First of all, we need to understand how the situation of five dynasties and ten kingdoms was formed, and the reasons for this are mainly the following four aspects:
First, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the ** regime declined, and the power of local festivals gradually increased, which was the fundamental reason for the formation of the separatist situation. Due to the strong military strength and local administrative power of the Jiedu envoys, they gradually became an independent political force and no longer obeyed the orders of ***.
Secondly, political corruption in the late Tang Dynasty was also one of the important reasons for the formation of the separatist situation. The emperor was mediocre, they colluded with each other, and they were corrupt, which led to the whole political system falling into a state of chaos. This corrupt political environment has made the local people lose confidence in the political power, thus providing a social basis for the secession situation.
In addition, the frequent wars during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period were also important factors leading to the formation of the secession situation. Fighting and wars between the various regimes have displaced people everywhere and made it impossible for them to live and work in peace. This situation of war has made the local people more inclined to support the local forces, thus creating a situation of separation.
Finally, the differentiation and antagonism of social classes is also one of the important reasons for the formation of the separatist situation. During the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the social class was seriously divided, and the antagonism between the scholars and the Shu was increasingly intensified. This class antagonism makes social contradictions more acute and provides soil for the situation of separation.
After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, China did not have a long period of separation, mainly due to the political reforms of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Song Dynasty adopted a more centralized political system and strengthened its control, especially in the financial, military, and personnel aspects. This strengthening of centralization makes the country more controlling and stable, which is conducive to maintaining the unity of the country.
During the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the arrogance and frequent military rebellions in the feudal towns made almost everyone in society become a soldier, and there were few scholars. By the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the army was decent at first, but over time, the composition of the army became more complex. Many of those who had committed crimes were sent to join the army, some of them civilians, so the army's combat effectiveness gradually declined. These sinful people are used as slavery by the army as criminals. During this period, all sinners who served as soldiers had a tattoo on their faces, called armies, to prevent them from escaping.
Song Jiang and Wu Song and others in "Water Margin" are examples of army matching. They had handwriting tattooed on their faces and were sent to a barracks somewhere to do hard labor. People call them "thieves with soldiers". Serving in this mood gives an idea of how strong the willingness of these soldiers is to fight.
The Song Dynasty army was divided into two main types, one was the forbidden army and the other was the box army. The forbidden army and the box army had different positions and responsibilities in the army of the Song Dynasty. The forbidden army is the direct army of ***, responsible for the safety of the capital and the emperor. The Xiang army is a local army, which is mainly responsible for maintaining local law and order and performing some miscellaneous duties. The society of the Song Dynasty was relatively stable, and the local Xiang army actually did not have many opportunities to fight, so the Xiang army gradually became weak and useless, and became a gathering place for the old and weak soldiers.
The weakness and uselessness of the local army was, in a sense, also the need of the imperial court to limit the power of local separatists. The Song Dynasty took the "over-healthy" as the forbidden soldiers, and the "short and weak" as the van soldiers, which strengthened the ** military strength;He also commanded the Privy Council, commanded the troops in charge of the three yayas, and led the troops to the battle, so as to avoid personal control of a large number of forbidden troops. These reforms have helped to prevent the emergence of separatist forces.
The defense strategy of the Song Dynasty was distinctly defensive in nature, and they did not tend to attack actively, but focused on defense. This defensive spirit of national defense complemented the conscription system practiced in the Song Dynasty. The conscription system makes the composition of the army more stable, but at the same time it limits the mobility and combat effectiveness of the army. Due to the prevailing trend of emphasizing literature over military force, the status and power of military generals were restricted, resulting in the long-term military weakness of the Song Dynasty.
The dynasties after the Song Dynasty carried out in-depth explorations in preventing secession. For example, the Yuan Dynasty implemented a reform of administrative divisions, breaking down the original geographical boundaries through the establishment of provinces. This reform made it impossible for any province to defend independently by natural hazards, thus strengthening the ties between the regions and helping to maintain the unity of the country.
The Ming Dynasty after the Yuan Dynasty also took a series of measures to prevent secession. The Ming Dynasty implemented a military household system, combining soldiers with land, ensuring the stability and loyalty of the army. At the same time, the Ming Dynasty also set up institutions such as the Metropolitan Command and Envoy Department to strengthen the defense and management of the border areas. These measures have effectively prevented the occurrence of the phenomenon of separatism and safeguarded the unity and stability of the country.
In general, although the national defense spirit of the Song Dynasty was defensive in nature, it also provided an important reference for the national defense construction of later generations. The dynasties after the Song Dynasty also carried out active exploration and practice in preventing secession, and made important contributions to maintaining the unity and stability of the country.