Ming Liaodong Taking Part Study

As the first town in the Nine Frontiers and the important defending place to Beijing of the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong played an important strategic meaning in the war of defending Mongolia and Nüzhen. The possessing and losing of Liaodong played an important role in the flourishing and declining of the Ming Dynasty. As the supreme military commander of Liaodong, its importance was self-evident. Through the researching of Liaodong Zongbing , this thesis reveals the evolving process of the military system and its influence on the Ming Dynasty.The establishment of Liaodong Zongbing was the fruit of the guarding system, which was explored by the early rulers of the Ming Dynasty. Before Yongle, the government guarded Liaodong by Dusi, Genaral and the Prince of Liao, but all of them were incapble of solving the problem of the defense matters. After taking Jianwen′s seat, Yongle applied the Zongbing system which was generally used in wartime to guarding the border areas. Therefore the guarding system of Zongbing was established. In Hongxi, the government awarded official seal for Liaodong Zongbing, which made the Zongbing guarding system be fixed. Along with the setting of officials one after another, sush as Vice-Zongbing, Canjiang, Youji and so on, the guarding system of Liaodong Zongbing was continuing to be refined. Until the late Jiajing, the guarding system of Liaodong Zongbing was eventually formed.During the continually improving process of the guarding system of Liaodong, the power of Liaodong Zongbing had been changing. The overall trend was constantly undermined. From Xuande to Yongle period, the power of Liaodong Zongbing reached to the most prominent in the Ming Dynasty. Except the power of military control, Liaodong Zongbing was also responsible for civil, economic and judicial affairs. After Zhengtong, with the rule of the government policy changing from valuing military officer to civil official, the power of Liaodong Zongbing was gradually deprived or partitioned by civil official. Until the late Jiajing, Liaodong Zongbing had lost the power of military sovereignty, and he must accept the control and assignment from Zongdu and Xunfu. Thus Liaodong Zongbing was reduced to the subordinate of Zongdu and Xunfu.