After many years, experts have finally uncovered the reason why the Qin army obeyed Qin Shi Huang’s orders so faithfully.
Qin Shi Huang established an extremely strict system of rewards and punishments.
Qin Shi Huang (January or December 259 BC – September 10, 210 BC), whose real name was Ying Zheng, was the 36th king of the Qin state in China. He reigned from 246 BC to 221 BC and is a prominent figure from the Warring States period. Ascending the throne at the age of 13, during his 37 years of rule, Qin Shi Huang spent 25 years as king and 12 years as emperor, conquering six states and unifying China.
Despite his significant achievements, Qin Shi Huang was also one of the most ruthless and violent rulers in Chinese history. Yet, throughout his ascent to emperorship, he had the remarkable ability to make his soldiers “risk their lives” for him. Why was that the case?
Ancient Chinese records preserved a letter from a Qin soldier named Heifu sent to his family. The letter requested money to support his living expenses in the military. This indicates that Qin Shi Huang did not pay high wages to his soldiers. Instead of relying on financial incentives to win the loyalty of his troops, Qin Shi Huang established an extremely strict system of rewards and punishments.
Specifically, the famous politician Shang Yang during the Warring States period developed a reward system for the Qin soldiers: The higher the military achievements, the more rewards (land, servants, etc.) they would receive, and they could rise into the nobility. There were 20 ranks from Level 1 Gongshi to Level 20 Qiehou, with promotions based on the number of enemies killed. Therefore, the Qin soldiers were willing to “risk their lives” in hopes of changing their fortunes, becoming nobility, and providing better for their families.
