War Ministry in the Empire of China

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The Ministry of War ( Chinese  兵部 , Pinyin Bīngbù ), also known as the Ministry of Defense , was one of the six ministries of Imperial China .

History and organization

The Ministry of War existed from the Tang Dynasty until the fall of the monarchy in 1911. In the Ming Dynasty, it was responsible for the control of the appointments, promotions and demotions of officers as well as the maintenance of military facilities and weapons.

The ministry also oversaw the imperial Chinese postal system. This was structured hierarchically. At the head were postmasters and masters of relay stations , in which the couriers were given board and lodging at state expense, the horses were cared for or changed, and boats were maintained at water stations. The masters' remuneration depended on the importance of their station. They were paid first in monthly kind , later in silver currency at an annual rate of 15 to 22 Taels . Despite this relatively high pay, the management of relay stations was never sought in the Ming Dynasty, mainly because of the risk of robbery involved. Post stations were smaller and diplomatically less important than relay stations, and their managers had no reason to fear attacks.

Subordinate employees such as cooks, stable boys and landlords came from the entourage of the responsible master. Four to ten people were employed in each post office. These were mostly farmers' sons from the area, who had to distribute the incoming mail on foot and the only requirement was to be in good health, with an annual payment of four to seven Taels. In remote post stations, subordinate positions were taken over by pardoned inmates on death row.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chelsea Wang: Dilemmas of Empire: Movement, Communication, and Information Management in Ming, 1368-1644. Dissertation, Columbia University, 2017. Partial online view

literature

  • Lane J. Harris: The "Arteries and Veins" of the Imperial Body: The Nature of the Relay and Post Station Systems in the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. Journal of Early Modern History. Vol. 19. No. 4, pp. 287-310.
  • Charles O. Hucker: Governmental Organization of the Ming Dynasty. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 1958, Vol. 21, pp. 1-66.
  • Charles O. Hucker: A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press , Stanford 1985.