Why can't the ancient imperial power in China descend to counties?

Because the sovereignty below the county level is divided by autonomous organizations such as clans. The countryside practices squire autonomy. Although it is not excluded that there are also "local tyrants and evil gentry" among the gentry, on the whole, the civilized quality of the gentry is still relatively high, and the gentry stresses courtesy, righteousness and honesty. If village officials are prone to hooliganism, not only will rural spiritual civilization lose its support, but it will undoubtedly be a manifestation of the collapse of rural grassroots governance.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, China's successive dynasties, led by county-level political power and supplemented by township-level political power, have established a zoning control system with 100 households (called Li or Jia) as the unit. With the support of unofficial forces such as clans, gentry and rich households, they have effectively managed grass-roots taxation, public security, household registration, litigation, education and other specific affairs, making the imperial power extend downward from county-level political power and enter thousands of households.

Extended data

After the Qin Dynasty unified China, the system of "county" was implemented throughout the country, but the earliest written name of "county" came from the ancient state of Jin.

Before becoming a local administrative unit, "county" and "suspension" were the same word. That is to say, hang up and contact. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the food city was called Wang Ji or Wang Ji, and the land in Ji was closely related to it. The interpretation of the word "county" in Shuowen says: "The son of heaven is in the capital, and the county is also."

The earliest founder of the "county" system was the State of Chu. In the middle of the 6th century BC, the State of Chu attacked the State of Chen many times, and all the princes of Chen were descendants of Yu Shun. Chu occupied the land of Yu Shun star, which was somewhat embarrassing. Isn't Ji Wang of the Zhou Dynasty called "County"? Chu established a "county" system on the land of Chen State. But at that time, the organizational system of "county" had not been popularized.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-County