If the Western Zhou Dynasty practiced federalism, the king mastered military affairs and diplomacy, and the local governors had certain powers, wouldn't there be a scene in which the governors compete

If the Western Zhou Dynasty practiced federalism, the king mastered military affairs and diplomacy, and the local governors had certain powers, wouldn't there be a scene in which the governors competed for hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period? To answer this question, we must first make clear what is federalism.

Federalism is a form of state structure formed by the combination of two or more political entities. Members of federalism came into being before the federal state and became a state through voluntary combination. When a federal state is formed, federal members hand over part of their power to the federal government, while retaining part of their power to manage internal affairs. Within the scope of the federal constitution, the sovereignty of federal members is still protected by law, and federal members have their own constitutions and laws.

1, so there is a question of order, and in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the vassal state was enfeoffed by the Zhou Emperor, so the vassal state could not be produced before the Zhou Dynasty. Secondly, according to the principle that the land in the world is not the king's land and the coast of the land is not the king's minister, it is impossible for each vassal state to have independent laws different from the Zhou royal family.

2. Even assuming that the Western Zhou Dynasty was really federalist in form, under the circumstances at that time, the vassal hegemony would still happen. The reason is very simple, because the strength of the princes is too strong. In his vassal territory, the vassal king has not only military power and financial power, but also administrative power and judicial power. Apart from some legal obligations such as tribute, pilgrimage and pilgrimage, the central government does not have too many fetters on governors. That is to say, there is another important reason why the condition of "within the unified constitutional framework" in federalism is not satisfied, that is, the hereditary system, in which the Zhou Emperor passed down from generation to generation, and so did the princes, which greatly weakened the central control area.

3. In ancient times, an important indicator to measure strength was land and population. However, with the feudal system, the land and population controlled by the Zhou royal family became less and less. In order to increase their strength, enfeoffment vassals constantly reclaimed new land, attracted immigrants to increase their population through various policies, and even robbed neighboring countries of their land and population. Because the whole country has no powerful and effective checks and balances mechanism and means, the war between governors is inevitable.

4. The vassal nominally obeyed the Zhou Emperor and acted in his own country. Some even hold the son of heaven to make princes. The disadvantage of hereditary system is that it cannot guarantee that every generation of successors are wise monarchs, nor can it guarantee that every generation of successors are loyal ministers. Once emperors like Zhou Pingwang and Zhou Youwang are out, or princes like Qi Huangong and Qin Mugong are out, the struggle for hegemony is inevitable.