It is an indisputable fact that the military system was the best military service system in ancient China. It broke the traditional hereditary system and opened the door for the common people to gain fame and fortune through military exploits. However, despite its many advantages, it is ultimately destined to be only a long-term success, and it is difficult to achieve long-term stability. What caused this revolutionary system to be short-lived? Is it the development of the times that prevents it from continuing to adapt to the new situation? Or is there a fatal flaw in the system itself? Or is there something else that is causing its decline? Let's find out.
The rise of the government military system
The state of Qin has been a barren state since ancient times, and its national strength is far inferior to that of the princes of the Central Plains. In order to survive the struggle of the Warring States period, they had to abandon tradition and boldly innovate.
In 359 BC, Shang Ying accepted the commission of Qin Xiaogong to carry out a radical reform of the Qin state's system. In the military, he implemented a series of new policies, the core of which was to break the hereditary system and establish an open and power-incentivizing government military system.
In the past, whether it was the era of chariot warfare or the period when infantry tactics were dominant, the main force of the army was composed of a small group of privileged nobles. In addition to being proficient in martial arts, they also have a high class consciousness, and they often have a kind of chivalrous feelings for war, disdain to play the underdog, and are unwilling to fight hard.
And the new government military system completely turned all this upside down. Its core idea is that all people are soldiers, and any common people, as long as they are brave enough on the battlefield and have established enough meritorious deeds, may obtain a knighthood and land, and live a good life from then on.
This unprecedented opportunity for democracy has instilled an incomparably strong fighting spirit into the entire military and the people. In front of this brand-new Qin army, the aristocratic knight-style Central Plains army was soon vulnerable. In just 26 years, the Qin army captured the six kingdoms of Zhao, Han, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, unified the Central Plains, and established a unified Qin Dynasty that had never been seen before.
The strength of this new army was so great that after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and others did not have the courage to completely abolish the government military system, so they had to make slight adjustments on this basis and transform it into a county system. A brand-new Han Dynasty Central Army was born, laying a solid foundation for the great unification of the Han Dynasty.
The implementation of the government military system in the Han Dynasty
In the early days of the establishment of the Han Dynasty, in order to consolidate its rule, coupled with the withering population at that time, it was necessary to follow and carry forward the Qin system. As a result, during the Han and Han dynasties, the government military system was fully implemented in the central army.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the Central Army took the regular army Xiqiang Lieutenant as the backbone, and cooperated with the government corps of various counties and states to form a powerful military force. Under the escort of this army, the territory of the Western Han Dynasty once extended to Dunhuang Qilian, and included local areas such as Dawan, Anxi, Shule, and the Korean Peninsula into the territory. Even in the suffocating rebellion of Motojia and Fujian, this army also made great achievements.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the main force of the Central Army was composed of the military cavalry guards organized by Wei Jing. These are all strong soldiers carefully selected from various counties. In the presence of Qing and Xu Erjing, the Wucai Chang Shi played an important role, once defeating Gongsun Zhan and other separatist warlords, and re-bringing the northern territory under central control.
Looking at the two Han Dynasty, although the main force of the Central Army has changed, almost all of them are composed of government soldiers. The existence of such a democratic and open opportunity has not only stimulated the fighting spirit of the broad masses of civilians, but also attracted a large number of talented people to join the army. The central army of the Han Dynasty was extremely powerful, and it made great achievements in suppressing the separatist forces and defending the borders.
However, with the passage of time, the government military system also exposed some fatal drawbacks during the Han and Han dynasties. The most obvious is its enormous consumption of agricultural production.
The traditional military service system in the Central Plains was mainly based on the aristocracy, and the common people would not be conscripted into the army for a long time. However, the government military system is completely different, it recruits heroes all over the world, so that a large number of labor force is drained. Coupled with the long-term war, many rich cities and villages were destroyed for a time. As a result, in the middle and late Han Dynasty, many areas fell into a state of population decline.
At the same time, although during the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, the main force of the Central Army was under the government corps, there were also a large number of local troops in various places. They are often formed by local heroes and villagers, and their strength should not be underestimated. In times of turmoil, these local armies tend to be transformed into a source of separatist power.
Among them, the most representative are the Yellow Turban Army and the Peasant Rebel Army in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Although they were initially formed by the spontaneous union of villagers, they soon grew into a viable force in successive wars. The Eastern Han Dynasty, which was crumbling several times, may only rely on such a huge civil force to survive.
However, this phenomenon also accumulated a bane for the Eastern Han court. During the long civil war, a large number of local warlords gradually grew, posing a great challenge to the central court. This eventually led to the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The shortcomings of the government military system were exposed
Although great achievements were made during the Han and Han dynasties, some inherent drawbacks of the government military system gradually emerged.
The most direct is its huge consumption of agricultural production. Compared with the aristocratic military service system, the government military system mobilized the general public, and a large number of labor forces were drained as a result. Coupled with the long-term war, many wealthy cities and villages were seriously damaged, and many areas in the middle and late Han Dynasty fell into a state of population decline.
