Western Zhou politics

Zhou Wang is the highest representative of a slave society country. The important auxiliary figures around Zhou Wang are Taishi, Taifu and Taibao, which are collectively called "Three Publics" or "World Insurance". For example, when both He and He are important consultants, Tai is addressed as "teacher or father". When he became king, the Duke of Zhou was the teacher, lord protector, and * * * was the same as Fuzheng. Until King Kang, he also served as Pacific Insurance. Shi Bao commanded hundreds of governors to serve Zhou Wang and enjoyed a high position in politics.

It's Taizai, which is equivalent to protecting the position of teacher and directly assisting the official position to manage political affairs. The Duke of Zhou was king, both a teacher and a butcher, "for the royal family and the world." Taizai has the power to be in charge of government affairs and is the head of government.

Below Taizai, there are many dignitaries, among which the more important administrative officials are still Si Tuleideng, Sima, Scott, Sikong and other departments. In addition to managing the reclamation of land, the division of mining fields and the cultivation of slaves, Stuart also managed the division of vassal government and military affairs. Sima is responsible for collecting military taxes, managing chariots and driving horses and other military and political affairs. Scott is proficient in criminal law. Sikong is responsible for the management of hundreds of workers and the construction of civil water conservancy projects. They also have many family members, who are in charge of all kinds of specific affairs, and are controlled by the middle and lower aristocrats, forming a quite large ruling institution.

The clergy of the Zhou Dynasty were greatly weakened in political institutions. Everything about funeral, sacrifice, divination, culture and education. , belongs to the management of Zhou Li gift-taking organization, and witches have a lower position in this organization. The status of historians has been greatly improved.

A surname is not only responsible for the observation and formulation of astronomical calendars, the collection and collation of literature and classics, the education of aristocratic children and other related cultural and educational work, but also familiar with the state's decrees and regulations, and often consults all over Zhou Wang. Literature and history drafted the imperial edict for Zhou Wang, and the cashier ordered him to become a close minister of the royal family. In addition, there are official positions such as mini-history and foreign history.

Many official positions in the Zhou Dynasty were handed down from generation to generation, thus forming a "contemporary leader" situation. At the same time, there are many families with official names.

Rites of Zhou is the regulation of hierarchy. It has a variety of names, including,, fierce Li,, military commander Li and so on. It is a tool to maintain the hierarchy and prevent "illegal intrusion". For example, Zhou Li stipulated in the Ding the number of aristocratic banquets and the types of meat: Wang Jiuding (cattle, sheep, suckling pigs, dried fish, dried meat, belly sacrifice, pork, fresh fish and dried fresh meat), Qi Du (cattle, sheep, suckling pigs, dried fish, dried meat, belly sacrifice and pork) and Wu Zhu (sheep, suckling pigs and pork). There are also differences in the number of music and dance. Since the Duke of Zhou formulated the system of rites and music, no one can modify it. Zhou Wang has the right to punish nobles who violate etiquette.

Countries in the Western Zhou Dynasty implemented the system of enfeoffment. That is, "feudalism" as mentioned in ancient books, and the foundation of enfeoffment system is patriarchal clan system.

Patriarchal clan system is the basic principle of consanguinity in ancient China society, and its main content is lineal consanguinity inheritance system. The patriarchal clan system is constantly expanding and developing on the basis of the patriarchal clan system, which constitutes a hierarchical ladder and the basic social and political system of China feudal society. Shang dynasty had the rudiment of chieftain inheritance. By the Western Zhou Dynasty, this system had been fully developed and reached a complete level.

Strictly speaking, the patriarchal clan system was only implemented within the scope of the Qing Dynasty, doctors and scholars. The ancestors of these classes and families are generally other sons of the monarch. The eldest son of the monarch was made a prince, and the prince succeeded to the throne. The other sons were other sons. Because Biezi is also the son of the monarch, he is also called childe. Biezi can't be the same ancestor as the prince who inherits the monarch. He must break away from the self-supporting family and become the ancestor of the first-line inheritance system in this family, and there will be no change, which is called bulk. Other sons, except the eldest son and grandson, except the eldest son, are illegitimate children. For the big ones, they are called small clans. During this period, if the blood relationship exceeds five generations, they will no longer live in the original small clan. In the whole family composed of big and small clans, the big one is in the position of patriarch, called Zongzi. The other sons who established this family generally have the titles of Qing and Doctor, and the titles are all inherited by Zongzi.

