Northern Song Dynasty Military Law

Since the Middle Period of Tang Dynasty, the military men had been domineering , some of whom set up numerous separate regimes by force of arms in China. In troops, both generals and soldiers disregarded the military law and discipline. They were arrogant and wild, with the result that they often revolted their commanders and emperors. Therefore it presented a chaotic political situation in Chinese history. In order to eliminate the military coup d'etats and stabilize the political power, at the beginning of the creation of Northern Song, Song Tai-zu set to reorganize the military affairs and enacted a new military system. As a important part of this new military system, the military law was the effective weapon of safeguarding the military system. Whether it enacted perfectly or not, and whether it carried out effectively or not, the military law was directly related to the fighting strength of army, and the real strength of national defense. By studying the fundamental contents of the military law in Northern Song, especially the actual operation of the military law in society, this paper attempts to analyze the close relationship between the operation of the military law and the gradual weakness of the military real strength in Northern Song. This paper includes four chapters. The first chapter tells the historical background of the enactment of the military law of Northern Song. The second chapter tells the fundamental contents of the military law in Northern Song. The third chapter tells the judicial procedure of the military law in Northern Song. The forth chapter tells the actual operation of the military law and its influence in Northern Song.