A county magistrate prefect, just one step from becoming a minister at court, and the majority of prime ministers during the Han dynasty came up through the ranks in this way, having started out as junior officials at the county or prefectural level. For this reason, the Han dynasty stands out in history for the quality of its local political administration.
縣令政績優異，可升郡守，郡守一轉便為九卿三公，漢代的宰相大多數由地方官吏出身，兩漢時代的地方政治，也成為歷史上的佼佼者。