Guyuan Rebellion and the Surrounding of Shicheng： An Shi Rebellion in Ming Dynasty

Guyuan Rebellion and the Surrounding of Shicheng: An Shi Rebellion in Ming Dynasty: The Original Discovery of Minand’s Historical Heart

In 1468, a rebellion occurred in the northwest border, which shook the Ming Dynasty in the middle period. A small group of naturalized Mongols rebelled in Guyuan, which is not directly adjacent to the Great Wall defense line. The Ming dynasty, which had been troubled by the civil unrest in the mainland, took half a year to pacify it.

At that time, the Ming army relied heavily on the elite provided by Mongolian military households. Therefore, this rebellion is similar in nature to the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty. However, due to various factors, this incident is doomed to fail to have the explosive effect as it did hundreds of years ago.

Mongolian Naturalization Policy in the Ming Dynasty

Although the Red Scarf Army is anti-Mongolian, it cannot but use the technology imported from Mongolia.

In the early and late 14th century, the Ming Dynasty absorbed a large number of Mongolian technical and military personnel left by the Yuan Dynasty during its establishment. The Ming army conquered the city with the return cannon input by Mongols, wearing Mongolian armor to attack the four directions. All Mongolian military households who are willing to surrender to the new dynasty are also highly regarded by Zhu Yuanzhang and other leaders of the early Ming Dynasty.

In the mainland, the Ming Dynasty followed the old system of the Yuan Dynasty to set up health centers for military households. At the same time, defected Mongolian soldiers were arranged in each health center. Fearing that they would be assimilated because of their scattered numbers, they even organized them into an independent "Da Jun". In this way, until Zhu Di, the prince of Yan, made an insurrection, the Ming army in all parts of the south could muster a large-scale cavalry force of more than 10,000 people. Later, these people quickly declined. In the Ming Dynasty, Mongolians and Central Asian Semu, who later surrendered and rebelled, were placed in the mainland, ranging from the military households of the Health Institute to the local branches of the Royal Guards.

Many Mongolians joined the Ming Dynasty system as military households.

On the border, the Ming Dynasty first set up a number of Mongolian naturalization ports. On the one hand, as a fortress to resist the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, on the other hand, as much as possible to attract a new group of Mongols to the south to serve as soldiers for themselves. From the era when Zhu Yuanzhang won the world, there was a tradition that the organizational system absorbed the local troops of the Yuan Dynasty. Some Mongolian tribes in the northwest scattered territory were directly granted the status of hereditary officials after the city voted. According to different situations, different preferential policies are given. There are Mongolian health centers distributed in Ganzhou, Hexi, and autonomous tribes in Guyuan, Ningxia. The latter, in particular, can not only continue grazing in the prescribed area, but also be exempted from corvee because of undertaking military service.

In the view of the Ming authorities, this is the highest treatment they can give to planners. The leader of his tribe actually retains all the internal authority. The actual rights and interests are equal to the southwest Tusi or the attached tribes outside the border. Although there is no high-level conferment like King Hami, it is enough to be grateful for the Huairou policy.

Mongolian military households in the northwest became an important source of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty.

But nothing is absolute. In fact, it is difficult to feed enough tribal population in a small pastoral area surrounded by Qimin County and Junhuwei. In particular, the Hetao area where Guyuan itself is located has suffered from persistent environmental deterioration since the end of the Tang Dynasty. The local economy relied on caravan trade from Central Asia and grasslands earlier. However, in the Ming Dynasty, many guards and checkpoints were used to stop most foreign businessmen from entering the mainland through formal channels. This is undoubtedly a serious economic blow to the Mongolian reserve in the mainland.

As a result, it is impossible for Mongolian naturalized tribes to make a living by grazing on one acre and three points. They often engage in small-scale smuggling activities with poor counties around them, or pretend to be Mongolians entering the customs to have a windfall. Finally, even the peasants who fled the counties were recruited to farm and graze for themselves. Some people even expect to have the opportunity to break through the border blockade and establish contact with distant relatives in the Mongolian Plateau. The rebellion in Guyuan took place against this background.

