The Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) was a feudal dynasty established by the Jurchens in Chinese history to rule northern and northeastern China. The west stood side by side with Western Xia and Mongolia, and the south formed a confrontation pattern with the Southern Song Dynasty, and the glorious history of the Jin Dynasty began. A total of ten emperors have been passed down for 119 years.
The Jin Dynasty was a synthesis of Jurchen tribal traditions, the Liao state, and the Northern Song dynasty system, which maintained the characteristics of the Jurchen people, inherited the Liao state's bicameral system and the five-capital system, and at the same time, copied the Song dynasty's vast bureaucratic system. This convergence made the Jin Dynasty's system one of the most intricate in history.
The early "Bo Ji Li" system
In 1115 A.D., Wanyan Aguta ascended the throne of the emperor, and he implemented the "Bo Ji Lie" system, which was used to rule the Jurchen tribes. The system is tightly structured and hierarchical. Under the emperor, the heir to the throne is the great Bo Jilie, and the other ministers are in charge of the commanders Bo Jilie, the first Bo Jilie, the second Bo Jilie, the third Bo Jilie and the deputy Bo Jilie.
However, with the continuous expansion of the Jin Kingdom, the Bo Ji Lie system gradually showed its limitations. After the Jin State absorbed a large number of people from various ethnic groups such as the Khitan, Han, Bohai, and Xi ethnic groups, the original system of Bo Jilie could no longer meet the management needs of various ethnic groups under the new situation. This led to the abolition of all Bo Ji Lie positions during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and the Bo Ji Lie system was more of an honor than an actual official position, a change that reflected the flexibility of the early Jurchen political system.
The later "Meng'an Moke" system
Since then, the Jurchen tribes have been incorporated into the Meng'an Scheme. The state of Jin stipulates that every 1,000 households should have one Meng'an, and every 300 households should have one Mouke. Generally speaking, a Meng'an consists of 7 to 10 Mooke, and under Mok there are "Puliyan", and each Puliyan manages 50 households. First established in 1114, this system was not only a military organization, but also covered the Jurchen population, involving political, military, and economic aspects.
After the conquest of the Liao State, the Jin State not only incorporated the Jurchens into the Meng'an Scheme, but also incorporated the Khitans, Han Chinese, Bohai people, and Xi people who returned to the system into this system. However, in order to curb the power of the Khitan and other ethnic groups, the Jin State set different restrictions on the number of households under the leadership of people of different ethnic groups, and the Khitan Mouke could only command 130 households, while the Han Mouke could only command 65 households.
There are three levels of Meng'an Mou restraint: the commanders of the royal family are the first class, the Jurchen commanders are the second class, and the Khitan, Xi, and Han commanders are the third class. By 1124, in order to maintain the characteristics of the Jurchen standard, the Jin State stopped including the Han in the establishment of Mouke, and in 1145 abolished the hereditary power of the Han and Bohai Mouke, but the hereditary power of the Khitan and Xi people was retained. This is because the Jin State has a natural affinity for the Khitan and Xi people, after all, the culture of the Han and Bohai people is different from that of the Jurchen, Khitan and Xi people.
Under the restraint of Meng'an, all the people are soldiers, and the military commanders are divided into three ranks: marshals, commanders, and ten thousand households. Marshal was only temporarily established during the war. In terms of the military defense of the northwest frontier, the Jin State appointed the "herdsmen envoys" and "the envoys of the various ministries" mainly composed of the Khitan and Xi people. A total of 12 herdsmen and 8 ministers were set up in the Jin State. However, since these border defense subjects are not Jurchens, this exposes the weakness of Jin's border defense forces.
Meng'an Mok, a unique community organization during the Jin Dynasty, was mainly composed of warriors from the Jurchen tribe. It is not only a military alliance, but also a symbol of social identity. Over time, the population of Maemon Mook has experienced phenomenal growth. In 1183, a detailed census was conducted in the Kingdom of Jin, which showed that the number of Meng'an reached 202 and that of Mok was 1,878, with a total number of 6158636, which is a staggering number.
Behind this phenomenon is the reality of the rapid population of Meng'an Mooke. Due to their privileges in terms of official promotions, social status, and economic interests, the number of Mengan Mook members swelled rapidly. However, this rapid growth has also brought with it its own concerns. With the growth of the population, the fighting quality and cost of living of the members also climbed.
When the Mongol Iron Hoof invaded the Kingdom of Jin, the once mighty Meng'an Mok was no longer able to cope with the brutal test of war. Jin had to recruit new soldiers on an ad hoc basis to deal with the threat of foreign enemies. Those brave and fearless warriors who were once on the battlefield gradually lost their former edge in a comfortable life.
Meng'an Mook played an indispensable role in the history of the Jin Dynasty and contributed to the strength and prosperity of the Jin Dynasty. However, over time, its drawbacks were also gradually exposed, which eventually led to its decline.
Replication of the Song Dynasty system
In the process of governing the Han people in the Central Plains, the Jin dynasty demonstrated its meticulous management skills. In 1137, the Jin Dynasty followed the structure of the Northern Song Dynasty and established the "Xingtai Shangshu Province" with the aim of effectively administering the Han people. This institution is divided according to the system of roads, prefectures (prefectures), and counties, like a huge network, ensuring the all-round management of the Han community.
