The Western Zhou Dynasty
Central government system
Sangong taizai
The highest official positions of the Western Zhou Dynasty were Taishi, Taifu and Taibao (the Three Princes), under which were Liuqing and Wuguan. Because the official positions such as Sangong were granted to the princes with high nobility, and the princes also had to govern their own country when they became the royal ministers of the Zhou Dynasty, so the role of Sangong in daily political life was limited. Usually taizai was in charge of the central power. Originally, taizai was the chief of Royal Court Affairs. Because he was close to the emperor, taizai's status had been on the rise since Xia and Shang Dynasties, and reached the peak in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
In the extraordinary period, the three princes played the actual ruling power because of their powerful force. When King Cheng of Zhou was first established, he took "Zhao Gong as the protection and Zhou Gong as the teacher". Zhou Gong "took charge of the administration of the country on behalf of Cheng Wang". It was not until seven years later that he came of age that Zhou Gong was still in power. During this period, the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Zhao recruited soldiers in the name of King Cheng several times to pacify the rebellions of Guan, CAI and Wu Geng, and to conquer the five eastern countries rebelled by the death of King Wu. In fact, their power surpassed that of King Cheng at that time. Zhou Benji in historical records says that "from the west of Shaanxi, summon the princess, from the east of Shaanxi, summon the princess of Zhou", which shows the power of Sangong. In order to protect and take care of King Cheng when he was young, the Duke of Zhou also took the post of taizai, who was in charge of Court Affairs. This was an important reason for the rise of taizai's power.
In the spring and Autumn period, the rulers of the Zhou royal family were called Zhengqing and Zhongzai, and one or two of them were called Jieqing. Since he had to rely on the power of the state of Zheng and the state of Jin after he moved to the East, he always took the king (Earl) of the state of Zheng as his prime minister. Later, the king of Zhou was dissatisfied with Zheng Zhuang Gong's control of the royal power, and had a bad relationship with Zheng Zhuang, which led to the war between the Zhou royal family and Zheng State. Later, the royal family set up two ministers, headed by Youqing. In the middle and late period of the spring and Autumn period, the royal family gradually declined, and the central ruler was the so-called Bo (the bo here was not meant by the count, but was authorized by the emperor of Zhou to manage the special positions of the princes, and Bo was also known as "hegemony"). Those who took up the post of Bo were all those who were awed by the princes because of their powerful force and noble morality. In history, there were five great masters, namely Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Xiang of song, Duke mu of Qin, and King Zhuang of Chu. These princes, who were ordered to be called uncle, were in charge of the princes in the name of the emperor of Zhou externally, and in the name of "Uncle" and "Uncle" internally. The inherent officials of the Zhou Dynasty had lost their political status.
In the Warring States period, the royal family declined and lost its status as the son of heaven. It became a small country ignored by other powerful princes.
Liu Qing's facial features
Liu Qing / five sense organs / intrauterine organs
Under them were lower ranking officials, such as Dadu, Xiaobo, artists, Baili, Taishi, Yinbo, Shuchang Jishi and so on. Dadu is in charge of the manors of the princes and the relatives of the Emperor Zhou; Xiaobo is in charge of the manors of the ministers and the officials; entertainers generally refer to the officials with special skills, such as divination, blessing, wizard and craftsman; biachen Baisi generally refers to the low-level officials who carry out specific affairs in the six ministers and the five sense organs; Taishi is in charge of writing the history of the state, recording the behavior of the Emperor Zhou and the officials, and drafting the order of the Emperor Zhou; Yinbo is in charge of the government The chief executive officer of the secondary five sense organs, a common and auspicious scholar, a secondary official, is the lowest hereditary official.
In addition to his courtiers, Zhou Tianzi also retained many officials specialized in the internal affairs of the royal family, such as Huben, Zhuoyi, quma, Xiaoyin, youyoudai servant, Baisi, Shufu, etc. Huben, the Imperial Guard of the king of Zhou, was responsible for the decoration of the royal family, which was similar to that of later generations; quma, which was responsible for the management of Royal chariots and horses; Xiaoyin, who was in charge of a class of affairs; carrying servants, who were in charge of all kinds of utensils used by the royal family; Baisi, who was in charge of all kinds of miscellaneous affairs; Shufu, who was in charge of Royal property.
