Bao Zheng's deeds and brief introduction

Bao Zheng (999- 1062) was born in Hefei, Luzhou (now Hefei, Anhui), and was born in a bureaucratic family. Born in the second year of Xianping in the Northern Song Dynasty (999). Tianshengchao Jinshi was tired of moving the capital to monitor the empire, and suggested training and selecting generals to enrich the border reserves. He was appointed as the judge of the Third Division of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the transshipment ambassador of JD.COM, Shaanxi and Hebei Provinces. He entered the DPRK as the deputy envoy of the third division of the Ministry of Housing and asked the court to allow salt solution to be traded and purchased. I changed my mind and suggested to the court. I also asked the minister for power many times. He taught a bachelor's degree in Longtuge, served as a transshipment ambassador in Hebei, was transported to Yingzhou and Yangzhou, and was later called to North Korea. He was granted the right to know the government, the right to appoint an adviser, and the right of the third division. Jiayu served as the deputy envoy of Shu Mi for six years (106 1 year). After his death, posthumous title was "filial". Bao Zheng, an official, escaped from prison and was famous for his wisdom honest and frank. Knowing Luzhou, law enforcement does not avoid relatives. When the government was opened, the main entrance of the government was opened, so that the litigants could make meritorious deeds until the court put an end to traitors. The imperial court was resolute, and the nobles and eunuchs stopped for it. There is a saying in Beijing that "the joints are not enough, and Yamaraja provides for the aged". Later generations regarded him as the incarnation of Bao Qingtian, an upright official.

biography

Bao Zheng was born in the second year of Xianping in the Northern Song Dynasty (999). (In operas such as Bao Mian and Bao Gong, it is said that Bao Zheng was abandoned by his parents and raised by Bao Zheng's eldest sister-in-law, which is not in line with historical reality. In fact, when Bao Zheng was a teenager, he was deeply loved and nurtured by his parents. )

Officialdom career

When Bao Zheng grew up, he was also extremely filial to his parents. Ouyang Xiu, a contemporary of Bao Zheng, once played Bao Zheng's Little Knowledge. "Learning" here mainly means not reading and cultural level, but not understanding the world. Ouyang Xiu actually did not belittle Bao Zheng, but thought that Bao Zheng "had little filial piety and was heard in the village;" He should be given a more suitable and appropriate official position. Bao Zheng also studied hard when he was a teenager, so at the age of 29, he was finally admitted to Jinshi Jiake. According to the regulations of the Song Dynasty, the Jinshi who passed the examination could become an official. Bao Zheng was sent to Jianchang County (now Yongxiu, Jiangxi Province). However, Bao Zheng thought that his parents were old and should be filial, so he requested to go back to Anhui and become an official in Hezhou (now Anhui County). However, parents wanted their son to be around, so Bao Zheng decided to quit his job and go home to honor his parents for many years. Bao Zheng didn't want to leave his hometown until his parents died and his mourning period expired. This feudal filial piety was praised by hometown people at that time. In recent years, a tombstone erected by Bao Zheng for his father Bao Lingyi was discovered in Hefei, Anhui. The tablet is engraved with the seal script "Tombstone given by Song Dynasty to Assistant Minister of Punishment". This is not only a precious cultural relic left by Bao Zheng, but also a testimony of his filial piety.

Due to the advice of the elders in his hometown, Bao Zheng left his hometown and his parents' spiritual land and became a magistrate in Tianchang County (now Tianchang, Anhui Province). Bao Zheng was a middle-aged man in his forties at this time. In the first year of Kangding (1040), Bao Zheng went out to know Duanzhou (now Zhaoqing, Guangdong). Duanzhou produces a famous inkstone called Duanyan. Duanyan pays tribute to the court every year. Due to local officials and landlords, the output of Duanyan is very large, but it has become a heavy burden for the people. Bao Zheng ordered tyrannical officials not to embezzle, and only to pay tribute to the court according to the prescribed amount. And he himself never wanted a Guangdong inkstone until he left Duanzhou.

