From Middle Tang To Northern Song

As the most distinctive part of the ancient Chinese army,Private army(亲兵)includes personal guards of commanding officers,elite forces directly under the central government,and royal guards represented by Emperor’s Private army(侍卫亲军)and the front palace squad(殿前班直).After the An-Shi Rebellion(安史之乱)in Tang,with the implementation of the Two-Tax System(两税法),China’s real economy evolved to monetary economy,and a mercenary system replaced the conscription system.Those profoundly changed the outlook of Tang China.The Royal Guard(禁军),Tang emperor’s Private army(亲兵),also became fully mercenary in middle Tang.In Ma Weiyi Mutiny(马嵬驿兵变),Private army(亲兵)demonstrated its political power and stepped onto China’s historical stage.Later,Shence Army(神策军)also deeply affected the fate of Tang.The An-Shi Rebellion(安史之乱)strengthen the power of local military officers and greatly undermined central authority.Local regions freely developed their military muscles,and soon got out of the imperial court’s control,becoming a powerful separatist force.Since Tian Chengsi(田承嗣)created Weibo Governor’s private army(魏博牙兵),military officers nationwide had set up armed forces of Private army(亲兵).They have roughly two forms.One is the bureaucratic Private army(亲兵)dominated by low level military officers.In this case,positions were hereditary and partisan were in close union.Therefore,Private army(亲兵)quickly became localized,and gradually formed regional military groups.Such unions then broke away from the control of leader and even threatened them.This is the situation that“powerful arms supplant their commander".The second one is the military-general-oriented Private army(亲兵)formed in a non-bureaucratic manner.These Private army(亲兵)looked up to their masters,hence they had a relatively close relationship with leader.They sometimes even formed a father-son relationship.Private army(亲兵)were loyal thugs of Jie Shuai to realize their political ambitions,which often led to the situation that"powerful commanders rebel against the emperor".Bureaucratic and non-bureaucratic Private army(亲兵)can be transformed into each other,and they constituted the military basis for the split and unrest in late Tang and the Five Dynasties.Most countries in the Five Dynasties were local regimes,and the emperors’Private army(亲兵)were originally low level military officers.That means they were essentially centralized local armies who were also arrogant and insubordinate in habit.Because emperors needed them in wartime,they were still constantly and generously rewarded.As a result,Private army(亲兵)became increasingly arrogant and rebellious,and a stable centralized government could never be established.Emperors of Northern Song,which emerged from the brutal military conflicts of the Five Dynasties,considered Private army(亲兵)as an important reason for the disorder since Tang.Therefore,on the one hand,Northern Song decided to rely on army to govern the country.Song constantly enriched the central Royal Army(禁军)including Suwei squad(宿卫班直),so as to defend the central government and maintain the nation’s stability,preventing Tang’s history from repeating itself.On the other hand,it adopted the policy of reducing local military power.With close cronies of the royal family and low-ranking Private army(亲兵)in charge of military and political affairs,and prestigious military commanders prevented from leading the army,Song firmly held the power over army in their own hands.Song also weakened the military strength of local commanders,especially Private army(亲兵).In this way,the ruling of Song was better safeguarded for a strong central government and weak local ones.Through a series of policies to retain the power of military officers,Song achieved complete control over its armies.Such practices were also regarded as"the law of ancestors"by generations of Song rulers.