Chapter 16 Section 1 The concept of administrative boundaries

The second geographic element of administrative divisions is the boundary.The concept of boundaries also emerged with the emergence of administrative divisions.The enfeoffment of the Western Zhou Dynasty established a stronghold-style city-state.The feudal states scattered all over the country are distributed in a dot shape. There are large pieces of unowned land and fields between the countries, and there is no clear boundary.This situation is no exception even in the Central Plains.For example, the state of Zheng moved to the vicinity of today's Zhengzhou during the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties, and it was still "chopped and co-existing with basil and quinoa" ("Zuo Zhuan·Sixteen Years of Zhao Gong").Zheng's east neighbor is the feudal state of the descendants of the Shang Dynasty—Song, between Song and Zheng until the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, there were still six cities in the gap, which were never occupied by the two countries. It has been a full 600 years since the two countries were first feuded.

In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (627 BC), the State of Qin sent a large army to attack the State of Zheng, and passed through the two states of Jin and Zhou (the area directly under Zhou Tianzi) on the way, as if entering a land of no one.Not only did Jin and Zhou not intervene, Zheng Guo also did not get any information.It was not until the border of Zheng State was approached that he was discovered by businessman Xian Gao. Impatient and wise, Xian Gao hurriedly used the name of rewarding the army to stabilize the Qin army, and sent people back to the country to inform them to prepare for battle, thus avoiding the bad luck of being suddenly attacked.This story sounds strange to read today, but at the time, it was normal for there to be large gaps between nations.

Originally, in the clan society, only the tribe’s place of residence had a relatively concentrated population. Around the place of residence was first a vast hunting zone, followed by a protective forest belt that separated the tribe from other tribes.This kind of isolation zone still has its remnant forms in later generations, and the suburbs, pastures, and fields outside the capital city of the Shang Dynasty are the names of various divisions. "Shangshu·Mu Oath" said: "The dynasty is as far as the suburbs of Shang and Muye." The Shang here refers to the capital of Shang. It is the suburbs, the suburbs are the wild, and the suburbs are the contact zone between the country and the wild.According to different places of residence, there are differences between Chinese and savages.Until the geographical relationship is established, the boundary between the country and the countryside disappears, and it turns into the boundary between counties and counties, and the boundary between counties and counties. Come.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was also an open space between the Xiongnu and the Qin and Han Dynasties, which was called "Ou Tuo".The gaps in the Zhou Dynasty and the Outuo in the Qin and Han Dynasties were border areas and buffer zones for the two regimes.After the Spring and Autumn period, with the gradual economic development, the development of the border areas, and the increasing population, the hostility between the two sides intensified, and wars broke out to compete for gaps.In wars, the offense and defense of various countries only focused on the dangerous passes, and did not send troops to guard the borders. Even the passes were only garrisoned during wartime, and they were ignored at ordinary times.In the late Spring and Autumn Period, wars became more frequent and larger, and Chen Bing gradually had the tendency to guard the border. "Chunqiu·Gongyang Biography" records that in the first year of Zhaogong (541 BC), "Shu Gong commanded Xinjiang and Yuntian. Who is the borderer? It is also the border with Ju." There were also disputes over borders. "Historical Records The Family of Chu" records the dispute between Beiliang in Wubianyi and Zhongli in Chubianyi, which caused the two countries to go to war.

During the Warring States Period, the concept of borders had been fully formed, and city-states had been transformed into territorial states.Su Qinqi said to King Xuan: "The reason why Han and Wei are afraid of Qin is because they are close to Qin... Han and Wei won the battle against Qin, but half of their troops will be lost, and the four realms will not be defended." ("Historical Records Biography of Su Qin") ") "Historical Records Hequ Shu" said that between Qi and Zhao "the big river is the border".At that time, the purpose of siege between countries was to expand their territory, and the concept of boundaries was naturally very clear.

Simultaneously with the formation of the concept of borders between countries, borders between counties and counties also emerged.Since the county is built on the frontier and connected with other countries, it is divided into sections, and the national boundary also includes the county boundary, and the smaller section is the county boundary.As mentioned above, the boundary between Wu and Chu is between Beiliang, an euphemism in the Wu border, and Zhongli, an euphemism in the Chu border.Within the various countries, due to the increasing production and land expansion, the open space between cities also disappeared, and there were also clear boundaries between counties and counties.For example, during Qin Xiaogong’s Shang Yang reform, small townships were gathered into counties. The number and location of these small townships were clear, and their outer boundaries were naturally determined.This is what happened in the Warring States Period.Jin State, which is more advanced than Qin State, had already clearly designated counties in the late Spring and Autumn Period. "Zuo Zhuan" records in the twenty-eighth year of Zhaogong (514 BC): "In autumn, the fields of the Qi family are divided into seven counties, and the fields of the Yangtong family are divided into three counties." The territories of the lost nobles are divided into specific counties. , its boundary is also vivid on the paper.

The concept of boundaries becomes clearer later on.By the Han Dynasty, even fields and fields had to be drawn on the map as a basis for demarcation.The protagonist of the story, the well-known Kuang Heng, was sealed in Anle Township in Tong County (northeast of Si County, Anhui today).There, at first, a border was drawn in Minmo by mistake. As a result, he overcharged the grain rent and was denounced. Later, he corrected it according to the map.Of course, such a situation occurs in a densely populated and productively developed area.If it is in an undeveloped area, the boundaries of counties and counties are still not so clear.For example, during the Han Dynasty, only one Ye County (the predecessor of today’s Fuzhou City) was established in the entire Fujian region at the mouth of the Minjiang River. This county was at least 500 kilometers away from the nearest neighboring county in the Western Han Dynasty. There is no clear boundary between them.

But generally speaking, it should be said that with the germination of the prefecture and county system, the concept of boundaries gradually emerged, and by the Warring States Period, the concept of boundaries had become very clear.This is where the question of how to draw the line arises.When the Seven Kingdoms were vying for supremacy, this problem was not prominent, because wars were frequent, national boundaries often changed, and borders expanded and contracted from time to time. Usually, between countries, counties and counties, mountains and rivers were intuitively used as boundaries.Moreover, the system of prefectures and counties was being formed at that time, and it was too late to design a perfect demarcation principle. When Qin Shihuang unified the country, the issue of how to delineate the boundaries of administrative regions was put on the agenda.

Political districts were originally set up for the needs of centralized state administration. Of course, the demarcation of the boundaries should be based on the principle that it is beneficial to centralized rule. On the other hand, the development of agricultural economy is the basis for maintaining the feudal regime. Political districts The delineation of the boundary should also pay attention to make the administrative area consistent with the geographical environment.Under the guidance of these two ideologies, two opposing demarcation principles emerged, namely, the combination of dog's teeth and the shape of mountains and rivers.

In Chinese history, these two principles were used at the same time, but later on, the principle of incisiveness became more dominant. This reflects the objective fact that the central government has tightened its control over the local governments and the degree of centralization has become stronger. fact.