Perhaps because of Bao Zheng's selfless personality, he was appreciated by ministers, so the court transferred Bao Zheng to Kaifeng, the capital, after three years in Li Qing (1043). This is the second time that Bao Zheng has come to Beijing since the senior high school entrance examination. Bao Zheng was appointed suggestion. At that time, although there was not much real power to supervise the proposal, it was very important to Bao Zheng. This is because, from now on, Bao directly participates in state affairs and can put forward opinions and suggestions on all aspects of the court, especially on employing people. As a matter of fact, Bao Zheng did put forward many criticisms and improvement measures on the internal affairs and diplomacy of the Northern Song Dynasty during his tenure as an imperial adviser, and also sent envoys to the Khitan (Liao State) and accomplished the task brilliantly.

In the summer of the sixth year of Li Qing (1046), Bao Zheng was transferred to the third division as a judge. At that time, the third division was the central financial institution, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development was in charge of national household registration and two taxes. Judges from the Ministry of Housing assist the work of the Third Court. Soon, Bao Zheng successively served as the transshipment ambassador of JD.COM, Shaanxi and Hebei, and the transshipment ambassador was responsible for the financial and supervision administrative affairs along the way (equivalent to the province). At the local level, Bao Zheng attached great importance to observing people's feelings and asked the court to let the people rest and live and work in peace and contentment. Two years later, Bao Zheng was recalled to Kaifeng and promoted to the position of deputy envoy of the Ministry. During this period, he went to Hebei to solve the problem of rations, and went to Shaanxi to solve the problem of salt industry in Yuncheng (now Shanxi). In Hebei, he invited the fields used for raising horses to be returned to the local people and farmers. In Yuncheng, he reformed the salt tax law to facilitate businessmen to operate the salt industry.

Excellent work and achievements in benefiting the country and the people made Bao Zheng promoted to the imperial censor in the second year of Hu Di (1050). Tianzhangge is a place for storing imperial books and documents, and the title to be done is nominal. Bao Zheng, also known as "Bao Zhi Dai", is just a polite address for him. However, it is important to know that the remonstrance court is also an remonstrance officer. The task of remonstrating officials is to remonstrate with the emperor about the shortcomings of political affairs, which can involve all aspects of political affairs. During his part-time job as an admonisher, Bao Zheng not only criticized lawless dignitaries many times, but also put forward innovative suggestions on many aspects of political affairs. It's a pity that two years later, Bao Zheng changed his name to Longtuge straight bachelor, which was also an empty title (people called him Baolongtu from now on), and left Beijing again to serve as a local official in Luzhou, Hebei, Chizhou (now Guichi, Anhui) and Jiangning (now Jiangning, Jiangsu). It was not until three years (1056) that he returned to Beijing and served as Kaifeng prefect. In the fourth year of Jiaqing (1059), Bao Zheng was promoted to the position of official at that time, with a bachelor's degree in Council and three secretaries. In the second year, he was promoted to third secretary and deputy envoy, equivalent to deputy prime minister. However, the sun has already set in Bao Zheng, which is over 60 years old. In the seventh year of Jiaqing (1062), Bao Zheng died in Kaifeng on May 25th. Emperor Injong went to Bao Zheng's home to bid farewell to Bao Zheng for the last time, ratified him as the history of does, and gave him a "filial piety", so Bao Zheng was also called Bao Xiao Su after his death. In his later years, he set up a stone tablet at home, engraved with "family training and honesty", saying: "Future generations are officials, and those who have committed stolen goods ... are not my sons, but grandchildren." His deeds have been circulated among the people for a long time. In the past, novels and operas were the main themes. Chen Zhou talks about secrets and other works have been included in Yuan Zaju. After that, it spread widely and formed a rich legend. His posthumous works include The Memorial of the Bag.

