enemy changes, it cannot be passed on first."
"Jin Shu·Criminal Law Chronicles" records that Jin Dynasty's military laws and regulations "are based on the people's hearts and minds. Power should set its own laws, and peace should be eliminated. Therefore, they are not included in the laws and are regarded as orders."
Laws on military, war, and prisoners are not included in the law. Both parties to the war and the surrender and surrender parties can change the fate of the captives to a certain extent according to the situation on the basis of adhering to some general social principles. This is inseparable from the ideological environment at the time, the political situation, the situation of each war, and the generals' personal interests, likes and dislikes.
When Tian Yin, Su Bo and others rebelled against Hejian (now Xianxian County, Hebei), Cao Pi sent Jia Xin to attack them, and more than a thousand people asked to surrender.
Members of the public expressed that "we have military experts, but no special requests are required." That is, the situation of going out to fight is special and there is no need to ask for special instructions. Later, these surrendered prisoners were not killed. Under various political situations and wars with different causes, decision-makers of various positions have different disposal plans for prisoners of various identities. This is the flexibility of prisoner disposal.
It can be seen that when it comes to the treatment of prisoners, there is a tension between the conventional normative concepts and the handling methods during marching operations, and normativeness and flexibility coexist.
The harshness and gentleness of the treatment of prisoners coexist
Prisoners in the Wei and Jin Dynasties did not enjoy complete personal rights. They were usually regarded as trophies and accessories, and they were the bottom class of society.
Sun Hui lamented that in the eleven years since Yongxi, “people have no virtue, but only kill for knowledge."During the Long'an reign of Emperor Jin'an, the song "Chao Xi" was circulated among the people: "You can pick up the grass, and you can pick up the daughter." It said that Huanxuan was executed by Feng Qian, Huanxuan's maids, as well as the children and prostitutes of Huanxuan's party were all rewarded to the army.
The war left ten houses empty, weeds could be tied, and women could be obtained everywhere. This was the fate of the captives in the wars of Wei and Jin.
In the second year of Xingping (195), the vassal kingdomSouthern Xiongnu rebelled and plundered. Cai Cai. Yan was kidnapped by Xiongnu King Zuo Xian. Cai Yan lived in northern for twelve years and gave birth to two children.
Cao Cao had a close friendship with Cai Yan's father, Cai Yong. In the eleventh year of Jian'an (207), he used a golden jade to redeem Cai Yan from the Southern Huns and marry her to Dong Si.
Tens of thousands of captives are in a foreign country, without any personal freedom, unable to reunite with their flesh and blood, with relatives He didn't dare to communicate, he was insulted and beaten at every turn, and he cried and cried day and night.
However, compared with the eating of prisoners in primitive society, the use of captives as human sacrifices in sacrifices in the Yin and Shang dynasties, and the killing of prisoners and drums in the pre-Qin period, the number of prisoners in the Wei and Jin Dynasties was greatly reduced.
In the Battle of Xiangping during the reign of Emperor Wei MingJingchu, Sima Yi once ordered that "in ancient times, we attacked the country and killed its whale salamanders... don't listen to it." pardoned some of the captured Gongsun Yuan soldiers.
King Wei Qi When Cao Fang came to the throne, he issued an edict to release official slaves over sixty years old. Most of the official slaves were prisoners of war.
In the seventh year of the first of (246), Cao Fang issued another edict: "When I go to the market and see the officials and slaves who are selling them, they are all seventy years old, or they are sick and disabled. They are the so-called poor people of heaven and earth. Moreover, the officials exhausted their strength and resumed their duties. There was no point in advancing or retreating. They were all sent to serve as good people. If there are those who cannot survive on their own, the prefectures and counties will support them. "
All the old official slaves and maidservants who have no hope of advancement or retreat will be pardoned as good citizens. And for those who are extremely sick and unable to survive, the county officials will also provide relief.
This is enough to prove that during the Wei and Jin Dynasties The treatment of prisoners in the period was by no means harsh, but also had a gentle side, which reflected the progress of the simple concept of human rights in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
Just as the treatment methods of prisoners in the Wei and Jin Dynasties not only inherited some of the norms for the treatment of prisoners in previous dynasties, but also adapted to the new characteristics of the Wei and Jin era. These characteristics directly affected the distribution and changes of military power in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. also indirectly changed the legal norms and Huayi thoughts related to the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
China's human rights cause in today's society is also deeply rooted in our country's historical and cultural traditions. It has absorbed human rights genes that are as small and bright as sparks in various periods. In addition, it is adapted to my country's current national conditions. has formed today's human rights development model with Chinese characteristics and has become a prairie fire that promotes the development of the world's human rights cause.
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