천총 8-9년 후금의 동해여진 원정과 홍타이지의 팔기 개혁

Abstract

This article examines the relation between the Manchu state’s military campaigns against the Donghai Jurchen (東海女眞) and the development of the Eight Banner system. Previous research studies on the Donghai campaigns focus on individual events or specific areas, but little has been written about the general characteristics of the campaigns. The main purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the Manchu state’s Donghai campaigns; furthermore, through this analysis, clarify their relevance to the renovation of the banner system, especially the system promoted by Hong Taiji during the later years of the Tiancong (天聰) era. Based on Manchu records, there were a total of 15 military campaigns into Donghai regions during Hong Taiji’s reign. More specifically, 10 out of 15 campaigns had no other major mission other than bringing over the local population. The banner army had a target population size to recruit, which was carefully set up in advance. As the result of the campaigns, up to thirty thousand Donghai people, in which at least one third were adult males, migrated to the Manchu state and were immediately integrated into the banner companies. The largest Donghai campaign took place during the 8-9th years of the Tiancong Era, and was closely related to the overall renovation of the banner system. On the 21st day of the 9th month of the 8th year of the Tiancong Era (1634), Hong Taiji proposed a new policy regarding the distribution of the newly-submitted Donghai population, saying that instead of evenly dividing the population among all eight banners, top priority must be given to the banners that had fewer companies. By doing so, Hong Taiji not only attempted to even out the number of companies across all eight banners, but also aimed to extensively reinforce the banner system. Large new populations were necessary to enforce this new policy, which served as a form of momentum to launch a series of Donghai campaigns on an unprecedented scale later that year. According to the record of Neiguoshiyuandang, 18 companies were established as a result of this new policy. Though the exact date of their formation is uncertain, considering the method proposed by Hong Taiji, it is likely that they were created not long after the decision was made. In fact, there are a few pieces of evidence supporting this assumption. Around the time when the massive expeditionary force departed for the Donghai regions, 59 people were granted special privileges which exempted their companies from various taxes. At the same time, some were provided with additional Donghai population to further expand their existing company, or even to create a new one. This process was completed before the army returned from the campaign, which makes it a perfect example of the ‘create a company first, staff it later’ policy of Hong Taiji’s new plan. Since Donghai campaigns were fully planned operations, it was possible to plan distribution of soon-to-be-submitted populations in advance. In conclusion, the Donghai campaigns during the later years of the Tiancong Era were not isolated activities, but an important part of the overall reform project of the banner system. It must be noted that while it was true that there was a general consensus on the need to reform the banner system at the time, Hong Taiji took the opportunity to use it for his own advantage. In this sense, the Donghai campaigns during the later years of the Tiancong Era can be considered one of the first steps in the process of shoring up Hong Taiji’s political position and transforming the state, which began after the death of Ligdan Khan and the submission of the Chahar Mongols, and would eventually lead to the proclamation of ‘Daicing gurun (大淸)’, the Qing.