The Check And Manhunt System In Wei-Suo Military System Of Ming Dynasty

On the basis of a hereditary census register, the Ming Dynasty had implemented Wei-Suo military system. The military system was very strict, but its deficiencies actually were the most in Ming Dynasty. The appearance of all sorts of deficiencies brought on a great deal of soldiers' escape. In order to punish these soldiers and enrich the army, the Ming government had adopted an important measure which was the check and manhunt system. The system aimed to check the army and hunt the escaped soldiers. Consequently it could guarantee that the country had enough soldiers. Along with the check and manhunt movement developing, the check and manhunt system was gradually established and consummated. At the same time, the statutes of the check and manhunt system had gone through an increasing process from simpleness to variety and complexity. However, the result of the check and manhunt system was unsatisfactory. Because it didn't hold back soldiers escaping and enrich the army. Instead, it had disturbed and harmed people. As a whole, the check and manhunt system is unsuccessful. Until the Ming Dynasty perished, the check and manhunt system withdrew from the historical stage. To some extent, the appearance and the evolutive process of the system had reflected the Ming Dynasty from strong and prosperous to broken-down.The thesis has five sections:Section one: Exordium. It starts with the reason of this research and a literature of relevant study. Then it goes to explicate the historical material's origin of this article.Section two: The historical background and reasons of the check and manhunt system in Ming Dynasty. At first, it refers to the ancient statutes about the punishment of soldiers' escape; as follows, it talks of the check and manhunt system in Ming Dynasty. Then, it casts back the historical background of the system, analyses the reasons of soldiers' escape, combining the army system of the Ming Dynasty and concrete living condition of soldiers.Section three: The evolutive process of the check and manhunt system in Ming Dynasty. The check and manhunt system didn't exist at the beginning of Ming Dynasty. In fact, in the face of the mass and uninterrupted soldiers' escape, the Ming government gradually established the system of the statutes about the check and manhunt system. The statutes were a process of the increasing improvement. In the end, with the perdition of Ming Dynasty, the check and manhunt system died away.Section four: Appraisals regarding the check and manhunt system in Ming Dynasty. The system had a certain effect in the earlier period of Ming Dynasty, but in middle and later period, the effect of the system was very tiny. At the same time, it describes the effect on the society, finance, military affairs of Ming Dynasty. At last, it analyses some reasons that brought on the failure of the check and manhunt system.Conclusions: It makes a summary and points out the limitations of this thesis.