Liu Muzhi was a little surprised, and then said: "Have you studied this founding title? There was a precedent for conferring a founding title when the Jin Dynasty was founded. It is not your invention."
Liu Yu smiled slightly: "For this, I have studied Baihu Tongyi. I have a good understanding of the formation, inheritance and change process of titles through the ages. I also have a very clear understanding of the meaning and origin of feudal, founding, and fifth titles, as well as the pros and cons.
,So, I came up with this idea after careful consideration, and you are the first person to hear these ideas of mine."
Liu Muzhi's eyes flashed with excitement: "Then I would be happy to be the first to hear your thoughts, please tell me."
Liu Yu took a deep breath and said: "The origin of this title can be traced back to the ancient Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. Since Xia Qi abolished the ancient abdication system and became his son's successor, he created the first dynasty in Chinese history.
, these feudal princes began to appear. Strictly speaking, the Xia, Shang and Zhou were all tribal alliances cloaked in dynasty. Starting from the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the King of Shang named the leaders of the various princes and tribes loyal to him as Fang Bo.
, there are three levels: Duke, Marquis, and Bo Zinan. According to the size of the tribe and the different fiefdoms, these three different levels of nobility are awarded, which is called Yin Jue."
"After the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty and established itself, the system of the Shang Dynasty was also adopted. At this time, the tribes and tribes on the land of China gradually turned from nomadic nomadic countries in ancient times to farming and settled, and their territories and sites were gradually fixed.
Therefore, based on the third level of Yin Jue, it became the fifth level of Zhou Jue, which is the five levels we are familiar with: duke, marquis, uncle, son, and male. Depending on the title, the area of the territory given is also different.
Those who are under a baron do not have the status of a prince, but can only be a vassal."
"From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, for eight hundred years, the princes of the world were fighting and killing endlessly. However, as the emperor, the Zhou royal family was unable to prevent the princes from attacking each other. The royal power was weak, just like the barbarians on the grassland.
Like the Khanate, they kept annexing and fighting each other. This lasted for eight hundred years, until the Qin Dynasty destroyed the six kingdoms and unified the world. It abolished the original feudal vassal system and replaced it with a centralized unified system of counties and counties.
That’s a complete change.”
Liu Muzhi nodded: "That's very good. No matter it is Xia, Shang or Zhou, the founding emperor thought that by dividing his brothers and nephews into various places and becoming princes, the world would always belong to his family and his surname.
Little did they know that splitting up a family meant being independent. Even if they had the same surname, they would become strangers after a few generations. The concubines would fight against each other, which in turn allowed the princes with other surnames to take advantage. It has to be said that this practice of sealing off foreign lands
, which means that these enfeoffed places have nothing to do with the emperor. The people in these places only obey the orders of their own princes and lords, and do not know who the emperor is. This is how the eight hundred years of war came about."
Liu Yu said seriously: "So the Qin State saw the tragic results of these enfeoffments in the Zhou Dynasty, so it vigorously suppressed the clan and did not engage in the actual enfeoffment of five levels of nobility. Instead, it invented the mechanism of twenty-level nobility. From the first
From the first-level public sergeant to the eighth-level public servant, they are regarded as civilian nobility. They are judged based on meritorious service by killing enemies on the battlefield or paying taxes in ordinary farming. This is something that all common people and even slaves can achieve through their own struggle.
After receiving a title, the status will be improved after being promoted. The amount of taxes paid will be reduced or reduced according to the title. The amount of land allocated will also increase with the increase in title. Even the food standards for eating in the army are different.
Same. This is a huge stimulus for ordinary people, allowing them to get tangible benefits through these people."
"But these civilian nobles are eliminated after death and cannot be passed down to descendants. So in this sense, the common people are still common people, and they are still completely different from the scholar class. This distance is the eighth-level public
The difference between Cheng and the ninth-level five-level official is that when you reach the ninth level, you are a knight, and you have the official status of a scholar."
Liu Muzhi smiled slightly: "Yes, scholars are often the descendants of princes. According to Zhou rites, the title can only be inherited by the legitimate sons, and other non-eldest sons can only become princes. The princes and grandchildren will be demoted one level at a time. Finally,
Reduced to an ordinary scholar, but even a scholar's status is much higher than that of ordinary people. Not only is there a difference in the education he received, but the title you mentioned also reflects the difference. The twentieth grade knight
Under the system, the top five officials starting from the ninth level are scholars, while those at the eighth level are just civilians. They are recycled after death, and their descendants cannot enjoy the benefits."
Liu Yu nodded: "Yes, but these knights are also divided into superiors and inferiors. From the fifth level of the ninth level to the chief concubine of the 18th level, although they are knights, they have been demoted. If in this life,
If you don’t perform meritorious service to keep your title, the next generation will have to drop several levels. As they go down, they will become the lowest ninth-level knight, the fifth doctor. Although it is still better than the civilian knight, the status of a scholar can be lost at any time. Once there is
If you are convicted and demoted one level, you will be completely transformed into an old peasant."
"However, the 19th and 20th level nobles can be hereditary and replaceable. That is the 19th level Guannai Marquis and the 20th level Liehou. These two nobles will not surrender, as long as they surrender.
If the dynasty is immortal, or if your descendants do not violate the law and seize the title, it will be passed down from generation to generation. It can be said that only by fighting for these two titles can you truly have an iron rice bowl and be connected with the country."
"Since the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty has also inherited this twenty-level nobility system. The so-called Feng Tang Yi Lao and Li Guang are difficult to seal. The former flying general Li Guang has only wanted to be granted the title of Marquis within the Pass. As a result, he has never made a fortune in his entire life.
However, it was his son Li Gan who went to war with Huo Qubing and was awarded the title of Marquis of Guannei due to his merits, which cannot but be said to be a huge irony."
Liu Muzhi smiled slightly: "But the system of twenty-level nobility was terminated after the fall of the Western Han Dynasty. Wang Mang initiated the ancient reform, and the first thing he restored was the five-level nobility system of the Zhou Dynasty. Although the new dynasty
It soon perished, but after Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty came to the throne, he still continued the five-level nobility system unchanged, Jinu, do you know the reason for this?"
Liu Yu said calmly: "As I said, I have read the White Tiger Tongyi. It describes the changes in titles in detail since ancient times. It was written by Ban Gu, a master of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The twenty-level title system of the Qin and Han Dynasties was
Corresponding to the unified system of centralized power, the civilians wanted to stimulate the people to join the army and serve the country, while the knights wanted to select officials from these scholars to manage the county system. These knights only had titles, but no names of states, counties, and counties.
This means that they will no longer seize land like the Zhou Dynasty, and can only be officials who obey the emperor's orders, instead of the princes who split the land and divided the borders before!"