Ritual system of Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty system described in Zhouli is very precise and grand, so it is doubted by later generations that it was written by later generations. According to the records of Zhouli, the organization of the central government in the Zhou Dynasty was the four seasons and six official system headed by Zhongzai.
Tian Guan Zhong Zai
"Shuai is in charge of the state, and Zuojiang is in charge of the state". The subordinate officials of zuozai are called "Zhiguan". Including taizaiqing I (taizai is the official name, Qing is the title, the same below, only one name is the title), xiaozaizhong senior official II, Zaifu junior official IV, staff sergeant 8, Sergeant 16, and brigade corporal 32; taizai's duty is to "take charge of the six canons of building a nation" to assist the king to govern the country. The six canons are as follows: first, to govern the state, to govern the government, to record the people; second, to pacify the state, to educate the government, to pacify the people; third, to harmonize the state, to unify the officials, to harmonize the people; fourth, to pacify the state, to correct the officials, to average the people; fifth, to punish the state, to punish the officials, to rectify the people; sixth, to enrich the state, to punish the people To be a hundred officials, to live the people. It can be seen that Suzuki is actually equivalent to the status of prime minister.
Local official situ
"Shuai his subordinates and master the state religion, to assist the king to pacify the state", situ's subordinates are called "instructors". Including the first big situ Qing, the second small situ Zhongfu, the fourth rural shixiafu, the eighth sergeant, the sixteenth sergeant and the thirty second brigade sergeant. Da situ was in charge of books and people's land. Little situ was in charge of the people, fields and taxes in the capital and the suburbs.
Chunguan Zongbo
"Shuai his subordinates and command the state rites to assist the king and the state", and Zongbo's subordinates are called "rites officials". It includes the first of great Zong Boqing, the second of little Zong Bozhong, the fourth of fourth division, the eighth of staff sergeant, the sixteenth of sergeant and the thirty second of brigade sergeant. Da Dabo was in charge of the emperor and princes' genealogy, inheritance and sacrifice. Xiao Zongbo was in charge of the affairs of the Lord of the temple.
Xia guansima
"Shuai his subordinates and in charge of State Administration, in order to assist the king Ping state", Sima's subordinates are called "political officials". It includes senior Sima Qingyi, junior Sima Zhongfu Er, military Sima Xiafu 4, yusima Shangshi 8, xingsima Zhongshi 16 and brigade Xiashi 32. The marshal was the commander of the army of Emperor Zhou.
Autumn official Sikou
"Shuai his subordinates and control the state ban", and the subordinate officials of Sikou are called "criminal officials". They are kouqing No.1, KOUZHONG No.2, shishixiafu No.4, Shangshi No.8, Zhongshi No.16 and lvxiashi No.32. Sikou's job is to manage criminal and prison affairs.
Dongguan Sikong
Sikong chapter of Zhouli has been lost.
The political system of princes
Enfeoffment system
Under the system of enfeoffment in Zhou Dynasty, the territory around Wangjing was directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor of Zhou. Other areas were enfeoffed to the relatives of the emperor of Zhou, the meritorious officials, the vassals of the former dynasty, and the local leaders in the wild areas. The main princes were all the relatives of the emperor of Zhou. Those with the same surname were called "Uncle" and "Uncle"; those with different surnames were called "Uncle". The vassals exercised the ruling power in their own feudalism, and could enfeoffment their relatives and family officials as ministers and officials. The Qing Dynasty had hereditary fiefs. The officials who assisted the officials in the management of the affairs of the vassal states and the manor affairs were scholars, whose identity was hereditary, but there was no manor. In ancient times, it was said that "the emperor established his country, the Marquis established his family, the Minister set up a side room, the officials had two schools, and the scholars had subordinates.". That is to say, if the emperor of Zhou succeeded by his eldest son, the sons of the emperor would be called princes; if the princes succeeded by his eldest son, the sons of the princes would be called officials; if the officials succeeded by his eldest son, the other eldest sons would be called scholars. Thus, from the emperor to the princes, ministers, officials and scholars, they were the patriarchs of different clans. The strict combination of official rank and patriarchal system constituted the most important feature of the political system of the Zhou Dynasty.