The Jin dynasty not only copied the organizational structure of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also innovated on it. For example, in 1123, the Jin dynasty established the Privy Council, an institution similar to the Privy Council of the Northern Song Dynasty, which mainly served as the emperor's adviser and did not directly control military power. The existence of the Privy Council gave the Jin Dynasty emperor more think tank support in military decision-making.
The Jin Dynasty's Shangshu Province was established in 1126, which is a relatively early date. The Jin Dynasty had a complete Shangshu Provincial Organization, under which departments such as the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of War were set up, each of which performed its own duties to ensure the smooth progress of state administrative affairs. It is worth noting, however, that the Jin dynasty's Shangshu province was largely controlled by members of the imperial family, which exemplifies an important feature of Jin dynasty politics – aristocratic politics.
According to statistics, among the 16 people who successively served as the Zuo Prime Minister of Shangshu Province, 11 were from the Wanyan clan, 4 were from other Jurchen tribes, and 1 was from the Bohai Sea. This situation of the imperial family dominating Shangshu Province was also reflected in the post of the right prime minister, which was basically monopolized by the Jurchens.
In the shadow of the Song dynasty, the Jin dynasty carried out a radical imitation of the bureaucratic system, and although some departments did not directly adopt the Song name, their functions were identical. This trend reached its peak after King Hailing ascended the throne after Yan Liang. Wan Yan Liang tried to disperse the power of the Jurchen aristocracy by reforming the tribal politics and aristocratic politics of the Jin Dynasty and establishing a large number of new functional departments.
However, this reform followed in the footsteps of the Northern Song Dynasty, leading to the expansion of the bureaucratic system and redundant staffing, and Wan Yanliang himself was counterattacked for touching the old forces, and finally encountered an accident on the battlefield of the Southern Song Dynasty.
A shocking set of figures reveals the extent of the Jin dynasty's bureaucratic expansion: in 1194, the number of officials in the Jin dynasty was 11,499, and by 1207 the number had swelled to 470,000 people. In comparison, the number of officials in the Northern Song Dynasty in 1046 was 1270,000 people. This shows that the Jin dynasty's bureaucracy was even larger than that of the Northern Song dynasty.
Behind the problem of redundant officials is the increase in the financial burden. The Northern Song Dynasty was also able to rely on canals to transport taxes from the Jianghuai region to support a large bureaucracy, while the Jin Dynasty relied only on land in the north and some nomadic areas as taxes**, and its revenues were already limited. In the face of such a large ** team, the financial situation of the Jin Dynasty naturally became more and more tense.
The imperial examination system of the Jurchen people
The selection of the Jurchen ** is also inseparable from the imperial examination system. As early as 1123, the Jin Dynasty established the imperial examination system, and from 1129 onwards, the Jinshi examination was held every three years, and later adjusted to once a year. However, in Jurchen society, the imperial examination system seems to have been directed more to Han Chinese than to Jurchens. For the Jurchen aristocracy, they relied more on hereditary, shadowy, military merit and other systems to protect their official careers.
In fact, although Jin Shizong founded the Jurchen Jinshi Branch in 1173, only 26 of those Jurchens who ranked first were admitted to the Jinshi by passing the Jinshi examination. This is quite similar to the later Qing Dynasty, where there is a phenomenon of the Eight Banners. The privileged political position of the Jurchen aristocracy did not require them to rely too much on the imperial examinations to obtain official positions.
However, Jin Shizong's purpose in establishing the Jurchen Jinshi Department was not just to give the Jurchens a chance to pass the examination and enter the Shi. The deeper reason is that he hopes to achieve the upper and lower circulation of Jurchen internal personnel in this way, so as to check and balance those hereditary Jurchen nobles. At the same time, this is also to maintain the characteristics of Jurchen culture and ensure that it is not assimilated by Han culture. This move undoubtedly had a profound impact on the development of Jurchen society, making the selection of Jurchen ** more pluralistic and fair.
Summary
The five-capital system of the Liao State was completely inherited and carried forward by the Jin Dynasty. On the political map of the Jin Dynasty, this system was further refined and expanded, so that the territory of the Jin Dynasty was divided into multiple political centers. These centers are in separate formations, and it is difficult to form a unified synergy. This arrangement of separation of powers and checks and balances made the political structure of the Jin Dynasty extremely complex, like an intricate web.
The political system of the Jin Dynasty was actually a trinity of Jurchen tribal traditions, the old Khitan system, and the Song Dynasty system. This hybrid system combines the advantages of all three, but also inevitably inherits their shortcomings. Over time, these shortcomings were gradually magnified and became the stubbornness of the Jin Dynasty's political system.
Compared with the Song Dynasty's redundant officials and redundant expenses, the Jin Dynasty's problems in this regard were more serious. Excessive **, cumbersome administrative processes and endless financial expenditures made the Jin Dynasty's national power gradually decline. This complex institutional design, like a deep chain, bound the hands and feet of the Jin Dynasty, making it appear incapable of dealing with external challenges.
Eventually, this complex institutional design became an important reason for the fall of the Jin dynasty. In the great waves of history, the political system of the Jin Dynasty appeared so fragile that it could not withstand the impact of internal and external pressures, and finally went into decay and extinction.