Broadly speaking, the patriarchal clan system also applies to the Zhou royal family. The eldest son of the king of Zhou was made a prince. Most of the other princes were princes at home and abroad, and the principle of consanguinity was quite similar to that of Qing, doctor and scholar. The enfeoffment of the same surname in the early Zhou Dynasty embodied this principle. After Kang Wang, the territory of Zhou Dynasty was generally fixed, and the probability of enfeoffment was reduced. Most sons except the prince stayed in North Korea as ministers and doctors, but the enfeoffment system did not disappear. Until the 22nd year (806 BC), King Xuan also enfeoffed his brother and friend Yu Zheng (now east of hua county, Shaanxi).

The small clan revolves around the bulk, Qing and the doctor protect the king, and the princes screen the king of Zhou. Coupled with the marriage connection of different surnames, it constitutes a huge blood relationship network. Western Zhou rulers hoped to maintain their status and privileges through this relationship.

According to the organizational form of patriarchal clan system, Zhou Wang is not only the supreme ruler of the whole world, but also the "big head" of all the clans named Ji, that is, the biggest patriarch. He not only represents the country, but also presides over the sacrifice of the ancestral temple.

Tianzi Temple is the largest and highest-ranking ancestral temple in China, which is called "Ancestral Temple". Ancestors of past dynasties, with ancestors as the center and arranged by Zhao Mu, all have a certain status, and only the Emperor of Heaven has the privilege of ancestor worship.

Minefield system is the economic foundation of slave society, which embodies the main body of production relations in China feudal society. It is closely related to the patriarchal clan system and further developed in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Zhou is nominally the supreme master of the land and people in the country. The so-called "all over the world, is it the land of kings?" On the bank of the earth, is it not a king? "As the patriarch of the world, he divided the land and people attached to it into old and new vassal States, and the monarch of the vassal state had the highest power in the fief.

Due to the limitation of the development level of productive forces, the reclamation of ancient feudal countries was limited, mainly concentrated around some cities. Especially in the suburbs and vassal states of Wang Du, most of the better cultivated fields are concentrated here. These fertile fields are carefully edged, and roads and irrigation ditches in the north, south, east and west are criss-crossed and transformed into square fields with connected sizes. This is a standard minefield.

Generally speaking, the boundary of a mine field is 100 mu per square meter (about 31 mu today). As a farming unit, it is called a field. Nine oil fields connected vertically and horizontally merged into one well, covering an area of about one square mile. Ten wells are called ten percent, and a hundred wells are called together. Some people take a field as a husband, ten husbands as wells, and then calculate the field in units of hundreds and thousands of husbands.

Well-field system was implemented in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Each male main labor force gives 100 mu of land (equivalent to 3 1 mu), and the allocated land is changed every three years. At that time, mature and barren farming systems were widely adopted, and agricultural production made great progress.

Some scholars have different views. For example, Huang Xianfan said, "Whether there is a well-field system is controversial in ancient and modern times. However, most of what he said did not consider the overall situation. The biggest reason why Yu Jin denied the mining field theory was that the king of Zhou had no land to give to the people. Zhou is a slave society, but who is feudal? In other words, the son of heaven granted the land to the princes and established the country. Governors have fiefs, and doctors in Qing dynasty have the right to use fiefs, which are not owned by the emperor. Even the land within the capital was given to Doctor Qing, not owned by the son of heaven. The land in the whole country has been divided again and again, and there is not much left, so it is also reasonable to say that the son of heaven gave the people land and implemented the well-field system. Some commentators said that although the Emperor of Heaven gave no land to the people, Zhou was unified: "Under the world, is it the land of kings, or is it the minister of kings?" "Beggars can issue decrees and order governors to execute them, without giving them to the people in person. Yes or no, Zhou's centralization is relative rather than absolute, and it is possible rather than inevitable. The world was ruled by the Zhou Dynasty, which was recognized by the governors. But Zhou can only live in it, but he can't really order it. Governors can only live in it, but they can't really be ordered by Zhou. The so-called "facing the princes, winning the world" is also true. The relationship between the vassal and the son of heaven is only once, and it doesn't matter if you don't go to court. The son of heaven has no world, unlike the meaning of later monarchs and ministers. The emperor doesn't ask about the internal affairs of princes. Actually, I have no right to ask. For example, if you teach a monarch, many brothers and sisters in Shandong, but in countries such as Qi and Jin, you will pass it down, depending on your own situation, and it will be handed down every week. Another example is the arrival report heard in Qi Taigong in May and the arrival report heard in Lvbo poultry three years ago. There are no certain laws and regulations on the week, and the rulers do not necessarily use the week system. On the contrary, it stands to reason that the system of the mine field can make orders and travel all over the world, and it is better. The premise of implementing the well-field system is that the emperor has enough land and the central power is sound and centralized, but if Zhou can't do this, I don't know where to start the implementation of the well-field system. On the basis of Yu punishment and Tang punishment, the Western Zhou Dynasty formulated nine punishments. The main content of the nine punishments is to severely punish those so-called "thieves" and "thieves" and safeguard the basic laws of slavery and the fundamental interests of slave owners and nobles. According to "Lu Punishment in Shangshu", there were five kinds of punishments in the Zhou Dynasty, namely ink punishment (tattooing on the face), licking punishment (cutting off the nose), gouging out punishment (cutting off the foot), palace punishment (castrating the male and imprisoning the female) and monarch punishment (beheading). In addition, there are flogging and exile. There are 3000 laws that stipulate five sentences. The French open is tight, far exceeding the previous generation.