Advocate reform

Bao Zheng lived in the Injong era, not as lively as in the early Song Dynasty. Redundant officials, soldiers and expenses became the three major disasters at that time, and the burden on the people increased, and there were soldiers' riots and peasant uprisings everywhere. Faced with such a situation, Bao Zheng, starting from worrying about the country and the people, advocated rectifying and reforming current politics. It should be said that Bao Zheng's reform thought was aimed at consolidating the feudal autocratic rule in the Song Dynasty, but it was objectively beneficial to the lower classes at that time. This is why Bao Zheng is loved by people all over the world.

The huge bureaucratic system in the Northern Song Dynasty was troubled by redundant officials, and Bao Zheng thought it was necessary to rectify and innovate. He not only advocated that people should be loyal to the monarch, but also suggested promoting talented, honest and clean people who are selfless and diligent in serving the country. He not only impeached Wang Kui seven times, but also urged Zhang Yaozuo, a relative of the emperor, to remove his important post regardless of the risks. In Bao Zheng's view, the "official ignorant" mediocrity, no matter how big the official position, must step down. He once suggested reforming the system of selecting and employing people. He advocates that officials must leave at the age of 70. He exposed those bureaucrats who didn't want to leave their jobs but didn't know how to be honest. They were "greedy and adventurous, but they took care of their children's plans". He advocated that you can't make a wish to be an official at will, even if it is a gift. That is to say, children and grandchildren who are hired by their father's merits must pass the exam. These are all to solve the problem of redundant staff. In fact, Bao Zheng did not object to the New Deal celebration hosted by Fan Zhongyan. After the failure of the New Deal, many officials were punished. Bao Zheng strongly complained about these aggressive officials and advocated using them.

On the economic front, Bao Zheng advocates reducing expenditure on the one hand, and not severely exploiting civilians on the other. At that time, there was a policy that the government forcibly purchased materials needed by the country from urban people, and the price was lower than the market price. This has become a means of exploiting the people. Bao Zheng resolutely opposes this policy of harming the people. He listed the harm of Shaanxi's forced purchase of military materials, saying that "many families were ruined before and after", so he called for the abolition of this method. Bao Zheng suggested that the materials urgently needed by the country should be "bought locally" and purchased freely at reasonable prices. This proposal is not only conducive to reducing people's burden, but also conducive to commodity circulation and production. The problem of salt solution in Yuncheng mentioned earlier is also because Bao Zheng strongly supports the reform, changing the production and sales of salt solution from the original official monopoly to allowing businessmen to buy and sell. This reform not only relieves the people of the burden of carrying official salt for the government, but also facilitates the circulation of salt. Shen Kuo praised this "trade law". "It has been implemented for decades and is profitable so far." In addition, Bao Zheng also advocated that all fields should be taxed, that is, the land of landlords should be measured to prevent them from evading taxes. He also encourages private mining and ironmaking. It can be seen that Bao Zheng's economic thought and economic reform are aimed at "enriching the country and benefiting the people".

