In the Confucian classic Shangshu, which records the history of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the oath of the former king of Xia Dynasty in Gansu, the oath of the former king of Shang Dynasty in Tang Dynasty and the oath of the former king of Western Zhou Dynasty in Zhou Wuwang almost all stipulated that soldiers who did not work hard on the battlefield should be sentenced to death and their families should be punished jointly and severally. Soldiers who "must die" will be publicly executed at the "social altar" where the land god is sacrificed.
According to other historical records, the bodies of deserters and people who didn't work hard on the battlefield in the Spring and Autumn Period were not allowed to be buried in family cemeteries, which may be a heavier punishment than the death penalty itself at that time.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the most detailed information about military law was the military strategist's book Wei Liaozi. In the book, it is publicly advocated to use heavy punishment to maintain the battlefield and military discipline, and even said that at least 10% of the soldiers can be killed, so that the army can be strictly disciplined and banned. The first is to legislate against escape; Secondly, let the soldiers be "soul mates", guarantee each other and sit together and suffer; Finally, it is necessary for generals to establish prestige and have full power to punish soldiers, and officers at all levels have the power to execute subordinates.
The chapter "Le Zuling" says that gold, drums, divisions and flags are the command signals in the army array, and when you hear the sound of drums, you must move forward. Violent drumming means charging and engaging the enemy. Stop when you hear the sound of a golden bell. A heavy golden bell means retreating. When you hear the priest's voice, you should pay attention to the commander's verbal orders; Look at the direction of the flag, the flag is left and the flag is right. Those who don't listen to these signals will be put to death, and those who make noise in the array will also be put to death.
Another article said that if every soldier only suffered casualties in the battle and didn't make meritorious deeds, it would mean that all soldiers would be put to death if they didn't work hard. If the commander of each organizational unit is killed or injured without killing, injuring or capturing other officers at the same level, all soldiers will be put to death and their families will sit together. If the Lord is killed, all the officers with more than 500 soldiers will be put to death, and all the guards will be put to death. Soldiers with meritorious military service will be demoted, and those without meritorious military service will be fined for three years. It was the "national thieves" who led 1000 officers to abandon the city to surrender or escape from the Cold War. They executed the death penalty themselves and made it public. Their families were enslaved by the government and their ancestral graves were excavated. Those who led 100 officers to commit such acts are "military thieves" and will also be executed and their property confiscated.
The statement in Wei Liaozi was common in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Although the famous Art of War by Sun Tzu did not directly touch on the issue of military law, it also emphasized that "soldiers die before they are born", showing an indifferent attitude towards soldiers' lives. Another book, The Art of War by Sun Bin, also has an article called Killing People. Although its content is lost, its title is similar to Wei Liaozi. The military laws mentioned in these military books should be not much different from the actual situation at that time.