Chapter 11 Lecture 2 Tang Dynasty - 4, 5

Before the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese military service system spread to all the people, which can be said to be a kind of military-agricultural integration system.According to modern people, this is a close relationship between social economy and national defense.The military service system in the Tang Dynasty changed, and it can be said to be another kind of military-agricultural integration system.We might as well say: There are two ways to integrate soldiers and farmers: one is the way of the Han Dynasty, and the other is the way of the Tang Dynasty.The integration of soldiers and farmers in the Han Dynasty was to integrate soldiers into farmers, that is, all farmers were soldiers, and the national defense was entrusted to the farmers' production groups, and the production groups were also armed groups.The combination of soldiers and farmers in the Tang Dynasty meant that agriculture was combined with soldiers, and production was entrusted to armed groups, not armed forces to be entrusted to production groups.So it can only be said that all soldiers are farmers, not all farmers are soldiers.Turning the armed group into a production group at the same time, every soldier needs him to farm, but not every farmer must be a soldier.This system was initiated by Su Chuo in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and people in the Tang Dynasty followed it into practice.Historically speaking, the Tang system seems to be better than the Han system.Because China is a big country with many household registrations, there is no need for all farmers to be soldiers.All farmers are soldiers, but they become nameless and poorly trained.As long as all the soldiers are farming, not soldiers sitting on pay and food, comfortable and peaceful, that's enough.This system of farming all soldiers was called fubing at that time.

Why is it called Fubing?As mentioned above, the local government at that time was divided into two levels, the lower level was the county, and the upper level was the prefecture, both of which were in charge of local administration.Fubingzhifu is the name of another military area outside the state and county of the local administrative area.The mansion refers to the place where the army is stationed.For example, in the area of ​​Taipei City and Taipei County, another military area is designated, and this area is called Fu.In the Tang Dynasty, it was called Zhechong Mansion. Zhechong Mansion was divided into three classes, with 1,200 people in the upper mansion, 1,000 people in the middle mansion, and 800 people in the lower mansion.How did these soldiers come from?At that time, the hukou capital was divided into nine classes, which were determined according to the wealth and industry of each family.From this section alone, we can see the political scale at that time, which deserves our attention.If you think about it, more than a thousand years ago, the national household registration was investigated very clearly, and it was divided into nine grades according to the economic situation of each family. What a meticulous intention!According to the decree at that time, the lower third-class civilian households were not eligible to serve as soldiers. Those who were only among the upper and middle classes who were willing to serve as soldiers were selected by the government and officially served as soldiers.The rent and mediocrity of the soldiers are exempted.This is the country's preferential treatment for them.In addition, there is no payment, and all the weapons are carried by the soldiers themselves.A collection of 1,200 such families will form a mansion, which is equivalent to the current military area.If a certain place is an important military place, a government office will be established there.Recruit the middle-aged and middle-aged young men to be Fubing.The number of such prefectures is sometimes more and sometimes less.There were probably 600 to 800 prefectures in the whole country in the Tang Dynasty.If it is assumed that these 800 prefectures are all central prefectures, then there would be 800,000 troops in the Tang Dynasty, or at least 400,000 troops.And these 400,000 or even 800,000 troops do not need a penny or a grain of rice from the state to support them, because they have their own fields and land.While defending the country, they also produce independently.One-third of the 800 prefectures (nearly 300) were allocated near the central government, which is what people in the Tang Dynasty called Guannei, that is, the area around Chang'an west of Hangu Pass in Shanxi.The remaining two-thirds, 400 to 600 prefectures, are distributed throughout the country, and there are more in Shanxi and other frontiers.There are fewer other regions. There is only one state in a state, or there is no state in a state.Fubing also started to serve at the age of 20, and each Fubing had to go to the central capital to stay in the guard for one year.In addition, they are all in the prefecture, farming the fields for a living, and practicing between the farms.Those who serve as guards are called Shangfan, which means Gengfan, and Shangfan is just like what the Han people call Jiangeng.Only the Han people practiced the watch and served in the local area, while the Tang people served in the central government.If the prefecture is 500 miles away from the central government, Suwei will get five prizes at a time, seven prizes for one