원제국 군제의 변화와 몽골적 전통의 지속

Abstract

This study examined the changes caused by the expansion of the Mongol Empire to the military system, and in particular, focused on the changes of the military system after Kublai became the Great Khan. The trends and characteristics of the empire’s rule over China were reviewed in relation the military system. The Mongol Empire dominated Eurasia based on its military power, which was driven not only by the strength of individual soldiers but also the teamwork of Mingɣan-a unit of 1,000 households created based on the decimal system in the days of Genghis Khan. The empire expanded across Eurasia through military conquests led by the imperial elite force known as Keshig, Mongolian military, and Tanmachi comprised of foreign ethnic people. In the war against Jurchen during the reign of Ögedei, the Mongolian military recruited a significant number of Chinese, and categorized them as military households. From then on, the troops were divided into civil households and military households, and separately managed.
 When the Mongolian Empire’s rule over China was converted to direct control under Qa’an, the military system was reorganized to establish a superior status for Mongol in China. In the early days of the Yuan, Kublai efficiently managed Mongol, Semu and Han troops, and formed a privy council to allow more rapid response to military crises, He gave his sons and grandsons royal titles and seals, and implemented policies to deploy them along border areas. This was an effective approach that reinforced the military’s inland monitoring while allowing prompt response to possible uprisings outside military powers. The Mongol Empire stationed troops in important areas after conquering China and Central Asia, and Kublai followed this tradition by stationing troops in North China and the newly conquered the Southern China. He stationed the Mongolian military in major areas alongside the Yellow river and Shandong province in the Northern China., and the Han Army and newly submitted the southern Song army, which lies alongside Yantze River and the Huai River. As such, the small number of Mongol rulers held dominant military positions in China. A review of the aforementioned policies shows that Mongol Empire adapted the military system to the new environment in China, and at the same time, largely retained the Mongol military tradition.