The laws of the Western Zhou Dynasty have obvious class nature. According to Xiao Sikou of Li Zhou, aristocratic crimes can be handled specially, which is the so-called eight discussions: discussing relatives, discussing the future, discussing talents, discussing abilities, discussing merits, discussing diligence and discussing guests. Even if the death penalty is imposed, it should be handed over to the Yunnan people for execution. As long as there is an official husband or wife, there is no need to appear in court in person in prison proceedings. "Don't sit down in prison proceedings." In the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was a good example to record the litigation between fathers and send their subordinate representatives to court to win the case. Ming Ding also described that in a famine year, Kuang Jia and twenty slaves stole ten grains of grain and sued. In Kuang Ji, seven fields and five people were compensated and five people became slaves. This case shows that the purpose of the law at that time was to maintain all slavery relations.

There were strict punishments in the Zhou Dynasty. "Courtesy is no less than that of Shu Ren, and punishment is no less than that of a doctor.". Zhou Li is based on the patriarchal clan system formed under the patriarchal social system, and is used to mediate and adjust the contradictions and relations within the ruling class. Punishment is used to control and suppress civilians, including death penalty, ink punishment, exile punishment, flogging, redemption and a whole set of litigation and trial systems. Slavery was very common in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The source of slaves, for reward or sale, is often called male and female servants, while those from sinners or prisoners of war are often called "slaves".

The word "male and female servants" existed at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. In the Lu Gong Oath in Shangshu Feishi, male and female slaves are compared to horses and cows, both of which are the property of a specific owner. Those who escape should be brought back and returned to their original owners, and those who hide or abduct should be punished. On Kang Wang's reign, Fu Zun said: "The Duke of Yan gave Fu Yi clothes, concubines and shells", which also showed that concubines and property were also owned by slave owners.

Slaves can be bought and sold in the market. "Li Zhou Zhi Ren" said: "The goods and bribes, people, cattle and horses, weapons and exotic things that dominate the city." Among them, "people", note: "handmaiden also." In the same book "Taizai", it is called "male and female servants". Both male and female servants are private. As indicated in the inscription, male and female servants can be transferred as compensation. As compensation, freemen become concubines, mainly engaged in housework, but it does not rule out being driven by their owners to engage in productive labor.

It is said that there are two kinds of "Li" and "Si Zhai Li". Criminals are also called "slaves" because men and women are convicted themselves or their families commit crimes. According to "Zhou Li Li Si", men in criminal service are managed by criminal service officials and serve in various government agencies; Women are handed over to civilian officials for civil affairs, doing heavy work such as threshing rice. It is said that barbarians, Fujian, barbarians and raccoons are different, and they are engaged in raising cattle, horses and animals and guarding palaces and houses. These slaves all belong to the government.

Shu Ren is mainly responsible for productive labor, working in the fields. Although their status is different from that of male servants and officials, as described in Poems in July, they live a poor and miserable life and are enslaved by nobles all their lives, and their status is almost the same as that of slaves.