I am a Primitive Man-Chapter 684: The Law of Collective Punishment

The accumulation of thousands of years of history is no joke. The wisdom crystallized by the ancients has withstood the test of time.

The only regret, however, is that Han Cheng was not well-versed in the essentials. He hadn’t adequately prepared for the fact that he had crossed over. Looking back, he felt a deep regret, and the phrase “Only when the book is needed do we regret not studying enough” kept spinning in his mind.

However, although his knowledge was no match for the long history and precious knowledge accumulated over time, he was still influenced by it.

Moreover, the era he found himself in was still relatively early, further lowering the difficulty of his task.

After thinking about it, Han Cheng found a solution to the current situation.

This solution was the Law of Collective Punishment from Shang Yang’s reforms!

The Law of Collective Punishment was a crucial part of Shang Yang’s legal reforms in the Qin state, a sword hanging over the people’s heads.

This sword applied not only to ordinary citizens but also to the military.

If one household committed a crime, the neighboring households were implicated. In battle, the entire squad would be punished if one person retreated.

“Spouses and friends cannot conceal evil from one another, nor harm their kin; civilians cannot hide crimes.”

Even the closest spouses and friends were forbidden from protecting each other and were instead required to report wrongdoings to the government, ensuring that no crimes were concealed.

With this system in place, the people of Qin were very cautious about committing unlawful acts, as the other four households in the area would keep a close eye on them!

In the military, the Law of Collective Punishment was combined with military merit and promotion, encouraging soldiers to fight to the death and not dare to retreat.

Han Cheng wasn’t yet prepared to implement the military merit and promotion system, as the tribe was still in the early stages of private property development. Introducing such a privatized system now would be out of place.

However, the Collective Punishment Law could certainly apply to the slaves.

Similar to the Qin state, Han Cheng could organize the slaves into groups of five, creating units of “five people” and binding them together for mutual supervision.

If someone tried to escape or did something that endangered the lives and property of the Green Sparrow tribe, the others in the group would be required to report the incident and prevent it from happening again.

Those who reported crimes would be rewarded, while those who turned a blind eye would be punished.

This internal supervision method was much more sophisticated than the external surveillance Han Cheng had previously used.

It divided the slaves into small groups, planting seeds of prevention within each group, so even those who harbored rebellious thoughts would hesitate to act.

This internal oversight was not only more efficient but also more effective. The fact that Meng, who had planned to escape, was caught by fellow slaves rather than by external supervisors was a testament to the effectiveness of this approach.

With the added incentive of rewards, this policy was bound to be highly effective.

After carefully considering the situation again, Han Cheng felt relieved. His earlier concerns about the slaves were now largely dissipated.

With the Law of Collective Punishment in place, as long as the citizens of the Green Sparrow tribe remained trustworthy primarily, there was no need to worry about the slaves causing major trouble.

Feeling in a good mood, Han Cheng reflected on the fact that even without some supernatural “golden finger,” his vast knowledge from another era was his greatest advantage.

He found solutions to the tribe’s problems, ensuring steady progress. While the tribe’s development might not have been as fast as under a leader with extraordinary powers, it was certainly stable.

In a good mood, Han Cheng went to find the shaman to share his thoughts.

However, upon hearing Han Cheng’s plan, the shaman didn’t react as Han Cheng had expected. Instead, the elderly man fell silent.

The shaman’s silence and hesitation had a reason.

Earlier, when the tribe gathered to deal with Meng, the slave who attempted to escape, the shaman had been closely observing everyone’s reactions.

What he noticed most were the reactions of the remaining slaves in the tribe.

When dealing with the traitor Meng, the slaves were the most furious, not the tribe’s citizens.

They hated this traitor and wanted him to be punished more severely.

This realization was the main reason for the shaman’s silence.

Through this observation, he believed that the slaves in the tribe had become fully integrated with the tribe. They no longer needed the collective punishment system that Han Cheng proposed.

As long as Meng was punished, there was no need for further restrictions. Even if the system was not in place, the slaves would not rebel, and implementing such a method might even make them uncomfortable, possibly leading to evil thoughts.

After a brief silence, the shaman began to share his thoughts with Han Cheng.

Upon hearing the shaman’s perspective, Han Cheng was quite surprised, not because the shaman disagreed with him but because he had thought of many details.

Indeed, this old man was sharp and experienced.

Han Cheng disagreed with the shaman’s reasoning. As someone who came from the future, he understood the complexity of human nature.

Humans are fickle, and “the human heart is hard to predict” was not an empty saying.

The slaves might be loyal to the tribe now, but that didn’t guarantee they would remain so in the future.

Rather than relying on human nature, Han Cheng believed systems were more reliable.

He didn’t want to punish people for crimes they had yet to commit, but he believed that setting up preventive measures in advance was necessary.

“Meng once had great loyalty to the tribe. When the tribe captured their enemies during a battle, we spared their lives and provided them with food and shelter. Meng, like the others, was deeply grateful.

But as time passed, Meng gradually forgot all of that.” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Han Cheng pointed to the cell where Meng was locked up and spoke to the shaman.

With the example of Meng before them, the shaman was shaken.

Indeed, Meng had once seemed just like the other slaves—loyal to the tribe. But now, he had committed treason.