Even though the pictures on the posters are so badly drawn that even relatives of the criminals can hardly recognize them. But, criminals are still hard to escape! Why?
In Chinese historical dramas, you must have at least once seen the posters of the hiding criminals plastered all over the walls.
On the flyers are often painted portraits and record information about the names of criminals. But the drawings on the posters are often very different from the real people. Therefore, many people think that these notices are useless, and it will be difficult for the old government to catch criminals.
Before the invention of the camera, it was clear that if the ancients wanted to record their own form, they had to resort to painters. Of course, with famous emperors and officials, their portraits were all done by master painters. Therefore, the level of authenticity between the drawing and the real life is not too different.
In contrast, in the past, if you wanted to catch criminals, temporary artists hired by the government were not really reliable. The pictures on the posters are often very different from the real faces of the criminals. The portraits of criminals on wanted warrants are often out of focus, difficult to identify, but the government still catches them and brings them to the streets. The reason why?
However, in reality, feudal criminals in China could hardly escape the arrest of the government. Because at that time, the government’s search for wanted criminals was not only based on the pictures of criminals on billboards, but mainly depended on the following 3 ways.
Images of government officials holding posters to find criminals hiding in historical films. (Photo: Baidu).
In general, in ancient times, if you wanted to arrest a person, besides the illustrations, the government often described in detail specific facial features, some details about the daily life of the victim. crime suspect.
Although in ancient times, the literacy rate of ordinary people was very low. However, because of the advertising everywhere, there will always be a few literate people who can read it. Therefore, the combination of illustrations and information on the poster will help people identify criminals who are hiding. It is also difficult for wanted criminals to blend into the crowd.
Moreover, the feudal identification system is quite similar to the personal papers of the people today such as ID card, citizen identity card… Spanning many dynasties, this type of identity certificate It has different names in China.
In feudal times, if a person did not have this identity certificate, it would be difficult to rent an inn to stay. It is even difficult for them to go to people’s houses to ask for help. If a stranger comes to the house, people will ask for the ID card first. If there is no paper, it means that they have an unknown background. Therefore, it is very difficult for wanted criminals to hide in people’s houses.
Finding places to hide with criminals becomes quite “difficult” because of this mechanism. Because they can’t show ID because they’re hiding. But if they don’t show it, no one will let them stay or rent a house. Therefore, the criminals only have a way to wander, retreat in the corner of the street or in the deserted temple.
In these places, criminals can escape capture but without a proper place to sleep, it is more difficult to find food. But if once they showed up outside, they would immediately be ‘captured’ by the government soldiers. It can be seen that no matter which path they choose, it will be difficult to escape.
This regulation was implemented in the Qin Dynasty (China). According to this regulation, every 10 households will be classified as 1 border (1 type of household payroll in the old days). If any of these 10 households have a criminal, the remaining 9 households are responsible for reporting. Failure to do so will result in a similar crime.
Not only that, in ancient times, the differences in intonation, pronunciation (or in other words, dialect) between regions were extremely profound. Once a stranger comes from another place, the locals will quickly recognize it. When asked about the identity, if it is not clear, the people will report to the government.
On the notices, the government will specify the amount of reward for anyone who finds the crime. If you personally bring criminals to the dentist, the reward will be even more.
Illustrate an old crime scavenger hunt. (Photo: Baidu).
The amount of the bounty is usually between 100 and 1,000 silver taels. If converted into modern money, right from the Tang Dynasty, an amount of silver was equal to 3,000 yuan (approximately 11 million VND). In the Song Dynasty, 1 amount was equivalent to 1,300 yuan (approximately 5 million VND). Thus, the number of 100 to 1,000 silver bonuses was quite large in those eras.
However, to win this amount is also not easy. Because the subjects being wanted are all felonies, very dangerous. However, in that era, there were still many people who rushed to “hunt” the bounty on criminals to step up to the clouds and become rich.