Verse 2-Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 9

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Verse 2-Wei Liao Zi Art of War Chapter 9

English

There is a saying in our age: ‘One who has thousands of pieces of gold will not die; one who has hundreds pieces of gold will not suffer corporal punishment.’ If you listen to my suggestion and try them in practice, then even a person with wisdom of Yao or Shun will not be able to avert a word of the charge against him, nor one with ten thousand pieces of gold be able to use the smallest silver piece to escape punishment. At the present, those in prison awaiting judgement number no less than several tens in the smallest jails, no less than several hundred in the middle-sized jails, and no less than several thousand in the largest prisons.Ten men involved one hundred men in their affairs; one hundred men drag in one thousand; and one thousand trap ten thousand. Those that have become entangled first are parents and brothers; next relatives; and next those who are acquaintances and old friends. For this reason, the farmers all leave their occupation in the fields, the merchants depart from their stores, and the officials leave their posts. These good people have all been dragged in because of the nature of our criminal proceedings. The Art of War says: ‘When an army of ten thousand goes forth, its daily expense is a thousand pieces of gold.’ Now when there are ten thousand good people thus entangled and imprisoned, yet the ruler is unable to investigate the situation – I take it to be dangerous!

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Modern

现今的俗话说：“有千金的人，可以免死，有百金的人，可以免刑。”如能听取我的意见，采用我的办法，虽有尧舜的智慧，也不能关说一句通融的话，虽有万全的财富，也不能用一“铢”钱行贿。现今审理案件，小案拘禁不下数十人，中等案件拘禁不下数百人，大案拘禁不下数千人。而且往往是十人的事牵连百人，百人的事牵连千人，千人的事牵连万人。所牵连的人，首先是父母兄弟，其次是亲属，再次是熟识的朋友。被牵连的农民被迫离开土地，商人被迫离开店铺，士大夫被迫离开官府。象这样众多的良民被牵连而关进监狱，这就是当前拘禁囚犯的实际情况。兵法上说：“十万大军出征，一日托费千金。”现在十万良民被牵连入狱，而君王不能明察，我认为是很危险的。

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Original

今世谚云：“千金不死，百金不刑”。试听臣之言，行臣之木，虽有尧舜之智，不能关一言，虽有万金，不能用一铢。今夫决狱，小圄不下十数，中圄不下百数，大圄不下千数。十人联百人之事，百人联千人之事，千人联万人之事。所联之者，亲戚兄弟也，其次婚姻也，其次知识故人也。是农无不离田业，贾无不离肆宅，士大夫无不离官府。如此，关联良民，皆囚之情也。兵法曰：“十万之师出，日费千金。”今良民十万，而联于囹圄，上不能省，臣以为危也。

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