Since ancient times, the contradiction between military power and imperial power has always been a major hidden danger that threatens the emperor's rule. How to effectively control the armed forces and ensure the absolute authority of the imperial power was a major test for the rulers of the Ming Dynasty. In the long process of exploration and practice, the Ming Dynasty gradually formed a set of effective military supervision system, which highly integrated military power with imperial power, thus consolidating the absolute control of imperial power over the army. But how exactly does this system work? What are the pros and cons of it? Let's find out.
The origin and evolution of the military supervision system
In fact, the system of supervising the army has already sprouted as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In those years, when the wars were raging and the countries were vying for hegemony, it was necessary to send supervisors to monitor the armies of all walks of life and prevent the warlords from rebelling. There is such a record in the "Historical Records": "I wish to be the favored minister of the king, the respect of the country, and the supervision of the army." So Jing Gong allowed it to make Zhuang Jia go. It can be seen that the post of military supervisor has long been present.
In the Qin Dynasty, the system of supervising the army was gradually systematized. Qin Shi Huang once sent his son Fusu to monitor the army of the general Meng Tian, and also installed the supervisor Yushi to garrison the counties to monitor the local army. This move was aimed at preventing the military officials from plotting rebellion. The same is true of the Western Han Dynasty, which is divided into vertical history and imperial history to inspect the counties, and the assassin history is in charge of local military and political affairs. It can be seen that the system of supervising the army has begun to take shape.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the system of supervising the army was more perfect. The Tang Dynasty set up the "Giving Affairs" as a military supervision agency to monitor all kinds of armies, aiming to strengthen the control of imperial power. As a result, the power of the overseers swelled and became a powerful tool for the king to suppress dissent. Until the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the system of supervising the army followed the previous dynasty and was given a new connotation.
After Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and seized power, he knew that controlling military power was crucial to maintaining the dynasty's foundation. He first abolished the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and set up the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, all of which were controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. Subsequently, the Imperial Historical Observatory was set up to supervise civil and military officials, and the tuntian system was used to solve military expenses. All these measures have laid the foundation for consolidating the military supervision system.
After the Yongle Dynasty, in order to deal with the southern invasion of the Mongol cavalry, Zhu Di pioneered the general army suppression system, and stationed heavy troops to defend the border fortifications. This army was under the direct command of the imperial court and became a powerful tool for seizing military power. The Yongle Dynasty also vigorously promoted the system of eunuch supervision, and the ubiquitous eunuch surveillance network strengthened the imperial power's control over the army.
It can be seen that since the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, after the baptism of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, and reached the extreme in the Ming Dynasty, the military supervision system has undergone several changes and improvements, and has gradually become a sharp weapon for the emperor to control military power. This evolutionary process can be described as bizarre and bizarre, and it is very exciting.
Military control measures of the rulers of the early Ming Dynasty
Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, and the situation was difficult and embattled. He knew that to consolidate his rule, he must first control military power. Therefore, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang began to implement a series of policies and measures to control the army.
First of all, Zhu Yuanzhang explicitly forbade eunuchs to intervene in the military to prevent eunuchs from stealing the country. According to the History of the Ming Dynasty, he "set up an iron plaque in the palace, especially emphasizing that eunuchs were not allowed to set foot in the military field". It shows Zhu Yuanzhang's jealousy of military power. Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang created the tuntian system, and the sergeants were self-sufficient, which solved the military expenditure. This ensured the supply of military salaries and reduced the financial pressure on the imperial court.
In order to prevent the minister from stealing the country, Zhu Yuanzhang personally presided over the military power and did not pretend to others. He abolished the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and set up the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, all of which were controlled by one of them. This undoubtedly made the military power of the imperial court highly concentrated, and it was like a plate of scattered sand. And once there are dissident people plotting against him, Zhu Yuanzhang can easily suppress it.
Not only that, Zhu Yuanzhang also established a strict supervision system to prevent micro problems. According to the records of the "Law of the Emperor Ming Dynasty", he set up an imperial history platform in the central government, sent the imperial history of "picketing a hundred divisions", and closely monitored the civil and military officials. In the localities, there is also a department of inspection and envoys to supervise the performance of hundreds of officials. This set of top-down layers of control has undoubtedly strengthened the centralization of power.
In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang also adopted the practice of rewarding meritorious deeds and reusing many meritorious generals. However, generals with high achievements can also cause disaster. In order to prevent trouble before it happens, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered military power to be checked and balanced, and the upper and lower levels contained each other. This is undoubtedly a matter of forethought.
In general, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang began to adopt a series of carefully laid out measures, aimed at concentrating military power in the imperial court, strictly monitoring it, and preventing private evils from occurring. This laid a solid foundation for the centralization of power in the Ming Dynasty in the future. Zhu Yuanzhang's foresight should be seen.
The establishment and development of the general army suppression system
At the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang took a series of powerful measures to control military power in order to consolidate his rule. But over time, new threats have emerged. In the northern steppes, the Mongol cavalry repeatedly invaded the south, posing a severe test to the frontiers of the Ming Dynasty. In order to effectively deal with this military threat, the rulers of the Ming Dynasty had to think about change and created the general army suppression system.
During the Yongle period, the Mongolian cavalry invaded the south in the northwest, and the battle of Pearl Harbor smashed the Beijing division. Zhu Di personally supervised the division, and barely repelled it. This battle sounded the alarm bell for the imperial court - the frontier defense line was precarious, and there was a risk of being broken through at any time. As a result, Zhu Di stationed heavy troops in the border defense areas, which were commanded by the general army of the imperial court, and implemented the system of general army suppression.
