Great Han Empire

Chapter 427 Ancient Chinese Military System
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Ancient Chinese Military System

The military system in ancient China can be traced back to the three dynasties of ancient times.From the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Spring and Autumn Period, there was no distinction between the military and the government. The military system was dominated by chariot warfare, with "divisions" as combat units.In the Warring States period, with the transformation of the way of warfare from mainly chariot warfare to infantry warfare, the military leadership system changed accordingly, and the system of generals and divisions of power was generally implemented. General.Qin called it Daliang Zao, and when King Qin was in power, Guo Wei was appointed as the head of the military officer, and the head of the Chu State's military officer was called Zhuguo and Shangzhuguo.
During the Warring States period, the following military officers were relatively complete. Zhao Guo set up Zuo Sima and Du Wei, and Qi Guo set up a division.
horse.Qin, Qi, and Chu set up doctors, and all vassal states generally set up captains to be responsible for guarding the country. Qin also had the post of lieutenant, who was responsible for guarding the capital.
During the Warring States period, the basic feature of the military leadership system was that each vassal state established a unified army, and the monarch became the supreme commander of the army.The military power is highly centralized, and the monarch monopolizes the authority to form, mobilize, and conquer the army. The "Tiger Talisman" system is the main embodiment of the concentration of military power.The conscription system is generally implemented in various countries, and soldiers are recruited in units of counties and counties. The age for men to serve in the military ranges from about 15
Age to 60 years old.Some vassal states adopt the method of recruiting and selecting warriors as a way to form an army, such as the "martial soldiers" of Wei State, the "martial arts" of Qi State, and the "sharp warriors" of Qin State.This method of recruiting soldiers can be regarded as the beginning of the recruitment system.
Although the status of chariot soldiers in the Warring States Period was greatly reduced compared with that in the Spring and Autumn Period, they were still an important part of the army. Infantry replaced chariot soldiers and became the main force in the armies of various countries at that time.The cavalry began to develop into an independent arm. Since the establishment of a powerful cavalry by King Wuling of Zhao's "Hufu Cavalry and Shooting", all vassal states have attached great importance to the construction of cavalry, and cavalry has become an important arm in the army.
During the Warring States period, all vassal states generally established standing troops.In order to make the army have a strong combat effectiveness, all countries generally pay close attention to the strict training of the army and implement strict military discipline.For this reason, all countries have established reward and punishment systems in the army.For example, the State of Qin formulated 20 levels of military merit, stipulating that rewards should be made according to the size of military merit, regardless of nobleness. "Shang Junshu · Territory" stated: "If you can attack a city and besiege a city, if you behead more than [-] people, you will have a surplus theory; if you behead [-] people in a field battle, you will have a surplus theory."Officials and generals above the school will be rewarded. 'Where' surplus theory'
Or, the basic method is to upgrade according to the 20th rank.Soldiers who retreat in fear of battle will be punished with tattoos and punishments.In short, the military laws and regulations of the Warring States Period were quite complete. In terms of maintaining battlefield discipline, the internal security system of the army, the security inside the barracks, the authority of officers at all levels, the use of battle formations, military flags and badges, and the implementation of command orders, etc. There are specific and strict regulations, indicating that the military system at that time was quite complete.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-07-12 16:16:00编辑过]——
Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:05:37——
The Qin Dynasty was the first unified autocratic and centralized state in Chinese history. The centralized military leadership system established at this time had a great impact on later generations.
After the unification of Qin Dynasty, the emperor system was first established, and the emperor held the highest military power in the country.The deployment of troops from all over the country and the granting of military power to generals must take the tiger talisman issued by the emperor as a token.The soldier talisman was cast in copper into the shape of a tiger, with inscriptions engraved on the back, and it was divided into two halves, one half was kept in the hands of the emperor, and the other half was distributed to the commander in chief.Any deployment of troops must be verified by the envoys sent by the emperor before it can take effect.
