Research On The Military Soldiers And Officers From Donation Of The North Frontier Guard Post In The Middle And Late Ming Dynasty

The military soldiers and officers from donation is part of the Ming Dynasty’s donation policy.The military soldiers and officers from donation in the Ming Dynasty began in the orthodox four years(1439),and the military soldiers and officers from donation in the North Frontier Guards Station appeared in the first year of Jingtai(1450).In the middle and late Ming Dynasty,military expenditures in the north continued to increase,coupled with frequent natural disasters,the urgent need for disaster relief in the border areas,the Ming Dynasty’s financial resources could not make ends meet,unable to meet the huge funding needs.In order to raise funds and solve the urgent need,the Ming Dynasty often implemented military service and acceptance cases in the North Frontier.The military soldiers and officers from donation in the Ming Dynasty mainly consisted of military attaches below the commanders and ordinary soldiers.The number of the ranks of the commander was larger,and the ranks of Jingtai were allowed to be hereditary.As the number of military attaches increased,the official roads became redundant.The Ming court stipulated the military soldiers and officers from donation that is not allowed to be inherited,but in the later period,due to the small number of donating personnel,the Ming court also stipulated that the descendants can be inherited through increasing money for one or two generations.The Ming Dynasty had a series of relevant regulations on the acceptance of the military soldiers and officers from donation,the award of titles,and the selection and promotion of military officers at the military ranks.In the late Ming Dynasty,the military soldiers officers from donation that became one of the four ways for military officer promotion.In the Ming Dynasty,the military soldiers and officers from donation of the North Frontier Post had a positive effect on making up for the lack of funds and alleviating financial difficulties.At the same time,through this way,some soldiers of low origin but rich in intelligence and courage were able to obtain certain ranks or were promoted,and played an active role in defending the northern border.However,in the context of the corruption of the entire bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty,this kind of the positive effects are still limited.The negative effects of the military soldiers and officers from donation are more numerous,including aggravating the corruption of the army and causing certain damage to the election system.