Text: Cute eyes explore the world
Editor|Cute eyes explore the world
Preface
"Rong Zhai Essays: Four Strokes" records such a story, in the autumn of the ninth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1173), the rain in Jiangxi and Jilian soared. But at this time, the local officials "set up a prayer hall in a small hall and a prayer hall to pray for rain." ”
When asked the reason, the county watchman replied, "Whoever asks for the rain will be plagued by prostitution in this county, and whoever asks for rain will also be punished." Naturally, this rather contradictory state of affairs cannot be simply attributed to the obsolete and inflexible nature of local officials and the procrastination and delay of the central government, which reflects the disaster relief difficulties caused by the difference in time and space in ancient societies.
The low ability to obtain and transmit information was one of the fundamental characteristics of ancient societies. Although Qin Shi Huang unified the written language, weights and measures, successive dynasties made efforts to build water and land transportation networks, post stations and postal transmission systems, in order to reduce the cost of information transmission.
But its efficiency is still not high compared to modern times. This dilemma existed for a long time in ancient Chinese society, which affected the timely and effective development of disaster relief activities.
So, as a heyday in Chinese history, how was the Tang Dynasty managed disaster relief and how did it ensure timeliness?
Constraints on the timeliness of local disaster relief
The occurrence of disasters is a difficult problem to test the ability of the imperial court to respond, and it is also an opportunity to test local measures for preparing for famine and relieving famine. The speed of local response will affect the actual effectiveness of disaster relief, and then determine the stability of social order.
Disasters are usually sudden, and the development and change of the whole event is very rapid, coupled with the lack of information in ancient society, its development and consequences are more uncertain and unpredictable.
In view of its huge destructive, harmful and other negative impacts, once a disaster occurs, the timeliness factor is the most critical, if the government can do a timely and accurate emergency response, the people's psychology can be calm.
Social order was also maintained, which in turn laid the foundation for the successful completion of the entire disaster crisis.
If the government is slow to respond and indecisive in the face of a crisis, it will inevitably lose a good opportunity for disaster relief, resulting in a passive situation full of dangers and precariousness. Therefore, grasping the timing of disaster relief is one of the yardsticks to test the government's actual ruling ability and adaptability, and it is related to the life and death of dynastic rule.
The hierarchy of the administrative apparatus is in fact the relationship between the local and the political centre. In the Tang Dynasty, most of the relief areas were in the political centers of Jingshi and Henan, and the economically developed Jiangsu, Huai, Hebei, and Shandong, while the proportion of remote areas, especially in Lingnan and Longyou, was very small.
Among them, the three provinces of Guannei, Henan, and Hebei accounted for about 64% of the total 254 times, while Jiangnan and Huainan provinces, which were the main economic sources in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, accounted for 22%, which is consistent with their political and economic status.
Guannai and Henan Province have always been important economic and political centers in the Tang Dynasty, and their safety is directly related to the rise and fall of the country. Jiangnan and Huainan were the economic lifelines of the Tang Dynasty in the late Tang Dynasty. In these areas, the imperial court naturally gave priority to the relief in the best amount, while the more remote and sparsely populated areas of Lingnan and Longyou had much less relief.
Ancient societies were hierarchical, hierarchical, and at every level of hierarchical organization, every synthesis and transmission of information could be omitted, distorted, and inaccurate. The larger the bureaucracy and the more vast its territory, the less efficient it is for the ruler to obtain information. The Tang Dynasty had a vast territory, underdeveloped transportation, and slow information dissemination, so it was impossible to grasp the timing of disaster relief.
The longer the disaster drags on, the greater the effort required to restore normalcy, the fewer chances of success, and the more serious the crisis will be. Many disasters outside of the capital were often delayed for several months from the time they occurred to the imperial court.
Due to the objective constraints of geographical location, there is often a long delay in reporting the disaster situation to the government and requesting relief. In the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan (739), Xuanzong was aware of this problem and took reform measures.
