春秋战国时期楚县公的多重身份属性

春秋战国时期的楚国县公一般被作为秦汉以后的县级行政长官看待,与封君分属封建与郡县两个不同系统。然而考察这一时期楚县公的活动及其在先秦史上发挥的特殊作用,发现县公具有不同于行政职官的爵称属性和封邑主的特征。楚县公多出身于王族与世家大族,拥有超越任职地的影响力,常常在楚都城和王庭参与中央大政决策,领导对外军事行动。另外,县公与其任职地之间存在较强的私人连接,呈现出相当程度的“在地化”特征。理解春秋战国时期楚县公的多重身份属性,需要对楚县的性质进行全方位把握,也有助于深化对现有的封建-郡县二元认知框架在先秦时期实践的多样性与复杂性的理解。

On the Multiple Attributes of the Lords of Chu Counties During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period

The lords of Chu counties of the pre-Qin period were usually equated to the county level administers of the time after the Qin and Han dynasties. However, judging from their activities and the roles they played in history, the lords of Chu counties of this time shared obvious features with the enfeoffed nobilities, and not exactly like an administrative bureaucrat. Most of the lords of counties originated from the royal house or the most powerful noble families, and they had the power and influence that far exceeded those of local officials. They also spent a lot of time on the capital and participated in the making of state policies and leading military acts. At the same time, the lords of counties also had a stronger connection with the place they were named by, compared to the local administers of later times. A better understanding of the “xian gong” (lords of counties) group requires a more comprehensive knowledge of the nature of counties at this time and depends on a deep reflection on the limit of the dichotomy between the so called “feudalism” and the “prefecture-county” institutional system.