明代馴象衛建置辨析

An Analysis of the Establishment of the Elephant Training Garrison during the Ming Dynasty

洪武(十)(九)年，馴象衛在廣西左江流域的思明府設立，是中央政府幹預 地方人象衝突的具體措施。(十)萬大山的象害是促使馴象衛設立的直接 動因，而非旨在防禦安南、壓制左江(土)司。元明之際左江流域的秩序 動蕩，導致了(十)萬大山森林面積的縮小以及僮人屯戍移民的湧入，是 人象衝突逐漸激化的重要因素。從馴象衛職能來看，其(労)役性質(十)分 顯著，馴象衛軍士群體的來源反映了明太祖模仿先王「徙天下奸猾吏 民於邊」的政治觀念，亦是其「律外用刑」的具體實踐，與「免死發 廣西拏象」這一酷刑存在密切關聯。馴象衛於洪武二(十)一年遷治於橫 州，是兼顧廣西政治地理、(自)然地理、防務重心等多種因素影響下的 調整。馴象衛在遷治橫州後，便擺脫了捕象的職能。在此期間，馴象 衛的鎮戍職能相對其他衛所而言仍然較弱，主要是從事於屯種。隨後， 受永宣之際征討安南戰役的影響，原廣西都司衛所的精銳軍士大多陷 沒於安南之役，馴象衛軍士才開始承擔鎮戍任務。馴象衛的設立、遷 移、職能轉變，反映了明朝早期廣西邊疆地區政治空間、生態環境、 鎮戍形式的變遷過程。

 

In the nineteenth year of the Hongwu reign, the Elephant Training Garrison wasestablishedinSimingFu(思明府) intheZuojiang(左江) RiverBasin of Guangxi. This measure was specifically intended to enable the central government to intervene in local conflicts between humans and elephants. Damage caused by elephants in the Shiwan Dashan Mountains(十萬大山)was the direct reason for the establishment of the Elephant Training Garrison, rather than a defence of Annam or the suppression of the Zuojiang River chieftains. Disorder in the Zuojiang River Basin during the Yuan and Ming dynasties led to a reduction of the forest area of the Shiwan Dashan Mountains and an influx of Zhuang(僮) garrison immigrants, which was an important factor in the gradual intensification of human-elephant conflict. Judging by the duties the elephant training guards performed, their primary function is quite obvious. The origin of the Elephant Training Garrison’s soldiers reflects Ming Taizu’s political ideal of imitating past monarchs by forcibly relocating corrupt officials and troublesome civilians to border areas. This practice was an "extra-legal punishment," which was closely related to the torture of "exempting the death penalty and sending them to Guangxi to capture wild elephants." In the twenty-first year of the Hongwu reign, the Elephant Training Garrison was relocated to Hengzhou. This adjustment took into account various factors such as Guangxi’s political geography, natural geography, and strategic importance. After relocating to Hengzhou, the Elephant Training Garrison lost its elephant catching function. During this period, the Elephant Training Garrison’s role as an actual garrison was still relatively unimportant compared to other garrison stations; it was still mainly engaged in farming. However, the Elephant Training Garrison eventually took on a defensive role after the conquest of Annam during the Yongle and Xuande periods, when most of the elite soldiers stationed in Guangxi were captured. The establishment, relocation, and functional transformation of the Elephant Training Garrison reflects changes in the political space, ecological environment, and military situation in the early Ming Dynasty’s Guangxi border areas.