thousand miles away, eight prizes for 1,500 miles away, ten prizes for two thousand miles away, and twelve prizes for two thousand miles away.According to the number of calculations, two round trips for five hundred miles are equivalent to one round trip for two thousand miles.Those who are 1,500 miles away will go back and forth three times, and those who are more than 2,000 miles away will go back and forth twice.Counting the number of times, you can go to the center in turn, and sleep on average for work and rest.If there is an emergency in the country, all the prefectures in the country can be transferred, and it has nothing to do with the number of Suwei fans.This is the army.As for the officers?There are sixteen guards directly under the central government, each guard has a name, and each guard has a general.If there is a war, the general will lead the expedition.When the war is over, the soldiers will return to the government and will return to the guard.When the army returned to the hometown, there was a captain Zhechong in his mansion, who was usually trained by the Lord.Therefore, raising soldiers in the Tang Dynasty did not cost a penny or a grain of rice, and raising generals did not allow them to pre-inquire about political affairs.In addition to fighting, he does not lead the army.The military officer made meritorious service and was rewarded with honor.Civil servants are divided into ranks, and military officers are divided into honor ranks.Therefore, a military officer is also called an honored officer, and an honored officer has a title but no actual position.After making meritorious service, the highest ones became generals in the court, and most of them went home to farm.But he has a lordship, and the state society treats him in a certain way.Sometimes financially, sometimes honorably. The so-called Twelve Turns of Ce Xun in "Mulan Ci", the honors are also promoted step by step. This is not a promotion, but a promotion.Military officers have honors but no posts, so they do not interfere in politics, but have their own honor.The Tang Dynasty ruled the whole country according to this Fubing system, and at the same time developed outwards, becoming the first powerful country in the world at that time.

But then the Fubing system also failed. How did it fail?This is not because people at that time did not want this system, but because of the gradual decadence of personnel affairs, it finally got out of hand.First, soldiers from all over the country have to go to the government to take turns serving as guards. These soldiers who serve as guards, in terms of their family finances, are very well-to-do, and they live a good life. This is because the children of poor families do not Quasi-soldier.During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, such soldiers went to the central guard, and the emperor himself practiced archery with them in the palace from time to time.The government thinks highly of them, and they feel honored.Later, the world was peaceful, tens of thousands of people took turns to go to the central government every day, and there was nothing to do.Of course, the emperor didn't notice them anymore, so today a certain minister wanted to build a garden, and tomorrow a certain relative wanted to build a mansion, and they all discussed with the army how many people they could borrow to help.Soldiers became drudgery and were despised.The next time I encounter a host on duty, I will run away more often.Second, in the early Tang Dynasty, when the government soldiers died in battle, the army immediately reported the roster to the central government, and the central government immediately issued an order to the local government. The local government immediately sent people to the dead soldier's home to condolences, send him a lord, and reward him. shirt.The coffins of the fallen soldiers have not yet been shipped back, but the government has completed all the compensation and award work.This matter has a great relationship, especially in the spirit of the army, and there is endless encouragement.We look at modern Western countries, and they are doing the same.But the Tang Dynasty in China had already done this.Later, the army and the government still suffered from a disease of laxity and laxity.The death of an army soldier is not necessarily reported to the central government immediately, and the central government does not necessarily transfer it to the local government separately, and the local government does not necessarily send a special person to handle the matter.The news of the soldier's death had already reached his family privately, the war was over, and the army was demobilized, but the family of the deceased had not yet seen anyone from the government.Those who died seemed to die in vain, and people's hearts were gradually lost like this.In addition, there are soldiers with considerable honors, just because honors are just an honor, not like real-time officials, in other words, he is still a soldier.As a result, important government officials sometimes send him to perform forced labor and call him.Therefore, the honor is in the body, not for honor but for disgrace.If others call you honors such as lieutenant and colonel, it is no longer a kind of respect, but a kind of ridicule.The honor of the military officer is looked down upon, and the status of the soldier is also degraded.Later, it got worse and worse, and the government deliberately opened borders, which