Guide
Since Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robes were added to his body and became the emperor of the people's attention, the synonym of autocracy and centralized power has also closely followed the footsteps of the Great Song. In order to strengthen and consolidate the centralized rule, Zhao Kuangyin made another move after "releasing the military power with a cup of wine" and taking over the military power of the meritorious heroes. He first stripped the feudal towns of their military power, then seized the financial power of the localities, and finally adjusted the relationship between the power of the monarchs and subjects, and finally reached a new type of central-local relationship of "forty thousand miles away, honoring the beijing division".
However, the whiplash was beyond reach, and the ruling class was too far away from the rural people, so that the ruling class at the top was out of touch with the people, forming the so-called "light rod commander". As a result, the rural elite gradually emerged and served as a hub connecting the central ruling class with the rural people. This article will start from the social background of the rural elite, introduce how the rural elite class controls the people and its specific measures, and then analyze the significance of the rural elite class, and finally summarize and analyze it.
Folk scenes of the Song Dynasty
The social background of the rural elite: There is a huge gulf between the central ruling class and the rural people, resulting in the central government's inability to control the rural people.
In this highly centralized social environment, the officials directly appointed by the central government go up to the county level, and there is no rule below the county level. However, at that time, the land area was vast, the domestic residents were extremely scattered compared to modern times, and the bureaucracy at that time could not reach the entire rural corners, which undoubtedly set up several strong "roadblocks" for the central Song Dynasty on the road to control the countryside.
The lack of setting up below the county level caused a "gap of power" between the central rulers of the Song Dynasty and the rural people, and this fault line of power inevitably affected the central government's rule over the entire country. Or ask what to say about this?
Because although the central government is highly centralized, it has no close connection with the people. In this way, the interests of both the central ruling class and the rural people are harmed. From the perspective of the central ruling class, if the officials have no contact with the people, the country's fiscal revenue will inevitably face a serious crisis, in addition, the labor force can not be replenished, and the security of the imperial court can only be in the hands of others. From the perspective of the people in the countryside, if the ruling class does not have close ties with the people, under the social background of serious land annexation, and then encounters disasters, without the intervention of the ruling class, the people's lives cannot be guaranteed, and the public order of the people cannot be managed, then chaos will be brought about everywhere.
Song Dynasty official
Moreover, the people are the foundation of the whole country, and if the ruling class cannot control the countryside, it is like a big tree being cut off and becoming the so-called "broken waist politics". The roots below were in charge of the life and death of the entire tree, but after the waist was cut off, there was no supply of nutrients, and the thick branches would wither and wither before long.
The ruling class of the Song Dynasty was bound to not allow this to happen, so it had to seek a cure for a 'broken waist''. And the supreme ruler does not want to break the centralized power situation of "the power of the world is vested in the court", so if he wants to fill the "power gap" between the ruling class and the people, he needs a pivot linking the two.
It is precisely under this social background that groups such as township scribes, lizheng, household chiefs, senior chiefs, capital deputy baozheng, big and small bao chiefs, jiatou, family patriarchs, rural magnates, and zhishi officials have emerged, forming the so-called 'elite class'', which acts as a hub connecting the ruling class and the people, and is jointly responsible for the enlistment, public order, relief and ideological dissemination of the rural people.
The class structure of the Song Dynasty
How does the rural elite manage the countryside?
The so-called "elite class" of the Song Dynasty can be precisely divided into three categories of people. First, the leaders of the townships, villages, capitals, baos, A, and qi in the rural management system, such people generally speaking, represent the authoritarian government to control the rural people in the name of "gong". Second, the patriarchs and house chiefs who are linked by the family control the members of the family in the name of "private". Third, some rural elites and highly respected retired officials have greater influence, so they also play a huge role in controlling the rural people. The following will be a brief introduction to the specific measures taken by the above three types of elites in controlling the rural people.
