Royal Guards of Ming Dynasty
The eunuch system in China originated from the pre-Qin period and never stopped until the Qing Dynasty. Among them, "the eunuchs suffered the most in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty", especially in the Ming Dynasty. Many historians in the Ming and Qing Dynasties commented that the Ming Dynasty was killed by eunuchs. Although this statement is too absolute, there is no doubt that the eunuch's autocratic power intensified various contradictions in the Ming Dynasty and accelerated its demise. Throughout history, different systems have their unique characteristics in different dynasties and periods, and the eunuch system is no exception. As the third eunuch dictatorship in history, the eunuch system in Ming Dynasty also has its own characteristics:
1. There are a large number of eunuchs and complicated institutions.
Due to the large number of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, which amounted to more than 100,000, the organization for managing eunuchs was very large. Just from the twenty-four yamen ("twenty-four yamen" is the general name of twelve prisons, four divisions and eight bureaus), it is enough to dazzle people. Silijian is the chief of the twenty-four yamen and the most powerful person in the whole eunuch system. Sili supervisor has the power to answer all the memorials of ministers and ministers, preach and declare orders, and also take into account the functions and powers of other eunuchs' important positions. In addition to the twenty-four government offices, eunuchs were in charge of the ten warehouses in the inner government and one or more houses, workshops and factories, and set up the East Factory, the West Factory, the Inner Factory, etc., which became self-contained, like the central government * * *, reaching out in all directions and crawling like ants over the hills of important authorities from the central government to the local government.
2. The eunuch's power is subject to imperial power, and the eunuch's fate depends on the monarch. From the source of eunuch's power, the eunuch of the Ming Dynasty was given power by the emperor from beginning to end, although sometimes the emperor gave eunuch power unconsciously. Therefore, the power of the eunuchs in Ming Dynasty was restricted by the imperial power, no matter how powerful the eunuch was, it could not conflict with the imperial power, and the scope of the eunuch's activities must be within the scope allowed by the imperial power. The emperor could control the eunuch's power at will and put it away freely. Therefore, although the eunuch disaster in the Ming Dynasty was fierce, it did not reach the point where the emperor's abolition, life and death could be manipulated in his hands, as in the late Han Dynasty and the middle and late Tang Dynasty. Moreover, the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty were like parasites. When their "host" emperor died, or suddenly became angry, the eunuch's power suddenly dissipated, such as Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, Feng Bao and Wei Zhongxian. For a while, they played tricks on the power, and the emperor made a signboard, but when the signboard was lost or the emperor changed his face, the eunuch could only be cut and killed.
3. The relationship between eunuchs and foreign ministers is complicated.
According to the provisions of Daming Law: "If all yamen officials make friends with the officials in the inner office, leak things and cheat, those who help the same player will be beheaded, and their wives will be resettled for three thousand miles." This provision directly targets at the collusion between courtiers and eunuchs and endangers imperial power. However, with the emperor handing over some power to eunuchs, eunuchs had to contact foreign ministers in order to carry out their normal work. Therefore, this provision of Daming Law could not be implemented at all, and therefore it could not reduce the eunuch's disaster. Because the power of eunuchs in Ming Dynasty was not supported by law, and it greatly threatened the power of foreign ministers, and even directly mastered the power originally held by foreign ministers, so the foreign ministers and eunuchs in power were bound to breed contradictions, and the struggle between them was fierce. However, the relationship between them is not a simple struggle, and there is also cooperation, which makes the relationship between eunuchs and foreign ministers complicated. On the one hand, foreign ministers either persuaded the emperor to restrain the eunuch power through memorials, or directly participated in the struggle with eunuch power, such as Donglin Party members. On the other hand, if foreign ministers want to carry out their work effectively, they must cooperate with eunuchs and gain their support. For example, Zhang Juzheng, the records of Wanli, maintained a cooperative relationship with Feng Bao from the implementation of the New Deal to the whole political career.
4.-Some virtuous eunuchs are active and promising.
In history, there are indeed some eunuchs who * * * framed Zhongliang after they came to power, and even held the emperor as a vassal, which had a very bad influence on society. But not all eunuchs, like Wei Zhongxian, have a negative impact on society. There are also some virtuous eunuchs, who are politically active, self-restrained and self-disciplined, actively participate in state affairs and play an active role. For example, eunuch Zhang Yong assisted Wang Shouren to punish Liu Jin and suppress the rebellion of Ning Wang. In this process, he played a huge role, and his political work was praised by people and rewarded by the king. In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were contradictions not only between foreign ministers and evil eunuchs, but also among eunuchs. Therefore, some virtuous eunuchs joined the foreign ministers' group, and they actively cooperated with foreign ministers to fight against evil eunuchs. But also actively cooperate with foreign ministers, which is also very promising politically. Eunuchs were one of the main characteristics of politics in the Ming Dynasty, and it was even more extreme in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. The scope of their intervention gradually penetrated into political, economic, judicial, military and other fields, and controlled the lifeline of the country to a great extent. Of course, this will inevitably have a serious and significant impact on the development and demise of the Ming Dynasty.
