<P> Near the beginning of the dynasty, semi-autonomous regional kings rivaled the emperor's authority . This autonomy was greatly diminished when the imperial court enacted reforms following the threats to central control like the Rebellion of the Seven States . The End of the Han dynasty came about during a time of civil, military and religious upheaval, which resulted in the period of Three Kingdoms . </P> <P> The highest officials in the central bureaucracy, who provided advisory, censorial, executive, and judicial roles in governing the empire, consisted of cabinet members known as the Excellencies, heads of large specialized ministries known as the Nine Ministers, and various metropolitan officials of the capital region . Distinguished salary - ranks were granted to officials in the bureaucracy, nobles of the imperial family, concubines of the harem, and military officers of the armed forces . </P> <P> Local government divisions, in descending order by size, were the province, commandery, county, and district . Local fiefs of the nobility included the kingdom, which was modeled largely upon the regular commandery, as well as the marquessate, modelled largely upon the regular county . Although the central government's monopolies on salt, iron, and liquor eventually failed and were relinquished back to private production, the government successfully nationalized the issuing of coin currency through its imperial mint, which lasted from 113 BC until the end of the dynasty . The conscription system for commoners as non-professional soldiers was reduced in size in favor of a volunteer army and a substitution tax by Eastern Han . A small professional standing army existed throughout Western and Eastern Han . During times of crisis, the volunteer army increased in size, but large militias were raised and certain officer titles were revived for temporary use . </P> <P> During the Han dynasty, the power a government official exercised was determined by his annual salary - rank, measured in grain units known as dan (石, a unit of volume, approximately 35 litres (0.99 US bsh)). However, approximately half an official's salary in grain was made in payments of cash coins, the standard of which, after 119 BC, was the wushu (五 銖) coin measuring 3.2 g (0.11 oz). The other half of an official's salary consisted of unhusked grain and husked grain measured in hu (觳, approximately 20 L / 676 oz); since one hu of unhusked grain was equal to 100 coins and one hu of husked grain was equal to 160 coins, the conversion ratio for unhusked grain to husked grain was 10 to 6 (see table below). The most senior officials in central government earned a 10,000 - dan salary . The officials who oversaw nine specialized ministries each earned the Fully 2,000 - dan rank, while the magistrate of a county earned a 600 - dan rank . Occasionally, emperors bestowed luxurious gifts of wine, foodstuffs, and silk clothes upon high officials . These gifts, in some generous cases, could equal as much as half the value of the officials' standard annual salary . Aged officials were often retired from service and given a pension . Below is a table outlining salaries measured in coin cash, unhusked grain, and husked grain for the highest to lowest - paid officials in Han officialdom: </P>

Why did the han emperors need a complex governmental bureaucracy