The highest military official in the central government is called Taiwei.Before reunification, Taiwei was also called Wei or Guowei, and his status was inferior to Daliangzao.After Daliang Zao was abolished, the Taiwei was promoted to the head of the military officer, ranking among the "Three Dukes".Taiwei has the right to command troops, but not the right to deploy troops.When the country sent troops, the emperor appointed generals to lead the troops.The centralized military leadership system is compatible with the county-level administrative system.In counties, counties, and townships, there are full-time officials in charge of military affairs. The county has a county lieutenant, who is responsible for recruiting and dispatching soldiers, the manufacture and storage of weapons and equipment, and local security; Traveling, in charge of military affairs and public security.
The chariot soldiers of the Qin Dynasty still shoulder important tasks in combat.When attacking, the chariots charge forward and destroy the enemy's battle formation; when defending, they use chariots to form barriers to block the enemy's impact.The establishment of chariot soldiers basically follows the system of the Warring States Period, and can generally be divided into three parts: royal hands, chariot warriors, and chariot infantry.
Infantry is the main arm of the Qin army, known as 'caiguan'.There are light infantry and heavy infantry.Lightly armed infantry do not wear armor and are flexible in action. During wartime, they use bows and crossbows to kill enemies at long distances.The hoplites wear armor, and when approaching the enemy, they fight with the enemy with weapons such as Ge, spear, Yue, and Shu.This distinction is determined by weapons and equipment and combat needs, which is a great progress in the history of the military system.
When fighting, the Qin army mostly used mixed formations of vehicles, infantry, and cavalry to fight cooperatively, which can not only give full play to the strengths of various weapons, but also make up for the shortcomings of various arms.Judging from the unearthed situation of the terracotta warriors and horses in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, in an army formation composed of thousands of people, there were infantrymen with spears and battle axes, chariot soldiers driving chariots, and cavalry soldiers standing on horseback.All arms perform their own duties and cooperate tacitly.
The Qin Dynasty implemented a general conscription system. All men of the right age must be registered in a special register and start to serve corvee. At that time, it was called "
Fu Ji'. The age of "Fu Ji" starts from 17 years old to 60 years old (the one with a title ends at 56 years old). Those who are "Fuji" are required to serve in the military for two years, one year in the county and one year in the capital or the frontier, collectively referred to as "Zhengzu". , responsible for the construction of city walls, roads and transportation
The task is due to be replaced, so it is called 'Gengzu'.This nationwide general conscription system based on age has a great influence on future generations.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-07-12 16:15:20编辑过]——
Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:09:08——
The military system of the Western Han Dynasty not only inherited the system of the Qin Dynasty but also innovated.The emperor was still the supreme military commander, and he controlled the entire army through two central military leadership bodies under his direct control.These two institutions are: the central security institution composed of Lang Zhongling, Weiwei, and Lieutenant; the highest military administrative institution in the country composed of Taiwei, General, General, and Lieutenant.
The central guard force can be divided into palace guards and capital guards.The palace guard is called the Southern Army, which is in charge of Lang Zhongling (Guang Luxun) and led by Weiwei; the capital guard is called the Northern Army, which is in charge of the lieutenant (Zhi Jinwu), who is responsible for daily security in the capital outside the palace.In order to effectively control the entire army, the emperor set up a military leadership organization headed by Taiwei in the center.The Taiwei is the highest military officer in name, but in reality he is only in charge of military administration and has no right to send or command troops.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he set up the post of General, who gradually replaced the Taiwei and held military power, even surpassing the authority of the prime minister.But Emperor Wu's posthumous status is different from person to person.
The local administrative system in the Western Han Dynasty was the system of prefectures and counties.The chief officer is called the prefect, and the second official is called the captain. The prefect is in charge of the military and civilian affairs, and the captain divides the military.The latter is specifically responsible for all military operations in the county, directly commanding local troops, and has a lot of power.The county-level military leadership organization is similar to the county level. The county magistrate is in charge of all military and political affairs, and the county lieutenant is in charge of military affairs.There is a tour gate in the township, a pavilion below the township, and a pavilion chief, which is the grassroots organization of the local military.
