Chapter 20 Section 4 Development of Post Posts in Minority Areas

The period of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was an important period of national integration in the history of our country.From the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Northern Dynasties, many ethnic minorities in the north had established political power.They are either partial to the border, or almost unified the entire north.These ethnic regimes have played an important role in the development of the post office business in the north. In the early period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Han Dynasty, founded by Liu Yuan of the Huns, attached great importance to post offices.When he recruited wise men, he used post books.According to historical records, at that time there was a famous Han scholar in the north named Chen Yuanda, who had little ambition and was favored by Liu Yuan. Before Liu became king of Han, he asked him for help several times, but he refused.When Liu Yuan became King of Han, his friends said to Chen Yuanda: You should be afraid this time!You once treated Liu Yuan so slowly.Chen Yuanda smiled and replied, "I know Liu Yuan very well, and he has seen through my psychology. I am afraid that within two or three days, a post office secretary will come to call me." Sure enough, a letter from Liu Yuan passed through soon. When the post office arrived, Chen Yuanda became an important staff member of Liu Yuan's establishment of the country (Volume 85).This example shows that even at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when the war in the north was still very chaotic, some insightful people in the regime of the ethnic minorities in the north had already used the post post as an important measure to consolidate their rule.During the reign of Shi Le, a post-Zhao Jie [jiejie] man, the postal stations in the north developed further.People in the Eastern Jin Dynasty once described the effective implementation of the post post in Hou Zhao at that time, saying: "The post post of the thief (Later Zhao) travels thousands of miles in a day" ("Jin Shu" Volume 77 "Cai Mo Biography").Shi Le often used the rapid military post to report the military situation in time, and used the military post to issue orders and mobilize generals.This shows that the post system at that time was smooth.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, some remote areas inhabited by ethnic minorities in China, post offices also prospered.This is especially evident in today's Gansu area. In 1972, a brick with a portrait was unearthed in the tombs of the Wei and Jin Dynasties in Jiayuguan, Gansu.It depicts a postman riding on a galloping red-maned horse, holding a rein in one hand and a document in the other, delivering the message in a hurry.It vividly shows the situation of Yichuan at that time. According to historical records, during the Cao Wei period, Cangci was sent to Dunhuang as the prefect.After he took office, he severely cracked down on the illegal tyrants who controlled the traffic channels, ensuring the normal operation of the local national postal stations and civilian traffic.He also encouraged foreign merchants to do business in the Central Plains via the Hexi Corridor, issued them "passes" (passes) to Luoyang, and sent special personnel to escort them out of the country.During the period when Cang Ci governed the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, the local economy and culture developed greatly.Later, Cang Ci died of illness in Dunhuang, and even the foreign merchants were deeply saddened. They gathered in Cang Ci's office to express their condolences, and set up a memorial ancestral hall for Cang Ci ("Three Kingdoms · Cang Ci Biography").

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, post offices in Xinjiang, my country also developed. Since the 20th century, a large number of cultural relics have been unearthed in this area, especially a group of wooden slips, which provide us with specific information about post offices in this area from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD.For example, a wooden slip unearthed in Minfeng, Xinjiang today records in detail how envoys of the Jin Dynasty went to Dunhuang with documents about the long history of the Western Regions in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty.These ancient documents recorded the post road from the Central Plains to Shanshan through the Hexi Corridor at that time.On the post road connecting the Central Plains and Xinjiang, there is a well-established post post agency, and the official title of "Post Supervisor" is engraved on the wooden slips.There are special personnel in charge of each station along the post road, and some slips have the joint signatures of local officials.A bamboo slip document found in the Lop Nur area of ​​Xinjiang today said that a courier carried 16 documents, all of which were signed by the long history of the Western Regions, of which 12 should be sent to Dunhuang and two to Jiuquan. The other two were sent to other regions.Taishi is the year name of Emperor Wu of Jin, and the sixth year of Taishi is 270 AD.This wooden slip shows the smooth flow of postal stations in the Hexi Corridor and Xinjiang in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty.During the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Qianliang State, which lived in the west of Hexi, also set up the Changshi Mansion of the Western Regions near today's Lop Nur.Judging from the documents discovered in local archaeology in recent years, this place was an important station for passing documents in Qianliang.The format of the unearthed documents there is exactly the same as that in the Central Plains, including the date of sending the letter, the sender, etc.This shows that the post office business in the Lop Nur area was as developed as that in the Central Plains during the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms.In addition, physical evidence of frequent correspondence between King Yanqi in Xinjiang and the Zhang regime in Qianliang was also found in Lop Nur.These documents recorded a military coup that took place in the Lop Nur area at that time: a rebel general named Zhao Zhen rebelled, and Li Bai, the former governor of the Western Regions of Liang, wrote to the government to demand suppression.The documents included a letter from Li Bai to Zhang Jun of Qianliang, and two letters to Yanqi State at the same time, which meant to inform King Yanqi that he had come to the Western Regions to assume office on behalf of the Qianliang government.