The Ming Dynasty carried out the policy of Mongolians beating Mongolians in the north for a long time.

The current situation of internal troubles and foreign invasion

The empire under Ming Xianzong has begun to suffer from internal and external troubles.

Of course, the contradiction in Guyuan alone is not enough to trigger a large-scale rebellion. However, the dynasty under Ming Xianzong had been exposed to various internal and external troubles at that time. The garrison troops stationed in various places in the Ming Dynasty were also exhausted, and there were serious loopholes in the old social structure.

First of all, on the border, the emptiness outside the customs caused by Mongolian invasion and population migration has changed because of the return of people after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. Mongolia and Nuzhen, two major ethnic groups that have initially completed organizational reorganization, began to frequently clash with the Ming Dynasty border troops. Especially in Mongolia, where the territory is vast and there are many factions, there has been a major event of Wala going south. Emperor Yingzong, the father of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty, was therefore a "guest of honor" of the Mongolian army. When his son was in charge, even the Nuzhen in the northeast began to make noise. Emperor Xianzong, while using the border troops to resist, asked North Korea to send troops to support him. This also became the first time in the history of the Ming Dynasty that the subordinate army was used to assist in the war.

Before Ming Xianzong succeeded to the throne, the Wala Mongols had been killed at the gates of Beijing.

Secondly, in the mainland, the trade blockade and economic control of the Ming Dynasty led to large-scale civil unrest in many areas. Compared with the small uprisings encountered by previous generations, Ming Xianzong suffered two large-scale rebellions almost simultaneously. There was the Datengxia incident in the southwest, and then there was the rebellion of Yunxian refugees in the northwest of Jinghu Lake. The previous crisis broke out in Guangxi, involving Guangdong, Hunan and Guizhou. The latter incident originated in the northwest of Jinghu Lake, spread to Shaanxi, Henan and Hunan, and radiated to the south of Zhili as far as possible. This forced the Ming Dynasty to use troops frequently during this period. Moreover, unlike the southern expedition to Luchuan and the northern expedition to Tumu Fort in the British Emperor’s reign, these wars basically occurred in the interior of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, all the above problems reflect the structural defects of the Ming Dynasty. The depressed economy and the loss of vitality of society all made the control of the Ming Dynasty decline. Many edge balls that used to be able to turn a blind eye have now become an urgent task that must be solved. Otherwise, the Ming court would not be able to maintain a huge military and political system, and the biggest control crisis occurred since Zhu Di abolished the local vassal king.

The court women’s clothing in Ming Xianzong era had obvious Mongolian influence.

Therefore, when thousands of Mongolian households sealed in Guyuan were over four, they were asked by local officials in Shaanxi to hand over the hidden population. And Man Si himself is not willing to continue to be blocked in a "isolated" small space to endure poverty under the system. Under this pattern, except for a small number of upper tribes, the rest of the people are hovering above and below the extreme poverty line. This is also a very unstable factor that is not conducive to the continued loyalty of the Ministry to the leader.

When the imperial court sent Man Ai, the nephew of Man Si, to arrest his uncle, the Mongolian leader, who had been a thousand families of the Ming army for generations, declared rebellion. Because once he is in trouble, his nephew will become the new leader, and his behavior is equivalent to usurping the throne.

Not counting the rebellion in Guyuan, Ming Xianzong still needs to fight in these four places

A strong century-old castle

Guyuan is not directly located in the defense line of the Great Wall.

Man Si and his followers took the local Shicheng in Guyuan as their base and refuge in April 1468. This mountain fortress, which was built in the Tang Dynasty, was once the bridgehead after the foreign conquest of the Tubo Empire. During the period when Xixia founded Hetao, it was also the southern garrison fortress of the Northern Song Dynasty in the Tangut region.

