Dynasties change, and the same goes through the ages. Throughout the dynasties, we always talk about the strength of the country, the victory of foreign wars, and the vastness of the territory. Of course, it is even more resentful and hateful, those dynasties that have lost power and humiliated the country, cut off land and paid compensation, and the people have no livelihood.
The Ming Dynasty has always been one of the popular dynasties that everyone discusses, and there will always be people who praise the Ming Dynasty, and of course, some people will disagree. Most of the points of contention are the size of the territory, just like the 3 million territory at the end of the Ming Dynasty compared with more than 10 million territory in the Manchu Qing Dynasty. In fact, this comparison is meaningless, this comparison, is not bigger than half of the Forbidden City at the end of the Qing Dynasty?
When it comes to the territorial contribution of the Ming Dynasty, the greatest is to recover the southwest region (including Yunnan) and completely integrate it into China. Why, we all know that the southwest region has been our territory since ancient times, but it has been lost repeatedly. It was not until the middle of the Tang Dynasty and its independence, until the early Ming Dynasty was completely recovered.
Southwest Qin
1. Relations between Qin and Southwest China
Why is Yunnan china's territory since ancient times? Let's start with the history of Yunnan. From the earliest historical records, when the Chu people Zhuang Qiao entered Dian and established the Great Dian State, Yunnan began to be associated with China. Although Qin also ruled Yunnan, it is actually inaccurate to say that this is only true, but it can only be said that the frontier that ruled the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau repaired the five-foot road through Qujing (trade possibility is greater). In 221 BC, Shi Huang chu set up thirty-six counties (Ba County, Shu County, Qianzhong County), and Shi Huang only had two foreign wars: First, he attacked the Xiongnu in the north. Second, Nanping Baiyue. The latter four counties (Guilin and Xiang County) do not mention the southwest (Note: Xiang County is not included in Vietnam in the picture, which is actually wrong, Guilin County includes the whole of Guangxi, and the Vietnam chapter will specifically mention it. The above 5 counties are the closest to the southwest.
Pattern of the early Han Dynasty
West Han Yizhou County
2. The Western Han Dynasty established Yizhou County
In the Yungui region, from the Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty, it is known as "Southwest Yi", where there are small states such as Yelang, Jurchen, Leaky Wo, Helan, Huan, Dian, Jingmo, Laojiao, Shuo, Yan, Kunming, Siyu, Tongshi, Yantang, Lailuo, Qiongdu, Steep, Qidu, and Mosha, of which the Yelang Kingdom is the largest. The "Records of History" records that the King of Dian and the envoys of the Han Dynasty said, "Han is greater than me?" And the same is true of Ye Lang Hou. For the sake of not understanding the Tao, each thinks that he is the lord of a state, but he does not know the vastness of Han. The origin of Yelang's arrogance is actually the earliest from the King of Dian. Until the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the southwest region was conquered by force. From 135 BC (the sixth year of jianyuan) to 109 BC (the second year of the Yuan Dynasty), the leader of the Dian state surrendered and set up Yizhou County. The southwest region is under the jurisdiction of the central government.
Yizhou County, Eastern Han Dynasty
3. The Eastern Han Dynasty and mourned the inclusion of all of Yunnan
In the second year of Yuan Feng (109 BC), he sent troops across the Lancang River to attack the Ailao, "placing the two counties of Tang and Buwei". Mourning the decline of the country. In the 27th year (51) of the Eastern Han Dynasty Guangwu Emperor Jianwu, the King of Ailao sent envoys to the inner subordinates, and in the twelfth year of emperor Yongping of the Ming Dynasty (69 years), the King of Ailao, Liu Mao, was attached to the land, and the Eastern Han Dynasty established Yongchang County with the six counties of Yizhou and the Ailao Prefecture, which was subordinate to Yizhou. The entire western part of Yunnan included the eastern part of the Burmese state of Kachin, and the eastern part of Chan State became The territory of China. At this point, the whole territory of present-day Yunnan was annexed.
Yuan Yunnan Province
4. Yunnan in the early Tang Dynasty was divided into independent and semi-independent states in the Yuan Dynasty
In the twenty-third year of the Tang Dynasty (649), the Six Edicts of Yunnan appeared. In the twenty-sixth year of The reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (738), Pi Luoge unified the Six Edicts and established the State of Nanzhao, which opened a precedent for the division of territory. Although it nominally belonged to the Tang Dynasty, it rebelled when it fell and established a state, and it was separated from the central government. Later, the Great Changhe, Dayining, and Dali states were established one after another. In the first year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1253), Kublai Khan divided his troops into three roads and marched south to Dali. In the following year, Duan Xingzhi, the lord of dali, was captured, and the dali state was destroyed, and the Dali Duan clan was hereditary governor of Dali. In the eleventh year of the Yuan Dynasty (1274), Yunnan Province was established. Although the provinces were incorporated into the later period of rule, there were sometimes conflicts, and the rights were not properly handled, coupled with the integration of a large number of Semitic Mongols, the rights were intertwined, which could easily cause the dynasties to split again.
Ming Yunnan region
5. The Ming Dynasty was thoroughly incorporated and continued to this day
In the fourteenth year of Hongwu in the early Ming Dynasty (1381), the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, King Liang, took control of Yunnan. In September, Zhu Yuanzhang sent the general Fu Youde as the general of Zhengnan and Lan Yumuying as the deputy general to lead an army of 300,000 to capture Yunnan. Fu Youde's troops marched in two directions from the east and north. In December of the same year, the Liang king Yu Qujing was defeated, and the liang king hanged himself, known in history as the "Battle of Qujing", and occupied Kunming on the 24th. In the following year (1382), Dali was conquered in Leap February, Duan Ming was captured, and Duan was moved out of Yunnan. At this point, the whole territory of Yunnan was successfully pacified, and the Yunnan Metropolitan Command Department and the Yunnan Cloth Envoy Department were established. Later, it was added to the Establishment of three propaganda and six consolations in the Central and South Peninsula. At this point, Yunnan, which has been divided and divided for more than 700 years, has since been included in China's territory.
In March of the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1384), Fu Youde Lanyu led a large army to guard Yunnan. I have to admire Zhu Yuanzhang's political vision, Zhu Yuanzhang started from all aspects and completely incorporated Yunnan into the territory.
After the unification of the wu dynasty, the foundation of the rule was destroyed, the Duan clan was deprived of hereditary succession, the Duan clan was moved to the interior control, and the du command envoy department and the cloth envoy department were set up to effectively manage and control Yunnan.
Culture broke its roots and burned all the classics before the Yuan Dynasty, promoted Confucian culture, built schools to educate the people, and Han culture gradually penetrated the hearts of the people.
The migration of a large number of Han Chinese from the southern provinces changed the population composition of Yunnan and made the main population become Han Chinese.
Ling Muying hereditary town guarded Yunnan, implemented the Tuntian Tun army system, solved the military salary and promoted the economy, and set up a large number of health stations, established a complete set of transportation networks, and strengthened management.
Ming San Xuan Six Comforts
In addition, three propaganda and six consolations were set up around Yunnan, with Yunnan as the core area of the bondage rule to defend the status of Yunnan. The Ming Dynasty's firm rule over the Yunnan region made it an inseparable part of our country and continues to this day.
Resources:
"History", "Book of later Han", "Old Book of Tang", "History of Yuan", "History of Ming"