Abstract
The Huai river formed the Song Dynasty’s front line of defense against the Jin Mongol, along which were arrayed the major border forces. However, the regular military force could only be deployed spottily, and despite implementing a system of shifting garrisons, the army could not control the region of the Huai, with its distinctive geography. The army could not therefore provide effective defense. On the other hand, protective fortresses maintained by local militia forces, which utilized the geographical advantages, proved very effective during the continued warfare between the Song and the Jin and Mongols. With diversionary and guerilla tactics they managed to guard against enemy attacks and provide defense for their homes. In order to strengthen the border region, the Song court actively organized and trained these local militia forces. With support of the regular army these forces formed an important territorial defensive power.
The local fortresses of the popular militia of the Huai region during the Southern Song are representative of such armed groups. Facing enemy incursions, which threatened them with death, destruction and loss of economic livelihood, the anxious population of the Huai region selected strategic points to build defensive fortresses along the rivers and mountains to protect their homes and fields. These local forces, relying on geographical advantages, were effective in guarding against Jin and Mongol incursion and providing defense, had a stabilizing effect on the border region.
However, it was difficult to coordinate collective military action by these local militias, with their independent organizations and scattered forces. Moreover, the less than competent attempts by the traditional military organization of the Song court to unite these local forces caused a negative reaction among the militiamen of the local fortresses. Simultaneously, the population of the border regions, wedged between the Song and Jin, in economic dire straits and facing questions of survival, naturally had to consider their own safety first. Thus, suspicions towards the motives of the Song court easily surfaced, straining relations between the center and periphery.
By examining the development and changes of the local fortresses along the Huai river during the Southern Song, I will, in this article, try to advance our understanding of the organization of local militia forces and the complex relationship between the Song court and the periphery.
Keywords
Huai Fortresses, organizing and training, militia group, Ten-thousand Archers Society, local defense
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