The central government is required to dispatch envoys and local officials to coordinate the relief process in the disaster areas after the autumn harvest every year, and then report to the disaster area after the work is completed, so as to avoid the cumbersome review process and the delay caused by the step-by-step reporting.
However, in fact, in the 29th year of Kaiyuan, especially after the Anshi Rebellion, many relief activities were still carried out under the unified control of the central government.
Although the reporting system has been continuously reformed and the government has made efforts to ensure the timing of disaster relief, the effect has been weak, which is also detrimental to the smooth development of relief work.
In terms of disaster relief procedures, the Tang Dynasty had strict regulations: first, register and make a register, according to the household level, population and damage, respectively, list the grades, determine the standard, and then obtain the approval of the local governor or special envoy, and then according to the thin alms, give priority to the relief of "poor households that do not support the poor".
The local government must dispatch "clean officials", "clean strong officials", and "officials of public purity and benevolence" to the grassroots level of each county to host relief affairs, and after the work is completed, the government of the disaster disaster area must also compile the disaster relief documents and report them to the imperial court.
On March 10, the fourth year of Bai Juyi Changqing (824), "Qiantang Lake Stone Records" cloud: "If there is a drought, the people ask for water, and they must order the state to be presented, and the history of the assassination is self-proclaimed, so the reason is the same day and water, if the state is to be entered into the county, the county post township, and the township is wrong, and the day of the movement is ten, although the water is obtained, and the dry field seedlings are out of reach." This shows that applications for relief do need to be escalated at the next level.
But this highly restrictive process often delays the best time for disaster relief. The effectiveness of disaster relief has a lot to do with the quality of local officials.
The Tang Dynasty's finances, especially the financial management in the early and middle periods, were carried out under the system of overall planning and unified expenditure by the central government, and local fiscal revenues and expenditures were strictly controlled, and the local governments had no power to act on their own and store, coupled with the inferior roots of feudal officials and the long-term Xi of conformist officialdom, all of which led to many officials clinging to their orders after the famine, waiting for the edicts of the imperial court, allowing the crisis to develop, and even severely prohibiting those who acted without authorization.
Due to the high degree of commercial development in the Tang Dynasty, it was not uncommon for officials and businessmen to combine to control grain circulation, monopolize the market, manipulate grain prices, and make huge profits by taking advantage of disaster years.
The closure and merger of the disaster victims could not be provided in a timely manner, which seriously affected social stability, so the Tang Dynasty government repeatedly ordered the prohibition of local officials from closing the prison and consolidating. In order to ensure that the victims of the disaster receive timely relief, some local officials have actively eliminated the accumulated malpractices.
When Cui Qigang was appointed as the observer of Tanzhou's assassination history and Hunan's regimental training, "Hunan's old law, trade in good years does not leave the country, and neighboring departments do not sympathize with each other. When it came to it, it was said that the subordinate officials said: 'This is not human, it is not appropriate to close the line, and it is trapped in the people. 'Self-propelled merchants. "In the sixth year of Wenzong Taihe (832), Wang Qijian was the secretary of the school, the Yin of Hezhong, and the envoy of the Jin Festival of Hezhong.
"When there was a locust drought, the price of millet was soaring, and the wealthy families were closed to invite good prices. Strict admonition to save the house, out of the market, the hermit to the law, from the people to get help. "These actions will undoubtedly help the victims to receive timely assistance and contribute to the stability and recovery of the disaster area.
The state's guarantee system for the timeliness of disaster relief
Aware of the actual or potential suddenness or danger of disaster crises, the Tang Dynasty government incorporated disaster management into its daily management and operations, making it an important part of the government's daily management, rather than just a temporary emergency task.
The Tang Dynasty decree clearly stipulates that local governments at all levels shall act as permanent disaster reduction enforcement agencies and implement the disaster reduction system determined by the central government in a timely manner in accordance with uniform laws and procedures, and that governors at all levels shall take it as their responsibility to provide relief and preparedness.
