A Research On The Changes Of Hexi Wei-Suo During Ming And Qing Dynasties

The Hexi Corridor was adjacent to the Mongolian Wala in the north,the Western Regions in the west,and the Tibetan tribes in the south.It was a key passage from the Western Regions to the Central Plains,and also an important base for the Ming Dynasty to manage the Western Regions,control the northern Mongolia,and block the Mongolia-Tibet alliance,so it had a very important strategic significance.In order to strengthen the defense of Hexi,the Ming Dynasty set up the Du Si Wei-suo in the area.Du Si Wei-suo is a new set of military system established in Ming Dynasty,which not only undertakes the military tasks of the country,but also is a relatively independent administrative unit and production organization.Hexi Wei-suo was under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Hsing Tu-ssu,which changed its site three times and finally established in Ganzhou,which reflected the change of Ming Dynasty’s political policy on Northwest China and also strengthened the substantive administration of Hexi Wei-suo.Although the battalion system emerged after the middle of Ming Dynasty and the recruited soldiers acted as the main force of the army,the system of Wei-suo always existed.During the Ming and Qing transition,the military functions of Wei-suo were replaced by the Eight Banners and Green Camp.With the loss of the independent judicial power of Wei-suo and the intervention of Prefectural and County civil officials,the existence of an independent military and political system of Wei-suo was no longer necessary.The shift from Wei-suo to the system of Prefectural and County is an inevitable trend.Compared with the tide of the abolition of the national Wei-suo,Hexi Wei-suo as a "solid soil Wei-suo" whose integration of military and political is in the end of the abolition of Wei Suo.This phenomenon resulted from the Qing Dynasty’s control over the northwest was still weak.Most of the Hexi Wei-suo governed a large number of people and land,there would certainly be hidden dangers if all of them were removed in a short time for the unstable situation of northwest,only to establish new prefectures and counties locally after the abolition.At this time,a few new Weisuo appeared under the wave of its withdrawal,it resulted from the Qing Dynasty saw Hexi as a strategic rear to support the military action in Xin Jiang.The process of transforming Hexi region from border area of Ming Dynasty to inland area of Qing Dynasty.The completion of the county reduction in Hexi marked the end of the reconstruction of military and political system in Hexi.This fact affected the grass-roots society in Hexi and promoted the construction of water conservancy,agricultural development and ethnic integration.