本文从政区沿革、职官建置、律令制度等方面，探讨战国末至西汉初期统治者如何对大关中地区实施地域控制，并论及“关中本位政策”的确立、演进与衰落。本文共分为三大问题：第一，中县道、内史与三辅之间的关系；第二，秦在巴蜀地区实行郡县制的情况，以及借助巴蜀籍新地吏对洞庭郡迁陵县的统治；第三，太常郡的设置与陵县制度的兴废。

第一章指出岳麓秦简所见“中县”“中县道”意为中央直辖县道，即史书中常见的内史。秦内史的西界在襄武，西北界可至彭阳，远比汉内史的疆域广阔。作为职官的内史，经历了从周王的秘书官到战国时各国的行政官的变迁过程。起初秦国的内史兼具管理中县道行政事务和总理全国经济事务的职能，后因职权过大而分出治粟内史一职，内史改为专门负责中县道事务，从而具有了官名、地名双重性质。秦楚之际至高帝时，中县道地区一度出现了置郡、复为内史的波折，景帝分内史为左、右，又更名主爵中尉为主爵都尉，三者均辖地治民，已初步形成三辅的格局，武帝太初改制时正式确立。汉武帝实行的“广关”措施虽然是“关中本位政策”的重要表现，有其地缘与历史依据，但客观上造成了三辅地位的下降，导致武帝及其后三辅已可称郡，乃特殊的郡级政区。

第二章分析了蜀郡和巴郡的建置。秦惠文王初灭蜀，不仅封蜀王子为蜀侯、任命秦人担任蜀相，还另设蜀郡实施军事控制；昭襄王时彻底消灭蜀国，建立了单一的郡县制。秦亡巴族政权即直接置郡辖之，同时封巴王为蛮夷君长。秦时并不存在所谓的“蜀巴郡”。由于秦对巴蜀地区实施了有效的统治，在占领楚国领土后，大量巴蜀籍吏员得以被派遣或贬谪到新设的洞庭郡迁陵县一带，作为“新地吏”奉秦法而治，有利于稳固当地的社会秩序。汉初巴、蜀两郡纳入关中郡之列，不立诸侯国，享受了扩大化的“关中本位政策”。巴蜀地区基本维持了既有的郡境，仅有个别县级政区受到微调，汉帝国西南端的领土直至武帝时期方才发生重大改变。

第三章通过勾稽传世文献与出土文献的记载，明确了在汉人的观念和官府文书中，太常可被视为一郡，同三辅一致，也是特殊的郡级政区，尽管太常郡没有连续的边界以及都尉等常设的郡官。从高帝到宣帝时期，太常共辖十一个陵县，皇帝为了充实关中、削弱关东，在建立陵县之际往往会迁徙大量高官、豪富之家。考虑到关中经济水平走低、地方豪族兴起、流民问题不断加剧等因素，元帝废除徙陵制度，陵县划归三辅管辖，成帝虽试图再建陵县、恢复徙陵制度，最终却迫于舆论压力不得不放弃，背后反映的是西汉皇权的下降、“关中本位政策”的动摇以及政治中心逐渐从关中向关东的转移。

This thesis is a study of how the monarchies from the late Warring States period to the early Western Han controlled the region of Guanzhong, including administrative division, officials, and laws. It also addresses the rise and fall of the ‘Policy of Guanzhong Primacy’. The thesis discusses three major questions: first, the relations between zhongxiandao, neishi, and snafu; secondly, the Qin prefectures and counties in the regions of Ba and Shu, and Qin’s rule of Qianling County in Dongting Prefecture with the xindili indigenous to Ba and Shu; thirdly, the establishment of Taichang Prefecture and the development of the Tomb Counties.

Chapter 1 argues that the ‘zhongxian’ and ‘zhongxiandao’ attested in the Yuelu Bamboo Stripes refer to the counties directly administrated by the central government, namely Neishi frequently mentioned in histories. With the western border at Xiangwu and the north-western at Pengyang, the Qin Neishi was much larger than the Han. As an official, the neishi derived from the royal secretary of the Zhou Dynasty and became administrator in every state during the Warring States period. At first the neishi of the Qin State governed the zhongxiandao and administered the national economy. Later, considering his overly broad competence, the zhisuneishi was created in order to separate the power, while the neishi became only the governor of the zhongxiandao. Hence ‘neishi’ was used as an official title and a toponym simultaneously. From the late Qin Dynasty to the early reign of Emperor Gao of Han, the region of the zhongxiandao witnessed the establishment of prefectures before being restored to Neishi again. Emperor Jing divided the neishi into the Left and Right and renamed the zhujuezhongwei as zhujueduwei, all of which controlled territories and people. This is the preliminary form of the sanfu, which were formally created in the Taichu Reform of Emperor Wu. The ‘guangguan’ of Emperor Wu, although a part of the ‘Policy of Guanzhong Primacy’, technically reduced the significance of the sanfu. The result is that afterwards the sanfu were recognized as a special kind of prefectures.

Chapter 2 analyses the establishment of Ba and Shu Prefectures. When King Huiwen of Qin took Shu, he appointed the Shu prince as the lord of Shu and the Qin official as the prime minister besides creating Shu Prefecture for the purpose of military control. King Zhaoxiang finally removed the Shu kingdom, controlling the region with the prefecture alone. When Qin conquered the Ba state, the state was immediately replaced by a prefecture, although the local king received the title of manyijunzhang. There was no Ba-Shu Prefecture in the Qin period. After Qin took the territory of Chu, many officials from Ba and Shu were dispatched to new Qianling County, Dongting Prefecture as xindili, who enforced the laws of Qin and maintained the order there. In the early Han, Ba and Shu Prefectures were not integrated into any kingdom, but were listed among the prefectures of Guanzhong; their borders remained unchanged, with only a few counties under them receiving minor adjustments. The south-western territory of the Han Empire was not substantially changed until the reign of Emperor Wu.

Chapter 3 uses literary and documentary sources to demonstrate that people in the Han period could see Taichang as a special prefecture just like the sanfu, although the former did not have clear borders and regular governors such as the duwei. From the reign of Emperor Gao to Emperor Xuan, Taichang was divided into 11 Tomb Counties, to which the emperors transferred multiple families of high officials and elites native to Guandong in order to enhance the power of Guanzhong. This institution was abolished under Emperor Yuan in view of the economic decline of Guanzhong, the rise of provincial nobilities, and the increasing refugees, and the Tomb Counties were incorporated into the sanfu. The later attempt of Emperor Cheng to restore it ended in failure due to the objections from the public, which reflects the weakening of the imperial power, the dissolution of the ‘Policy of Guanzhong Primacy’, and the transfer of the political center from Guanzhong to Guandong.