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First, the political performance:
Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty participated in state affairs, mainly through the ceremony supervisor. Silijian and Cabinet were two institutions that assisted the operation of autocratic imperial power in Ming Dynasty. Under normal circumstances, it is considered as the normal state of the operation of the central organization that the sili supervisor and the cabinet, * * * play the decision-making function together. In the Ming dynasty, the approval of the memorial was first drafted by the cabinet with a small ticket, which became a "draft". Then, instead of the emperor's calligraphy, the eunuchs in the Sili supervisor approved it and became "Zhu Pi". The so-called "Zhu Pi" is equivalent to the current seal. The right to approve Zhu was the emperor's right, and it was also the last procedure of the Ming Dynasty. After approving Zhu, it meant the final decision, and this supreme right should have been completed by the emperor, but later it fell into the hands of the imperial palace. Therefore, eunuchs can intervene and manipulate the power of central secrets. Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty also intervened in Chaju's right to employ people. According to the regulations of the imperial court, many official positions were recommended and appointed by eunuchs, and even the appointment of cabinet ministers often required the approval of the ceremonial supervisor. Because of this, there are many courtiers who obsess over the situation and flatter the power of castration, calling themselves "under the door" and "born late" When Wei Zhongxian was in power, from the "Cabinet, six ministries, to the governors and governors in all directions, there were so-called" five tigers ","five tigers ","ten dogs ","ten children "and" forty grandchildren ",which was really powerful.
Second, the economic performance:
On the one hand, eunuchs, as slaves of the emperor, managed the royal industry; On the other hand, as the special Commissioner of the emperor, he supervised and even directly managed the national finance and tax authorities scattered all over the country. Such as managing Huangzhuang, Shanglinyuan, Muma Grassland, manufacturing, storage, taxation, etc., and often acting as mine supervisor, tax envoy, procurement, weaving, prefect of city ships, and supervising warehouses. Weaving in Ming dynasty refers to silk weaving, which is mainly used by courts and officials. Hong Wuchu set up Suzhou Weaving, which was under the jurisdiction of local officials. During Yongle period, he began to send eunuchs Rong Tuosheng to supervise. In order to satisfy the enjoyment of the royal family or enrich their own pockets, they often go beyond the usual amount, and the religious satin has become a harm to the south of the Yangtze River. Treasury mainly refers to the inner treasury and Taicang silver treasury. The carrier warehouse in the inner warehouse is the most famous, with one eunuch, more than ten attendants and eunuchs, and dozens of supervisors and supervisors. All gold and silver, gauze, jade belts, ivory, agate, precious stones and pearls are stored in this vault. Taicang silver treasury is the national treasury, which is managed by the household department, but eunuchs often withdraw Taicang silver in the name of imperial edict. At the time of the apocalypse, Wei Zhongxian used the eunuch Tu Wenfu, the governor of Taicang, and the Ministry of Industry, Jie Shenku, to actually control the state treasury. As a result, eunuchs manipulated the government finances and played a significant role in the country's economic activities.
III. Judicial performance:
Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty participated in the judiciary mainly by virtue of their special judicial organizations, such as East Factory, West Factory and Inner Factory. The Royal Guards controlled by the East Factory can be said to be the expansion and extension of the East Factory, and eunuchs can't participate in the judiciary without Royal Guards. Eunuchs' interference in the administration of justice in Ming Dynasty was manifested in many aspects. In Ming Dynasty, the judicial investigation organs included the factory guards and the Military Forces Division. The Military Forces Division is mainly responsible for the patrol of public security in Beijing and the investigation of general cases, while the factory guards are responsible for the investigation of political cases and major criminal cases. At the beginning of the establishment of Dongchang, the main task was judicial investigation. After Yingzong, the power of the East Factory was continuously expanded, and the scope of investigation was also more extensive. The felons arrested by the East Factory are generally held in the prison inside the factory, while the petty criminals and the dry company are held in the substitute prison outside the factory. Prisoners in custody are often killed by eunuchs without waiting for judicial decisions. In terms of trial, the Ming dynasty law stipulates that the case that needs to be reviewed shall be carried out by the Third Law Division. At the same time, the system of recording prisoners in the past dynasties was followed, and the emperor himself or sent officials to inquire about the prisoners and decide the prison. After the mid-term, eunuchs must participate in the re-bow and prisoner recording. Moreover, in order to further control the judiciary, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty also stipulated a special trial system in addition to ordinary trials, in which the big trial and the hot trial were presided over by eunuchs on behalf of the emperor. The case under the sole jurisdiction of Dongchang is completely finalized and sentenced by the eunuch of the prefect. In the trial of general cases, the first trial in Dongchang is the final trial. As for the major cases under the jurisdiction of the East Factory and the cases in which eunuchs participated in the joint hearing of the three legal departments, the final ruling power belongs to the emperor in name, but actually it is in the hands of eunuchs. In a word, serious cases have been under the jurisdiction of the factory guards, and the more important cases tried by the Third Division are reviewed by eunuchs, and eunuchs also control special trials, so the supreme imperial power is reflected in the judiciary through the activities of eunuchs. IV. Military performance:
On the military side, the eunuchs in Ming Dynasty could not only serve as the prefect of the Beijing camp, but also serve as military posts such as army supervision, guarding and garrison, and even had their own "internal exercises", which held considerable rights in the national military. Eunuchs are the slaves of the emperor, and eunuchs in charge of the army supervise the army as special commissioners of the emperor, so that everything can be "heard directly to the sky". This is actually to put the every move of officers at all levels below the company commander, and even civilian officers in charge of the army, such as supervision, caressing, pressing and Taoism, under the direct supervision of the emperor. The performance of eunuchs supervising the army in Ming dynasty: one is the prefect of Beijing camp. In Yongle, the three battalions of Jingshi were established at the beginning, and the five battalions, the three thousand battalions and the Shenji Battalion each set up prefects, while the military affairs of Beijing Battalion were the same as those of the Ministry of War. It began with the change of civil engineering that the eunuchs Xing 'an and Yong-chang Li were ordered to arrange military affairs with Shi Heng and Yu Qian. As a result, the army of the capital was controlled. The second is to set up eunuchs on each side of each province. Guarding, originally a military official title, is a military officer on the side of the general town. In the first year of Hongxi, Wang An, the eunuch, went out of the town of Gansu and began to take the title of "guarding eunuch". In the future, eunuchs will be set up on all sides of each province. The eunuchs were very powerful, and they could monitor Wu Chen's control of local troops, and later even developed to the point of interfering in local political affairs. The third is that eunuchs have their own "internal exercises". The so-called "internal exercise" is to organize some eunuchs for military training as the emperor's personal army. It began in the Zhengde period. However, it is obvious that this armed force has no other benefits except strengthening the power of eunuchs.
Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, a special group, held political, economic, judicial and military powers on the political stage of feudal autocratic rule, which caused very serious results. The decline and fall of the Ming Dynasty was also closely related to it, and the negative effects were various, which were generally manifested in the following aspects:
1. On politics: dictatorial power, rejection of dissidents, and fierce party struggles have created an endless and volatile political situation. Many Quan Yan also used their power to sell official birds and princes and openly ask for bribes. As a result, the official made money, and the government made bribes, which destroyed the normal order of official promotion in the imperial court. All these made the politics of the Ming Dynasty even darker.
2. For the economy: interfere in finance and disrupt normal economic policies. As mine and salt tax envoys, they extorted and plundered; As weaving, they make excuses to enrich themselves. Normal economic life was completely broken by them. Make everywhere "boiling with frying, there is no place of happiness. The rich and the poor are exhausted, and the peasants and mulberry feet are trapped. ""In the village of three families, chickens and dogs are all known, and the city of five capitals is empty. "
3. For the judiciary: turning chaos into law and letting love kill, which makes the prison more unjust; Eunuchs arbitrarily punish officials, sometimes leading officials to resort to force; The feudal legal system was seriously damaged. Expanding the function of judicial repression without restraint, severe punishment threatens the survival of the people and makes the country lose a lot of labor, which also intensifies the contradiction between the landlord class and farmers.
4. Military affairs: The eunuch supervised the army, which accelerated the corruption of the army. In addition, the garrisoning and guarding places were mostly border areas, which greatly weakened the border defense and shook the rule of the Ming Dynasty. In this way, after the peasant war in the late Ming Dynasty, the generals could not effectively command the army because of the eunuch constraints everywhere, which enabled the peasant army to develop smoothly and accelerated the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
Ming dynasty eunuch
In short, the Ming Dynasty, as one of the most serious dynasties in China's history, suffered from eunuchs.
It is obviously influenced by the eunuch's authoritarian power. This influence is not only manifested in politics, economy, justice and military affairs, but also permeates all aspects of social life.
The autocratic power of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty showed us another aspect of feudal rule in the Ming Dynasty. It was not long before Yi Ding was changed in Ming and Qing Dynasties, that is, there was a saying that "Ming did not die of thieves, but died of eunuchs"; Some people even called the Ming Dynasty "the largest eunuch empire in history", and thought that the demise of the Ming Dynasty was largely due to the autocratic power of eunuchs. However, the evaluation of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty seems to be in a contradictory situation. We can't help but notice that in the early period of the dynasty, when politics was relatively clear, eunuchs
Many sages, in the last days, are especially rare. The eunuch's "autocracy" in the Ming Dynasty was only 20 years. It is obviously inappropriate to refer to the politics of the Ming Dynasty as "eunuch politics" or "spy politics" and blame the demise of the Ming Dynasty on the eunuch's autocracy. Therefore, the eunuch system in Ming Dynasty is still an important subject worthy of our in-depth study. .
Ming Dynasty (326) Ming Dynasty (6) Eunuchs (18)