At the same time, although the main force of the central army during the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty was composed of government soldiers, there were also a large number of local armies in various places. They are often formed spontaneously by local leaders and villagers, and they will quickly grow in turbulent times. The Yellow Turban Army and the Peasant Rebel Army in the late Eastern Han Dynasty were examples of this, although they were initially just a spontaneous group of villagers, but soon grew into a formidable force in the civil war.
The existence of these local warlords became the bane of the central court. Especially in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they gradually grew stronger, posing a great threat to the central power, and eventually led to the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
In addition, the government military system also faced another thorny problem - the opposition of the landlord class.
During the Han Dynasty, with the continuous development of society, a large number of new landlord classes gradually rose. With their economic strength and social status, they began to influence the government at the political level. And the government military system is one of the most undesirable systems for them.
Although the hereditary nobles of the past were ambitious and inevitably extravagant, they had family glory to maintain. And these nouveau riche landlords are often just some nouveau riche with little culture, and what they value most is the power and interests in front of them.
Although the government military system can enrich the army, it also means that it also opens the door to the promotion of civilians. This was unacceptable to the landlord class, because once the commoners had a chance to escape, they would have no object to exploit.
Therefore, the emerging landlord class during the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty had been secretly resisting the government military system, and finally succeeded at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As the process of centralization progressed, so did their power, and they finally swept the system that they least wanted to see into the dustbin of history.
The need for centralization clashes with the government military system
With the passage of time, the contradiction between the centralization needs of the central court and the government military system became increasingly prominent.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to the withering population and unstable frontiers, rulers such as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had to rely on the military system to recruit a large number of troops as the main force to unify the Central Plains and defeat the Xiongnu. However, once the situation stabilizes, their inner desire for power expands.
The most direct manifestation of this desire for power is that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wantonly promoted the children of the gate lord family and suppressed the newcomers in order to consolidate the imperial power. Although he himself started as a prefectural magistrate, once he ascended the throne, he inevitably wanted to pass on his power.
At the same time, this also led to the revival of the traditional clan of the gate lords, who were the relying force of the imperial power, and their power in the government and the opposition increased day by day. And the civilian opportunities on which the government and military system depended were ruthlessly suppressed.
In this context, a more complete bureaucratic system has emerged. It was characterized by "Confucianism" and "literati governance", which eventually replaced the overly force-based style of rule in the past. Among them, the most representative figures in the middle of the Han Dynasty were Jingfang, Liu Hong, Cao Shen, Chen Fan and other important ministers.
After the wars of the Eastern Han Dynasty, this bureaucratic system was finally established during the Cao Wei period. Since then, the structure of three provinces and six ministries under the absolute monarchy system has become the basic framework for successive dynasties for hundreds of years.
At the same time, the forces of local separatism are also gradually growing. The Yellow Turban Rebellion and the continuous peasant wars that broke out at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, coupled with the secession of Gongsun Yuan, Yuan Shao and others, plunged the central power of the Han Dynasty into chaos. In order to regain control of the central government, Cao Cao had to rectify it by force.
Thus, the initial government military system, as an unprecedented and bold innovation, gave the centralists wings. Over time, however, this overly democratic and overly low-level approach became a stumbling block to the emerging bureaucracy, incompatible with the increasingly centralized power of the central government. Its residual poison was eventually dissipated in the torrent of the times.
The final demise of the government military system
With the continuous progress of centralization, the government and military system will eventually be replaced by the new bureaucracy.
During the Cao Wei period, in order to regain control of the central government, Cao Cao had to rectify the separatist forces that were raging at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the process, a new type of bureaucracy, dominated by literati and intellectuals, characterized by centralization, gradually emerged.
Among them, the most representative figures are Zhuge Liang, Chen Qun, Jia Kui and other important ministers. As the remnants of the Han family, although they also briefly followed the peasant rebel army, they could not accept the overly low-level and democratic approach in their hearts.
Therefore, in the subsequent political situations, they have consciously or unconsciously promoted the process of centralization. These include measures such as "the elimination of literati" and "the discussion of the party", all of which are aimed at a high degree of centralization of power and prevent further division and disintegration, as was the case in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
As an overly open and democratic system, the government military system has naturally become a thorn in the side of this bureaucracy. Not only is it incompatible with the need for centralization, but it also provides a breeding ground for local separatist forces.
Therefore, in the subsequent Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, with the change of dynasties, the remnants of the government and military system were gradually replaced by the new bureaucratic system. It was eventually abolished altogether and replaced by the famous "militarism" and "emphasis on literature and suppression of military force".
In addition to the opposition of the new bureaucracy, the attitude of the powerful landlord class was also an important reason for the collapse of the government and military system.
This class had already emerged in the Han and Han dynasties, and had grown to an unprecedented level in the Cao Wei period. They control most of the economic resources of society and have a lot of influence over the government.
As a system that opened the way for the common people to advance, the government military system was naturally incompatible with their class interests. Because once civilians are given the opportunity to gain wealth and status, they will be deprived of objects to exploit.
Therefore, with the vigorous support of the new bureaucracy, these powerful landlords also expressed their opposition to the government and military system, and finally achieved their goals. Since then, China's military service system has gone in the opposite direction, with the children of aristocratic families becoming the new main force, and the common people having little chance to enter the central army.