How did the ancient Chinese military system evolve?

I. Pre-Qin Military System

The conscription system was commonly practiced in the Pre-Qin period. During the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period, the military system complemented clan politics. In the late Spring and Autumn period, with the gradual collapse of clan politics, the aristocratic army built on the clan system also continued to split and disintegrate. The phenomenon of county conscription was already emerging in the Spring and Autumn period. The target of conscription was expanded to include the county householders, which led to an unprecedented increase in the number of armies in each country. During the Warring States period, in order to cope with the frequent and fierce wars of annexation, each country also established the standing army system. The standing army was specialized in war and was strictly selected and trained. In the state of Wei, the standing army was called "Wu Pawns", and those who were selected were exempted from taxes and levies for the whole family. In Qi, the standing army was called the "technical fighter" and was rewarded with one cent (eight taels) of gold for capturing the head of an enemy. The Qin's standing army was called the "Sharp Soldiers", and they were rewarded for their achievements and punished for their faults.

Two, Qin and Han military system

After the Qin unified the country, conscription was introduced throughout the country. At that time, conscription was carried out on a county-by-county basis, with soldiers accounting for about one-tenth of the total population. Soldiers were basically conscripted in the form of corvée. The military service system of the Qin Dynasty stipulated that a man had to serve in the military when he reached the age of twenty-three, and he had to be a soldier twice in his life: once in the guard force, called "Zhengpiao", guarding the capital city Xianyang, for a period of one year; and once in the garrison force, called "Gushupiao", guarding the frontier, for a period of one year as well. The duration was also one year. In addition, they had to serve in their own counties for one month, which was called "more pawns". However, due to the more frequent wars in the Qin Dynasty, the burden of military service for men was actually heavier than that stipulated by the military service system. According to archaeological data such as the Bamboo Slips from the Tomb of the Sleeping Tiger Qin, many men were already soldiers before the age of twenty, and they joined the army more than three times, and as long as they were within the age range of the soldiers, they could be recruited as soldiers at any time. This system of military service reflects the Qin Dynasty "poor martial arts" tradition.

The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, which stipulated that men should register with the government at the age of twenty and become soldiers according to the principle of three years of cultivation and one year of storage, and that the age of twenty-three to fifty-six years old was the age of military service. During the period of age, every year in the agricultural leisure have to receive military training. Each person has to serve two times in his life: once in the local area, called "pawn"; once in the border or the capital, called "garrison pawn" or "guards". When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he strengthened the strength of the palace guards. He chose the brave and good fighters from the "six counties" to form the Yulin and Shimen armies. In addition, the orphans raised in the Yu Lin Army were formed into an army called Yu Lin Orphans. In 111 B.C., Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty divided the forbidden army into eight branches of 700 men each, led by eight lieutenants, who were the Zhongbian (middle base), the Tun Cavalry, the infantry, the Yue Cavalry, the Changshui (long water), the Hu Cavalry, the Shooting Sound, and the Huben (tiger ben), which later became the main army of the Western Han Dynasty.

Three, Wei, Jin, North and South Dynasties military system

The Three Kingdoms saw the emergence of the Shibing system, in which fathers and sons succeeded each other as soldiers. The soldiers did not belong to the counties, but were managed by the military government and called "Shijia" and "Jundu". During the Northern Dynasty, the military system underwent significant changes. In the Western Wei Dynasty, Yu Wentai created the military system in the ninth year of Daitong (543). At the end of the Western Wei Dynasty, the government soldiers were led by six generals, each of which had two generals, each of which had two generals, **** 24 armies. At that time, the government soldiers do not belong to the county, only to fight, do not pay taxes.

Four, Sui and Tang Dynasty military system

The Sui Dynasty continued to implement the government military system. The Sui emperor stipulated that: the government soldiers in the state and county on the one hand, farming, "one with the same people"; on the one hand, still retains the military registration, the rotation of the guards, so that the government military system and the equalization of land system to further combine. The Tang Dynasty improved the system of government soldiers. The organization of the Prefectural military system was largely inherited from the Sui Dynasty, with the twelve guards remaining as the supreme governing body. However, the basic organization was changed from Yingyangfu of Sui Dynasty to Zuichongfu. There were more than 640 folding and charging prefectures in the whole country, of which 261 were in Guanzhong region, forming a military layout with heavy internal and light external forces. There were regiments, brigades, units, and fires under the Zuichongfu. The government soldiers were the strongest among the peasants, who regularly defended the capital or guarded the borders. When they were not in service, they were engaged in farming, and in their spare time, they were engaged in military training. The recruitment of government soldiers was carried out only after the central military department had issued a military warrant, and after checking with the local military governors, the recruitment was carried out. In case of war, the generals were ordered to go out, and when the war was over, the soldiers were dispersed in the government, and the generals returned to the government, which eliminated the disadvantage of the generals' specialization in military affairs. The Tang government military system has the following characteristics: First, "military in agriculture", military and agricultural unity. From the equalization of farmers in the point of soldiers, the source of soldiers is more guaranteed; food armor staff self-provisioning, part of the munitions transferred to the people, reducing the expenditure of the feudal state. Secondly, the central twelve guards to supervise the government, the military government is relatively concentrated in Guanzhong area, the capital area has two hundred and sixty thousand soldiers, accounting for three times the total military strength, the formation of the court "in the heavy control of the light" situation. Third, the soldiers usually have training to ensure the combat effectiveness. There is something "to order the general to go out", after the incident "soldiers scattered in the government, will return to the court", the commander-in-chief is difficult to officials and soldiers bossy. These characteristics show that the government military system has the nature of strengthening centralized power.

