Chapter 22 Section 5 The Rapid Increase of Place Names of Prefectures and Counties in the Southern and Northern Dynasties

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the dynasties still implemented the three-level system of state, county, and county, but the number of administrative districts in both the North and the South was increasing rapidly.Under normal circumstances, with economic development and population increase, it is reasonable for local divisions to change from simple to complex.However, during this period, wars were frequent and production was often destroyed. The reason for the increase was nothing more than the placement of more officials, the strengthening of the suppression and exploitation of the people, and the large number of people to show off to others.As a result, there was a situation that "a city with a hundred families will establish the name of the state; the people of three households will be empty Zhangjunmu" ("Northern Qi Shu · Wenxuan Emperor Ji"). "Song Shu Zhoujunzhi" records that there were 22 prefectures and 238 prefectures in the eighth year of Ming Dynasty (AD 464).At this time, the scope of the Southern Dynasties was the largest, including the area south of the Qinling Mountains and the lower reaches of the Yellow River.During the Southern Qi Dynasty, the forces of the Southern Dynasties had retreated to the south of the Huai River. However, according to the "Southern Qi Shu Zhoujun Zhi", there were 23 prefectures at that time, and the "Tong Dian Zhoujun" recorded 395 counties, all of which increased compared with the Song Dynasty .The territory of the Liang Dynasty was not much different from that of the Southern Qi Dynasty. "Sui Shu·Geography" said: "(Emperor Wu of Liang) Tianjian ten years (AD 511) had fifty-three prefectures and three hundred and fifty prefectures." But in Datong, Emperor Wu During the years (535-546 AD), the number of states was increased to 107, and the states were divided into five levels.Of course, the number of counties also increased accordingly.In the middle of the Chen period, the territory was only about 1/3 of that in the Liang Dynasty, and the north was bounded by the Dajiang River. "Sui Shu Geographical Records" said that its "power is added, and it does not go out of the Jing and Yang areas. There are forty-two prefectures and only one hundred and nine counties." The same is true in the Northern Dynasties.There were 38 prefectures in the Taihe period of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The total number of Eastern and Western Wei states recorded in "Wei Shu·Topography" has reached 113 states.The Eastern Wei Dynasty was replaced by the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the Western Wei Dynasty was replaced by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. After the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty, there were 210 prefectures in the second year of Daxiang (580 AD).If the number of states in Chen is added, compared with the 13 states in the Han Dynasty, there should be a huge disparity.The Han Dynasty was known as the "Hundred Three Counties", and now the number of counties in the Northern Zhou Dynasty has reached 508 (552 according to Wang Zhongluo's statistics).