Which official position is higher, Wu Song's Dutou or Lu Zhishen's Tijue?

According to the official system at that time, there was basically no comparability between the prefecture official held by Lu Zhishen (also known as Lu Da at the time) and the county government official held by Wu Song. Because these are positions that belong to two different systems, unlike now, cadres or civil servants are managed according to administrative levels regardless of which department they belong to. Let’s briefly talk about the difference between Tiha and Dutou.

When Lu Zhishen appeared, his position was under the jurisdiction of the Weizhou Economic and Strategy Office. In the Song Dynasty, administrative units at the road or state level set up the post of adjudicator, whose full name was "administering the official affairs of soldiers, armor, thieves and thieves". This is a military attache, which is a military position in current terms. However, in ancient times, the scope of authority and affiliation were not as detailed as in modern society. Tijia was mainly responsible for military training and supervising the arrest of thieves within its jurisdiction. The former is related to the military, and the latter is obviously the current responsibility of the public security department. Tiha is a low- to mid-level military officer, roughly between the seventh and sixth ranks. However, no matter what rank he is, Tiha has the opportunity to be promoted, and theoretically, after working for a certain number of years, he will generally be promoted. The capital where Wu Song worked belonged to the officials. In the Song Dynasty and other feudal societies, there were strict boundaries between officials and officials. Officials had no chance of promotion, and they would still be officials when they were old.

Strictly speaking, in terms of "Dutou" alone, it is also a military position. The position of Dutou refers to the commander-in-chief of the armies during the Mid-Tang Dynasty, and has evolved since then. After the Song Dynasty, the military commander had the post of Dutou, a low-level officer. But Wu Song was the "dutou" of the county government. In the Song Dynasty, there was no such position in the county government. The so-called "dutou" is basically an honorific title, just like now, regardless of the size of the company, everyone is called "Mr. Liu" or "Mr. Li" .

Both Tiha and Dutou (military positions) were appointed by the court. Wu Song, because of his merits in fighting tigers, was appointed Dutou by the county magistrate. This shows the difference. To put it bluntly, Wu Song's boss in "Water Margin" is the person in charge of the police, and he is just an official at best - but this point is worthy of scrutiny. Although officials and officials belong to different systems, they are also related to the imperial court. The system and decency are not for everyone. When Song Jiang appeared on the scene, he was an official, known as Song Yasi. This was a serious official. According to current parlance, he was employed in the county government office.

Whether Wu Song has a staff is not explained in the novel. Basically, it may not occupy the staff. If there is an establishment, his boss can be regarded as the deputy captain of the security brigade of the county public security bureau. If there is no establishment, he is basically a temporary recruitment of the security brigade captain.

Lu Tiha and Wu Dutou are good brothers with an extraordinary relationship among the 108 generals of Shuibo Liangshan. This has nothing to do with their previous positions. There is no comparison between Tiha and the county government office, and there is no need to compare the two of them.

Both of them became monks because of a murder case, but Lu Zhishen, as his Dharma name suggests, has profound wisdom. According to the Buddhist verses in the book, the master who ordained him said that when Lu Zhishen sat down, he was considered a monk. He had achieved the right result of cultivation, and he faced his own death so openly. Wu Song was different. He knew that the officialdom was dangerous and chose to practice in seclusion in Lingyin Temple. His practice had a sense of helplessness and escapism. From this point of view, he was slightly inferior to Lu Zhishen.