In the Song Dynasty's national defense and foreign policy, Bao Zheng also advocated enriching the people and strengthening the country, improving border defense measures and safeguarding the country's independence and dignity. When he was in Liao country, Liao country made things difficult for him. He argued, neither supercilious nor supercilious. After returning home, he immediately reported to the court what he had seen and heard in Liao country. He said that Liao's intention to gather military forces and grain and grass in northern Shanxi was inevitable. He suggested that we must strengthen the combat readiness of Daizhou (Daixian), Yingzhou (Yingxian) and Yanmenguan on the Song-Liao border in Shanxi. In the past, Liao occupied the border territory because the border guards were timid and did not dare to fight. Now we should order the border guards to defend strictly and not lose an inch of land. In addition, the original garrison here was all military amateurs, and now it is necessary to send people who understand the military. The imperial court adopted Bao Zheng's suggestion and strengthened the defense of Hebei and Shanxi. More importantly, in order to train and strengthen combat effectiveness, Bao Zheng put forward the idea of reducing the "old, weak, sick and disabled". At the same time, he also proposed to strengthen the training of folk volunteers in border areas. In the Song Dynasty, soldiers were often mobilized to prevent military commanders from monopolizing power, but it caused the disadvantage that soldiers did not know the generals and would not know the soldiers. Bao Zheng believes that this policy should be changed to give general officers the right to work and should not be transferred easily. Valuably, Bao Zheng suggested strengthening national defense and military strength without increasing people's burden. At that time, farmers in the Central Plains, especially those in Hebei and Shanxi, were struggling to deliver rations. Bao Zheng once suggested that in the harvest year, the grain of local farmers can be purchased and stored as future rations to reduce transportation difficulties. Bao Zheng's thought of reforming state affairs to benefit the country and the people has its ideological basis. He always believes that the common people are the foundation of the country. Only when ordinary people live a better life and are not oppressed by corrupt officials can the country be prosperous and peaceful. If people all over the world are in dire straits because of excessive exploitation, not only will the country not be rich and strong, but it will also cause officials to rebel and shake feudal rule. This is why he advocated reform and became a famous "honest official" in the history of our country. Although Bao Zheng's starting point and motivation are all for the long-term stability of the Song Dynasty, not entirely for the people of the world, it is better than those "corrupt officials" who oppress the exploited.

staunch and uprigh

A person's history of merits and demerits should be written by his own actions. Once his behavior is proved to be beneficial to society and the people, the people will give him a proper evaluation. I'm afraid this evaluation will not disappear with some temporary condemnation. The famous Bao Qingtian in history is praised and missed by people. It is because of Bao Zheng's life-long practice that it is beneficial to the society and the people. This practice is not only because he did good things for the people at that time, but also because his personal moral quality is indeed beyond the reach of many contemporaries and even future generations.

First of all, he is straightforward, neither duplicity nor conspiracy theory. He never follows the trend, sees the color, does not talk big or lie. Even in front of the emperor, he is outspoken and not afraid to offend the emperor. In order to establish a prince, Bao Zheng once risked his life to remonstrate and publicly told the emperor that I was old and had no son. If I think I'm wrong, it doesn't matter, it's not for my promotion anyway. Fortunately, Song Renzong doesn't have to deal with Bao Zheng. On the contrary, we can discuss it slowly. Bao Zheng also said that eunuchs in the palace have too much power and pay too much, so they should streamline their personnel and expenses. Of course, this will offend the emperor's cronies and bring disaster. Fortunately, the emperor said, "Advice when most needed is unpleasant, advice when most needed is unpleasant. If it is beneficial, whether it is established or not, there is no harm. Why refuse and blame? " Bao Zheng finally met a more enlightened Song Renzong. Otherwise, my head would have fallen to the ground. This fearless spirit of integrity made the people at that time and some courtiers with a sense of justice admire Bao Zheng. Ouyang Xiu praised Bao Zheng's "steep nature". Yes, Bao Zheng, a loyal honest and frank, sometimes even scolds the Prime Minister or other ministers face to face regardless of relevant regulations and etiquette, making ministers lose face. Ouyang Xiu disapproved of Bao Zheng's practice and thought that Bao Zheng was honest and "immature". In fact, people like Bao Zheng are badly needed in Song Renzong's old-fashioned and ignorant times. This is always good for correcting the current disadvantages. As for ways and means, that is secondary. It's a pity that Song Renzong thought that Bao Zheng was not ideal after all and didn't promote him to the important position of assistant minister. Bao Zheng is straightforward, but not arbitrary. He is good at investigation and is willing to listen to other people's opinions. He seldom smiles, but when others point out his mistakes, he can accept them humbly. Therefore, Sima Guang praised him for "just leaving, this person is difficult."

