Li Chengliang used his family to fight against foreign enemies, and how did he become the main force in the late Ming Dynasty
Before reading this article, we cordially invite you to click "Follow" to make it easier to participate in the discussion and share. Your attention will not only enable us to provide a better service, but also make you feel more engaged.
Thank you for your support and understanding. In the opening chapter, the ancient family usually refers to people who are hired by a wealthy aristocratic family to complete tasks or guard the courtyard, and their role is similar to that of servants in a noble family.
The Ming Dynasty had a special meaning in that they referred to people who were under the jurisdiction of military generals but did not have official military registration. These dependents on the generals, who were armed slaves.
Their tasks included not only protecting their generals, but also charging into battle and serving as sentinels. There are many kinds of family members, and they are known for their brave fighting spirit, excellent comprehensive quality and superior treatment.
The Ming Dynasty's family once played a positive role, but it also brought some negative effects, and even affected the political and military situation of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty's family system has a long history, which can be traced back to the dead soldiers of the Warring States period and the tooth soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Gu Yanwu believes that the earliest form of this family system was the dead soldiers of the Warring States and the tooth soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and later developed into the family system of the Ming Dynasty.
The scale of the family system in the Ming Dynasty was rare in previous dynasties. So, why did this family system appear in the Ming Dynasty? This requires an understanding of the military organization of the Ming Dynasty.
Under the Ming Dynasty guard system, the whole team was incorporated into the guard, and the identity of the soldier was fixed and hereditary, called "military household", and being a soldier became a lifelong occupation.
After two years of orthodoxy, the imperial court began to implement a conscription system, but due to the tense situation on the border and the shortage of troops, it had to implement a conscription system. The family system was transformed from the guard system to the conscription system.
After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the land annexation was serious, and the military cantonment system was destroyed, resulting in a sharp decline in military income, a decrease in the treatment of soldiers, and a large number of sergeants fled. The concept of national defense of the ruling class weakened, the military situation in the frontiers deteriorated, the system of guards was destroyed, and the generals began to recruit soldiers privately.
In this context, the family system came into being, gradually expanded, resulting in the extremely poor treatment of ordinary soldiers, they compete for higher treatment and as a family member, generals at all levels from the general army, down to thousands of households, there is a situation of accepting family members.
The imperial court banned it many times, but with little effect, which was the original family system.
The family Ding seen in Hu Zongxian's historical materials can be traced back to the orthodox period at the earliest. By the Zhengde period, the phenomenon of family members had become very common, but it was still less used as a combat force.
During the Jiajing period, the records of Jiading's battles began to increase, and Jiading was recorded in the history books because of his bravery in battle. The history of the Ming Dynasty praised them: "Winning by surprise, winning the soldiers, although the ancient famous generals are how to add to it." ”
The scale of the family grew rapidly and gradually became an important part of the military power of the Ming Dynasty. The duties of the Ming Dynasty generals mainly included accompanying the generals to travel, providing security services, and performing special tasks.
As the domestic slaves of the generals, their treatment is generally better than that of ordinary soldiers, and can even reach ten times that of ordinary soldiers. In addition, in order to ensure their high quality, they must have a high military capability and be able to "use one as ten, and destroy the front."
The ** of the family is more complicated, including the transformation of soldiers in the guard, the recruitment of civilians and the transformation of soldiers.
In addition to fighting and defending generals, Qi Jiguang's family members also shoulder a key task: reconnaissance, that is, obtaining intelligence. "The Art of War" once said: "Understand the situation of both the enemy and us, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles." ”
In order to collect information, the Ming Dynasty set up a number of special intelligence collection agencies, the most common being night detectives. Since the family members were close confidants of the generals, they had excellent secrecy and therefore often took on such tasks.
The Border Treaty states: "Whatever the cost, as long as the truth is found through stratagem and money, it will be rewarded." "This shows that the investigators will do their best to gather military intelligence.
And "Yiding", because he is familiar with the enemy situation and proficient in Yi, can often get twice the result with half the effort when conducting reconnaissance.