Beginning with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the central government established subordinate states to deal with the minority nationalities that were subordinated or internally subordinated.The captain of the subordinate country is the highest officer of the subordinate country, and it is another feature of the military system of the Han Dynasty to take military positions as well as civil affairs.In order to strengthen the military control over the vassal states and border areas, the central government also dispatched some temporary military officers, called "Chijie Duhu", such as the Western Regions Duhu, Hu Qiang Xiaowei, etc., whose status was equivalent to that of the inland prefects. It is a unique local military leadership organization, and it is also a special measure for the central government to control the border areas.
There is no distinction between military service and labor service in the Western Han Dynasty, and they are collectively referred to as "corvement service".All adult men are required to serve corvee, first in the county for a year as a "chariot and cavalry officer", that is, a county soldier, to undergo military training, acquire necessary military skills, and then return to the countryside to work in agriculture and become a reserve soldier for the country; According to actual needs, or as a "garrison soldier" for one year, you will serve in the border guards for one year, or as a "guard soldier" for one year, you will serve in the Beijing garrison.After the end of the year, they still need to perform hard labor in the local area for one month each year, called "Gengzu". The tasks are to build camps, make beacons, build palaces, mausoleums, repair river embankments, transport and so on.
Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, both chariots and cavalry were equally important. After that, cavalry replaced chariot soldiers and became the main force of the Han army.In several major battles of the Han-Hungarian War, the cavalry played an important role, making the ancient Chinese cavalry complete the transformation into a strategic military branch and become the main force of the war.
The establishment of the Han army is a trilogy system, with an organizational system of ministries, qu, tun, team, Shi, and Wu under the leading general.The Ministry is the highest level of organization in the Han Army. The officer in charge of the Ministry is called a school lieutenant, and the official rank is the same as that of the prefect.Qu belongs to the Ministry, and the chief is called Junhou, and his status is equivalent to that of the county magistrate.Set up the head of the village, set up the team rate, and Shiwu is the most basic organization in the army.This set of military organization system is set up all year round, and in wartime, the imperial court appoints generals to command and go out to crusade.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-07-12 16:11:37编辑过]——
Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:12:14——
The military system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties is the most distinctive.The great military power of Tang Dynasty was largely due to the perfect and well-functioning military system.The military power of the Tang Dynasty was concentrated in the central government and controlled by the emperor himself.The Ministry of War under the jurisdiction of Shangshu Province is the country's daily military affairs management agency, and its chief is the Minister of the Ministry of War.In the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), a major adjustment was made to the Fubing system since the Northern Dynasties: the Fubing is the basic standing army of the country, and it is usually subordinate to the Twelve Guards and the Sixth Command of the Prince's East Palace. Among them, the left and right guards lead 60 military mansions. Lead 40-50 military mansions, and the rest belong to the sixth rate of the East Palace.Each guard has one general, two generals, one general for each rank, and two deputy ranks.In normal times, he is responsible for managing the affairs of the guards in turn. In wartime, he is appointed by the emperor to lead the soldiers mobilized from various prefectures to go out. "If there is an incident in the four directions, then the order will come out, and the incident will be resolved.The soldiers scattered in the government will return to the court. '("New Book of Tang Bingzhi") Important military affairs are decided by the prime ministers' meeting held in the Zhengshitang to assist the emperor. .
The mansion, also known as the military mansion, was the basic military unit before the mid-Tang Dynasty. Its concept of combining soldiers with agriculture and integrating soldiers and farmers has always been praised by people.During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the military mansion was also called Zhechong Mansion, with 1200 soldiers as the upper mansion, 1000 as the middle mansion, and 800 as the lower mansion.Each prefecture has one chief officer, Zhechong Duwei, and one deputy left and one right Guoyi Duwei.At the most time, there were 634 prefectures in the country, with 60 soldiers, mainly distributed in Guanzhong, Longyou, and Central Plains as the political center.
