Story 85. Nurhachi Khan's Eight Banners System(八旗制度) and Industrial Revival

 

Story 85. Nurhachi Khan's Eight Banners System(八旗制度) and Industrial Revival

  On the first day of the first month of the year (1616) of the Mandate of Heaven (天命) of Nurhachi (努爾哈赤, 1559–1626), the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty(後金), even the biting north winds could not cool the fervor of the grand coronation ceremony held at Hektu Arab Castle(赫圖阿拉城).

 『Hetu Ala Castle (赫圖阿拉城) is where Nurhaci, founder of the Qing Dynasty(淸朝), founded and ruled the Later Jin Dynasty(後金). Located in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, it is also known as Xingjing (興京). The name "Ala Castle" (阿拉城) derives from the Manchu word for "low hill." It was Nurhaci's hometown and political and military center, and is now an important historical site and tourist attraction.』

  While all his ministers, who had lived and died with him, were drunk on wine, celebrating the birth of the great khan(大汗) and the new dynasty, only Nurhaci managed to suppress his excitement and fell into deep thought.

"Governing a nation requires not only a strong military force, but also the development of agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce. Agriculture, in particular, is a task that must be addressed. In the end, the reason for the constant tragedies of fighting and killing each other among their own people was the famine caused by food shortages.”

 Nurhaci reclaimed the vast grasslands into garrison fields(屯田), thereby relieving the people's hunger. The Jurchen people traditionally relied on the Ming Dynasty's supply of iron farming tools, fabrics, and other necessities through the horse market(馬市). If the Ming Dynasty(明朝) reduced or cut off this supply, their livelihood would be threatened.

The Ming court recognized this weakness and exploited the Jurchen people for many years. Believing that a truly independent nation could not be achieved without self-manufacturing, Nurhaci valued artisan products over gold and silver. Under his orders, mines were developed, smelting techniques were advanced, and textiles were produced domestically.

He also devoted considerable effort to processing ginseng, a traditional Jurchen specialty. At the time, fresh ginseng(生蔘) was prone to spoilage. Ming merchants exploited this weakness and plundered it at a low price. Nurhachi had his officials develop a steaming and drying method(蒸曝法) for raw ginseng, producing red ginseng(紅蔘). Red ginseng prevented the Ming merchants' schemes and sold at high prices, generating enormous profits.

In 1592, the 25th year of King Seonjo's(宣祖) reign in Joseon(朝鮮), a 160,000-strong Japanese army invaded Joseon, ravaging the country. King Seonjo, curious about Nurhachi and desperate to grasp at straws, dispatched Shin Chung-il (申忠一 1554~1622), the Southern Chief of Staff(南部主簿), to the Jianzhou Jurchen (建州女眞) in 1595 to monitor the situation. After returning to his homeland, Shin Chung-il completed his report to King Seonjo in a book titled <Jianzhou Jianzhou Jingzhou Jiaoji(建州紀程圖記)>. This book provides the most detailed account of the early days of Nurhachi's reign. The book includes the following:

"In fertile soil, one mal of millet can yield 8-9 seom (1.5-1.8 tons) of grain, while in barren soil, only about 1 seok (石 150-200 kg of stone) can be harvested."

This means that one mal of millet yielded 8-9 seom (10 times the yield of one mal). This represents a significant harvest. This demonstrates the considerable advancement of agricultural technology among the Jurchen people at the time.  

 In 1619 (the 11th year of King Gwanghaegun's reign 光海君), when General Kang Hong-rip (姜弘立 1560-1627) went on an expedition to assist the Ming Dynasty and subdue the Jurchen people, Lee Min-hwan (吏民寰 1573-1649), who accompanied him as an attendant and was later captured, wrote the following in his <Records of Observations in Jianzhou (建州聞見錄)>:

"Among the six livestock (六畜 cows, horses, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens), horses are the most numerous. In the homes of barbarian generals, hundreds or even thousands of horses form herds, and even in the homes of barbarian soldiers, dozens more."

