晚明水西承袭纷争与“分土世官”

Succession disputes of Shuixi chieftain and “Divide Territory and Investiture” in the late Ming dynasty

崇祯年间,贵州水西宣慰使安位死后无嗣,在水西安氏及周边四川镇雄府、乌撒府、乌蒙府等土司间展开了宣慰使一职的争夺。面对诸土司争袭,有的官员主张借机改土归流,但明廷采纳了总督朱燮元的的建议,实行了"分土世官"的措施,撤销水西宣慰使,并分其疆土以予诸土目和有功汉人。但此举后来遭到水西土目的联合抵制,明廷遂恢复水西宣慰使,这说明晚明水西安氏土司全面改流的条件尚未成熟。

During the period of ChongZhen, the chieftain of Shuixi died and without any offspring, therefore, there was contention for Shuixi chieftain post between the Shuixi, Zhenxiong, Wusa and Wumeng chieftains. At this time, some officials advocated power- shifting from chieftains to Han officials, but in the end, under the presid-ing of the governor Zhu Xieyuan, he took the disposal measures of ＂Divided Territory and Investiture＂and revoked the Shuixi chieftain, and divided its territory into the local chiefs and Han people. But later this practice was resis-ted by the chiefs of Shuixi, and the Ming court had to resume the Shuixi chieftain, which showed that the conditions of shifting Shuixi from chieftains to Han officials were not yet ripe in late Ming dynasty.