A Research On Northeastern Army Transferred To Other Localities In The Qing Dynasty

China's northeast is the place where the Qing Dynasty began,getting much attention from the governors of the Qing Dynasty,regarded as a stable manpower resource place and a rear area by the Qing Court.Northeastern Army in the Qing Dynasty is mainly of the horse army,known for the equestrian skill and marksmanship also the robbing skill,whose service had been relied heavily on by the Qing Court from the beginning to the end of the Qing Dynasty,transferred by the Qing government to places of thousands of li from the northeast to battle every time there was a large battle,frequently joining battles at home and abroad.Before the 33^rd year?1907?of the Guangxu era,the Qing Court set an organizational system of the military government in China's northeast,ever setting in succession such three generals as Shengjing,Jilin,Heilongjiang to command local military affairs.Besides military departments set by every general government office,the Shengjing Ministry of War mastered part of military affairs of the Shengjing Province.In the first year of the Guangxu era,Shengjing general,Jilin general and the Heilongjiang area set separately their battalion affair department responsible for military affairs of Lian Army of every place.Since the 11^th year?1885?of the Guangxu era,the Qing Court has sent special personnel to the northeast to arrange and exercise Lian Army during which Northeast Lian Army was directly subject to Government Office of Being in Charge of National Navys.In the 33^rd year?1907?of the Guangxu era,three provinces in the northeast dissolved the“Eight Banners”garrison general government offices,to set an organizational system of civil and military governors,to make three provinces'local military affairs governed by the governor-general of three northeast provinces also managed separately by grand coordinators of those three provinces.In the same year,the Qing Government set a military affair agency,a committee for drilling troops of the three northeast provinces,which governed generally three provinces'military affairs.In the Qing Dynasty,Armed Forces in China's Northeast were Eight Banners,Lian Army,Fang Army,Lu Battalion,Tuanlian,Budao Team,Xunjing Army,Xin Army and Xunfang Team,etc.In the earlier stage of the Qing Dynasty,the northeast was of the military system of Eight Banners.In the turn of Xianfeng era and Tongzhi era,northeast armies began to imitate the Xiang Army Yong Battalion system to arrange and exercise Lian Army and Fang Army.During New Deal in the end of the Qing Dynasty,in the northeast,Xin Army and Xunfang Team began to be arranged and exercised.Besides,in the later period of the Qing Dynasty,in the northeast,the Lu Battalion organizational system began to appear in the northeast.In the Qing Dynasty,the soldier quantity in the northeast changed sometimes,being more than10,000 soldiers for a relatively long time.The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was the highest governor for the northeast military right,also the decision maker for military science,which will be assisted by Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers,Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Privy Council if necessary.The right of transferring armies of three northeast provinces to foreign places to battle was mastered by the Emperor.Transferring the northeast soldiers can be divided into two kinds:one is to call up by the Emperor's decreeing,and another one is to transfer by the minister governing soldiers in the frontline with the Emperor's approving and decreeing.After the Qing Emperor's giving an order to transfer soldiers,implementing related military affairs need cooperation of such central agencies as the Ministry of War?Department of the Army?,the Ministry of Revenue,the Ministry of Works,etc.Before the Privy Council was set,the Emperor ordered the Ministry of War to transfer soldiers,whose imperial edict was protocoled by the cabinet and handed to the Ministry of War to be given to every province by posting;local officials mainly replied military affairs in a form of a booklet.After the establishment of the Privy Council,the imperial edict of transferring soldiers will all be sent by the Court;local officials replied military affairs by handing memorial to the throne.In the end of the Qing Dynasty,the transfer order will be given in a form of Dian sending,local officials replied military affairs in a form of a Dian memorial.In the earlier and the middle period of the Qing Dynasty,every general of the northeast called up Eight Banners soldiers,and according to soldier quantity called up and the quantity of every city's existing