A Research On Tang Shunzhi's Integrity And Achievement In His Old Age

Tang Shunzhi's reputation was damaged after he was recommended and appointed by Yan Song in his old age. Because of this, there was always a dispute about his achievement as an officer.In this thesis, Tang Shunzhi's integrity in his old age has been analyzed by investigating his late-year-old official career, which includes the process of appointment, examining the amount of Ji Zhen's border troops, and fighting against Japanese pirates in South China. The conclusion is:Tang Shunzhi was forced to take the recommendation, and his coming out had been expected by a lot of people after the Japanese pirates'aggression in the southeast of China. Besides, his bad reputation was constructed by Wang Shizhen, Zhang Juzheng and Xu Xuemo for their own interests.Beyond the problem of integrity, it's obvious that Tang Shunzhi made achievement during his last two years. Some of his advices were well implemented in Ji Zhen, and he did get victories both in the war against Japanese pirates and in the battle with drought in Huaiyang. Although his achievement hadn't reverse the situation fundamentally in the Jiajing period in Ming dynasty, his practical thoughts influenced Donglin Party in the late Ming dynasty and Changzhou School in Qing dynasty, then finally be used to push forward the reform movement in 1898. Hence, the evaluation of Tang Shunzhi's achievement as an officer should be positive.