Officials of the vassal states
The important officials of the vassal states were situ, Sima, Sikong and Sikou. Si Zhi min, registered residence; Sima manages the army; szekong manages land, architecture, Tian Fu; Si Kou takes charge of prison prison lawsuits.
The national system
The local political power organization of the Central Plains vassal states is basically state system. State refers to the capital of a state (the capital of a vassal state and a larger city), and the wild generally refers to the countryside and ordinary towns. According to Guoyu. Qiyu, the state of Qi in the Middle Kingdom took five families as the track, set the track length, ten tracks as Li, set Li as Si, Si Li as Lian, set company commander, ten Lian as Xiang, set Xiang Liangren, Jue as doctor; in the opposition, 30 families as the capital, set Yi as Si, ten cities as soldiers, set zushuai, ten soldiers as Xiang, set Xiang Shuai, three townships as counties, set Xian Shuai, ten counties as subordinates, set up a senior official and one subordinate chief .
In the middle and late period of the spring and Autumn period, counties were generally set up in the vassal states, which were governed by the monarch's officials. County doctor under the county division, Sima, Sikou and other officials. The county was originally set up at the border of a country to strengthen defense. By the middle and late spring and Autumn period, there were also counties in the mainland. For example, the state of Jin had set up a county in the old capital Jiang (now Yicheng County in Shanxi Province), which is called Jiang county. As a result of the large number of counties set up, it gradually replaced the state system, and county officials became the main officials of the local government. At that time, Jin state set up counties as the first level political power below the county level, which was different from the later county system.
high ministers and nobles
The feudal land of the Qing Dynasty was called home or town. The powerful Qing officials even owned six or seven counties, such as Sanhuan in the state of Lu. On behalf of the Fengjun to manage the affairs of the fiefdom, it is called Yizai. The governor of the city was appointed and removed by Fengjun, who paid his salary only as a family official of the Qing Dynasty. However, because the Qing Dynasty officials were in charge of the state affairs, they were actually in charge of the government affairs. Some of them even took charge of Fengjun, not only the family affairs of the Qing Dynasty officials, but also the government affairs of the state, such as Yang Hu, Ji's family official of Sanhuan in the state of Lu.
Editors in the Warring States Period
During the Warring States period, due to years of annexation war, hundreds of feudal states of Zhou Dynasty have been merged into seven powerful countries (seven heroes of Warring States), namely Wei, Zhao, Han, Qi, Chu, Qin and Yan, and several small countries such as song and Wei. The territory of these countries far exceeds that of the vassal states in the spring and Autumn period, and even the territory directly under the central government of the emperor of Zhou in the heyday of the Zhou Dynasty can not be compared with it. During this period, a strong standing army and a new government system were established to maintain it. The civil and military positions began to separate, the system of Shi Qing and Shi Lu was abolished, and the salary replaced the fiefdom. With the great expansion of the monarchy, the relatives of the monarch began to withdraw from the political center.
Central government system
Xiang, until the spring and Autumn period, was only a small official in charge of ceremonial affairs. In the Warring States period, Xiang had become the second best official after the monarch. Qin state was called prime minister, Qi State had left and right prime ministers, Zhao state was called prime minister, and later all countries were called prime minister.
Before the Warring States period, there was no distinction between civil and military affairs. When a senior official entered the court, he was a minister and when he went to war, he was a general. But this system is based on family politics and family army. With the establishment of a large number of standing army in the Warring States period and years of war, special generals began to appear. Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qi and other countries set up the general position, commanding the standing army, ranking second prime minister. Qin only appointed generals temporarily when he sent troops to battle. After that, he gave up. Usually, Daliang Zao was the highest military position, followed by Guowei.