 Horses served as tools for production, transportation, and warfare. In peacetime, they provided labor, and in wartime, they formed cavalry units that were feared by agricultural peoples. The fact that soldiers also kept dozens of horses is evidence that there were far more horses available for use as war tools than people. Nurhachi's descendants later led lightning-fast cavalry to sweep across the Central Plains(中原), thanks to his efforts to solidify the foundation of a wealthy and powerful nation.

Nurhaci not only dramatically increased industrial productivity, but also perfected the Eight Banners system(八旗制度), which united soldiers and civilians as a single organization, maximizing the efficiency of the so-called ‘Soldier-People Unity(兵民一體)’.

Originally, the Jurchen people formed hunting groups of ten, with one leader among them. Each ten man carried one arrow and was under the leader's control. This leader was called ‘Urok-eokjin (牛綠額眞)’. In the Jurchen language, ‘Urok(牛綠)’ means "large arrow" and ‘eokjin (額眞)’ means ‘master’. The Wulok Ekjin (牛綠額眞) led nine men in a coordinated manner during hunting. This temporary organization, ideally suited to the sparsely populated Jurchen people, allowed them to hunt most effectively.

After Nurhachi raised an army, his vassals grew in number. To effectively control and manage them, he established a cavalry organization based on this traditional hunting organization.

In the 29th year of Wanli (萬曆1601), each unit was expanded from 10 to 300 men and renamed the Wulok (牛綠). Each Wulok was led by a Wulok Ekjin. Initially, there were four Wulok, each distinguished by four flags: yellow, white, red, and blue. In 1615, the 42nd year of his reign, Nurhaci, keenly aware of the need to expand his cavalry organization, established larger cavalry units called Jap-la (甲喇) and Go-san (固山), using the Urok as the basic unit.

The Jurchen official title, Jap-la (甲喇), comprised five Urok (牛錄), and Go-san (固山), meaning "flag," comprised five Gap-la units. The leader of the Gap-la was called Gap-la-ak-jin (甲喇額眞), and the leader of the Go-san (固山) was called Go-san-ak-jin (固山額眞). Consequently, the Gap-la unit had 1,500 soldiers, and the Go-san(固山) unit had 7,500. Among the Aekjin (額眞), Gosan Aekjin(固山額眞) held the highest status. Furthermore, each Aekjin had two Meile Aekjins(梅勒額眞) to assist him.

After the four Uruk(牛綠) expanded to four Gosan, the four banners in yellow, white, red, and indigo were further decorated with red or white background patterns on the edges, forming four banners: Yanghwang (鑲黃), Yangbaek (鑲白), Yanghong (鑲紅), and Yanglan (鑲藍). ‘Yang(鑲)’ means to surround an object with a border.

These eight banners became the famous Eight Banners of Chinese history. Nurhaci was the supreme ruler of the Eight Banners, and his descendants became the commanders of each banner. The Eight Banners System was a social organization for both the military and civilians that ‘controlled the people and soldiers(軍民). through banners.’ Every Jurchen was required to belong to one of the eight banners. ”Outside the banners, one was to prepare for battle; inside, one was to devote oneself to farming." All responsibilities and obligations imposed on the Jurchen, including forced labor, conscription, and taxes, were implemented within this Eight Banners System.

Later, this system was applied not only to the Jurchen but also to the Han(漢) and Mongol peoples, developing into the Eight Banners Mongol (八旗蒙古) and Eight Banners Han Army (八旗漢軍).

From a modern perspective, the three defining characteristics of the Eight Banners System are likely to be "the militarization of all citizens, the militarization of the entire country, and the maximization of efficiency." Throughout history, it has been extremely rare for a weak nation to overtake a powerful one. However, the legendary hero Nurhaci, through the perfection and implementation of the Eight Banners system, taught us that victory or defeat in battle is never determined by numbers, that small things can triumph over large ones, and that this lesson, which defies common sense, is a profound historical lesson.