At the end of the Warring States Period, the Qin State was able to unify the six countries and establish the first centralized country in Chinese history. This historical achievement cannot but be attributed to the two reforms carried out by Shang Yang in Thailand. What is the guiding ideology of Shang Yang's reforms and what are the policies and measures? These answers are reflected in "Shang Jun Shu". "Shang Jun Shu" is a collection of materials recording Shang Yang's thoughts and speeches, also known as "Shang Jun" and "Shang Zi". 》. "The Book of Shang Jun" focuses on recording the legalist innovation and reform, emphasizing agriculture and war, heavy punishment and few rewards, rejection of Confucianism, etc., which mainly reflects the political thought of Legalism.

The first is to innovate the idea of ??reform, which is the essence of Legalist thought. The "Gengfa" chapter details the debate between Shang Yang, Qianlong and Du Zhi on the reform issue in front of Qin Xiaogong. In response to Qin Xiaogong's fear of being criticized by the world for changing laws and reforming etiquette, Shang Yang said: "If you hesitate in taking action, you will not be famous, and if you hesitate in doing things, you will not succeed. I advise the king to make up his mind to change the laws as soon as possible, and don't be afraid of others. Criticism: Laws care for the people, and rituals are conducive to state affairs. Therefore, as long as the sage can make the country strong, there is no need to follow the old laws; as long as it is beneficial to the people, there is no need to abide by the old rituals. "Aimed at Qianlong. "If you follow the people's old etiquette and customs to educate them, you can succeed without much effort. If you govern the country according to the old laws, the officials will be familiar with them, and the people will be able to live in peace." Shang Yang said: "These are the words of the common people. Xia, The etiquette systems of the Shang and Zhou dynasties were different, but they all led to kingship; the laws of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period were also different, but they all led to hegemony. Therefore, smart people created laws, while ignorant people were punished by laws; wise men benefited from reforms. We cannot discuss important matters with those who are bound by rituals, and we cannot discuss reforms with those who are punished by laws." Regarding Du Zhi's statement, "There is nothing wrong if you follow the ancients, and there is no evil if you abide by the old rituals." Shang Yang said: "In ancient times, politics and religion were different. Which ancient should we follow? Emperors do not follow each other, whose etiquette should we adhere to? Etiquette and laws must be formulated with the times, and orders must meet actual needs. So I say There is no one way to govern the people; to seek the interests of the country, there is no need to imitate the ancients. ""Three generations were kings with different etiquette, and the five hegemons were hegemons with different laws." "If you don't follow the same rules to govern the country, you don't need to follow the ancients." became Shang Yang's famous saying when he advocated reform. . The chapter "Kaisei" starts from examining the different stages of the development of human society, and demonstrates that in the late Warring States period, only the rule of law can be implemented, which is the only feasible way to govern the country. "The sage does not follow the past and does not cultivate the present. If he follows the ancient, he will be behind the times; if he practices the present, he will be blocked by the trend." This shows that only reform and innovation can make the country prosperous and strong.