隋唐时期国家掌控乡村权力之反复

户口与土地是中国古代历朝政权维系的根本,因此,牢固掌握乡村的控制权也就成为历朝政府行政的根本出发点。魏晋以来,随着豪族势力的崛起,他们成为国家对乡村控制的有力争夺者。南北朝以后,无论是江南的宋、齐、梁、陈, 还是迁居中土的北魏跖拔氏,都对争夺乡村的控制权采取了强有力的措施。从“罢郡”开始,隋政府逐渐从豪族手中争夺了大量的户口与土地,取得了对乡村的绝对控制权。但到唐代以后,又一个削弱中央对乡村绝对支配的因素开始凸显出来,即军将专横。唐朝中后期在乡村控制方面的一个显著特色是:一方面方镇割据,一方面各级防守军将同地方行政官员争夺民赋与人丁。由此,形成了乡村控制的多元支配格局。此种情况直到宋初通过一系列手段废除军将势力,完全由县尉通管全县治安后才告结束。从此,县府完全掌控了对乡村的控制权;乡村的县府掌控亦即乡村的朝廷支配,标志着长期以来朝廷同威胁势力争夺乡村控制权局面的终结。

General Survey of Government's Power over Rural Areas in the Sui and Tang Dynasties

Registered permanent residence and land had been the base for all dynasties in the Chinese history to have the controlling power over rural areas. The Sui dynasty controlled a large population and land from many rich households with great fortune, but in the Tang dynasty military leaders have more power over the land and population, and government had less power than before. To the middle of the Tang dynasty, land and population were in the hands of military leaders and local officials. In the early Song dynasty, rural areas were governed by governments at a county level.