The map of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty was well treated, and the status of the family was higher than that of ordinary soldiers. It is reflected in three aspects: one is the higher monthly service, the second is the "double food" and additional rewards, and the third is the living allowance for military tasks.
However, there are differences in treatment at different times and places, and Liaodong in special periods is ten times different. Liaodong Jiading was the largest in scale when Li Chengliang was the chief soldier, and he was brave in battle, and he was the "special force" of the Ming Dynasty.
The family is an important basis for Li Chengliang's repeated military exploits. In terms of quantity, in the thirty-sixth year of Wanli (1608), Xiong Tingbi counted the troops directly under the general army of Liaodong, and the family accounted for 6 percent of the total, becoming the backbone of the Liaodong operation.
The family of the Qi family, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, became the core combat force of the army. They accompanied the generals in battle, not only to boost morale, but also to protect the commander, which had a significant impact on the military and political situation of the Ming Dynasty.
Their presence makes the generals more heroic and fearless on the battlefield, and also makes the command of the troops smoother and the cooperation more tacit.
In the military power of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the generals, the family also played an important role. They are "special forces", mobile and well-equipped, capable of winning in military operations.
According to historical records, many famous generals in the late Ming Dynasty relied on their families to make achievements. For the country as a whole, Jiading played an active role in maintaining the stability of the Ming Dynasty's borders.
During the Ming Dynasty, there were always border troubles on the northern border, and there were even major events such as the Tumubao Change. As early as when Zhu Di was named the king of Yan and stationed in Beijing, he fought a long battle with the Mongols.
Later, the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, and the emperor personally guarded the border, also to resist the invasion of northern nomads. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Jingying Army was the main combat force, but after the middle of the century, due to the corruption of the military discipline of the Jingying Army, they were no longer competent for the main combat mission.
As a result, Emperor Zhengde called the border army to assist in guarding the Beijing division, and since then, the border army has gradually become the backbone. Then, the system began to disintegrate, and the size of the family gradually expanded.
When the imperial court transferred generals, it would definitely require them to carry their families with them. Jiading actually participated in military operations and became an important force in the defense of the frontier.
While the increase in the number of family members has brought many benefits, it has also come with some problems. Implemented in the Ming Dynasty"The first merit system", that is, the merit is judged by the number of enemy heads captured.
However, if there is some laxity in management, it is easy to kill the good and take the lead. Some family members will even deliberately provoke each other in order to achieve meritorious service and promotion, which conflicts with the original intention of maintaining border stability.
In addition to taking credit, there is also the problem of risking money. According to historical records, some groups that are not within the scope of pay, such as domestic servants of family generals, domestic prostitutes, housekeepers, wandering mountain people, and family members can receive military rations under false names.
This situation led to the exploitation of the military rations of the real combatants, and at the same time brought a huge financial burden to the **. In addition, with the expansion of the scale of the family, it is easier for local generals to form separatist forces, which is also one of the important reasons for the military generals in the late Ming Dynasty.
Ming Dynasty Jiading: The Rise and Fall of Special Military Organizations The Ming Dynasty Jiading is a form of special military organization formed under special conditions, which first appeared in the orthodox period and reached prosperity in the Jiajing period.
This phenomenon is a product of the alternation of the old and new military systems and the policy of selecting and appointing generals implemented in the Ming Dynasty. The family is extensive, mainly used for military operations and intelligence gathering. Their treatment and quality were generally higher than those of the average soldier.
The Ming Dynasty's generals played an active role, but with the weakening of the military power and the increase of border friction in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Jiading increased the financial burden of the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, the rulers relied too much on their families and neglected the training of military generals and the establishment of a command system, which led to a series of military defeats and the death of senior generals in the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, in the face of the increasingly powerful Later Jin regime, the Ming Dynasty appeared to be powerless.
After the snow, the imprint of history is quietly preserved. This magnificent scene comes from precious documents such as "Rizhilu Collection Explanation", "History of the Ming Dynasty" and "Ming Huidian".
They are like a thick history book, witnessing the glorious years of the Ming Changling Tomb, and also giving us a chance to get a glimpse of the style of that era.