Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2018

 

Revisiting the Criteria for Evaluating Military Officials in the Northern Song: Another Side to “Stressing the Civil over the Military” (Abstract)

 

Liu Liyan

 

It has been said that the Song looked down on and suppressed the military, but this refers to two different situations. In the first, the Song approach had some legitimacy when there really were questions about the military; in the second, however, the civil officials behaved unreasonably in deliberately running down the military to ensure their own monopoly of power, an approach underpinned by ulterior motives and realized through plausible lies. In fact, similar situations were faced also by the civil officials, who themselves were denigrated or suppressed. From another perspective, military officials could have a high reputation. They might originally have been looked down on or held back because they were in the military, but this verdict was reversed for those who later demonstrated good character, learning, or civil or judicial knowledge. The saying that “a good fellow doesn’t join the soldiery” is not necessarily true; military officials might get a stele commemorating their achievements or find a place in an official temple or popular shrine dedicated to a martial figure, all of which would influence commoners’ perceptions.