In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the conscription system was introduced. The Tang Dynasty's system of government soldiers was based on the premise that peasants were subjected to a system of equalization of land. During the reigns of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Xuanzong, land annexation intensified, and the burden of labor became so heavy that a large number of peasants went bankrupt or fled the country, and the equalization of land system gradually fell into disuse. With the abolition of equalization of land system, the government military system was also gradually destroyed; not to mention the fleeing peasants, the bankrupt peasants could not bear the burden of self-provision of armor, so the source of soldiers became a big problem. On the other hand, the system of government soldiers itself became more and more defective, and the government soldiers were subjected to all kinds of slavery, which also accelerated the collapse of the system of government soldiers. Kaiyuan eleven years (723), the guards are disorganized, the court began to implement the recruitment system, later renamed the "Jiu Cavalry". In the 25th year of the reign of the Buddha (737), the soldiers were recruited to guard the borders instead of the government soldiers, and were called "Long March". Tianbao eight years (749), the folding of the government has no soldiers can be adjusted, the court had to order to stop sending fish edicts, the government military system formally abolished.

Fifth, the Song and Yuan military system

The Song military system is mainly a recruitment system. At that time, there were four kinds of troops: forbidden army, compartment soldiers, tomato soldiers and countryside soldiers. The forbidden army is the emperor's personal soldiers, stationed in the capital, and prepared for the expedition, is the regular army. The Box Soldiers were the local soldiers recruited from each state, who could not fight and only served as odd jobs. The Tombs were the soldiers of the Northwest Minorities recruited to garrison the borders. Township soldiers are mostly local recruits, used to defend the local.

During the Mongol period, the tribal military system was implemented, and all men above fifteen and below seventy were soldiers. Yuan dynasty army has four kinds: by the Mongols to form the Mongolian army and by the first to the northwestern tribes to form the tanmachi army is the main part of the Yuan dynasty. In addition, there were the "Han Army" and the "Southern Army".

Sixth, the Ming and Qing military system

Ming Dynasty in the military to develop the "guard" system. The national army was organized into the Guards Army and the Jingwei Army. The source of the guards of the army are four: one from the draft; two attached; three banishment; four stack set. The guards of prefectures and counties were under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Commanding General's Department, and each department was under the supervision of the Five Military Commanding General's Office. The guards of Kyoto are 48 guards (later increased to 72 guards), 3,000 battalions and Shen Ji Battalion, collectively known as the "three major battalions of the capital army". The Five Military Governor's Office was responsible for the training and management of the army. If there is a war, the Ministry of War will be called up by the Emperor's will and send generals to lead the army; after the success of the incident, each of them will return to their own position.

The Eight Banners system in the early stages of the establishment, both military, administrative and production functions, is compatible with the social and economic basis of the Manchus at that time. After the entry, the Manchu ruling class to use the eight banners system to strengthen the control of the people of all ethnic groups, the significance of its production is shrinking. In terms of military organization, the Eight Banners army and the Green Battalion constituted the ruling tool of the Qing Dynasty. In terms of administrative organization, the government offices of the Eight Banners coexisted with the prefectural system. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, all the members of the eight banners were collectively known as the "Banner People", and the state and county belonging to the "people" in a different form of service by the Qing rulers. Green battalion soldiers is the eight banners soldiers supplement. Qing dynasty military system, Han soldiers with green flag, called the green battalion soldiers or flow flag soldiers. Soldiers divided into horsemen, infantry, along the rivers and the sea and set up a water division. In the capital, briefly for the patrol battalion, under the commander of the infantry. In all provinces have governor inspector, Fu inspection, mention inspection, etc., under the inspection of the association, by the vice general; association under the battalion, by the generals, etc., respectively, under the battalion set up under the floods, by the thousands of generals, generals, respectively, under the generals. Green battalion troop quota, from time to time increase or decrease, generally in the 600,000 people or so.