秦汉行书律与帝国行政运作

The Xing Shu Lu(行书律)and the Operation of Government in the Qin and Han Empires

秦汉帝国建立起了比较完备的邮驿系统,以保证国家机器的正常高效运转。首先,秦汉实现了中央政府的高度集权,其行政过程文书化,保证并实现政令通达的政治需要是高效的邮驿系统产生的前提,而秦汉道路交通的发达以及设施的完善又为邮驿系统的建立奠定了坚实基础。其次,秦汉邮路以首都为核心,向各郡、县以及边境呈网状分布,郡县政府设立相应的职能机构,并配备足够数目专职邮人。邮递方式多样,邮间距合理。再次,《行书律》通过对邮书类别划分、邮递速度、交接手续、封检等保密措施加以规范,保证了邮驿系统的高效、快速、安全、正常运转。最后,完备的邮驿系统衍生了督邮的监察属县功能,和为公务差旅官员提供食宿和交通车马的功能。

In order to ensure the normal and efficient operation of the government,Qin and Han Empires had established a relatively complete system of postal service.First of all,the Qin and Han Imperial Courts as highly centralized governments developed a system for administrating official documents.The political need for smooth postal delivery of government orders was the premise of the establishment of the efficient postal system.Meanwhile,development of road traffic system had set the foundation for postal system.Secondly,the postal road in Qin and Han Dynasties took the capital as the core and connected various regions and borders like a network.Prefectures and counties had corresponding institutions and were equipped with sufficient postmen.The ways of mailing were diverse and the distance between stations was reasonable.Thirdly,The Xing Shu Lu(行书律),or,Regulations on Delivering Official Documents,stipulated the type,speed,handover procedures and confidentiality measures of mailing,which ensured the efficiency,speed and safety of the postal system.Finally,the excellent postal system gave birth to the supervisory function of Duyou(督邮),and the function of providing accommodation,transportation for officials on business trips.