The daily preparations for local disaster relief mainly include water conservancy construction, storage and maintenance, and persuasion of farming and mulberry farming. In the Tang Dynasty, the repair, protection, regulation and distribution of water conservancy projects were increasingly complete under the supervision and protection of the law. The water law formulated in the Tang Dynasty mainly has various rules and regulations for the management of water flow as the main content, such as the "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 7 "Shangshu Gongbu" cloud: "The water department Langzhong and the staff wailang are in charge of the decrees of the world's rivers and rivers to lead the ditches, weirs and canals." ”
There is also a punishment law for acts of sabotage of water flow management stipulated in the "Tang Law and Miscellaneous Law". The management law strengthens management from the active side, while the punishment law focuses on punishing violators from the passive side.
The purpose of both is to eliminate floods, and the water law formulated in the Tang Dynasty mainly has various rules and regulations for the management of water flow as the main content, such as the "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 7 "Shangshu Gongbu" cloud: "The water department Langzhong, the staff of the outer Lang in charge of the world's rivers and rivers, Pichi decrees, in order to lead to ditches, weirs, and canals." There is also the punishment law for the destruction of water flow management stipulated in the "Tang Law and Miscellaneous Law".
The purpose of both is to eliminate floods, and under the strict deterrence of the law, the construction of water conservancy has become a common duty of local officials, especially local officials along rivers, seas, lakes, and other places attach great importance to this, and there are as many as 260 water conservancy projects built by the Tang people on record.
These water conservancy projects can be divided into four types according to their form and function: building dikes and dams to prevent rivers and sea tides; dredging of rivers and canals, flood diversion and drainage; When the embankment is built, it is flooded; Ditches are opened to divert water to prevent drought, etc.
In accordance with the requirements of the imperial court law, the local government shall carry out the work of preparing for famine and providing disaster relief, and make appropriate adjustments according to the actual conditions of each locality, and formulate a water law suitable for the local situation. For example, in the eighth year of Taihe, when Wang served as the envoy of Xiangzhou Thorn History and Shannan Dongdao Jiedu, "he was ordered to engage in Li Yexing's subordinate county, inspect and repair, especially for the water law, and the people have no murder year."
Warehousing construction. Warehousing is mainly divided into Yi Cang, Chang Ping, Zhu Color Warehouse, etc., and the first two are the most important. The third volume of the "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty" "Shangshu Household Department" stipulates on the Yicang system: "Where the prince has been ordered, every year the household department has received the land and borrowed famine, etc., with the seedlings planted are acres, and the green seedlings are thin, and the states apply for Shangshu Province before July, and when they are collected, they will not accept two liters of millet per mu, and they will be regarded as Yicang." ”
The central government also has a permanent peace office, with orders, ministers, supervisors and other positions, and the duties are in charge: "Changping orders are in charge of the affairs of the warehouse, and they are the second." Where the years are abundant, the grain is cheap, and there are more than people, then they will be punished; If there is hunger, the grain is expensive, and there are not enough people, then it will be gone."
The expropriation of grain from local Yicang and Changping mainly relied on the cangcao and sicang in the local government to complete. "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 30 "Officials of Huzhou County in the Three Prefectures" cloud: Cangcao, Sicang joined the army and took charge of the public office, measurement, cooking, warehouse, rent, collection, pastoral, and market affairs.
Each year is taxed according to the green seedlings, and the mu is two liters, thinking that it is a righteous warehouse, in order to prepare for the murderous year; For the loan, first apply for the book, wait for the report, and then distribute. In addition, if the year is abundant, the money will be added to the hourly price; If it is not ripe, it will reduce the current price and shine on it, which is called often closing. "Local officials are also responsible for supervising and inspecting warehousing in their daily work.
Persuade farmers to plough and mulberry. "New Tang Dynasty Book" volume 51 "Food and Goods Zhi I" cloud: "In the field of Yongye, there are several trees with elm, jujube, mulberry and suitable wood. "Tang Law Shu Discussion: Household Marriage" cloud: "Indoor Yongye field, more than 50 mulberry plants per mu, more than 10 elm and jujube. "In the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, the uniform land system was destroyed, but the government still demanded that attention be paid to planting trees in the fields.