soldiers,every city's military leader of every banner will evenly choose and call up soldiers to integrate them into a division.When calling up soldiers,every city will prepare some standby soldiers.In the end of the Qing Dynasty,the Qing Court called up the northeast Fang Army and Lian Army,by calling up the whole or part in a unit of battalion.Soldiers called up will be divided into several parts in a unit of Zhalan,which will march every several days.Leading the soldiers going out to battle was different.Officials leading soldiers will be chosen by every general or by the Emperor.During marching,there were local officials along the route suppressing or convoys also military camps in the frontline welcoming or urge.Raising ways of funds for soldiers going out to battle were appropriation from the Ministry of Revenue,pays for soldiers,local funds,coordinated funds from other provinces,borrowed funds from the Ministry of Revenue in Shengjing,borrowed funds from merchants,funds from places of asking for calling up soldiers,etc.Soldiers'marching who went out to battle was by horses,vehicles,camels and mules on land routes,also by human power in mountainous areas where vehicles and animals were not capable;while by ships on waterways.Supplying the soldiers'marching was done by agencies in prefectures and counties along the route.After arriving at the front,Eight Banner soldiers of the northeast provinces may combine with Eight Banner soldiers from other places collectively,but will not mix with Lu Battalion or informal soldiers.In most cases,soldiers going out to battle cannot mail letters.Sometimes,if the Qing Court approves,soldiers can mail letters by post stations.About withdrawing troops,the grand minister commander in the front shall hand over a memorial to the throne to listen to the Emperor's decree.Then,implementation shall be according to the Emperor's written instructions or comments,also shall be reported to the Emperor in detail.At the same time,the minister leading soldiers in the front shall inform quickly places along the route of the soldier withdrawing issue,so as to cope with conscript labor,also shall inform quickly the Ministry of War and generals in the soldier source places of the name list of the withdrawn soldiers.The northeast soldiers killed in action or withdrawn back to Banners had posts needing to be supplemented again.When supplementing or changing soldiers,the minister leading soldiers in the front shall ask the Emperor if choosing and supplementing soldiers can be done,and after the Emperor approved,every province in the northeast can choose soldiers to supplement or change soldiers according to the Emperor's decree.In the whole Qing Dynasty,soldiers in the northeast nearly have joined all internal and external wars of the Qing Government.In the earlier stage of the Qing Dynasty,Heilongjiang soldiers were mostly called up,and the Shengjing ones were fewer,and the Jilin ones were the fewest.In the later period of the Qing Dynasty,the Jilin soldiers were mostly called up,the Heilongjiang ones were fewer,and the Shengjing ones were the fewest.Northeast soldiers transferred were mostly the formal soldiers in the earlier stage of the Qing Dynasty,while consisted of some unofficial soldiers and underage soldiers frequently.Soldiers of three provinces going out to battle according to demands had a relatively strong fighting capacity in the earlier stage of the Qing Dynasty,while a gradually decreased fighting capacity in the later period of the Qing Dynasty.In an aspect of the fighting capacity,soldiers in Heilongjiang and Jilin were stronger than the ones in Shengjing,also formal soldiers were stronger than unofficial soldiers and underage soldiers,etc.In an aspect of managing and leading soldiers,appointed officials transferred from other places were not as good as the former personnel.In the earlier stage of the Qing Dynasty,soldiers in the northeast were relatively active to go out to battle,while in the later period of the Qing Dynasty,northeastern people regarded being chosen as soldiers to supplement vacant posts as a dangerous road,unwilling to go out to battle.Northeastern soldiers transferred to battle have made due contributions to maintaining China's borderland stability and unification.Sacrifices of soldiers called up to battle also brought misfortune to many families.The Qing Court regarded China's northeast as the soldier source place,frequently calling up northeastern troops,making the northeast frontier defence weak,providing readily exploitable loopholes for foreign enemies invading.The Qing Court's calling up northeastern troops from a long distance made so much time and so many funds costed,which is a disadvantage.