The sources of government soldiers are mainly selected from owner farmers and landlords, and there are also poor people.According to the regulations, every three years, all adult men over the age of 20 are candidates for the Jane.The simple selection criteria are based on wealth, material strength, and small mouth. Those with equal wealth will be richer, those with equal strength will be strong, and those with equal wealth and strength will be selected with more mouths.Once you join the Fubing, you will not be released from military service until you are 60 years old.Fubing himself was exempt from rent and mediocrity, but his family members did not receive preferential treatment.After the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, there were more campaigns, more rewards were not honored, the social status of soldiers declined, property owners hated military service, especially land annexation was serious, the system of land equalization was destroyed, and military funds had nothing to rely on. The government military system was gradually replaced by the military recruitment system.In the tenth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan (722), large-scale recruitment began.The recruiting has the nature of mercenaries, and the quality of the soldiers is low. In wartime, they will collapse at any touch, and in peacetime, they will run rampant in the market.Due to the implementation of the military recruitment system, military expenditures were passed on to the civilian population, which made the social burden increasingly heavy.The recruiting system was not only one of the reasons why the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, but also the root cause of the decline of martial spirit in the later period of traditional Chinese society.
During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the Jiedushi system was established in the border areas to govern the border field troops.Its soldiers have been professionalized, mainly cavalry, and its military strength is strong.However, it was extremely easy to be used by the generals who held the army for a long time, and finally triggered the Anshi Rebellion.
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Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:14:35——
In the Song Dynasty, the emperor directly controlled the establishment, mobilization and command of the army, and the 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 Envoy.The three yamen are in charge of the highest commanding power of the national army, and their full names are the commander of the front of the palace, the commander of the guards and horses, and the commander of the guards and infantry.The command envoys of each capital are the chief officers, whose status is lower than that of the Privy Council.The Privy Council and the Sanya hold the power to send and manage troops separately, and check each other.Although the commander-in-chief has a commanding army in peacetime, he is temporarily dispatched by the emperor to lead the army to go out in wartime. After the matter is settled, the soldiers return to Sanya.The Song people themselves said: "The method of the ancestors to control the army, the soldiers of the world are based on the privy secretaries, who have the right to send troops, but not the weight of holding them; right.The upper and lower sides maintain each other and cannot be autocratic, which is why there have been no mutinies for more than one hundred and thirty years. '("History of the Song Dynasty Official II") This system has indeed contributed to weakening the military disasters since the separatist regime of the Tang Dynasty and ensuring social stability, but at the same time it also caused the disadvantages of mutual constraints and low efficiency.
There were three kinds of armies in the Song Dynasty: banned soldiers, Xiang soldiers, and rural soldiers, and there were Fan soldiers in the border areas.The Forbidden Army is the regular army of the country, whose task is to guard the capital, and undertake the task of conquest and garrisoning border counties and localities.Xiang Bing is a local army, actually a team dedicated to hard labor. It belongs to each state and some central agencies, and is responsible for tasks such as city building, road construction, and transportation, and most of them do not train.Township soldiers, that is, militia, are irregular local armed forces, but in some areas, township soldiers have stronger combat effectiveness because of defending the border and defending the land.
In the Song Dynasty, both the forbidden soldiers and the box soldiers implemented the recruitment system, and the "strong and healthy" were selected as the forbidden soldiers, and the "short and weak" were selected as the box soldiers.After enlisting, family members can accompany the camp. I must have a tattoo on my face and arms as a symbol. I cannot retire halfway, but in fact I will serve for life.If there are vacancies in the army, they will be selected from among the children. If they flee or commit crimes, the punishment will be extremely severe.Whenever there is a famine, a large number of bankrupt peasants are recruited, resulting in a situation of redundant soldiers in the Song Dynasty. Thieves are often recruited as soldiers. When the source of soldiers is lacking, even criminals become one of the sources, and the quality of the army is greatly reduced.
