《明史紀事本末補遺‧遼左兵端》校讀

A Critical Reading of the “Origins of the Liaodong War” in the Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History

本文以多種史料為參考，對《明史紀事本末補遺‧遼左兵端》逐段進行校讀，並結合相關材料的記載，釐清《明史紀事本末補遺·遼左兵端》的訛誤之處，有助於我們更深入地認識《明史紀事本末補遺》的史料價值。通過文字的比對，可見該篇文字的主要來源是茅瑞徵的《東夷考略》、談遷的《國榷》、夏允彝的《幸存錄》。《明史紀事本末補遺》一書，原書未書作者，亦不詳其成書年代。但從該篇文字對清朝的態度中，可見其有所避諱又有所保留，應是在清兵入關後而又未能完全鎮壓反清活動這一特殊時期成書。《明史紀事本末補遺》與《明史紀事本末》二書頗具關聯性，成書時間也接近，這有助於我們認知《明史紀事本末補遺》的成書過程。

 

This article draws upon a variety of historical records to provide a critical reading of the “Origins of the Liaodong War” in the Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History, in paragraph-by-paragraph analysis, comparing the related records to clarify the fallacies in the account of the Liaodong War in the Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History, to help us grasp more deeply the value of Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History. Textual comparison indicates that the main sources of the work were Mao Ruizheng’s (jinshi 1601) Dongyi kaolue (Research on the eastern barbarians), Tan Qian’s (1594-1658) Guoque (Discussions of the state), and Xia Yunyi’s (1596-1645) Xingcunlu (Record of a survivor). The author and dating of the Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History are unknown, but from the author’s treatment of the Qing Dynasty, with spoken and unspoken elements, it seems clear that the work was compiled sometime after the Manchu troops passed through Shanhaiguan, but before the suppression of anti-Qing activities had been completed. The work has close links to the Major Events of Ming History, and the two books were finished in the same period, which helps us better understand the production of the Addendum to The Major Events of Ming History.