Appendix:

Theft theory

original text

There are thieves in the world. Or ask Liu Zi, "Can thieves be removed?" He said, "What is heartless? If you solve the thief, you can stop its source. What's the trouble with stealing? " Or: "Excuse me, thief?" Right: "Lack of clothes and food is also the source of theft; Uneven political taxation is the source of theft; If education is not repaired, it will steal the source. If the source is slow, the package will be stolen; If the second source is slow, grab good people and steal good people; Three sources are slow to attack the city, and thieves are the people. This so-called theft is also active. "

World without thieves, enough; World without thieves also; People who change the world without chaos are also suitable. If you don't care about food and clothing and thieves today, it means stopping water and not blocking the source; Don't turn thieves into thieves, but ban them. This is to burn them to death and save them. And the law: make those who steal money punished, those who hurt people die, and the art of war is heavy; If you can't stop stealing, you are not afraid of death. If you think that there is no life, you just sit and wait for death, but you will not get up. And the law: enable all thieves to sue themselves, remove their sins, or give them clothes, swords and official ranks, which is deeply appreciated; If a thief doesn't subscribe, he doesn't want to live and he doesn't want to live happily. Saying it's for the people is very bitter and easy to steal. However, thieves do not do whatever they want, but are driven by the law. If he doesn't want to go out, he doesn't want to go out, but he uses the law to maintain it. If the husband has no food and clothing, he is ashamed to add heart and afraid of being a bad lover. How dare he? So I'm not afraid of death, but it's useless to persuade him to live or not, although it's annoying to point at him and emphasize the arrest of the subject.

Today, there is a regret about the origin of the company. It is precisely because of Zang Wuzhong that he relies on pastoral care. Therefore, he cannot criticize it. Mortals have nine years of ploughing and then three years of eating; Have food for three years, and then you can teach. Today, how can people who have insufficient food and clothing, uneven taxes and poor education keep grazing? I'm afraid I haven't benefited from it, and Hanwu's fate has almost recovered. So Zhong Ni has a saying: "As soon as I hear the lawsuit, I am still a Jew. Of course I won't go to court." By extension, it means: "If you fight with others, you will not fight!" By extension, it is also a day: "It is forbidden to steal from me, but it will also make it impossible to steal!" On the contrary.

Since Yuan Hao's invasion, there have been many thieves in China, especially in Shandong. The son of heaven ordered the censor to arrest him and recruit him, but he could not. So he ordered the state and county: "If you steal it, the officer will sit down." I want to focus on it. Call it not enough to prevent and pretend this theory.

(Selected from Song Wenjian, Volume 95, with deletion)

translate

The world fears the rise of thieves. Someone asked me, "Can thieves calm down?" I replied, "Why can't you calm down? But thieves also have roots and can be rooted. What do thieves have to worry about? " The man said, "What is the root of a thief?" I answered him: "Insufficient food and clothing is the root cause of thieves; Unfair corvee tax is the root of thieves; The failure of moral education is the root of thieves. The first fundamental reason (lack of clothes and food) is ignored, and people will open other people's pockets and become thieves; If you ignore the second root cause (unfair taxation), you will rob good citizens with a weapon in your hand and become thieves; The third root (that is, no moral education) is ignored, the city will be captured and the people will be robbed as thieves. This is the root cause of thieves. "

There are no thieves in the rich times and life is carefree; There are no thieves in the era of political civilization, but the gap between the rich and the poor is not big; In the era when the Enlightenment prevailed, there was no major social disorder, but people's hearts were stable. Nowadays, if we don't devote ourselves to adequate food and clothing for everyone and devote ourselves to world without thieves, it is like blocking water without blocking the source; Thieves are not trying to "educate", but "influence", but are committed to banning thieves with criminal law. This is arson, but it needs a glass of water to put out the fire. Speaking of the law: (Yes) Let the thief be punished. The punishment for killing and injuring people is heavy enough; However, the practice of piracy has not subsided, not because it is not afraid of execution. Just because I thought I couldn't live, I thought I was waiting to die. Might as well risk finding another way to live. Speaking of the law, it is deep enough to exonerate thieves who can turn themselves in, and some even give them swords, official positions and real money; But thieves are not welcome. It's not that I don't want to live, but I can't live a stable life. I feel that being a common people is too painful and being a thief is too happy. However, it is not the common people who want to be robbers, but the court forced them out with unreasonable laws. Thieves don't turn themselves in. It's not that they don't want to turn themselves in, but because the courts use unreasonable laws to make them unwilling to repent and turn over a new leaf. If food and clothing have always been able to meet their own needs, then courtesy, honesty and shame have long been full of people's hearts. They will be afraid that they will not be included in the model of good citizens. How dare they? Therefore, threatening them with death can't make them afraid, and encouraging them with life can't make them grateful. Therefore, even if the officials in charge of catching thieves bother to increase the laws and regulations that urge them to catch thieves, it won't play much role.

Now the relevant departments are not worried from the source. If we blindly punish local officials in counties and counties, it is like saying that we are guilty and punished for not keeping animals and catching thieves, then the court will not go to the root cause and train thieves, but will be equally guilty and punished. After nine years of planting, all people can save enough surplus grain for three years; With enough surplus food for three years, we will teach them manners and benevolence later. Nowadays people are short of clothes and food. Is it the fault of the local officials that the corvee tax is unfair and moral education is not implemented? I'm afraid it won't work. Local officials, big and small, are afraid of being sentenced to death and hide it from each other: in this way, the disadvantages of increasing instability will almost appear again. Therefore, Confucius said: "When I was asked to handle a lawsuit, I was just like other investigators; The fundamental solution is to eradicate litigation. "By extension, it can also be said:" If I want to use military means, I will be like other generals; The fundamental way is to eradicate war! " By extension, we can also say, "if I want to suppress thieves, I said I am the same as other state and county officials;" "The fundamental way is to eradicate the soil produced by thieves!" Why not return to the fundamental governance method?

Since Yuan Hao of Xixia invaded the border, domestic thieves have mushroomed. Shandong is even worse. The Emperor sent courtiers to urge them to be arrested and wooed, but they couldn't calm down. So he ordered the state and county: "If the thief appears but can't be caught, the officer will be involved in suffering." It is necessary to increase the punishment for this matter. I don't think I have done a perfect job in prevention, so I wrote this article.