A Study Of The Utility Soldiers In Sung Dynasty

The original meaning of "utility" was "service,playing a role".In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty,a special "utility" group was formed in the army,and at the turn of the two Songs,the "utility soldier" group was formally formed.The official formation and development of the utility soldiers not only adapted to the the need to reorganize military forces and improve the combat effectiveness of the army,but also reflect the "guarding against malpratice" of the fundamental policy path in the Song Dynasty.The source of its recruiting utility soldiers still follows the principle of the Song Dynasty for hundreds of years,that is,it mainly absorbs social instability factors such as idlers,refugees,and even deserters into the military to achieve the purpose of maintaining internal stability in the Song Dynasty.The utility soldier has high treatment,strict recruitment standards and a growing scale.They are also high-ranking soldiers in the Song army.Their status is higher than that of ordinary military soldiers and they are second to the “envoys”.At the time of its birth,the Song Dynasty’s original intention was to recruit a group of warriors,improve the combat effectiveness of the army and participate in the construction of military and political undertakings such as cavalry building in order to resist the army of Jin Dynasty and even recover the lost ground.However,the effectiveness of the system can only be ensured by the implementation and supervision of the people who effectively maintain the system.Otherwise,it is difficult to ensure the effectiveness of the system.Since the beginning of its official birth,the utility soldier has been associated with both advantages and disadvantages.On the one hand,it has indeed improved the combat power of the army of Song Dynasty to a certain extent,but on the other hand it has amplified the issue of military and political corruption that existed in the army of Song Dynasty.