In the seventh year of Yuanhe (812), Xianzong ordered the households of the state capital of the world to plant two mulberry plants per acre of land, and each level was responsible for its own responsibilities and daily examinations. In the vast ancient society, it was impossible to rule by relying solely on the power of the emperor, who had to rely on the "principal———agent" relationship established with local officials to obtain the best benefits and avoid the risks of rule. In order to ensure the implementation of the legal provisions that bound officials, the Tang Dynasty combined the activities of local officials with their official promotions, and inspected them in the form of examinations.
Dispatch on patrol. In order to implement the disaster relief activities, widely publicize the imperial prestige, and consolidate the imperial authority shaken by the disaster, the Tang Dynasty sent envoys to the disaster relief activities to form some specific ritual regulations: "Where there are floods, droughts, and locusts in the four directions and in Tibet, the emperor sends an envoy to his place to proclaim the system of Zhenfu, and the envoy faces south, and the local governor or the lord of the country of Fan faces the north, and then bows down and then gives a book." ”
The envoys turned their backs to the north to show that they were coming to comfort the people in place of the emperor, and the emperor was acting on behalf of the heavens, and they took this opportunity to respond to the condemnation of the heavens by taking advantage of the disaster, and reaffirmed to the people that they were in the service of heaven, and the subjects of the heaven and earth reached a unity on this matter.
This kind of etiquette regulation is also convenient for psychologically strengthening the people's obedience to the imperial power and the fulfillment of the political mission of officials, and facilitating the smooth and effective progress of disaster relief.
The Tang government attached great importance to the work of sending envoys to follow the line and inspect the administration of officials to promote timely disaster relief, and most of the officials dispatched were important members of the central government, or the heads of the six ministries, or the chief officials of the Taiwan Command, or even eunuchs in the middle and late periods, and because of their close relationship with the emperor, their role could not be ignored. There are a total of 82 times of disaster relief sent by the Tang Dynasty.
Report on the disaster. The system of reporting disasters at the local level may have begun in the Yin Zhou Dynasty, and the oracle bones of praying for rain and snow and remembering the auspicious inscriptions of rain and rain should be the records of praying for rain and rain.
"Zhou Li" also has the narration of the governor of the local official praying for the report, and the small blessing of the spring official to pray for blessings, the Shunfeng year, the rain against the time, and the wind and drought. Under the strictness of the reporting system at all levels, the supervision of the dispatched officials, and the strict legal system, local officials can basically truthfully report the disaster situation in various places, and the content of the report basically includes the disaster area, the disaster situation, and the request for relief.
In the first year of Di Renjie's longevity (692), he was demoted to the order of Pengze County, and reported to the imperial court on the local disaster, cloud: "Pengze nine counties, the people camp in the paddy fields, the ministers go to the county, it is already the autumn moon, the people are noisy, the group apologizes, and asks where it is, since the spring and summer, there is no rain, the death is not saved, and the camp is lost, and it is impossible to change the planting now. Eavesdropping on Peng Zedi's narrow ...... In addition to paying officials, there is no food for half a load...... Jian has a nationality history, most of them are removed, and the project is a township; Ban Madara is absolute.
Author's point of view
The timeliness of disaster relief is crucial in both modern and ancient societies. Compared with the modern society with advanced science and technology and convenient transportation, the ancient society was much backward in this regard, but the government alleviated the predicament caused by this situation through system building, and made as detailed regulations as possible on all kinds of famine preparation and relief work.
Its purpose was to reduce the delay in the dissemination of disaster information, grasp the best opportunity for disaster relief, resolve the possible passive situation, and alleviate the disaster crisis.
However, after the Anshi Rebellion, due to changes in the political and economic situation, many regulations became empty words, and the Tang Dynasty waited for the full-scale outbreak of the crisis in the storm, reflecting the importance of a stable political environment for disaster relief.
#文章首发挑战赛#