Li Shanchang

Li was a marginal figure in Dingyuan County until his recruitment by the Emperor Hongwu, who was passing through the area with his army. Li discussed history with him, namely, the qualities of the founding Han Emperor Gaozu of Han, and the emperor invited Li to take over the secretarial and managerial duties of his field command. He proved able and energetic, often staying behind to transfer army provisions. He was given first rank among officers with the titles of Left Grand Councilor and "Duke of Han". Comparisons between the Emperor Hongwu and Gaozu became a theme of the Ming Court and its historians.{{cite book |last1=Mote |first1=Frederick W. |title=Imperial China, 900-1800 |date=1999 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-01212-7 |page=550 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQWW7QgUH4gC&pg=PA550 }}

One history holds that, after the navy in Chaohu surrendered to the emperor, Li urged ferrying the soldiers to capture the southern area of the Yangtze River. Then Li gave an advance notice to prevent the army from violating the military discipline. The duplicates of his notice were plastered everywhere in the occupied city, Taiping. Consequently, the troops garrisoned there in an orderly fashion.{{fact|date=August 2022}}

The emperor asked Li to assume responsibility for administrative affairs in 1353,{{cite thesis |last1=Massey |first1=Thomas Pierce |title=Chu Yuan-Chang and the Hu-Lan Cases of the Early Ming Dynasty (China) |date=1983 |id={{ProQuest|303275367}} |hdl=2027.42/159429 |hdl-access=free }}{{pn|date=August 2022}} granting him overall institutional authority long before legal codification work started. Li's petitioning Emperor Hongwu to eliminate collective prosecution reportedly initiated the drafting. Hongwu ordered Li and others to create the basic law code in 1367, appointing him Left Councilor and chief legislator in a commission of 30 ministers.

Hongwu noted that the Tang dynasty and Song dynasty had fully developed criminal statutes, ignored by the Yuan dynasty. Li memorialized that all previous codes were based on the Han code, synthesized under the Tang, and based their institutions on the Tang Code. Emphasizing the importance of simplicity and clarity, he mandated that it be concise and intelligible.

• Fan, C. Simon (2016). Culture, Institution, and Development in China: The economics of national character. Routledge. p. 94.

https://books.google.com/books?id=cwq4CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94

• Farmer, Edward L. (1995). Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule. BRILL. p. 37. doi:10.1163/978900448915 ISBN 978-90-04-10391-7.

https://books.google.com/books?id=TCIjZ7l6TX8C&pg=PA37

• The Great Ming Code / Da Ming lu. University of Washington Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-295-80400-2.[page needed]
• Zhang, Jinfan (2014). The Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 282. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-23266-4. ISBN 978-3-642-23266-4.

https://books.google.com/books?id=AOu5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA282

Examining 08/01/23

Following the drafting of the code, Li personally oversaw any new stipulations,{{cite book |last1=Zhang |first1=Jinfan |title=The Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law |date=2014 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-23266-4 |page=168 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AOu5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-23266-4 }} including a system of fixed statutes made to combat corruption.{{cite book |last1=Farmer |first1=Edward L. |title=Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule |date=1995 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-10391-7 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCIjZ7l6TX8C&pg=PA37 |doi=10.1163/978900448915 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }} He joined with Hu Weiyong against Yang Xian, another chancellor. Their efforts contributed to Yang's death, making Li the most powerful figure next to the emperor at the court in 1370. He quarreled with the great classical scholar Liu Bowen, causing the latter to resign from public office.

In old age, Li retired as the emperor's distaste grew for his arrogance, but was still recalled to deliberate military and dynastic affairs. Another councilor, Guangyang, remembered his carefulness, generosity, honesty, uprightness and seriousness, was demoted several times. A lack of division of powers between the Emperor and his councilors resulted in conflicts, and the four grand councilors gave up on state affairs, following prevailing affairs or doing nothing. Appointed to right councilor, Li gave himself over to drinking. He was ultimately implicated in 1390 in a decade-long conspiracy{{cite book |last1=Farmer |first1=Edward L. |title=Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule |date=1995 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-10391-7 |page=58 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCIjZ7l6TX8C&pg=PA58 |doi=10.1163/978900448915 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }} and purged along with his extended family and thirty thousand others. He was executed largely on the basis of his awareness and non-reporting of treason. The post of councilor (or prime minister) was abolished following his execution.{{cite book |last1=Tong |first1=James |title=Disorder Under Heaven: Collective Violence in the Ming Dynasty |date=1992 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-6676-0 |page=230 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnPQ25Oh2yUC&pg=PA230 }}

• Lan Yu
• Liu Bowen
• Yang Xian
• Hu Weiyong
• Four Major Cases of the early Ming dynasty

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Category:1314 births

Category:1390 deaths

Category:Ming dynasty chancellors

Category:Ming dynasty government officials

Category:People executed by the Ming dynasty