The Rise and Fall of Fubing System in Tang Dynasty

The Fubing military system stands as one of ancient China’s most significant military institutions. Established during the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, it represented a unique approach where soldiers engaged in farming during peacetime and military service when needed. However, its attempted revival after the An Lushan Rebellion in Tang Dynasty raises intriguing questions about military institutional evolution.

The system’s initial success rested on three key pillars. First, it drew from an exceptional pool of warriors - hereditary military families from the Central Plains region who had honed their martial skills through generations of conflict. These families, like the Li clan, maintained high levels of military prowess, with even their women known for exceptional horsemanship and archery skills.

Second, the early Fubing system benefited from a relatively stable land distribution system (equal-field system) that provided economic support for soldier-farmers. Soldiers received land allocations and tax exemptions in exchange for military service, creating a sustainable model of part-time soldiery.

Third, the system initially offered significant political privileges. Fubing soldiers could earn official positions through military merit and held special social status. This combination of economic benefits and social mobility attracted and retained quality recruits.

However, by the mid-Tang period, these foundational elements had eroded. The equal-field system collapsed due to land concentration among wealthy families. The hereditary military families that formed the backbone of the early Fubing system had either entered civil service or lost their martial traditions during the long peace of the prosperous Tang era.

The system’s decline manifested in several ways. Fubing units struggled to maintain their numbers as peasants fled their obligations. Military effectiveness deteriorated as training standards dropped. Perhaps most tellingly, Fubing soldiers - once proud warriors - became objects of derision in the capital, forced to perform manual labor between military duties.

The post-An Lushan attempt to revive the Fubing system failed because it could not recreate the unique historical conditions that made it successful initially. The proud warrior families of the Northern Zhou period could not be conjured from thin air. The equal-field system that provided economic foundation had disintegrated. The political privileges that made Fubing service attractive had lost their luster.

Ultimately, Tang rulers pivoted to a mercenary army system (mubing) that better suited their changed circumstances. This transition marked not just a military reform but acknowledged fundamental changes in Chinese society - the end of the hereditary warrior tradition and the rise of professional standing armies.

The story of the Fubing system’s rise and fall demonstrates how military institutions are deeply embedded in their social and economic contexts. No amount of administrative decree could revive a system that had lost its foundational elements, regardless of its past glories.