Although the defense facilities of Shicheng have not been improved since the 11th century, it can still rely on the terrain to become a fortified city that is difficult to capture. The main city itself is located among the mountains, surrounded by cliffs, and surrounded by several hills. Not only is there a 6-10-meter-high wall to protect it, but there is also a 3-meter-deep moat outside to strengthen defense. The only way to enter the city is a path that is only used by single riders, and there is also a deputy city guard. Man Si was ready to take this place as a base and have a long-term confrontation with the conquering army of the Ming Dynasty. Several special reservoirs in the city also made him not worry about being besieged.

Today’s remains of Shicheng site in Ningxia

In the face of this sudden mutiny, the Ming troops stationed around were unprepared. Although only 4,000 men can fight in Manchuria, the Mongolian cavalry among them still retains the flexible tactics of their ancestors. They took the initiative to attack the four directions, and even reached Ganzhou in Hexi as far as possible, defeating the Ming army that lacked preparation for war one by one. In addition to obtaining materials and weapons, it also played the title of king of recruiting talents and recruited franchisees on a larger scale. As a result, a large number of fleeing people around ran to Shicheng to join his team.

In May 1468, 30,000 Ming troops from other parts of Shaanxi rushed to Shicheng, including the border troops stationed in Ningxia Town. Because the Ming army at that time needed to use troops in various places, such a large-scale assembly was already a very serious thing. Ming Xianzong also participated in the war from the Beijing camp sent by the capital, but he did not arrive halfway. Chen Jia, the governor of Shaanxi Province, paid no attention to thousands of Mongols and more than 10,000 refugees, and wanted to solve the problem before the arrival of reinforcements.

The solid stone city is the stronghold of Guyuan rebels at first sight.

Chen Jia’s self-confidence stems not only from his military superiority, but also from the rebels’ serious lack of weapons at that time. In addition to the previous part of the Mongolian army outdoor, a large number of dependent population are unarmed, and have no military experience. Therefore, the governor’s adult thought that he could wipe out the rabble under the command of Manchu in one fell swoop. However, when he found that Man Si took the initiative to provoke himself with cavalry, he was furious and ordered the whole army to attack. Even though they finished camping the night before, they still stormed despite their fatigue.

Man Si, who was well prepared, took Mongolian cavalry along the way and fought and retreated, successfully taking the Ming army away from the original camp. Faced with the doubts of the staff, Governor Chen Jia even posed a political correctness that could not show weakness in front of the thieves, forcing the troops to pursue it. After 10 miles of entanglement, the Ming army found itself in the valley under Shicheng Mountain.

Four Mongolian cavalry attracted the pursuit of the Ming army with standard operation.

Mongolian herders took the opportunity to drive a large number of herds and directly dispersed their team. The exhausted Ming army was attacked by the rebels who followed before it could cope with the runaway cattle and sheep. The other party only used wooden sticks, and the whole army of tens of thousands of loyalists collapsed. Mongolian cavalry counterattacked and scattered all 30,000 Ming troops.

After this disastrous battle, the Manchu rebels seized a large number of weapons and equipment and annihilated the local field troops in Shaanxi. He also recruited all the Mongolian soldiers in the Ming army under his command and continued to attack the residual loyalists nearby with light cavalry. Influenced by them, the rations sent by the Ming court to the front line of Ganzhou in Hexi were also robbed. The rebel forces have increased to 20,000.

Refugees who used wooden sticks under the cover of herds defeated a large number of loyalists.

Battle in winter

Xiang Zhong, who is in charge of commanding the counter-insurgency army.

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the Ming court sent an imperial adviser, Xiang Zhong, to continue the suppression with 10,000 Beijing soldiers. At the same time, 50,000 border troops on the Shaanxi border were mobilized to go out together. Among the above rebels, there are not only troops equipped with a large number of firearms, but also Mongolian cavalry that the Ming army will dispatch in every battle.

