The military system of ancient China
-- The military system of ancient China
The military system of ancient China can be traced back to three dynasties of antiquity. From the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Spring and Autumn Period, there was no distinction between military and political affairs, and the military system was dominated by vehicle warfare, with 'divisions' as combat units. In the Warring States period, with the change of the mode of warfare from vehicle warfare to infantry warfare, the military leadership system underwent corresponding changes, and the system of separation of powers between generals and ministers was generally implemented, and the commanders who commanded the army were called generals, generals, generals, and generals. Qin is called Daliangzao, and when King Ying of Qin was in power, he set up the national lieutenant as the chief of the military attaché, and the chief of the military attache of the Chu State was called the Pillar State and the Shangzhu State.
During the Warring States Period, the following military attachés were also set up relatively completely, and the Zhao State set up Zuo Sima and Du Wei, and the Qi State set up the Division
Horse. In Qin, Qi, and Chu, all vassal states generally set up a lieutenant to be responsible for the garrison, and the Qin state had the position of lieutenant, responsible for guarding the national capital.
During the Warring States period, the basic feature of the military leadership system was that all the vassal states established a unified army, and the monarch became the supreme commander of the army. Military power was highly centralized, and the monarch had the sole authority to organize, mobilize, and conquer the army. The 'Tiger Fu' system is the main embodiment of the concentration of military power. Conscription is widely practiced in all countries, and the age of military service for men is about 15
years to 60 years old. Some vassal states adopted the method of recruiting and selecting warriors as a way to form an army, such as the 'warriors' of Wei, the 'technical attack' of Qi, and the 'sharp warriors' of Qin. This method of recruiting soldiers can be regarded as the beginning of the recruitment system.
During the Warring States period, although the status of chariots was greatly reduced compared with the Spring and Autumn Period, they were still an important part of the army, and infantry replaced chariots as the main force in the armies of various countries at that time. Cavalry began to develop into an independent branch of the army, since the Zhao Wuling King 'Hufu Cavalry Shooting' established a powerful cavalry, all vassal states have attached importance to the construction of cavalry, and cavalry has become an important branch of the army.
During the Warring States period, the vassal states generally established a standing army. In order to ensure that the armed forces have strong combat effectiveness, all countries have generally stepped up strict training of the armed forces and enforced strict military discipline. To this end, countries have established a system of rewards and punishments in the military. For example, the Qin State formulated 20 levels of military merit, stipulating that there is no distinction between nobles and nobles, and rewards are implemented according to the size of military merit. "The Book of Shang Jun: Territory" said: 'If you can besiege a city and behead more than 8,000, you will be profitable; In the field, if you behead three thousand, you will be profitable. Officials and generals above the school will be rewarded. 'Where 'Profit Theory'
The basic method is to ascend according to the 20th rank. The soldiers retreated in fear of battle, and were to be punished with slashing and execution. In short, the military regulations of the Warring States period were quite perfect, and there were specific and strict regulations on the maintenance of battlefield discipline, the system of continuous protection within the army, the vigilance within the barracks, the authority of officers at all levels, the use of military flags and insignia, and the implementation of command orders, which showed that the military system at that time was quite complete.
[This post has been edited by the author on 2005-07-12 16:16:00]
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:05:37
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The Qin Dynasty was the first unified **** centralized state in Chinese history, and the centralized military leadership system created at this time had a great impact on later generations.
After the unification of Qin, the emperor system was first created, and the emperor held the highest military power in the country. The transfer of troops throughout the country and the granting of the right to marshal troops must be tokenized by the tiger talisman issued by the emperor. The talisman was cast in bronze in the shape of a tiger, with an inscription engraved on the back, and was divided into two halves, half of which remained in the hands of the emperor and half was issued to the commander of the army. Any transfer of troops must be verified by the emperor's envoys before it can take effect.
