When it comes to political reforms, history teaches us one harsh truth: change is never easy. Shang Yang’s reforms in ancient China were no exception. While they ultimately turned the Qin state into a military powerhouse capable of unifying China, they also came at an enormous human cost. But was this price too high? And did the people of Qin even realize what was happening as it unfolded?

The Cost of Strength: Who Paid the Price?

Shang Yang convinced Duke Xiao of Qin that his reforms would make Qin the dominant force in China. The duke, eager for power, fully embraced the changes. But how did ordinary Qin citizens feel about it?

At first, they might have thought, Great! A stronger Qin means a better life for us! But a stronger Qin also meant more wars, more battles, and more bloodshed. Based on later records of Qin’s conquests, the total number of enemy soldiers killed during Qin’s unification campaign was about 1.86 million. If we assume a 5:1 kill ratio, that means Qin itself lost nearly 400,000 men. That’s an enormous loss considering that Qin’s total population at the time was around 7.8 million.

Imagine how many families lost their sons, brothers, and fathers. In fact, by the time of the Qin dynasty’s downfall, there were so few fighting-age men left that Liu Bang’s rebel army faced little resistance when marching into Qin territory. And yet, these brutal numbers were not something the people of Qin could have foreseen at the start of Shang Yang’s reforms.

Winning Hearts and Minds—With a Log?

The people of Qin were skeptical when Shang Yang arrived with his grand plans. To them, he was just another outsider with big ideas. Change the entire system? Yeah, right! To prove his credibility, Shang Yang did something unusual: he set up a three-meter-long log in the city and announced that anyone who moved it to another gate would receive ten gold pieces. Nobody dared to try, thinking it was a trick. So he raised the reward to fifty gold pieces. Finally, one brave soul stepped up, moved the log, and received the promised reward.

With that, Shang Yang sent a powerful message: he meant business.

But the real obstacles weren’t the common people—it was the aristocracy.

Breaking the Power of the Aristocrats

At the time, Qin’s political system was a three-legged structure: the ruler, the aristocracy, and the common people. The Qin ruler had supreme status but was largely ceremonial in governance. The real power lay with the aristocratic clans, who controlled administration, military affairs, and economic resources.

For generations, these aristocrats had governed Qin in a shared power structure. They saw themselves as co-owners of the state, not mere servants of the king. In fact, Qin’s ruling family, the Ying-Zhao clan, had functioned more like a tribal leadership than an absolute monarchy. The king was the symbolic head, while the aristocrats wielded real control.

Shang Yang’s reforms aimed to change this entirely. He wanted to centralize power under the king, dismantling the aristocracy’s hold over governance. Naturally, the nobles fought back. But Shang Yang had an ally—the king himself. Duke Xiao of Qin supported the reforms because he saw them as a way to strengthen his own authority. He and Shang Yang had long discussions, sometimes lasting days without break, about how to implement these changes.

A History of Betrayal: The Problem with the Aristocracy

Qin’s ruling elite had a history of turning on their own leaders. Back in the 8th century BCE, Qin’s aristocratic leaders staged a coup, dethroning one ruler (Prince Ning) and later assassinating another (Prince Chu). These power struggles were proof that the ruling clans couldn’t always be trusted.

Learning from this, later Qin rulers began looking for ways to dilute the aristocracy’s power. One method was to bring in talented outsiders, known as guest ministers, who were loyal to the ruler rather than to any noble clan. Shang Yang was one such outsider. His status as a foreigner meant he had no local ties, making him the perfect tool for the ruler’s centralization efforts.

The Legacy of Shang Yang’s Reforms

Shang Yang’s policies ultimately paved the way for Qin’s dominance. By breaking the power of the aristocracy and replacing it with a merit-based system, he created an efficient state capable of massive military campaigns. Less than a century later, Qin would unite all of China under Qin Shi Huang.

But his success came at a cost. The same militarized, rigid state he built would collapse just a few years after unification. Qin’s brutality made it feared but not loved. When the first emperor died, the dynasty crumbled almost overnight, showing that power built solely on fear and control has its limits.

Modern Parallels: The Risks of Radical Reform

The story of Shang Yang offers valuable lessons for modern governance. Many political and economic reforms throughout history have faced similar pushback from entrenched elites. Whether it’s corporate restructuring, tax reform, or political centralization, radical changes often meet fierce resistance.

However, history also warns us about the dangers of pushing reform too aggressively. Shang Yang’s changes made Qin strong, but at the cost of enormous human suffering and eventual backlash. The challenge for any reformer, past or present, is balancing efficiency with sustainability—building a system that not only works but also endures.