Chapter 6 Section 5 The second climax of writings on war books—the late Ming Dynasty

After the Song Dynasty, the military science forum was silent for more than 200 years.Genghis Khan, the arrogance of a generation, did not leave his military experience to future generations.In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, two military commanders with outstanding martial arts in the annals of history, can only find their military discourses in Ming Dynasty historical records such as "Ming Shilu".There are very few military books written by military strategists.In the late Ming Dynasty, the writing of military books entered a spring season of "suddenly like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of trees and pear blossoms bloom".At that time, the writings of military books were colorful and colorful, and a hundred flowers bloomed.All kinds of thematic military books are in a state of competing for novelty and beauty, while comprehensive military books are all-encompassing.It can be said that the quintessence of military art after the Song Dynasty was opened in clusters during the past 100 years, and this has its profound social reasons.

Since the Jiajing Year of the Ming Dynasty, the struggles among the factions in the court have intensified, and political crises are everywhere.The southeast coast and northern border wars continued continuously, among which the more famous ones were the armed provocation against the Portuguese colonists, the War against the Japanese, the Sino-North Korean coalition against the Japanese invasion of Korea, the counterattack against the Mongolian internal disturbance, and the later Jin army's attack on the Ming Dynasty. The Battle of Saarhu, the Battle of Ningyuan Defense by the Ming Army, etc.Among them, the military struggle between the Ming Dynasty and the Houjin Dynasty never stopped from the 16th year of Wanli (AD 1618) when Nurhachi launched an army to attack the Ming Dynasty until the Ming Dynasty fell in the 17th year of Chongzhen (AD 1644).

The patriotic generals, civil and military officials, and patriots of the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect the country and win military struggles, on the one hand actively developed military technology, introduced and imitated matchlock guns, Flang machine guns, and Western cannons, and improved the performance of various traditional firearms. Shape and structure, build various warships suitable for offshore combat, rebuild the piers and castles of the coastal guards, create hollow enemy towers and various city defense facilities along the Great Wall, and create a combined army mainly equipped with matchlock guns to improve the Ming army. combat effectiveness.On the other hand, he worked hard to write books, compile military books, summarize and promote fresh experience in fighting against the enemy, so as to improve the military theoretical quality of Ming army officers and soldiers.A batch of high-quality war books made by smelting and condensing with iron and fire came out one after another.Among them are Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Ji Xiao" and "Records of Military Training", Yu Dayou's "Taoqian Continuation", Tang Shunzhi's "Wu Bian", Zheng Ruozeng's "Cui Hai Tu Bian", "Hai Fang Tu Lun", "Jiangnan Classics" Brief Introduction, He Liangchen's "Array Records", Wang Minghe's "According to the Altar", Zhao Shizhen's "Sacred Artifacts", He Rubin's "Binglu", Mao Yuanyi's "Wu Bei Zhi", Sun Yuanhua's "Western Magic Machine", Jiao Xu [xu Xu]'s "Fire Attack and Key Points", Sun Chengzong's "Che Ying Kou Answer Compilation" and so on.These military books have obvious characteristics.

First of all, the focus of their discussion has shifted from the general art of war, strategy, tactics and formations to the military construction and combat theory under the conditions of mass use of matchlock guns and new-type chariots and warships. Feasible and adapted to the needs of the times. Secondly, the style of the compilation of military books has been clearly divided into two categories: large-scale comprehensive and thematic.The large-scale comprehensive military book "Wu Bei Zhi" basically followed the compilation style of "Wu Jing Zong Yao", and expanded new disciplines to make it more complete.Thematic military books "Ji Xiaoxin Shu" and "Fire Attack" and so on, collected extensively the contents of the topics discussed, and included them all, and the characteristics of the topics are extremely obvious.

Third, Sun Yuanhua, Jiao Xu and others have used quantitative and qualitative methods to study the manufacture and use of artillery, basically breaking away from the old track of yin and yang and five elements, ethics of monarchs and ministers, and empirical description. The mist of turmoil and alchemy superstition has been swept away. Fourth, the military books of the late Ming Dynasty all attached great importance to the study of military technology. "Wu Bei Zhi" devoted 33 volumes to military technology, and "Shen Qi Pu", "Xi Fa Shen Ji" and "Fire Attack" were all about military technology. Based on the manufacture and use of arquebus guns, it discusses the art of war and the art of war, and believes that resourceful generals, skilled soldiers, and excellent weapons are the three indispensable elements for victory.

If the first writing climax of military books formed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period has the significance of laying the foundation for ancient Chinese military science, then the second writing climax of military books formed in the late Ming Dynasty made ancient Chinese military science develop into an inclusive military theory and A complete system including military technology. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the aftermath of the second climax of military writings was still there, and excellent works could still be published.Gu Zuyu, who was born in the late Ming Dynasty and grew up in the early Qing Dynasty, worked hard for 30 years to compile the military geography masterpiece "Minutes of Reading History and Fangyu", which is still a dazzling masterpiece.Due to the limitations of class and national psychology, the Aixinjueluo family implemented a policy of ignoring the people of the closed country for the long-term stability of the Qing Empire.The military books of the Ming Dynasty included in the "Siku Quanshu" have only five kinds and 55 volumes, accounting for only 5‰ of the 1023 volumes of the 10716 volumes of the military books of the Ming Dynasty.At the same time, the people of the country were not allowed to write military books without authorization, and the emerging military works of the West could not be introduced. The writings of military books and military science research entered a low period. Look for its innovation.Due to the suffocation of military technology and military theory for nearly 200 years, China, an ancient civilization standing in the east of the world, became a patient with severe shock. Finally, in the two Opium Wars in the middle of the 19th century, bourgeois military theory was used The British and French capitalist countries, which were armed with advanced military technology, were battered and bruised, and the people suffered great disasters.The insightful people of the Chinese nation could not bear this kind of shame and humiliation, so they took the banner of "learning from the barbarians to control the barbarians" and advocating people to learn and use the western strong boat and gun technology, while introducing and translating the western military Books, thus triggering the third climax of Chinese military books writing - translation of Western military books and writing new military books.