In Chinese history, there are many vassal kings, they are either relatives of the emperor, or descendants of meritorious heroes, or strong people who have divided the territory, they have a certain amount of power and army in their respective fiefdoms, and the relationship with ** is sometimes harmonious, sometimes antagonistic, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent. How many soldiers and horses a vassal king has is a seemingly simple but complex question, because it involves many factors such as the system of the dynasty, regional differences, the identity of the prince, and changes in the current situation. In this article, we will take the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties as examples to introduce the number and role of soldiers and horses of different vassal kings, as well as their relationship and influence with the emperor and the imperial court.
The Han Dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history to implement a feudal system, and in order to appease the princes and heroes, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, divided many vassal kings, including eighteen of whom were his sons. These vassal kings had local financial power, military power, and some civil power, and could appoint their own subordinates** and have their own team. The number of their soldiers and horses, depending on the size of the fiefdom and the size of the population, generally ranged from a few thousand to tens of thousands. For example, the fief of Emperor Liu Ying of the Han Dynasty had 30,000 soldiers and horses, while the fief of Emperor Liu Heng of the Han Dynasty had only 8,000 soldiers and horses. The soldiers and horses of these vassal kings were not only their guarantees, but also their threats. Therefore, Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han, in order to prevent similar things from happening again, took a series of measures, such as changing the feudals, cutting land, banning troops, and migrating, etc., which gradually weakened the soldiers and forces of the vassal kings, making them nominal vassal kings and de facto county states. This shows that there are serious flaws and crises in the feudal system of the Han Dynasty, which can easily lead to the rebellion of the vassal king and the vacillation of the **.
The Tang Dynasty was another dynasty in Chinese history that practiced a feudal system, and in order to appease his brothers and sons, Tang Taizong Li Shimin divided many princes and county kings, twenty-four of whom were his sons. Most of these princes have no real power and fiefdoms, only false names, and the number of their soldiers and horses is also very small, generally between a few hundred and a few thousand. For example, the fiefdom of Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, Wei, only had 500 soldiers and horses. The soldiers and horses of these princes were mainly used to protect their own safety or carry out the emperor's orders, and rarely had their own ambitions and actions. Despite this, although the princes of the Tang Dynasty did not launch large-scale rebellions like the Han Dynasty, there were some small-scale unrests, such as the mutiny of Li Yuanji, the younger brother of Tang Taizong, the rebellion of Li Chengqian, the younger brother of Tang Gaozong, and the rebellion of Li Ying, the son of Tang Xuanzong. These turmoil were quickly quelled by the emperor or the crown prince, and did not have much impact on the court situation. This reflects that the Tang Dynasty's feudal system has been greatly improved and perfected compared with the Han Dynasty, effectively controlling the soldiers, horses and forces of the princes, and maintaining the unity and stability of the Tang Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty in Chinese history to implement a feudal system, and Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, in order to consolidate his rule, divided 25 princes, 24 of whom were his sons. These princes, with real power and fiefdoms, can preside over local military affairs, and have their own soldiers and horses, the number of which is between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands. For example, the fief of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, Yanguo, had 150,000 soldiers and horses, while the fief of Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen's fief Shouguo had 60,000 soldiers and horses. The soldiers and horses of these princes are not only their dependence, but also their capital. Therefore, many of the princes of the Ming Dynasty have launched rebellions or participated in coups, such as the Jingyan Battle of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, the Great Rites Discussion of Zhu Houzhao of Ming Wuzong, the Donglin Party Dispute of Zhu Yijun of Mingshenzong, and the Chongzhen Emperor Dispute of Ming Sizong Zhu Youzhen. These events had a profound impact on the politics and society of the Ming Dynasty. In the end, due to the aggravation of internal and external troubles, Wang Jue's soldiers and horses were gradually reduced and lost, leading to the demise of the Ming Dynasty. This shows that the Ming Dynasty's feudal system has returned to the old path of the Han Dynasty, and the problem of excessive soldiers and dissatisfaction of the vassal kings has reappeared, which has brought profound influence and harm to the politics and society of the Ming Dynasty.
To sum up, how many soldiers and horses a vassal king has is a question that does not have a fixed answer, because it depends on many factors, such as dynasty, region, prince, current situation, etc. However, from a historical perspective, we can get a general idea of the number and role of different vassal kings, as well as their relationship and influence with the emperor and the imperial court.