Secondly, he is selfless and does not seek personal gain. He has been frugal all his life. Even when you become an official, you have a position, food, clothing, housing and transportation, and your living habits are similar to those of ordinary people. Bao Zheng once wrote a family motto, which was engraved on the wall of his house. The full text of the family instruction reads: "The descendants of future generations are officials, and those who commit the most heinous crimes shall not return to their own homes. After their death, they shall not be buried in big coffins, and they will not be my descendants unless they follow my wishes. " In other words, Bao Zheng strictly demanded that future generations should not be greedy or bully others. If someone doesn't do this, they are not descendants of the Bao family and should not be buried in the ancestral grave of the Bao family after death. This famous family motto embodies Bao Zheng's noble sentiment of not seeking the interests of one family. This sentiment was not deliberately created by Bao Zheng to show his loftiness, but was his life's code of conduct. As early as when he was an official in Luzhou's hometown, Bao Zheng was famous for his selflessness. Bao Zheng became an official, and his relatives and villages were very happy, thinking that he had a backer from now on. But Bao Zheng, who is impartial, is impartial. Even if his relatives break the law, he will enforce the law like a mountain. In this way, Bao Qingtian's reputation was greatly impacted, and after Bao Zheng's death. The official told Song Shenzong that he had heard that Bao Zheng was a loyal minister, and I had no other requirements. Please allow me to change my surname to Bao. Song Shenzong agreed and changed his name to Baoshun. It is said that the border guards robbed a woman. The woman was worried and said that she was Bao Zheng's granddaughter. When a witch heard that the woman was ill, she pretended to make a fuss and cursed who bullied my granddaughter and wanted to let the woman go within ten days. People thought that the witch was really the incarnation of Bao Zheng, and immediately let the woman go after kowtowing and bowing.

Maintain the legal system

In novels and operas, black Bao Gong is a typical image of law and justice. This is an artistic image developed and created by Bao Zheng in history. However, in history, Bao Zheng really loved the people like a son, was not afraid of powerful people and strictly enforced the law, so he won the praise of the people at that time and later generations and regarded him as the savior of suffering. Bao Zheng's strict law and discipline is, of course, for the fundamental interests of the ruling class and the maintenance of feudal order. He is not, nor can he be, a leader of the masses and a pioneer in resisting feudal rule. However, in feudal society, all far-sighted bureaucrats and scholars in the ruling class can realize that they should cherish the people and should not oppress them, let alone violate the king's law and oppress them at will. Otherwise, the result will inevitably shake or even destroy the rule of the feudal dynasty. Therefore, fundamentally speaking, tyranny is obviously not as good as benevolent government. Bao Zheng is such a person. His legal thoughts and law enforcement actions also meet the requirements and wishes of the people. Instead of taking bribes and bending the law, it is better to remain uncorrupted and act according to law, which is beneficial to the broad masses of the people.

Although a series of legal systems were formulated in the early Song Dynasty, it was still difficult for an oppressed ordinary people to appeal. Not only is there a lot of formalities, but you can't see the officials at all. In this way, officials are in cahoots, can extort money and play with the law.

When Bao Zheng took office in Kaifeng, he made a new rule: open the main entrance wide, and those who have complaints can go in directly to see the official, and no one can stop them from making things difficult. Don't think this is a trivial matter. This is a very important reform from the point of view of helping people to appeal and hear cases. This reform, in the legal history of our country, not only has a certain position and function, but also has progressive significance. Bao Zheng has two characteristics in handling cases, one is not afraid of power, and the other is to avenge the people. The combination of the two is Bao Gong. In the Song Dynasty, it was not easy to be fearless of power and dare to do things against the wind. That complicated relationship has linked bureaucrats, nobles, gentry and bullies with a rope of vested interests, that is, privileges. It is not easy to break through this woven net that protects the interests of landlords and nobles. However, Bao Zheng rose to the challenge with the courage of not fearing defeat, which made "the noble eunuchs gathered their hands for it and heard it without fear". Here is a prominent example.