During the Western Jin Dynasty and the Sixteen Kingdoms period, there were two powerful minority regimes in Xinjiang.One is the Shanshan Kingdom in the south, which controls areas from Lop Nur to Minfeng and Yutian in southern Xinjiang.Shanshan surrendered successively to the Western Jin Dynasty, Qianliang and later the Northern Wei Dynasty.But it is very independent, the domestic economy is developed, and it has a complete postal system.In the ancient Shanshan area, many wooden slips and documents from the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties have been unearthed, including thousands of documents in Chinese and local minority languages, among which 764 documents in Lu script have been released.These Kaluwen wooden slips are generally made of two boards joined together, grooved and tied with ropes, and filled with sealing mud, which is exactly the same as the ancient Chinese slips and slips system.From these documents, we can see that in ancient Shanshan, there was a type of personnel called "guides", who were full-time post road service personnel, who were responsible for receiving envoys and merchants from all over the country, and transporting official documents and letters.This kind of "guide" is relayed in turn according to the post station. They have fast camels to deliver official documents, letters and goods in time.These guides are not free services, but charge a certain amount of wages and food from the government.If the camels used die on the way, the local governor will also give compensation.When they travel for postal services, their family members are “taken care of” by the local government.It seems that they have an employment relationship with the government.Relying on this relationship, a complete system of post transmission was maintained in the vast Shanshan country.During the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, there was another powerful country called Qiuci (qiu ci Qiuci) in northern Xinjiang.The country has maintained frequent contact with the Central Plains since the Han Dynasty, and the exchanges of post envoys have been maintained until the Northern and Southern Dynasties.At the end of the 5th century A.D., there was a road to the east of the Kucha Kingdom that went through Yanqi, Gaochang, Yiwu, and Hexi to Chang'an.There are also post roads to the west and north of Kucha.

During the reign of the former Qin Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty, the northern post roads were more smooth. "Book of Jin" once recorded that during Fu Jian's reign, under the assistance of Wang Meng, the post post system was very neat and strict: "There is a kiosk for twenty miles, and a post for forty miles. Travelers get supplies on the way, and businessmen trade on the road." ("Jin Shu" Volume 113 "Fu Jian Records").On both sides of the post road, pagoda tree willows are planted, and the green shade is lined up.The achievements of Fu Jian and Wang Meng were praised by the people.They sang: "Chang'an Avenue, with poplar trees and locust trees, walking down Zhulun, and Luan on the top. Yingyan gathered and taught me Mengli".Zhulun refers to the red wheel, and Luanqi refers to the phoenix bird perched on the tree.The last two sentences mean that wise politicians gather to teach our people ("Book of Jin · Fu Jian Records").Fu Jian often ordered his subordinates to use post cars to recruit wise men.When he knew that there was an eminent monk named Kumarajiva in the Western Regions, he ordered the general Lu Guang to invite him to the former Qin Dynasty: "If you get Rosh, you will send him back by post." The transportation also depends on the post. .The post roads of the Northern Wei Dynasty extend in all directions, and can go west to the Western Regions, connecting with the post roads of Persia.In recent years, in Gaoping Town at the eastern foot of Liupan Mountain in Ningxia, a batch of Sassanian silver coins, gilded silver pots, glass bowls, lapis lazuli rings, etc. have been discovered archaeologically, which shows that there were indeed frequent postal exchanges at that time.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the titles of special envoys for communications were very special. They often imitated the names of ancient bird officials and dragon officials.These names are all taken from the meaning of the rapidity of its flight and its long-sightedness.The Xianbei rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty also called the messengers in their own language, such as calling them "Bidezhen" (clerk), "Fuzhuzhen" (postman), "Xianzhen" (local postman) Wait.This situation just reflected the national characteristics at that time.