The general army was under the direct command of the imperial court, which strengthened the centralized control over the army. In addition, the garrison also built a solid defense line on the frontier, forming the prototype of the nine-sided defense. This institutional measure effectively reduced the pressure on the imperial court's defense.
It is worth mentioning that in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Song and Ming dynasties gradually flourished, and physicists such as Cheng Hao and others vigorously advocated the doctrine of "inner saint and outer king", emphasizing that the ruler cultivated his body and mind internally, governed the country externally, and educated the people with morality. This trend of thought also had a certain impact on the military system.
Although the general military suppression system is a military system, it also permeates the ideological color of science. The garrison soldiers not only shoulder the heavy responsibility of defense, but also restrain their own behavior with the Confucian concept of benevolence and righteousness. People of insight also compiled military books such as the "Records of the Town Guard" to educate the garrison. It can be said that both martial arts and morality are attached, and the military and the people are integrated.
The establishment of the general army suppression system was indeed a helpless move to deal with external troubles. However, its operation implements the spiritual core of Lixue, and highly integrates Confucian culture with the military system, producing a unique effect. This system not only builds a solid national defense barrier, but also permeates a strong cultural atmosphere, which can be described as unique in ancient and modern times.
The establishment and expansion of the eunuch supervision system
During the Yongle Dynasty, although the general army suppression system had begun to take shape, it was still lacking. The imperial court's control over the army needed to be strengthened. As a result, Zhu Di intentionally or unintentionally cultivated the power of eunuchs and gradually established the system of eunuchs supervising the army. In the later period, this system swelled day by day, and had a profound impact on military power.
As early as the Jianwen period, Zhu Di made full use of the role of eunuchs in monitoring civil and military officials. The eunuch Han Ting and others have participated in military operations many times, acting as Zhu Di's eyeliner and carrying out the duties of supervising the army. In the Yongle Dynasty, Zhu Di completely deposed the civil and military ministers and increased the power of the eunuchs, thus laying the foundation for the eunuchs to supervise the army.
In the last years of Yongle, eunuchs had gradually intervened in military and political power. The eunuch Wang Zhen and others suppressed the military mutiny for many years, and their prestige and status increased day by day. After the Wanli Dynasty, the eunuch supervision army was completely expanded. At that time, the eunuch Wei Zhongxian was in charge of military power, overriding the generals, which can be described as omniscient.
The process of eunuchs entering the military affairs can be seen from this. However, why did the emperors have such nostalgia for eunuchs at the expense of military power? The inside story is also very exciting.
During the Wanli period, the Ming court ordered that "all military affairs should be followed by literature". During this period, in order to expand their prestige, the eunuchs reported to the officers of the general army one after another to spy on the movements in the army. Some even fornicated with sergeants and plotted against them. In short, the ubiquitous surveillance network has strengthened control over the military.
In this way, the importance of eunuchs in the emperor's mind is undoubtedly increasing. The emperor also cultivated eunuchs to balance the civil and military powers, recruit cronies, and firmly control the government and military. This was undoubtedly a very practical means of power, and became a key channel for the combination of imperial and military power.
However, this system of eunuchs supervising the army gradually went to extremes in the later period. Eunuchs are rampant in corruption, favoring sharp claws more than soldiers. This was tantamount to a dangerous situation with the sword in front of the sky, and finally caused a turbulent and chaotic scene in the middle and late Wanli Dynasty. But that's another story.
Analysis of the gains and losses of the military supervision system
Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, the military supervision system did play an important role in strengthening the control of imperial power. But at the same time, it also has some drawbacks and negative effects that cannot be ignored. It is necessary to make an objective analysis of the pros and cons of its gains and losses.
On the positive side, the system of supervising the army undoubtedly strengthened the control of the imperial power over the military power. Since Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, he began to fully control the military power in the early Ming Dynasty. The Imperial Historical Observatory supervised at all levels, and the eunuchs monitored military affairs, from the central government to the localities, forming a strict monitoring network. This ensured a high degree of centralization of military power, which was conducive to maintaining the authority of the imperial court.
In addition, the military supervision system also helps to prevent the rise of warlords. A general who was born as a peasant in the early Ming Dynasty and had a low status. In order to prevent his arrogance and rebellion, the Ming court used eunuchs to monitor the soldiers so that they would never get out of control. To a certain extent, this has avoided a repetition of the historical tragedy of warlord secession.
However, we must not over-glorify the military supervision system. In fact, there were many shortcomings in this system, which had a certain impact on the rule of the dynasty. First and foremost, the eunuchs were corrupt and controlled by the military.
The disadvantages of eunuchs in charge of the army were particularly prominent in the middle and late Wanli periods. Wei Zhongxian, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, also did evil when he held military power. bribes and bribes, coercion and temptation, and even more completely resentful by the noble vassal kings. This kind of eunuch dictatorship seriously damaged the morale of the army and the people, and caused the pain of civil strife.
In addition, the contradictions and conflicts of the military supervision system itself have become increasingly apparent. The eunuchs monopolized the power and dominated the beauty, coupled with endless disputes, and gradually lost their role of checks and balances. This turned a blind eye to the corruption of the army. In the end, it became chaotic and became the bane of the royal family's downfall.
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It is true that the military supervision system has its own reasonable background and original intention. However, we should also carefully judge the pros and cons, and not turn a blind eye to the violence and accumulation of disadvantages. The rise and fall of this system is a profile of the history of the Ming Dynasty. It reflects the pathologies of absolute monarchy for us to ponder.