There is a Huimin River in Kaifeng City. On both sides of the river, both civilians and dignitaries live. When Bao Zheng was appointed as Kaifeng Prefecture Yin, it rained heavily, the river flooded the streets, and many civilians were homeless. What caused the flood? Bao Zheng learned through investigation that the reason why this river is blocked and cannot be drained is because the big bureaucrat and big noble built a dam on the river, misappropriated the water surface in the dam, planted flowers and raised fish, and connected with their own houses, forming a water garden. Therefore, in order to benefit the people and dredge the Huimin River, the nobles can only dig out these dams, dig out the dams and wash away the water garden. Can they promise? Bao Zheng drew a map, took the relevant evidence, and ordered all the dams and gardens to be demolished. Some people rely on their power to make their position clear. They sue Song Renzong. Bao Zheng produced evidence that they illegally built a water garden. In this way, the Huimin River was dredged. Song Renzong also had to turn a blind eye and could not speak for the royal family. Bao Zheng is not afraid of power, and opposes substituting power for law, thus objectively safeguarding the interests of the people. Another situation is a group of hooligans and thieves in society. Although these people have no power, they are equally harmful to the people. Bao Zheng also showed no mercy to them.

Once, a fire broke out in a small street in Kaifeng. Some scoundrels actually teased Bao Zheng. They chased Bao Zheng and asked Bao Zheng: Do you want to take water from Sweet Water Lane or Bitter Water Lane? Bao Zheng, at first glance, looks like some local ruffians and hooligans. Now he wants to sabotage the fire fighting work and order them all to be killed.

As early as Tianchang County, Bao Zheng handled a case of stealing cattle. A rogue cut off the farmer's ox tongue. The farmer sued the government, and Bao Zheng said to the farmer, Go home and kill the cow and eat it. The farmer really went home and killed the cow. According to the law of Song Dynasty, it is illegal to kill cattle at will. So, the rogue ran to the county and accused the farmer of killing cattle. Bao Zheng was furious and immediately questioned the gangster. Why did you cut off his tongue? The rogue had to confess, secretly surprised in his heart: How did you Bao Zheng know that I had committed a crime? In fact, Bao Zheng made a judgment according to the method of reasoning: since someone hurt others, then others broke the law, and that person must take the opportunity to complain, so Bao Zheng told the farmer to kill the cow and entice the tongue cutter to complain.

Crack down on powerful people and criminals, safeguard the interests of civilians, make decisions for the people directly, and reduce the burden on farmers. When Bao Zheng was ordered to supervise, there was a strange thing; The transshipment made Wang Kui complain to the emperor that local officials in Chen Zhou (now Henan) imposed exorbitant taxes on farmers. In people's minds at that time, Ren Zhongshi was honest, while Wang Kui was greedy and humble. Is this the first complaint of the wicked? So send someone to investigate. Many people are afraid of Wang Kui's influence and don't want to go. In order to find out the truth, Bao Zheng resolutely came to Chen Zhou. Bao Zheng, after investigating and obtaining the evidence, returned to Beijing, reported to the emperor, and arbitrarily searched the peasants. It was Wang Kui who caused the peasants to be dissatisfied and unable to live. Bao Zheng demanded that Wang Kui be removed from his post and that the overcharged grain be returned to the farmers. The drama "Putting Grain in Chen Zhou" is based on the story of Bao Zheng, and it is a fiction. Bao Zheng did not practice favoritism in handling cases, so people all over the world, men, women and children, knew Bao Gong at that time. People in the capital even regard Bao Gong as the savior. They said, "There are not enough joints, and Yamaraja Bao Lao." A joint is a joint. If you can't find a way to get through the joint, don't worry, because Bao Zheng will take care of it for us. However, Bao Zheng is a man, not a god. Although he paid attention to investigation and evidence collection, he also made mistakes. When Kaifeng was opened, a prisoner bribed law enforcement officers. The official cheated Bao Zheng and let the prisoner get off lightly. This shows that Bao Zheng may also make mistakes and be brave enough to correct them.

In history, Bao Zheng is a politician, reformer and legal expert worthy of recognition and praise. His life of pleading for the people will be remembered forever.