明代净军考论

On Jingjun(Army of the Castrated)in Ming Dynasty

明代净军由净身之人组成,又有一定的军事性质,主要有内操型净军、充军型净军、劳役型净军三种类型。由内操宦官组成的军队即为内操型净军,广泛存在于正德朝至崇祯朝,发挥的军事作用甚微。后两类净军在洪武时期已有之,其产生与明代对罹罪正额宦官、自宫之人惩处制度的演变相关。充军型净军对于补充军伍、巩固边防起到一定的作用。劳役型净军多见于明中后期史料中,供役有种菜、清理宫中粪便、皇室殡仪时擎执各项器物、更鼓房打更、看守南海子墙铺、充任内官监工匠等类,在明朝人的认知中他们仍具军事性质。净军的产生与嬗递对明代政治产生较大影响,体现出明代皇权至上而诸种政治势力彼此颉颃互制的权力运行特点。

The Jingjun in the Ming Dynasty was composed of castrated persons and had certain military attributes.There were mainly three types:those having military drills in the imperial city,those in military exile,and those having to toil and labor.The first type of Jingjun composed of internal eunuchs was in existence from Zhengde to Chongzhen period,and they played little military role.The latter two types existed in as early as the Hongwu period,and their emergence was related to the evolution of the punishment system for eunuchs in the imperial palace and self⁃castrated persons in the Ming Dynasty.The military⁃exile type played a certain role in replenishing the army and consolidating frontier defense.In historical data of the middle and later periods of the Ming Dynasty,Jingjun was more often referred to castrated persons forced to do hard physical work,their service covering planting vegetables,cleaning feces in the palace,holding all kinds of utensils at royal funeral ceremonies,sounding the night watches,guarding the Nanyuan Garden,acting as officials supervising craftsmen and so on.In the perception of the Ming people,they were military personnel.The emergence and evolution of Jingjun had a great impact on the politics of the Ming Dynasty,reflecting the power operation characteristics of the supremacy of imperial power with dif⁃ferent political forces rivalling and constraining one another in the Ming Dynasty.