required troops to defend the frontiers.Originally, the government soldiers were demobilized after the war, but now they are not demobilized, and you are required to guard the border for a long time.Those who went to the frontier at the beginning could take turns alternately. Later, the rear was not tightened, the second batch of new ones were not sent out, and the first batch of old ones could not be demobilized.So it continued for two or three years, and these soldiers were originally children of wealthy families, and their clothes, horses, and weapons were all purchased and manufactured by themselves and carried with them.Because they don’t want to rent land, and they don’t want to serve the country, so they have the strength to prepare their own weapons. Of course, they are tall, short, fat, and thin, and the weight of the sword and gun can match his physical strength. Future meritorious service depends on these, so all armor, weapons, and horses are very good, very particular, and very sophisticated, which is also beyond the reach of government soldiers.Moreover, those government soldiers were still afraid that the national salary would not be enough, so they had to bring some pocket money with them.In the Tang Dynasty, silk was used as currency, and everyone carried silk, and when they arrived at the frontier, the battalion officer at the frontier said: "Your silk should be handed over to me, and stored in the storage room, and you can get it when you need it."So he deliberately asked the soldiers to do hard work, eight o'clock a day, and ten o'clock, so they couldn't eat or sleep well, and tortured him everywhere, hoping that when he died, his belongings could be confiscated.These many things are not recorded in the official history, but can only be seen in many fragmentary documents.However, precisely because of these many things, the military system of the Tang Dynasty collapsed.For example, Du Gongbu's poem: "From the 15th north to defend the river, to the 40th west camp field, when I went there, I was wrapping my head, and when I came back, I was still guarding the border." This means that the army has no demobilization and no rest.So the soldiers of the government were afraid of going to the frontier, so they fled first in the house.Those who go out and never return will also have their homes ruined and have no offspring.The soldiers in the rear are exhausted, and the government is rich and powerful, so it doesn't care, and temporarily buys foreigners as soldiers.Gradually all the frontiers became foreign soldiers.An Lushan and Shi Siming, it seems that their names are Chinese, and they are Chinese frontier officials. Those who entrust the important task of national defense are actually foreigners.Li Guangbi, who fought the Ping An History Rebellion, was as famous as Guo Ziyi, but Li Guangbi was actually a foreigner.This is a special phenomenon in the Tang Dynasty.This is because the martial arts in the Tang Dynasty were too great, and all around them became subordinates of China. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty has been called Tian Khan, and this is like the emperor called the emperor. The Tang Dynasty was too rich and powerful. Knowing how to be afraid of foreigners, not knowing how to beware of foreigners, and using a large number of foreigners as soldiers and generals, the result is out of control.As a result, the government soldiers in the Tang Dynasty changed into vassal towns, the warlords separatist regimes, and the Hu clan temporarily ruled.That was really an earth-shattering change, so why is it just a change in the political system?Therefore, if we want to study the political system, we should also broaden our horizons. Don't just look at the system in terms of the system!

Now briefly summarize the system of the Tang Dynasty.On the organization of the central government, the first half of the history of the Sangong Jiuqing system was ended, and the second half of the history of the six-part system was created.On the selection of talents and abilities, the first half of the township examination system ended, and the second half of the imperial examination system was created.On the tax system, the first half of the land rent, labor, and soil tribute collection system was ended, and the second half of the single tax system was created.As for the army, the first half of the universal military service system ended, and the second half of the free military service system was created.To sum up these points, we can say that the Tang Dynasty was the biggest transition center in the political system in Chinese history.Whether China's historical evolution after the Tang Dynasty was good or bad is another matter, but after the fall of the Roman Empire, there will be no more Rome.After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, there is still China, there is Song, Ming and modern, and it is still China just like the Tang Dynasty.This is one of the most valuable and most researched topics in Chinese history.This is why the greatness of the Tang Dynasty far exceeds that of Rome, and it is also the reason why it far surpasses all other great countries in the world.But as far as China is concerned, after the Han Dynasty there was the Tang Dynasty, but after the Tang Dynasty there has never been a dynasty or period that was as impressive as the Han and Tang Dynasties, and worthy of our admiration and admiration, and that is also worthy of our vigilance and attention.