Abstract

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Title:: Tactical development of troops and its influence in the last years of Northern Song dynasty and the early years of Southern Song dynasty

Author(s):: WANG Lu-ping; (The Monument of Xi’an Office of the Eighth Route Army, Xi’an 710041, Shaanxi, China)

Keywords:: Northern Song dynasty; Southern Song dynasty; the tactical development of troops; system of battle formations

Abstract:: Since emperor Song Taizong of the Northern Song dynasty, the rulers had highly valued and constantly constructed the tactical development of troops and expected to win victory. However, at the end of Northern Song dynasty, the rulers were conservative and guarded against generals, which led to the Jing kang calamity. In the early years of the Southern Song dynasty, emperor Song Gaozong attempted to observe the ancestor domestic discipline — “Jiang Cong Zhong Yu” by inheriting and continuing using the system of battle formations employed by the emperors of Northern Song dynasty. However, under the influence of passive defense strategy and the domestic discipline, the tactical development of troops became a formality and system of battle formations just became an important tool which was used to control generals by the rulers, which led to great harm in the war. In the fierce war environment, the generals were largely out of control, created the appropriate tactical development of troops to fight with Jins army and won victories. Besides, after the negotiation of Song and Jin, the domestic discipline played a role again and the generals aggression of the early years of South Song dynasty no longer appeared.