The highest military official of the Central Committee is called the Grand Lieutenant. Before the reunification, Taiwei was also known as Wei or Guowei, and his status was second to that of Daliangzao. After the abolition of Daliangzao, Taiwei was promoted to the rank of military attaché and ranked as the 'Three Princes'. The lieutenant has the right to command the troops, but he does not have the right to transfer the troops. When the state sent troops, the emperor appointed generals to command the troops. The centralized military leadership system is compatible with the administrative system of the county system. In the county, county, and township, there are full-time officials in charge of military and political affairs, and the county has a county lieutenant, who is responsible for the recruitment and dispatch of soldiers, the manufacture and storage of weapons and equipment, and local security. The county has a county lieutenant who is in charge of the military administration of a county; The township is set up to be in charge of military administration and public security.
The chariots of the Qin Dynasty still carried important tasks in the battle. During the attack, the chariots charged into battle and destroyed the enemy's battle formation; When defending, use chariots to form a formation to block the onslaught of the enemy. The establishment of chariot soldiers basically follows the system of the Warring States period, and can generally be divided into three parts: the royal hand, the chariot warrior and the chariot infantry.
Infantry was the main branch of the Qin army, known as 'material officers'. There is a distinction between light infantry and hoplites. Light infantry did not wear armor, moved flexibly, and used bows and crossbows to kill and wound enemies at a distance in wartime. The hoplites wore armor and fought the enemy with weapons such as ge, spears, swords, and swords when approaching. This distinction is determined by weaponry and combat needs, and is a major step forward in the history of the military system.
When the Qin army was fighting, it mostly used mixed formations of chariots, infantry, and cavalry to fight in coordination, which could not only give full play to the specialties of various weapons, but also make up for the shortcomings of each arms. Judging from the excavation of the terracotta warriors and horses pit of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, in an army formation composed of thousands of people, there are infantry holding spears and horses, chariot soldiers driving chariots, and cavalry riding horses. All branches of the armed forces perform their duties and cooperate tacitly.
The Qin Dynasty introduced a universal conscription system, and all men of appropriate age had to register on a special register and begin to serve in conscription, which was called ' at the time.
Fu Ji'. The age of 'Fu' starts at the age of 17 and ends at the age of 60 (56 years old for those with titles). Those who are 'Fu' will serve two years of military service, one year in the county, and one year in Beijing or the frontier, collectively referred to as 'Zhengpu'; In addition to two years of military service, each adult male is required to serve one month in the county, responsible for the construction of city walls, roads, transportation, etc
The task is replaced when it expires, so it is called 'change'. This universal conscription, which is nationwide and based on age, has a great impact on future generations.
[This post has been edited by the author on 2005-07-12 16:15:20]
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:09:08
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The military system of the Western Han Dynasty inherited both the system of the Qin Dynasty and the innovation. The emperor remained the supreme military commander, and he controlled the entire army through the two central military leadership bodies under his direct control. These two major institutions are: the central guard organization composed of Lang Zhongling, Wei Wei, Lieutenant, etc.; It is the highest military administrative body in the country, composed of lieutenants, generals, generals, lieutenants, etc.
The central guard force can be divided into palace guards and capital guards. The palace guards are called the Southern Army, which is in charge of Lang Zhongling (Guangluxun) and commanded by the guards; The guards of the capital are called the Northern Army, and they are in charge of the lieutenant (Zhi Jingo), who serves as the daily guard outside the palace and inside the capital. In order to effectively control the whole army, the emperor set up a military leadership body headed by the Taiwei in the center. The lieutenant is nominally the highest military commander, but in fact he is only responsible for military administration and has no authority to send or command troops.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he set up the post of general, and gradually replaced the Taiwei and took charge of the military power, even exceeding the authority of the prime minister. However, after Emperor Wu, his actual status also varies from person to person.
The local administrative system of the Western Han Dynasty was the county system. The chief officer is called Taishou, and the deputy officer is called Du Wei, who is in charge of military and civilian affairs, and Du Wei is divided into military affairs. The latter is specifically responsible for all military operations in the county, directly commanding the local troops, and has a lot of power. The county-level military leadership is similar to the county-level military leadership, the county commander is in charge of all military and political affairs, and the county lieutenant is in charge of the military, and his duties are mainly to arrest thieves and be responsible for the internal security, and he has a certain degree of independence from the county order. There are pavilions below the township, and there are pavilions below the township, and there are pavilion chiefs, which are the grassroots organizations of the local military.
Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the central government has set up subordinate states to deal with ethnic minorities who are subordinate or subordinate to them. The Governor of the subject state was the highest official of the subject state, and he used military duties to manage civil affairs, which was another feature of the military system of the Han Dynasty. In order to strengthen the military control of the subject countries and the border areas, the central government also sent some temporary military attachés, called 'holding the festival to protect the capital', such as the Western Regions Protector and the Qiang Captain, etc., whose status was equivalent to that of the mainland Taishou, constituting a unique local military leadership organization in the Han Dynasty, and at the same time, it was also a special measure for the central government to control the border areas.
In the Western Han Dynasty, there was no distinction between military service and hard service, and they were collectively referred to as 'conscription'. Adult males are required to serve as conscripts, first as 'chariot and cavalry officers' in the county for one year, that is, the county soldiers, to undergo military training to acquire the necessary military skills, and then return to the countryside to work as farmers and become national reserve soldiers; Later, according to actual needs, they will either serve as a 'soldier' for one year, that is, serve in the border guards for one year, or serve as a 'guard' for one year, that is, serve in the capital garrison force. After the end of the year, they are required to serve one month of labor in the local area, called 'shift pawn', and the task is to repair the barracks, make beacons, build palaces, mausoleums, repair river embankments, transport and so on.
Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, both chariots and cavalry were emphasized, and after that, cavalry replaced chariots and became the main force of the Han army. In several major battles of the Han-Hungarian War, cavalry played an important role, so that the ancient Chinese cavalry completed the transformation into a strategic military branch and became the main force of the war.
The establishment of the Han army was a tribal system, and an organizational system of subordinates, qu, tun, team, shi, and army was set up under the leading generals. The department is the highest level of establishment in the Han army, and the officer in charge of the department is called the captain, and the official rank is the same as that of the Taishou, and he is under the command of the general who leads the army when he goes out to fight. Qu is subordinate to the ministry, and the chief is called the military marquis, and his status is equivalent to that of the county order. The commander of the tun is the commander of the tun, and the team is set up at the rate of the team, and Shiwu is the most grassroots organization in the army. This military organization system was set up all year round, and in wartime, generals were appointed by the imperial court to command them and go out to fight against them.
[This post has been edited by the author on 2005-07-12 16:11:37]
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:12:14
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The military system of the Sui and Tang dynasties is the most distinctive. The great military might of the Tang Dynasty was largely due to the perfect and well-functioning military system. The military power of the Tang Dynasty was concentrated in the center and was held by the emperor himself. The Ministry of War under the jurisdiction of Shangshu Province is the daily military affairs management body of the state, and its commander is the Shangshu of the Ministry of War. In the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), a major adjustment was made to the government soldier system since the Northern Dynasties: the government soldiers were the basic standing army of the country, and they were subordinate to the twelve guards and the six rates of the prince's east palace in peacetime, of which the left and right guards led 60 military offices, the guards led 40-50 military offices, and the rest belonged to the six rates of the east palace. Each guard has one general and two generals, one person for each rate, and two deputy leaders. In peacetime, he was responsible for managing the affairs of the government soldiers in turn, and in wartime, he was appointed by the emperor to lead the government soldiers mobilized from various provinces to go on the expedition. 'If there is something in the four directions, then the fate will be solved, and the matter will be solved.' The soldiers scattered in the house will return to the court. The military department is responsible for the assessment, appointment and dismissal of military attachés, the establishment and rotation of the army, the first battle, the herdsmanship, and the books.
The government, also known as the military government, was the basic military unit before the middle of the Tang Dynasty, and its concept of integrating soldiers and farmers has always been praised by people. During the time of Taizong, the military government was also known as the Zhichong Mansion, with 1,200 soldiers for the upper house, 1,000 for the middle government, and 800 people for the lower government. Each prefecture has one lieutenant for the prefect and one lieutenant for the left and one lieutenant for the right. At its peak, there were 634 prefectures in the country, with 600,000 soldiers, mainly distributed in Guanzhong, Longyou, Central Plains and other places as political centers.
