| | 經國: |
先王之制，立爵五等，所以立蕃屏，利後嗣者也。是故國治而萬世安，秦以列國之勢而并天下，於是去五等之爵而置郡縣，雖有親子母弟，皆為匹夫，及其衰，一夫大呼而天下去，及至漢家，見亡秦之以孤特亡也。於是大封子弟，或連城數十，廓地千里，自關已東，皆為王國，力多而權重，故亦有七國之難，魏興，以新承大亂之後，民人損减，不可則以古治，於是封建侯王，皆使寄地，空民而無其實，王國使有老兵百余人以衞其國，雖有王侯之號，而力儕於匹夫，縣隔千里之外，無朝聘之儀，鄰國無會同之制，諸侯游獵，不得過三十里，又為設防輔監國之官以司察之，王侯皆思為布衣不能得，既違宗國蕃屏之義，又虧親戚骨肉之恩。 |
| | The system of previous kings established five ranks of titles, which was intended to establish a protective barrier and benefit future generations. Therefore, when the state was well governed, peace endured for generations. The Qin dynasty, with its power as a single state, unified all under heaven; thus it abolished the five ranks of titles and established commanderies and counties instead. Although there were close relatives such as sons and younger brothers by the same mother, they were all reduced to commoners. When the Qin declined, one man's loud cry led to the collapse of the empire. By the time of the Han dynasty, it recognized that the fall of the Qin was due precisely to its isolation and lack of support from relatives. Therefore, the Han dynasty greatly enfeoffed its sons and brothers. Some of them controlled dozens of cities or vast territories stretching for thousands of miles; from the Guan Pass eastward, all were kingdoms. With great strength and heavy authority, this eventually led to the Rebellion of the Seven States. When Wei rose to power, it came after a time of great turmoil when the population had greatly diminished. It was not feasible to follow ancient systems of governance, so they enfeoffed marquises and kings, but all were given only nominal territories—empty lands without actual populations. Each kingdom was assigned merely over one hundred old soldiers to guard it. Although these rulers bore titles of kings or marquises, their power equaled that of commoners. Their domains lay thousands of miles apart from the central court, with no formal ceremonies for visiting the capital or meeting neighboring states. The feudal lords were not allowed to hunt beyond a thirty-li radius. Moreover, officials were appointed as guardians and supervisors to monitor them closely. These kings and marquises longed to be commoners but could not even achieve that status. This system violated both the principle of establishing vassal states to protect the central kingdom and undermined the bonds of kinship among relatives.
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| | 經國: |
昔武王既克殷，下車而封子弟同姓之國五十餘，然亦卜世三十，卜年七百，至乎王赧之後，海內無主，三十餘年，故諸侯之治，則輔車相持，翼戴天子，以禮征伐，雖有亂君暴主，若吳楚之君者，不過恣睢其國，惡能為天下害乎。周以千乘之賦封諸侯，今也曾無一城之田，何周室之奢泰而今日之儉少也。豈古今之道不同，而今日之勢然哉。未之思耳，夫物莫不有弊，聖人者豈能無衰，能審終始之道，取其長者而已，今雖不能盡建五等，猶宜封諸親戚，使少有土地，制朝聘會同之義，以合親戚之恩，講禮以明其職業，黜陟以討其不然，如是則國有常守，兵有常强，保世延祚，長久而有家矣。 |
| | In the past, after King Wu had defeated Yin (Shang), he immediately enfeoffed more than fifty states ruled by his kinsmen. Yet even so, these lasted only thirty generations and seven hundred years; after the reign of King Nanwang, there was no ruler in all the land for over thirty years. Thus, under the feudal system, the vassal lords supported each other and upheld the Son of Heaven (the Zhou king), waging wars according to ritual. Even if some disorderly or tyrannical rulers existed—such as those of Wu and Chu—they could only indulge in tyranny within their own states; how could they have harmed the entire world? The Zhou dynasty enfeoffed feudal lords with a thousand chariots' worth of tribute, yet today not even one city's land is granted. How extravagant was the Zhou royal house and how meager are the resources now! Is it that the principles of governance have changed from ancient to modern times, or is this merely a result of today's circumstances? It is simply a matter of not having given it sufficient thought. Nothing in the world is without its drawbacks, and even sages cannot avoid decline; what they can do is discern the principles from beginning to end and adopt only the beneficial aspects. Today, although we may not be able fully to restore the five ranks of enfeoffment, we should still bestow fiefs upon close relatives so that they possess a small amount of land. We should establish rituals for court visits and meetings between states in order to strengthen familial bonds, teach rites to clarify their duties, and use rewards and punishments to correct those who act improperly. If this is done, the state will have permanent defenders, its military forces will remain strong, and it can preserve its dynasty and extend its fortune, thus ensuring a long-lasting and stable family rule.
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