A Study On The Provisions Of The Northwest Frontier Area Of The West Han Dynasty

This paper is basing on the data of the Wood Tablets and Bamboo Slips of the Han Dynasty that are discovered in the northwest area, combining with the documents handed down from the ancient times and the works of some scholars. This paper is a preliminary study on the provisions problem of the garrison system in the northwest frontier area of the West Han Dynasty (including the New Mang Dynasty).The paper consists of five parts. The first part is the brief introduction of the grain breeds in the northwest frontier area, and sums up and differentiates the main breeds in the garrison system. The second part discusses the supply of the garrison system's provisions. It chiefly states the transporting provisions to the northwest frontier area, the production of the garrison system ,purchasing actions of the army and by-products' supplement. The third part discusses the management of the garrison system's provisions. It chiefly states the store, each link of the management such as stressing procedures, striking lawless actions, valuing examinations and so on. The fourth part discusses the distribution and the consumption of the provisions. It discusses chiefly different distribution and consumption objects, and sums up and analyzes the specific cases in order to know every aspect of the distribution and the consumption. The fifth part states some thoughts of mine.The paper maintains that the west Han Dynasty tried its best to supply provisions to the garrison system in the northwest frontier area, and solved successfully the critical problem of the garrison system. These efforts provided a guarantee to the consolidation of the national defense in the northwest area, even to the safety of the whole nation. Also, the policies and practices that solved the provisions problem had supplied plenty of experiences and lessons to the later ages.