|
Retribution of "Special Agents" in Ancient Times
By Lu Zhen
(Clearwisdom.net) Established during the time of Five Dynasties
(907-960) in Shu (Earlier Shu, 907-925), the "Group to Discover" was
responsible for patrolling the armed forces. Directed by Junior Yuanshi (a
government position name) Xiao Huaiwu, the "Group to Discover" carried
weapons and patrolled all over the country arresting people who were deemed
"unprincipled persons." It was similar to the operations of the
Chinese Communist Party's police. For a long time Xiao Huaiwu used the "Group to Discover" to arrest
many people. His influence became more and more powerful and he received large
sums of money. His luxurious private residence was inferior only to the
monarchs. Regarded at the time by government officials as being highly ranked,
the Xiao Huaiwu residence was said to have one of the largest number of staff
entertainers. There were more than 100 members in the "Group to
Discover." Each member hired another dozen or so people. These members
would first gather together and then disperse among society. Their clothing and
appearance were the same as average persons. Naturally, the common people could
not distinguish clearly who actually belonged to the "Group to
Discover," and so they called them all "dogs." Because these "dogs" mixed with the populace, Xiao Huaiwu and his
gang knew what the common people were talking about when they gathered together.
Therefore, the people felt threatened and anxious. Many "dogs" were placed among the subordinate officers, grooms,
chefs, hirelings and dancers in the families of officials. Therefore, officials
at every level also felt they were in danger. In this way, Xiao Huaiwu killed scores of people. When the Earlier Shu was
newly established, anyone who was not in harmony with Xiao Huaiwu or had lots of
money would be Xiao Huaiwu's target. Xiao would frame the victim, and then
dispatch a member of the "Group to Discover" to arrest and charge
them. They were then sentenced to death. The frequent sounds of protest were
said to be alarming. The saying "The heavens have keen eyes; an evil person will not die a
natural death" is true. During Earlier Shu, Guo Chongtao captured Xiao
Huaiwu and the people accused Xiao of scheming to have a rebellion. At this
time, the more than one hundred members of Xiao Huaiwu's entire family,
regardless of their ages, were decapitated at the market. The common people all
clapped and cheered. [According to Taiping Guangji, (1)] The establishment of the "Group to Discover" was to create
unlawfulness where there was not in order to remove the dissidents and suppress
the masses for the implementation of a dictatorship and despotism. During this
time period the term "special agent" was not used, the common people
called them "dogs." The behaviors of Zeng Qinghong and Luo Gan of the
Chinese Communist Party are very similar to that of Xiao Huaiwu. The common
people today also call them "dogs." Whether it is Xiao Huaiwu in ancient times or Zeng Qinghong and Luo Gan in
modern times, their fates are sure to be unfavorable. Having the occupation of a
"dog" or "special agent" is very bad and sure to bring one
an unfortunate future. (1) Taipingguangji, the Extensive Records of the Taiping Era
are a collection of stories compiled under the editorship of Li Fang. They were
first published in 978. The book is divided into five hundred volumes and
consists of about three million words. The collection has around seven thousand
stories that were selected from over three hundred books and novels dating from
the Han Dynasty to the early Song Dynasty, many of which have since long been
lost. Some stories are historical or naturalistic anecdotes, each is replete
with historical elements and qualify as fiction, but the topics are mostly
supernatural, about Buddhist and Daoist priests, immortals, ghosts, and various
deities. They include a number of Tang stories that are famous works of
literature in their own right, and they have also inspired later works. |