Research On Sun Kuang In The Imjin War

The Imjin War(1592-1598)was an international war that took place in East Asia in the late 16th century.It had brought a profound influence to Japan,Joseon Dynasty and Ming Dynasty as well as the modern international order in East Asia.In the study of the figures in the Imjin War,Sun Kuang has been the quite neglected one.Because of born in an official family,he became governor of Shandong Province in April 1592,during which time he strengthened the coastal defense and transported grain and fees to the front of Shandong.In 1594,he participated in the peace talks between Ming Dynasty and Japan.He questioned and opposed the canonization issue through various detectives,and tried his best to prepare for the failure of the canonization according to the changes in the front line situation.It was not until January 1597 that the Japanese invaded Joseon Dynasty again,and Sun Kuang was dismissed from his post due to the failure of the tribute.This paper takes Sun Kuang as the research object.By sorting out and reviewing his activities during the Imjin War,studying Sun Kuang’s actions during the Imjin War,identifying his contribution to the Imjin War,and reflecting on the evaluation of him in Ming Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty own position.This paper is divided into the following four parts:The first part examines Sun Kuang’s life experience before the Imjin War,believes that his family background and educational experience which had laid a good foundation for his career in the future.The second part examines the background and political actions of Sun Kuang as the governor of Shandong.After the outbreak of the war,Sun Kuang was appointed governor of Shandong.During his tenure,he actively reorganized the military,trained the army,strengthened combat readiness,and raised food and salaries to aid war front line.These measures not only strengthened the military defense capabilities of Shandong,but also played an important role in supporting and guaranteeing front line military needs as a rear base.The third part examines Sun Kuang’s military and political actions after taking over as Jinglue.In June 1594,Sun Kuang took up the post of Jinglue.Since then,Sun Kuang has been investigating Japanese affairs in many aspects,and he has questioned and opposed the canonization,but his views have been ignored.On the issue of the Southern Soldiers,he paid special attention to Wu Weizhong and advocated that Wu Weizhong’s troops should be sent to the Yalu River for defense.After the Mutiny in Jizhen,Wu Weizhong was demoted,and Sun Kuang persuaded Wu Weizhong to stay,so that he could play an important role in leading the army to aid Joseon Dynasty for the second time.At the same time,he prepared a way back for the failure of the canonization,advocated equal emphasis on peace talks and defense,and tried his best to plan the deployment for Joseon Dynasty.However,since Sun Kuang took office,he has always been in an embarrassing situation of being suspected and restrained,and this political environment has also limited his performance of duties and his role.The fourth part examines the image of Sun Kuang in the official and private documents of Ming Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty,and reveals the political situation of Ming Dynasty and the position of the two countries.After Japan invaded Joseon Dynasty again,there was a fierce political struggle within Ming Dynasty against the failure of peace talks,and Sun Kuang was finally dismissed.Due to the lack of effective communication between Joseon Dynasty and Sun Kuang,coupled with the disagreement of the negotiating position and the promotion of the trust crisis between the two countries,the relationship with Sun Kuang became increasingly tense,which led to Sun Kuang’s negative image in the accounts of all levels of Joseon Dynasty.