nownovels Chapter 339: The Decline Of Political Clans And The Rise Of Local Clans [Please Subscribe, Please Su
Chapter 339: The Decline Of Political Clans And The Rise Of Local Clans [Please Subscribe, Please Su
Just when Zhu Yuanzhang, as well as the princes Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Fan, Zhu Di and other princes were digesting and absorbing what Yan Changqing had said before about the rulers, the ruling class, and the solidified class.
King Yan Zhu Di suddenly seemed to remember something, raised his head and looked at Yan Changqing and said:
"Mr. Yan, we are about to go down to govern a county. Do you have any suggestions for us?!!"
Upon hearing Zhu Di's words, Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Fan and other princes all stared at Yan Changqing with bright eyes.
Although they had never doubted Yan Changqing's Saint wisdom before, just now Yan Changqing showed it to them again.
What does it mean to know something from the smallest detail!!!
What is a super long-term vision that looks hundreds of years into the distance? !
If they could get a few words of advice from Yan Changqing, who has such a subtle knowledge and a long-term vision that spans hundreds of years, I think they would be more confident and much easier when they manage a county in the future!
Yan Changqing's eyes followed the questioning voice and fell on King Yan Zhu Di, with a calm expression and a calm tone:
"Yes, first thing, pay attention to the clan!!!"
After hearing Yan Changqing's instructions, all the princes including Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Fan, and Zhu Di subconsciously murmured:
"Pay attention to the clan?!!"
"Zong 143 clan?!!"
“Need to pay attention to the clan?!!”
Yan Changqing nodded and affirmed:
"That's right, it's a clan!!!"
"Since the patriarchal system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the existence of clans has continued from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the present day!"
"The clans can be roughly divided into two categories. One is the political clan power."
"For example, in the late Han Dynasty, there were four noble families, such as the Yuan family, and in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were five surnames, such as Qiwang.'
"They use clan as a link, control political power, serve as officials for generations, strictly enforce hierarchy, flaunt their family status, and form a powerful national political force. This is the political clan force."
"And such political clan power has gradually become lonely and disappeared after the massacre of the Huangchao Uprising in the late Tang Dynasty and the replacement of the scholar-bureaucrat class that emerged due to the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty."
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang, as well as the princes Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Fan, Zhu Di and other princes also nodded.
They can also clearly understand the concept of political clan.
I have mentioned it before when describing the ruling classes of the Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, but at that time it was from the perspective of the ruling class, but now it is from the perspective of the clan.
But in essence they are all the same. They are all the aristocratic families in the late Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties and the aristocratic families in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
"But the second type of local clan power has existed since ancient times."
"And after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the power of local clans increased instead of decreasing!!!"
"On the one hand, it is because of the views of the Neo-Confucianists of the Song Dynasty at that time. In the eyes of the Neo-Confucianists of the Song Dynasty, the unity and stability of clans bound by patriarchal blood ties are crucial to the security of the country!"
"Only when the clans of the ministers and officials are united can the concept of loyalty be established, and loyalty is the foundation of the court. If the clan is unstable, the country will be uneasy.'
"For example, Su Shi, Su Dongpo, and the Su family at that time also wrote to Shenzong of the Song Dynasty to express the benefits of clan unity: 'Today, if we want to teach the people to make peace, the way must start from the clan."
"Since the aristocratic family class had come to an end and disappeared at that time, the guiding ideology of Neo-Confucians in the Song Dynasty in reviving clans was to use small clans as the basic unit to establish a systematic clan system in which large and small clans coexisted."
""Book of Rites·Da Zhuan" says: "Five generations will move the clan. The Neo-Confucians of the Song Dynasty limited the clan to a small clan within the fifth generation."
"First, it can help the court educate the people and maintain local stability by reviving the clan."
"Secondly, it can prevent the clan from becoming too powerful and developing into a threat to the imperial rule like the previous aristocratic clans."
"Thus, the local clan power began to grow further."
"The people in a village or a township are basically composed of people with the same surname and clan, or people with several big surnames and clans."
"And the power of the squires, such as the patriarchs and clan elders of these clans, has also been further strengthened!"
“For example, if there is a conflict between family members, the clan leader will usually mediate and arbitrate first.
"If both parties do not obey the proposed verdict, a large family meeting will be held in the ancestral hall for mediation and ruling."
"The end result is authority that everyone must obey."
"If a conflict arises and you fail to notify the clan leader in time for adjudication, and report it to the government without authorization, you will be punished by clan rules.
"And when faced with the punishment results of these clan rules, sometimes even the government is not allowed to intervene."
"On the other hand, the development and improvement of the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty also allowed more and more ordinary people to change their destiny through hard study in the cold window, and even "become a farmer in the morning, and ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening." "I
"But for ordinary people, whether it is the cost of studying hard for ten years or the expenses of going to Beijing to take the exam, it is not something that an ordinary ordinary family can fully afford."
“So most scholars in the Song Dynasty often needed the support of their clans to study and take exams.
"In return, those scholars from the imperial examinations and high schools often rely on their political power to protect their own clan. The saying goes, 'when one person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven', it is nothing better than this."
"These scholars of the clan who passed the imperial examination and successfully entered official careers often enjoyed a high status in the clan and had a high say in local affairs after retiring and returning to their hometowns."
"The gentry composed of these scholar-bureaucrats, clan heads and clan elders became the actual rulers of the local clans."
"In other words, at the local level, they, the gentry, are the local ruling class."
"The power they possess may be great or small, but at least within the scope of one-third of an acre of land in the local area, it can be said that they can respond to a hundred requests.
"What they say is far more useful than what you future 'county officials' say."
“So, if you, the ‘county officials’, want to govern the place well, then the local clan issue is a hurdle that you cannot get around.
"And if we want to deal with local clan issues well, the scholar-bureaucrats, clan leaders, and clan elders in the scholar towns are another hurdle that cannot be bypassed."
"After handling the relationship with them, your local affairs will not only get twice the result with half the effort, but at least they will be able to run smoothly.
"If you can't handle the relationship with them well, then to put it bluntly, your words will have no effect after they leave the county government gate."
After listening to Yan Changqing's words, Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Fan, Zhu Di and other princes all frowned deeply.
They were not fools, although they had not known much about the local clans and gentry before.
But from what Yan Changqing just said, they can also understand how "great" the power of local clans and gentry is!!!
At least in local counties, it is not an exaggeration to say that one hand covers the sky.
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