The source of the government soldiers was mainly selected from the yeoman farmers and landlords, but there were also poor people. According to the regulations, every three years, all adult men over the age of 20 are selected for short. The simple selection criteria are based on the three of assets, material resources, and Dingkou, and those with comparable property will be rich, those with comparable strength will be strong, and those with equal wealth and strength will be taken from those with more Dingkou. Once you join the government army, you will not be discharged from military service until you are 60 years old. The government soldiers themselves are rent-free and mediocre, but their families do not have preferential treatment. After the Tang Dynasty, there were many wars, many rewards were not honored, the social status of soldiers declined, those with property hated service, especially the land annexation was serious, the uniform land system was destroyed, military funds had nothing to rely on, and the government military system was gradually replaced by the conscription system. In the tenth year of Xuanzong's reign (722), large-scale recruitment began. Recruitment has taken on the nature of mercenaries, the quality of the soldiers is low, and they are ready to collapse at the touch of a button in wartime, and they are rampant in the market in peacetime. Military expenditures have been passed on to the civilian sector due to the implementation of the conscription system, which has caused an increasingly heavy burden on society. The conscription system was not only one of the reasons for the decline of the Tang Dynasty, but also the root cause of the martial spirit in the later period of traditional Chinese society.
During the Tang Dynasty, the system of jiedu envoys was established in the border areas to control the border field army. Its soldiers have become professional, and they are mainly cavalry, and the military is strong. However, it was very easy to be used by generals who had held troops for a long time, and finally caused the Anshi Rebellion.
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:14:35
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In the Song Dynasty, the emperor directly controlled the construction, mobilization and command of the army, and his military power was divided into three parts: the Privy Council was the highest military and political organ, responsible for strategic decision-making, handling daily affairs, recruiting and dispatching troops, and the chief was called the Privy Council. The three yas are in charge of the supreme command power of the national army, and their full names are the commander of the embassy in front of the palace, the commander of the guards and the horse army, and the commander of the guards and the infantry army. Each has a commanding envoy who is subordinate to the Privy Council. The Privy Council and the Sanya respectively hold the power to issue troops and manage the troops, and check each other. Although the marshal commanded the troops in peacetime, he was temporarily dispatched by the emperor in wartime to lead the troops to the battle. The Song people themselves said: 'The ancestors' method of controlling the army, the soldiers of the world, are based on the privy secret, and they have the right to send troops, but they have no weight in holding troops; The soldiers of the Beijing division are always in the three marshals, and they have the weight of holding the troops, but they do not have the right to send troops. The upper and lower dimensions are not ****, so there has been no mutiny for more than 130 years. This system did contribute to weakening the military disasters since the secession of the Tang Dynasty and ensuring social stability, but at the same time, it also caused the disadvantages of mutual restraint and low efficiency.
There were three kinds of armies in the Song Dynasty: forbidden soldiers, box soldiers and village soldiers, and there were Fan soldiers in the border areas. The forbidden army is the regular army of the state, and its task is to garrison the Beijing division, and serve as the task of conquest and garrison of border counties and localities. The van soldier was a local army, in fact, a full-time labor force, which was subordinate to the states and certain central agencies, and was responsible for the tasks of building cities, building roads, transporting, etc., and was mostly not trained. Township soldiers, that is, militias, are irregular local armed forces, but in some areas, they have relatively strong combat effectiveness because of the protection of the territory and the land.
In the Song Dynasty, the forbidden soldiers and the box soldiers all implemented the recruitment system, and the 'healthy ones' were selected into the forbidden soldiers, and the 'short and weak people' were selected into the box soldiers. After enlistment, family members can accompany the battalion, and they must be marked by Nirvana, and they must not retire halfway, but in fact, they will serve for life. Vacancies are filled by children and the punishment is severe in cases of desertion or crime. In every year of hunger, a large number of bankrupt peasants were recruited, thus forming a situation of redundant soldiers and redundant expenses in the Song Dynasty, and thieves were often recruited as soldiers, and even criminals became one of the sources when there was a shortage of soldiers, and the quality of the army was greatly reduced.