In October, 1468, the Ming armies of all roads marched in several ways to avoid being attacked by Mongolian cavalry who were full of four because they were too concentrated. Through this decentralized deployment, we successfully entered the vicinity of Shicheng. However, the various forces are still unable to synchronize in specific time, which gives the rebels a chance. The border troops who first arrived in Yansui Town found that Man Si had led the elite out of the city to meet them. They launched an attack recklessly and were quickly defeated by the armed rebels.

Shicheng itself is located in the mountains and valleys.

At this time, the Ming army also found that due to the excessive expansion of the number, the rebels could not all hide in the main city on the mountain. A large number of refugees are arranged to be deployed on nearby hills and plank roads because of their weak field ability. In order to resist the attack, they also dug trenches to form new positions. The cavalry full of four often go out of the city to lure the enemy, and then pretend to be defeated and retreat. In an attempt to introduce loyalists into these trench-dense traps. The Ming army, which has been repeatedly frustrated by the aggressive rival in love, changed its mind. Take advantage of the strength to launch a separate attack, ready to win the hills near Shicheng, forming a complete siege. General Mao Zhong climbed the mountain from the rear with 4,000 elite border troops, while another general Liu Yu launched a feint from the front mountain road.

However, the tenacity of Shicheng rebels is beyond the expectation of the Ming army. Although in the peripheral battle, a large number of hills sheltered by refugees were captured by the Ming army, the main city of elite guards always resisted fiercely. When Mao Zhong led the army over the hill, he was stopped by the moat at the gate. Mongols shot arrows from the city and threw stones, which made the Ming army unable to lift its head.

The compound bow firepower of Mongolian defenders has a great deterrent to the Ming army.

In the mid-15th century, the Ming army changed from a heavy infantry-oriented army to a light infantry that used a large number of long-range weapons. Except for a few generals’ guards and front-row elites, they also have the ability to reload and attack, and the rest of them play a decisive role in storming operations. Before the charge, Mao Zhong died of an arrow at a critical moment, and his subordinates could only withdraw to the top of the mountain to reorganize. Liu Yu, who was in charge of frontal containment, was also injured by an arrow, and the soldiers below almost dispersed in a hubbub. Thanks to Xiang Zhong, who led the Beijing battalion commander team, he felt that he had executed a retreating thousand households at the last minute and forced the soldiers to return and save Liu Yu, who was dying.

Since then, the Ming army realized that storming Shicheng was ineffective and turned to siege. First, people destroyed the city’s aqueduct, and then set up positions on the surrounding hills and bombarded them with various firearms. However, the Ming army, which had no siege guns at all, could only kill the defenders of Chengtou without causing any damage to the city wall itself. During the period, the Ming army also sent soldiers to try to fill moats and trenches with mud, but they all gave up because of the counterattack firepower of the defenders. It is suggested to build siege vehicles as mobile fortifications during the attack. However, most generals in the army felt that the storm was too great to lose, so that they rejected the proposal.

In the mid-15th century, the Ming army became mainly light infantry.

After entering November, the cold weather began to shake the Ming army. However, the rebels trapped in Shicheng also had logistical problems because the water source was cut off. In addition, the main city, which could only accommodate thousands of people, has now poured into a team of nearly 10,000 people, further aggravating its logistical pressure. Some rebels even sneak out of the city to get water at night. In this way, the Ming army captured yang hu raccoon, the confidant of Man Si. Through intimidation and inducement, the loyalist learned that the rebels were also eager to end the fighting and even had the desire to flee northward into Mongolia. So I played along and prepared for an ambush.

Sure enough, yang hu raccoon dog, after being put back into Shicheng, urged Man Si to lead an army to a decisive battle. After seeing the Ming army pretending to go down the mountain, the latter quickly took the elite cavalry to break through. As a result, he was besieged by an ambush in the mountain path and became Xiang Zhong’s prisoner. However, the remnants of the rebels in the city quickly made Huo Jing, a Mongolian who had served as an officer, the new leader. Under his leadership, all the rebels in Shicheng broke through one night.

Such elite equipment is rare in the Ming army.

