Chapter 7 Section 7: The Era of Jianshu and Fuxin

Beginning in 475 BC, my country entered the Warring States Period, and the feudal society was formed and developed for 2,000 years. As the beginning of the feudal society, the Warring States Period was full of vitality and the social economy developed rapidly.The communication industry has made great progress accordingly. During the Warring States period, the exchanges between the various vassal states were unprecedentedly frequent.At that time, with Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, as the center, it reached Qilu in the east, Guanzhong in the west, Yanzhao in the north, and Wu and Chu in the south.Because at that time, the vassal states competed frequently, and each had a group of lobbyists and advisers. They traveled to lobby and plan among the countries, which also made the post office busier than ever.

During the Warring States period, one of the symbols of the busy post office communication was the popularity of short scripts and letters. At that time, paper had not yet been invented, and the oracle bone inscriptions in the Shang and Zhou dynasties had been eliminated, and the short-hand letters made of bamboo and wood gradually emerged.Jianshu is the writing of letters or articles on bamboo and wood slips, which began to appear in the Western Zhou Dynasty.There is: "The king's affairs are so difficult, and the king is not allowed to live. Don't you want to return? Afraid of this short book." It means: The state's affairs are so difficult, and the king of Zhou can't get peace.Don't I want to return home soon?The fear is that the government will send military documents again.The "Jianshu" here is bamboo and wood bamboo slip letters.During the Warring States Period, bamboo slips were used for daily official documents, officials' reports, official correspondence, and lobbyists' letters.Brief letters generally face inward, and are bound and sealed, while long letters are bound with leather strips to form a book, rolled into a roll, and sealed outside.Such official documents and letters are much lighter than the oracle bones before.

Fuxin is a token of communication, that is, a pass certificate, with symbols and festivals.Festival, is the identification, for messengers or merchants to use on the road.Those who hold this festival will be provided with accommodation and meals along the way by the Chuanshe.A bronze festival in the Warring States period was unearthed in Changsha, Hunan Province. It is in the shape of a horse, also known as the "Bronze Horse Festival".According to the research of ancient philologist Yu Shengwu, this is a proof of identity as a "Marquis of Qi Chuan". "Hou" is the official name in charge of the biography of riding, "Qi" is the title of a solo rider, and "Chuan" refers to the luxurious biography of "Ri".Qi Chuanhou is a full-time official who specializes in car biography and horse biography.With this certificate, you can travel unimpeded on Post Station Avenue.Talismans and festivals are slightly different, most of them are military credentials, and they can also be used as passports stipulated by national security.Generally speaking, the talisman is divided into left and right halves, one half is held by the king, and the other half is distributed to the general who leads the troops.

During the Warring States Period, a certificate called "Feng Chuan" was also used on the post road.According to "Historical Records", when Meng Changjun was released from Qin State and returned to Qi State, King Qin Zhao regretted it and wanted to send someone to chase him back.But Mr. Mengchang had already fled by express train.He changed the "sealed biography", changed his name, and got out of Hangu Pass in the middle of the night.King Qin Zhao ordered the fast mail car to catch up quickly, but he did not recover.According to textual research by scholars in the Tang Dynasty, this kind of seal was the later post coupon, a kind of proof of driving on the post road.The above-mentioned story is the allusion that Mr. Mengchang used the diners who were diners to pretend to be crows to earn money to open and close the door.Qin State has a very strict pass-through certificate system for passing checkpoints. It is said that this system was established by Shang Yang. Later, when Shang Yang himself was framed and wanted to escape from Qin State, he was detained in an inn because he had no documents, and was finally arrested by Qin Army. get.

During the Warring States Period, other vassal states also used Fu Xin. In 1957, the "E Junqi Festival" was discovered in Shouxian County, Anhui Province.The joints are made of bronze, and there are two groups, each group originally consisted of five pieces, which are combined into a bamboo tube shape.There are wrong gold inscriptions on it, which describe the vehicles and boats owned by the festival holders, the passage routes and other matters.Those who hold this festival can have free board and lodging at the stations along the way. During the Warring States Period, there were many names and types of talisman festivals.In terms of usage, there are road festivals, gate talisman festivals, etc.In terms of shape, there are Eagle Festival, Goose Festival, Dragon Festival, Tiger Festival, Horse Festival, Bear Festival and so on.

Regarding talismans, there is a famous story of "stealing talismans to save Zhao" in the Warring States Period.It is said that at the end of the Warring States period, Qin State heavily surrounded Handan, the capital of Zhao State. Lord Pingyuan of Zhao State wrote to Lord Xinling of Wei State for help. Not allowed.Relying on the cooperation of King Wei's favorite concubine Ruji, Lord Xinling stole the tiger talisman, won the military power, and led 80,000 elite soldiers to rescue the siege of Handan.This Tiger Talisman was the proof of troop deployment at that time.This is a token for dispatching troops and generals during the Warring States Period. The half of the tiger talisman held by the messenger must match the other half in the hands of the general in charge of the military before the order can take effect.

The envoy who holds the talisman has privileges in the communication process.If there is a traffic jam, he can pass through first; when martial law is declared, he can also make an exception without restriction; he can also quickly see the king.However, their communication time is set by the relevant department, and there are certain regulations on when and where they must arrive.This is called "Jieyidaoli Daily Time Class", which ensures that the communication arrives on time. The communication tools of the Warring States period were more advanced than those of the previous generation.There are more and more single-riding communications, and the word "jump" also has the meaning of riding a horse.In addition to the special envoys and special envoys handling major state affairs, the power of general correspondence was gradually transferred to lower-level officials with lower positions at that time. "Wait.The emergence of many names shows that communication services were commonplace at that time.