被遺忘的「東征奇將」──麻貴與萬曆援朝戰爭諸問題發覆

The Forgotten Hero: Reassessing the Military Contributions of Ma Gui in the Imjin War

麻貴作為萬曆援朝戰爭中的最高指揮之一，包含《明史》在內的眾多史籍對其援朝功勳整體卻持否定態度。但若參稽中、朝、日三國史料摒偽存真，卻能發現事實並非如此：其規劃並參與了包含稷山之戰、兩次蔚山之戰在內的一系列戰役，為戰爭勝利立下汗馬功勞。因其為保全「屬國」、維護東亞秩序和平做出的貢獻，後世朝鮮心懷感念並對其「東遷後裔」進行了優待，然而這種感懷後來卻因各種複雜因素而逐漸消亡，麻貴東征抗日援朝的本末也被漸趨遺忘。這不僅與近代朝鮮民族主義勃興後對明軍選擇性忽視有關，而且複雜的原始史料也給還原其史實帶來無所適從的困難，不同立場者受自身因素影響，選擇建構不同的話語敘述也是其中的深層原因。

Ma Gui 麻貴 (1538-1616) was one of the highest-ranking generals of the Ming dynasty involved in the Japanese invasions of Korea of 1592-1598 (the Imjin War), and concerning his contributions as a whole, numerous historical works, including the History of Ming 明史, hold a negative attitude. But by a comprehensive investigation into the related historical materials of China, Korea, and Japan, we can see through the erroneous facts and discover that these accounts are far from the truth: Ma Gui, for example, participated in the planning and directing of a series of campaigns, including the Battle of Jiksan and the two sieges of Ulsan, thereby greatly contributing to victory in the war. Because of his efforts in the defense of Korea and the return of largely peaceful relations in East Asia, the Joseon dynasty gave preferential treatment to his so-called descendants who had “moved East” out of gratitude. However, this feeling of appreciation gradually died out due to various complicated factors, and the contexts and contributions of Ma Gui’s military participation as well as aid to the Korean government were also forgotten over time. More specifically, one of the primary reasons is that the rise of nationalism in the Korean Peninsula during the modern era led to the deliberate discounting of Ming forces. Moreover, the present article explores how the complexities of the original historical materials present several difficulties in the reconstruction of historical facts, exemplified by how historical actors from different perspectives and personal factors chose to construct dissimilar discursive narratives.