The Study Of Dong Fu In Southern Dynasties

The name of Dong Fu,arises frequently in official history books of Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties,is also visible during the whole time from B.C.4 to B.C.6,which is mainly found in the narrations of political and military activities in Southern Dynasties.Though its name was firstly arise in West Jin,Dong Fu was established as a military institution and a control center by the first emperor of Eastern Jin.However,it was not until the middle of Southern Song did it formally settled for the provincial governor of Yangzhou.At that time,the master of Dong Fu,also the provincial governor of Yangzhou were mostly imperial princes,occasionally senior ministers and generals.In troubled times,the provincial governor of Yangzhou,who possessed a large number of troops,as well as assisted in central government and royal court,often crucial to current political situation.As a matter of fact,all four founding emperors of Southern Dynasties were served as military commander and provincial governor of Yangzhou,with armies positioned in Dong Fu,so that they were enabled to take up the castle as control center,fostered child emperors in one hand and steel the highest power in the other hand,so that they made Dong Fu in the true sense of supreme power center.The political function of Dong Fu mbodies the relationship between politics of imperial power and itself,which is tight and complicated.Dong Fu belonged to the politics of imperial power in the concept of derivatives.The governor of Yangzhou used imperial power as the core of his political activities.He represented three different kinds of political dimensions:the senior bureaucrat as the prime minister and commander of capital defense area;the representative of local military blocs and special interests behind seignior-governor himself.Therefore,those personalities reflected three kinds of political performance.Owing to the unbalanced strength among those princes,the princes who guarded the castle were the mirror of the inner fighting of royal house.Powerful ministers or generals who controlled the castle and took the opportunity to usurp the throne reflected the struggle between the central authority and local forces.As for loyalists,they showed imperial authority’s domination of local administrative affairs.In the mean time,the founding fathers of Southern Dynasties were all rise up from local military forces,lower immigrants or local tyrants in inner south.The provincial governors of Yangzhou were stepping-stones to their ladder through super power,so they paid much attention to this very position after enthronements.It can be seen in the competitions between the central government and Dong Fu fought for the highest power.The military function of Dong Fu mainly due to the expansion held by Liu Yu in 414.From that time on,it became one of the military units on the north shore of Huai River to defense the capital city Jiankang.The strategic position,military power and military materials made Dong Fu the battlefield to resist any invasions from the south of the Huai River.What’s more,the warfare on the back line of Stone Castle-Zhuque Pontoon-Dong Fu,which set in the early years of Southern Dynasties,often occupied a decisive point in the environs of Jiankang and itself.Provincial governor of Yangzhou’s military power is mainly represented in three aspects,firstly was co-defense capital city with troops in inner city of Jiankang.In addition,to provide defense and blocking for capital city while necessary.Last but not least,offering military support for the usurper in the transition of highest power.This happened when governor of Yangzhou coveted imperial power,and replaced Dong Fu to the center of supreme power.