Commandery-County Administration System

A governance procedure for establishing centralized administrative control over unified territories.

Overview

Replace feudal states with centrally administered divisions to prevent regional power bases from forming.

Steps

1. Abolish feudal system: Eliminate hereditary regional rulers

2. Divide territory: Create 36 commanderies (郡)

3. Establish three-tier local administration:

   • Governor (守/shou): Civil administration
   • Commandant (尉/wei): Military affairs
   • Inspector (监/jian): Surveillance and supervision

4. Appoint officials: Select administrators based on merit, not heredity

5. Centralize rewards: Provide stipends to nobles and officials through imperial treasury rather than land grants

6. Implement reporting system: Require regular reports to central government

Rationale

As articulated by Li Si: The feudal system led to conflict because:

• Blood ties weaken over generations
• Regional lords become rivals
• Central authority cannot prevent wars between regions

Expected Outcomes

• No regional power centers to challenge central authority
• Uniform administration across all territories
• Peace and stability through centralized control

Validation

• Verify that each commandery has all three administrative positions filled (Governor/守, Commandant/尉, Inspector/监)
• Confirm that officials are appointed on merit rather than heredity and receive stipends from the imperial treasury
• Check that regular reporting systems to the central government are operational across all 36 commanderies