Characteristics

The system involved a system of militia who were assigned tracts of land. Men between 21 and 60 years of age were eligible. Officers received permanent commissions, but regular troops reported for duty, at the province capital on a rotation system that varied upon living distance. Those who lived 500 li from the capital served one month every five months, and those over 2000li away served for two months every 18 months. When off-duty, they would farm their land, but when they were or a war occurred, they would be re-mobilized. This supplemented the equal-field system, which assigned all households a share of land to farm. These units subsequently became hereditary military families, and ushered forth vast militarized settlements and communities. Many were concentrated in the northern region, especially in Guanzhong, which alone fielded 261 militia units. Fu-ping required little government expenditure, since Militiamen could support themselves by farming.

Sui placed these units under local civil administration, and later Tang incorporated them under metropolitan control, more specifically the Ministry of the Army.

Tang fielded 634 militia units, later called Zhechongfu. Each unit consisted of 800-1200 men, and in turn were subdivided into tuan of 200, Tui of 50, and huo of ten.

Fubing units were mainly concentrated around the capital. 261 were located in Guanzhong, 164 in Shanxi, and 74 in Henan and Shandong, all constituting about 80 percent of Fubing conscripts.

The Fubing system only had provisions for brief military campaigns and peacetime. Prolonged warfare would prevent the cultivation of agriculture for the economy. Fubing was gradually abandoned in favor of full time army units, known as Chien-erh.

Notes

References

• Fubing system in Encyclopædia Britannica
• Liu, Zhaoxiang et al (2000). History of Military Legal System. Beijing: Encyclopedia of China Publishing House. ISBN 7-5000-6303-2.
• Yang, Debing. "Zhechongfu" Encyclopedia of China (Chinese History Edition), 1st ed.
• Peers, C.J. (2006). "Soldiers of the Dragon". NY: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 10:1-84603-098-6