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Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:17:43——
The military system of the Ming Dynasty was quite original.The establishment of the army adopts the Weisuo system.On the basis of the emperor's monopoly on military and political power, guards were set up in various places across the country.One prefecture set up offices, several prefectures set up guards, and one guard had about 5600 people.The office is divided into a thousand households and a hundred households, each with more than a thousand and a hundred people.All armies across the country are organized into guards according to this system, and the officers and soldiers of each guard are respectively subordinate to the commanders and envoys of the place where they are located. government.The Governor's Mansion is the highest military institution, in charge of the military registration of the guards throughout the country.But conquest, garrison, training, etc. are under the orders of the Ministry of War.In case of war, the Ministry of War will transfer the army according to the emperor's order, and appoint a military leader to lead the army dispatched from the guard.At the end of the war, the military leaders returned to the imperial court to report on their duties, and the army dispersed to the various guards.This system ensures the separation of the power to command the army and the power to transfer the army, prevents the generals from authorizing chaos, and ensures that the emperor and the imperial court (central)
Control of the national army.
The Ming army was divided into three parts: the Beijing Army, the Local Army, and the Frontier Army.The Beijing Army is the elite of the national army. It guards the capital in peacetime and is the main force in wartime.At the time of Ming Chengzu, the Beijing Army had 72 guards, and three battalions of the Five Army, Three Thousand, and Shenji were formally established.In normal times, the five army battalions specialize in learning formations, the three thousand battalion leaders patrol, and the Shenji battalion handles firearms (Figure 13).The local army is the guard army of various places, and is deployed in various military towns in the interior.The frontier soldiers are deployed in nine military towns starting from the Yalu River in the east and reaching Jiayuguan in the west, called "nine frontiers", each with a general officer under the jurisdiction.In addition, there are militias, which are armed to maintain local law and order other than military membership.
The source of soldiers in the guards comes from the hereditary military system. The sergeants and military officers of the guards are hereditary. Once registered in the army, they are called military households.Their social status is low, they often associate with criminals, their quality is low, and they flee constantly.Therefore, after the mid-Ming Dynasty, the recruitment system was implemented again, and recruiting soldiers gradually became the main force of the army. However, the recruitment system cost a lot of money to raise soldiers, and the national treasury was dwindling, which eventually exhausted the national power.
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Author: Xie Xu——
发布时间：2005-7-12 16:18:20——
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Central Committee set up the Military Aircraft Office, which was in charge of major military and political affairs, and handled them according to the emperor's will.The army is composed of Eight Banners soldiers and Green Battalion soldiers.The Eight Banners are marked by eight flags: Zhenghuang, Bordered Yellow, True White, Bordered White, Plain Red, Bordered Red, Plain Blue, and Bordered Blue. The "flag" was originally a social organization of the Manchu "military and civilian unity", and it had military, political, economic and other functions.Each of the Eight Banners has its own banner owner, all of which are hereditary.Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty added the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the Eight Banners of the Han Army.After unifying the country,
The Eight Banners became a military and political organization that did not engage in production at all. It directly belonged to the state and no longer belonged to the banner owner. Deter local force.The Green Battalion is a Han soldier recruited with reference to the guard station system of the Ming Dynasty. It is marked by a green flag and based on a battalion. It is divided into cavalry, infantry, and guards.The generals are selected by the Ministry of War. Each province has a number of towns in the Green Battalion. The chief general is called the general.
The Eight Banners of Manchuria are good at riding and archery, and they are the directors of the charge in Pingchuan wilderness; while the Eight Banners of the Han Army are good at using firearms, and have repeatedly made outstanding achievements in sieges and water battles.However, because the soldiers of the Eight Banners made great contributions to the establishment and consolidation of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty adopted a policy of giving preferential treatment to the Eight Banners of Manchuria, giving them special consideration in all aspects.The soldiers of the Eight Banners gradually lost their fighting spirit. Since the Kangxi Ping San Francisco Rebellion, the Eight Banners have become more and more dependent on the green battalion, and their strategic main position has also been replaced by the green battalion.

(End of this chapter)