A Study Of Shandong Zongbing In The Ming Dynasty

During the Ming dynasty,Shandong was close to the political center of Beijing,facing Liaodong and North Korea across the sea,controlling Jianghuai in the south.It was an important barrier to the alternate capital of Nanjing,lying to the west of the Dahe River and east of the Bohai Sea,and it was the key to both water and land,the distributing center of the north and south transport of water.The geographical location was very important.As the highest military officer of Shandong in the Ming Dynasty,the importance of Shandong Zongbing was without saying.The establishment of Zongbing in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty was the result of the continuous exploration and improvement of the Shandong guarding system by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty.Prior to Ming Yingzong,the rulers of the Ming Dynasty mainly depended on Shandong Dusi,Beiwo Dusi,Seigniors to defend Shandong in order to stabilize the territory and stability.There was no unity between the three,and it was difficult to form a unified leadership mechanism.In particular,during the period of the from Hongwu to Zhengtong,the Ming Dynasty had established guarding generals in places such as Yanzhou and Dezhou,but such guarding generals were far less able to as Zongbing in guarding areas and power.During Xuande and Zhengtong years,the Ming government set up guarding military commanders in Shandong.Although it was a short period,the formation of Zongbing guarding system began.From Jingtai to Wanli period,the Ming government also established the Guardian Eunuch and the Guardian of Linqing in Shandong,and the Guardian of Linqing had a longer time and the power was almost equal to that of Zongbing.During the Wanli period,in view of Japan's invasion of North Korea,the situation in the Shandong coast was critical.The Ming Dynasty first established Deputy Zongbing in Dengzhou,and later formally established the Shandong Zongbing in Dengzhou.Since then,along with the establishment of the officials,such asdeputy Zongbing,Canjiang,Youji etc,the Shandong Zongbing guarding system had been continuously improved.After the formal establishment of Shandong Zongbing,it had undergone changes.First,the court abolished the Shandong Zongbing and set up the deputy Shandong Zongbing.Later,the court reset the Shandong Zongbing and repeated it many times.Second,initially,the authority of Shandong Zongbing was limited to defending coastal areas,and the areas under his jurisdiction were also confined to the coastal area of Denglai.During the Chongzhen period,Ni Chong served as Shandong Zongbing,The duties and powers of Shandong Zongbing were fixed.He had the right to commandeer the whole province's land and water officers and soldiers,and to guard the whole province.Once again,the residence of Shandong Zongbing changed several times,from Dengzhou,Yanzhou,Linqing,Zhangde,to Andongwei.As Shandong Zongbing was set comparatively late,from the very beginning,it was influenced by the Ming Dynasty's policy of restraining the armed forces.Shandong Zongbing's power was divided by the civilia ministers and was subject to the dispatch and control of the Zongdu and Xunfu.In the last years of Chongzhen,the uprisings continued throughout the country.In addition,the Qing troops continued to enter the customs,and the Shandong Zongbing did not accept the supervision and control of Shandong Zongdu and Xunfu.They held themselves up and defied orders from the central government.As a result,the Qing troops drove straight into the Shandong mainland.