Legalism is part of the contention of a hundred schools of thought. Internally, it is divided into three schools: rule by law, rule by technique, and rule by force.

Shang Yang was a representative of the rule of law school, and had the opportunity to apply what he learned and persuade Duke Xiao to implement the New Deal in Qin.

The burning of books and the entrapment of Confucians occurred during the period of Qin Shihuang, who was the grandson of Xiaogong’s grandson. There must be 150 years between them. At that time, the representative and person in power of Legalism in Qin was Li Si. Burning books and trapping Confucian scholars, killing hundreds of alchemists, were not "Confucian scholars" as they were later called. These alchemists or warlocks are fooling around, and what they promise cannot be fulfilled. Burning books and burying Confucians embodies the idea of ??centralized rule. But what really ended the contention of a hundred schools of thought was the "exclusive respect for Confucianism" during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Some netizens said earlier that burning books and humiliating Confucians was to unify their thoughts. This is not necessarily the case.

Legalist governance is not afraid of you having bad thoughts or committing crimes, because it has enough laws and strength to punish and deter you so that you do not dare to commit crimes. Legalists never hope that there will be no bad people, no traitors, and no traitors to the party. Legalists assume that human nature is inherently evil. Legalists rely on the use of laws and corresponding penalties and enforcement to deter illegal behavior.