明洪武至成化朝两京太仆寺官马数量蠡测

A Quantity Estimation of Official Horses During Hongwu to Chenghua Reign in Ming Dynasty

明洪武至成化朝的120年间,两京太仆寺马政经历了从初创、中挫,到重建后飞速发展,达到鼎盛,进而转向衰落的过程。洪武朝初创官马孳牧体系,马政机构几经变化,种马及孳驹数亦不稳定,但总体呈增长之势。种马从0.18万匹陆续增至4.45万余匹,后额定3.4万余匹;年度孳驹数由0.1万余匹增至2.1万余匹,种马定额后保持在1万匹左右。建文朝马政因战乱而中挫。朱棣即位后重振马政,尤锐意发展北方马政以拱卫北京,永乐朝22年间两京太仆寺孳生马驹约106万匹,年均约4.82万匹。宣德朝10年间,年均孳生马驹6.23万余匹,超过永乐朝。明英宗进一步将马政推向顶峰,正统朝14年间年均孳生马驹6.57万匹,最高达8.8万余匹,均超宣德朝。正统末年的“土木之变”是明代马政盛极而衰的转折点,此后景泰、天顺、成化三朝的年均孳生数分别递减为3.87万、3.14万和2.66万匹,明代马政日益衰落。

During the 120 years from Hongwu to Chenghua reign in Ming Dynasty,the official horse breeding administration of Court of the Imperial Stud experienced a process from the starting up,to the rapid development after a short interruption,to the peak,and then to the decline.The Hongwu Emperor established a set of large-scale and complete official horse breeding system after a hard exploration.The horse administration changed several times and the quantity of stallions,broodmares and foals also fluctuated greatly in Hongwu Reign.The quantity of stallions,broodmares owned by Court of the Imperial Stud increased from 1800 to more than 44500,then decreased to 34000 and remained at this level.The quantity of yearly foals increased from about 1000 to 21000,then dropped to about 10000 and remained at this level.During the four years of Jianwen Reign,nearly all the official horses were swallowed by the civil war between the emperor and his uncle Zhu Di.After seized the throne and became the Yongle Emperor,Zhu Di reinvigorated the horse breeding policy and especially pay attention to develop the horse breeding in the north because of Beijing need to be the new Capital.The horse breeding of Court of the Imperial Stud in north and south Capital developed rapidly,and about 1.06 million foals were bred in 22 years of Yongle Reign,with an annual average of 48200 foals.During the decade of Xuande Reign,an average of 62300 foals were bred every year,far exceeding that of the Yongle Period.Then the Zhengtong Emperor created the peak of horse breeding of Ming Dynasty in his 14-years rule,with an average of 65700 foals breeding per year,and the highest of which was more than 88000.Both of average and highest value were higher than those of the Xuande Reign.The “Tumupu Crisis” in 1449,the last year of Zhengtong Reign,was the turning point of the decline of the official horse breeding in the Ming Dynasty.After that,during the three successively coming reigns of Jingtai,Tianshun and Chenghua,the average annual number of breeding foals dropped from 38700 to 31400 and then 26600 respectively,indicating that the official horse breeding administration continued to decline.