Although the hereditary system of official position was abolished, the title was retained. The titles of Qi, Yan, Zhao, Wei and other countries are divided into Qing and doctor. Qing is divided into Shangqing and Yaqing, and doctor is divided into Changfu, Shangfu, Zhongfu and Xiafu. In fact, these titles are the names of the previous official positions, reflecting the situation of the previous Zhou Dynasty. The title system of Qin state is very developed and special. Except for a few titles, most of them are also official posts. There are 20 ranks in the state of Qin (the first rank is the lowest): the first rank is a public official, the second rank is shangzao, the third rank is zanniao, the fourth rank is not Geng, which is equivalent to a scholar. The fifth rank is an official, the sixth rank is an official, the seventh rank is a public official, the eighth rank is Gongcheng, the ninth rank is a five official, the tenth rank is a left commoner, the eleventh rank is a right commoner, the twelfth rank is a left Geng, the thirteenth rank is a middle Geng, and the fourteenth rank Yougeng, the 15th level shaoshangzao, the 16th level daliangzao, the 17th level sicheshuchang, the 18th level dashhuchang (Qing), the 19th level guanneihou, the 20th level chehou, among them, the 16th level and below are in one.
Local political system
county
During the Warring States period, the county system was widely implemented. The county was originally set up as a special administrative region in the border area, which was different from the feudal capital of the Qing Dynasty. The county belonged to the monarch. The county appeared at the end of the spring and Autumn period. It first appeared in the state of Jin. At that time, the county was located in the newly occupied border area, and the county was subordinate to the county at that time. "Zuo Zhuan · AI Gong Er Nian" says: "the upper doctors accept the county, the lower doctors accept the county.". Because the county was a border area, the chief of the county was appointed as a full-time military officer at the beginning. He was called "Shou", "Jun Shou" and "Tai Shou". Under the Jun Shou, there were senior officers in charge of the army of the county - Duwei, as well as the censor sent by the monarch to supervise the Jun Shou. With the gradual stability of the conquered areas and the increasing prosperity of the population, counties were set up under the counties, forming the later two-tier system of counties. During the Warring States period, only Qi state did not set up prefectures, which were all divided into five capitals. They all set up officials to command the military and political affairs of one capital. In fact, they were no different from the prefectures of other countries.
county
At the county level, the main official positions are Ling (the state of Qin called Da Si Fu), Cheng (the state of Qin called Si Fu), Wei, Sima and Sikong. The magistrate is the head of a county. According to the principle of combining administration and justice in ancient China, the magistrate is also the supreme judge of a county. The county magistrate is subordinate to the county magistrate and assists the county magistrate in handling government affairs. County captains manage criminal and prison affairs, and are responsible for local public security and case investigation. Unlike the junior high school official Sima, who is in charge of military and political affairs, the county Sima is specialized in horse maintenance. But the county Sikong, like the junior high school official Sikong, was also in charge of public buildings. Because the public buildings in the Warring States period were generally operated by the punished prisoners, the county Sikong also had the function of managing the prisoners in prison. Ling, Cheng, Wei, Sima and Sikong all had their own subordinate officials, which were called Ling Shi, Shi and Wei Shi. In addition, the county censors of South Korea and Wei state were only clerks, not supervisors. South Korea's counties have Sikou, who perform the duties of county captain. The state of Qin was praised by the county-level regime in the barbarian land. The county-level government, which specially manages the private territory of the royal family and where the Royal Palace is located, is not subordinate to the county, but directly belongs to the internal history.
Village, Pavilion
Below the county level, there are townships and neighborhoods. In townships there are misers and in neighborhoods there are three elders. These are not officials, they are high status in the local clan, they can deal with minor disputes on behalf of county officials, help collect taxes and arrange labor. The pavilion is located in the border areas, important areas, and the township level places near the traffic lines. The pavilion leader is a low-level official who is responsible for monitoring the movement, capturing fugitives, and releasing servicemen.
Guan, Shi
During the Warring States period, many countries generally set up some special positions in local areas, such as setting up customs officials at land gates, setting up Jin officials at important waterways, setting up Shi'an in large market towns and markets, and setting up He Cheng who specialized in water conservancy affairs.