Specific measures taken by the township capital baojia leaders to control the rural areas:
The History of the Song Dynasty (Part 15) and the Battle Law records that "the Song Dynasty was made of the previous generation,...... The governor of the household, the head of the household, and the village scrivener collected taxes, and the elder, archer, and zhuangding hunted down the thieves. ''
That is to say, the Song Dynasty borrowed from the old system of the previous dynasty, and let Li Zheng, the head of the household, and the township scribe (the person who assisted Li Zheng in handling the paperwork) be in charge of taxation, while the elder, the archer (a kind of service), and zhuangding were mainly responsible for catching thieves to maintain law and order in the countryside.
However, with the continuous development of society, the elite leaders of the Song Dynasty also gradually changed.
Song Taizu Zhao Jiong
For example, during the reign of Zhao Jiong, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, he once stipulated: "Abolish the countryside and divide it into." The head of the household is the lord of the house, and the chief of the elders is the thief. That is, to abolish the original township-level setup and divide the original townships into several "guan", and the administrative members of the "guan" are mainly composed of senior elders, zhuangding, and household chiefs. At this time, the head of the household was mainly responsible for taxation, while the head of the household was mainly responsible for managing fighting, bridges, thieves, fireworks, etc.
In the second year of Zhihe, Lizheng was abolished, and the rural management system at this time was left with four names: Qi Chang, Zhuang Ding, Household Chief, and Township Scribe.
During the Xining period, with the implementation of Wang Anshi's "Baojia Law", elites such as du vice baozheng, large and small bao chief, and jiatou (responsible for tax collection) began to appear in the rural management system.
In addition to the constant change in the name of the rural elite, the number of rural elites has also undergone tremendous changes.
At the beginning of the implementation of Wang Anshi Baojia Law, 10 households were 1 small guarantee, 5 small insurance was 1 large guarantee, and 10 major insurance was 1 capital insurance, so that every 500 households had 51 rural elites. In the sixth year of Xining, 10 households were changed from 1 small insurance to 5 households as 1 small insurance. As a result, there are 102 rural elites in every 500 households, which is double.
The increase in the number of rural elites has greatly improved the efficiency of rural administration. Although they were not official government officials, at best 'officials', they provided favorable conditions for the Song Dynasty's expropriation of rural enlistment and the control of law and order, and also served as a bridge between the ruling class and the people.
Specific measures for the control of the countryside by the rural magnates and the respected in the countryside: Since the Middle Tang Dynasty, land annexation has intensified, and the Song Dynasty has adopted a policy of "no suppression of annexation", which undoubtedly gives those powerful and powerful people the opportunity to free their hands and feet to annex land.
By 1234 A.D., the severity of land annexation had reached the point where Liu Kezhuang had said in his recital: "As for devouring the anointing of a thousand families, even the number of roads that have been strange, and the number of millions of huo, since the opening of the year, there has been no such thing." ''
Rural farmers are working
As a result, there are large farmers with a series of strange land products in the countryside, who have strong financial resources and gradually become the elite group of the countryside. To a large extent, this group encroaches on the interests of the people and increases the gap between the rich and the poor in the countryside, but from another point of view, they give the people a guarantee in their lives. Arguably, there is a wonderful balance between the two.
When some poor people are not in favor, some powerful households will lend a helping hand and give relief to the poor. Or in the period of famine, some powerful households will also open warehouses to provide some people with life security. Especially when the ruling class's relief to the people does not reach the countryside, the role played by these powerful people is even greater. In this way, the stability of the people can be maintained, and at the same time the interests of the powerful and powerful can be protected, because if they do not provide protection to the people, the people will inevitably revolt, and it will be the land and property of these powerful people who will be divided.
In addition to some powerful people, some Zhi Shi, Ding You's returning officials and some highly respected people also became part of the role of the rural elite.
To the officials
The Song Dynasty's emphasis on literature and light martial arts was also among the best in the entire feudal history, so the people had more respect for such officials who had returned to their hometowns. This kind of person is full of poetry and books, deeply loved by the people, and the words they say are often full of weight, so they gradually integrate into the elite group in the countryside.