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:17:43
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The military system of the Ming Dynasty was quite original. The establishment of the armed forces adopts the system of guards. On the basis of the emperor's monopoly on military and political power, guards were set up in important places across the country. One state has a station, several states have a guard, and there are about 5,600 people in one state. It is divided into 1,000 households and 100 households, each with more than 1,000 people and more than 100 people. The armed forces of the whole country are organized into guard posts according to this system, and the officers and men of each guard post are subordinate to the local commander's office, and the command of the embassy is subordinate to the central five armies (center, left, right, front, and rear) governors. The Governor's Office is the highest military organ and is in charge of the military registration of the national guards. However, the requisition, suppression, and training were under the orders of the military department. In the event of war, the military department was ordered by the emperor to transfer the army, appoint a leading officer, and lead the army transferred from the guard to the battle. At the end of the war, the leading officers returned to the imperial court to report on their work, and the army dispersed to the various guards. This system ensures the separation of the power to unify the army and the power to transfer the army, prevents the general's dictatorship from causing chaos, and ensures that the emperor and the imperial court (the central government)
Control over the national army.
The Ming army was divided into three parts: the Beijing army, the local army, and the border soldiers. The Beijing army is the elite of the national army, guarding the Beijing division in peacetime and the main force in wartime. When the Ming Dynasty became the ancestor, the Beijing army had 72 guards, and the five armies, three thousand, and three battalions of Shenji were formally established. In peacetime, the five military battalions specialize in formations, the 3,000 battalion leaders patrol, and the Shenji battalion holds firearms (Figure 13). The local army is the guard army of various places, which is deployed in various important military towns in the interior. The border troops are deployed in nine military towns from the Yalu River in the east to Jiayuguan in the west, called 'nine borders', and each has a chief military officer under the jurisdiction. There are also militias, which are armed to maintain local law and order in addition to military status.
The source of the guards comes from the world military system, the sergeants and military attaches of the guards are hereditary, once they enter the military register, they are called military households, which are under the jurisdiction of the governor's office, and are not subject to the constraints of the local administrator. They have a low social status, often associate themselves with criminals, are of low quality, and are constantly on the run. Therefore, after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the conscription system was implemented, and the recruitment of soldiers gradually became the main force of the army, but the recruitment system cost a huge amount of money, and the national treasury was depleted.
-- Author: Xie Xu
-- Date:2005-7-12 16:18:20
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In the early Qing Dynasty, the central government set up a military aircraft department to take charge of military and political affairs and handle it according to the emperor's will. The army consisted of the Eight Banners and the Green Battalion. The eight flags are marked by eight kinds of flags: yellow, yellow, white, white, red, red, blue, and blue. The 'banner' was originally a social organization of the Manchu people, which had military, political, and economic functions. Each of the eight banners has its own owner, all of whom are hereditary. Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty added the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the Eight Banners of the Han Army. After the unification of the country,
The Eight Banners became a completely non-productive military and political organization, directly belonging to the state and no longer belonging to the banner owners, and were divided into the Eight Banners of the Beijing Camp (served by the three banners of Zhenghuang, Zhengbai, and Huang) and the Eight Banners of the garrison, the latter of which were stationed at key points throughout the country as a force to deter the localities. The green battalion is a Han soldier recruited with reference to the Ming Dynasty guard system, with the green flag as the symbol, and the battalion as the basic unit, with cavalry, infantry, and guards. Generals are selected by the Ministry of War, each province has a number of green battalions and towns, the chief general is called the general army, and there is a commander above the general army, which controls the general army of each town in a province or several provinces, and the governor and the governor have the power to command the commander.
The Eight Banners of Manchuria are long in cavalry and archery, and they charge into battle in the Pingchuan Wilderness; The Eight Banners of the Han Army made good use of firearms and performed miraculous feats in siege and water warfare. However, because the Eight Banners made great contributions to the establishment and consolidation of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty adopted a policy of preferential treatment of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and gave special consideration in all aspects. Since the rebellion of the Kangxi Ping Three Feudatories, the Eight Banners have become increasingly dependent on the Green Battalion, and their strategic main position has also been replaced by the Green Battalion.