Because the Ming army blocked most of the exits, leaving only the road to the south, the main rebel force fell into a trap in this direction. Most people, including Huo Jing, were killed or captured. Other small groups scattered to break through, while others temporarily fled the valley under siege. The last small group of troops was not destroyed until January 1469.

At this point, the Guyuan rebellion that lasted for half a year was completely subsided. The Ming army suffered as many as 10,000 casualties before and after, and several middle and senior officers were killed. It took nearly 100,000 troops before and after to wipe out 4,000 Mongolian herders and more than 10,000 refugees.

The rebels who barely attacked were finally annihilated by the Ming army with absolute superiority in number.

The New Anshi Rebellion that Can’t Be Made Up

The world in the 15th century was doomed to failure and namelessness.

If something similar to the Guyuan rebellion had happened hundreds of years earlier, I’m afraid the situation would have been different. However, the change of the overall pattern of the world doomed this mutiny, which was similar in nature to the An Shi Rebellion, and could not become a famous event in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

As a soldier and general that the imperial court needed to rely on, An Lushan in the Tang Dynasty was sitting on the European inland transportation line in the golden age. Guyuan itself was also a checkpoint of the Silk Road and a battleground for military strategists. Otherwise, it will not attract the later Tubo and Tangut people to take it for themselves. The ancestors of Man Si were also sealed here in the Yuan Dynasty, which undoubtedly shows that the local area still has strategic value. By the time the Ming army entered Guanzhong, the value of this international freight artery was not as good as before. The Ming Dynasty was willing to keep the local tribes, except for military needs, that is, to judge that Guyuan was not the most important thing that they had to occupy.

The economic artery of the world has moved inexorably into the ocean.

Looking at the contemporary world situation, the long-term war and destruction have greatly weakened the value of the overland Silk Road. The progress of ship technology has prompted more businessmen to look to the ocean. Two generations ago, Zhu Di, the founder of Ming Dynasty, gained great fame through Zheng He’s fleet. So that future generations often ignore it. At that time, there were also envoys of the Ming Dynasty who had arrived in Samarkand in Central Asia several times to negotiate with Herat.

Although there will still be an endless stream of merchants trying to enter the northwest from Ganzhou and Jiayuguan to do business, their influence has gradually faded from that of their counterparts in Nanyang. This historical process was so clear at that time, but it was still covered by the long-standing maritime ban policy of the Ming Dynasty. As for the grassland-Daidao commercial road, which was far superior to Hexi Corridor, it was even more insignificant because of the land blockade of the Ming army and the decline of the Mongolian plateau itself. That’s the reason why An Lushan used to have wealth and power, and it’s also the reason why he later became a poor man.

The northwest trade route in the Ming Dynasty is no longer very important.

The change of the general trend of the world will affect everyone involved in specific events without exception. Man Si not only failed to enjoy the world wealth like An Lushan in the past, but also failed to attract many foreign fighters from Turkic, Sogdian, Khitan and Xibu like Fan Yang’s time. His tribe and small pastures are actually the last remnants of the golden age in the interior of Europe and Asia. Behind him, there is no vast back road that ancestors can rely on, so the shock he can arouse is not shocked by the historical recorder.

However, the decline of this pattern may not be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. After solving the rebels, Xiang Zhong ordered all Shicheng to be destroyed. Similar things happened many times in the Ming dynasty, and the result was nothing more than environmental desertification and scattered population in the whole Hetao and even the grassland. The Ming army, unwilling to advance but only retreating, will still be attacked by various Mongolian tribes. Their counterattack also became duckweed without foundation because of their previous short-sightedness.

The whole Ming dynasty could not get rid of the Mongolian shadow.

Long-term disorder will bring endless poverty to both ends of the nomadic border. Little Prince, Dayan Khan and Anda Khan will emerge one after another in the north, and Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong in the south will also be vividly portrayed.

Original title: Guyuan Rebellion and the Surrounding of Shicheng: An Shi Rebellion in the Ming Dynasty.

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