These officials often act as propagators of ruling ideas and ideas, so that they can effectively connect the ruling class with the rural people and become a bridge for the dissemination of "ideas".
Specific measures for clan chiefs and house chiefs to control rural areas:
Since ancient times, the concept of clans in China has always existed, and the southern region has become more important. The clans connect the people one by one, forming a group of gathered groups, and they have a strict relationship between respect and inferiority and ethics. Under the influence of the clan concept, the governing concept of "ruling the world with filial piety" was also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, providing a solid foundation for the stability of the Great Song Dynasty to a certain extent.
Such elite groups not only ideologically connected the ruling class and the people, but also gave great help to the ruling class of the Song Dynasty in terms of specific management and protection. For example, the water conservancy situation of farmland in the countryside and the statistics of the registered population also facilitated the central government's rule.
Jiangzhou De'an Yimen Chen clan
In addition, the family patriarch has also played an extremely important role in relieving the clan and resolving intra-clan conflicts. For example, the Chen clan of De'an Yimen in Jiangzhou, this family has not divided the family or wealth for more than three hundred years, helped each other, helped each other, and provided relief to the clansmen, and the harmony within the family has also created national stability.
At the same time, under the management of the family patriarch, the people combined the behavior and morality of "filial piety at home and faithfulness to the township" with the interests of the country, and made great contributions to the prosperity and stability of the country.
The meaning of the rural elite
The emergence of the township capital Baojia leader connected the ruling class with the rural people, filled the gap between taxation, labor, management, relief, and public security, provided a strong impetus for the finances, military affairs, and politics of the Great Song Dynasty, and also provided sufficient guarantees for the stable and long-term survival of the Great Song For more than three hundred years.
The emergence of the village magnate and the highly respected in the countryside spread the ruler's concept of governance to the people of the countryside, thus connecting the two ideologically. In addition, Haoqiang invested in the cost of money and property to rescue the people, and also contributed to the prosperity and stability of the Great Song Dynasty.
The prosperous and stable country streets of the Song Dynasty
The emergence of clan chiefs and house chiefs instilled the concept of the Great Song Dynasty ''ruling the world with filial piety'" into the people, and at the same time mediated intra-clan contradictions for His Holiness, and also maintained order within the family, and to a large extent, eradicated the scourge of the stability of the national society. In addition, when the government's safeguards did not reach the countryside, the elite within the family would also give relief and protection to the clan, which in turn consolidated the stability of the Song Dynasty.
epilogue
The high degree of centralization of power in the central government could not touch the countryside, forming a "gap in power", and the rulers were unwilling to break the situation of "the power of the world belongs to the imperial court", so the rural elite group quietly emerged in line with the social background of the time, filling the power gap between the ruling class and the people.
The emergence of three elite groups is like three powerful bridges, connecting the ruling class with the people at the same time. Moreover, these three types of elite groups control the rural people in terms of taxation, labor, military, ideology, and living security. It is precisely because of this that the Song Dynasty was able to survive steadily for more than three hundred years on the basis of the ruling ideology of emphasizing literature and light force, and under the rule of "no rule below the county level". The stability of the rural people has created the stability of the country, and the stability of the country has also promoted the development of folk economy and culture, and the high development of economy and culture in turn has guaranteed the stability of the people, which is also the cleverness of the Song Dynasty's rule.
In short, the existence of the elite class of the Song Dynasty, whether from top to bottom or from bottom to top, played a key role in the reform and rule of the countryside of the Great Song Dynasty. It spread the above-mentioned ordinances in the countryside, and in turn raised the conditions in the countryside to the central ruling class, which also had an indelible effect on the penetration of central power in the countryside of the Song Dynasty.
The mirror is therefore illuminated, and the ancient things are known to the present. Creation is not easy, please support more, if there are any inaccuracies in this article, I hope you will correct the criticism.
References: "Song Hui Zhi Manuscript", "Song Shi , Food Chronicles , Service Law "Song Shi Xiaoyi", "The Complete Biography of the Chinese Emperor , Taizu Zhao Kuangyin"