Wei Garrison Military Households System

Timeline

1. 1371–1372Nanjing · NanjingBetween the fourth and fifth years of Hongwu, the court promulgated military provisions of the Great Ming Code and regulations on wei-suo official posts, establishing a three-tier management system of the Five Military Commissions, regional commands, and guards and battalions, with military household registration separate from civilian households.
2. 1373–1376Datong Garrison · DatongTo defend against Northern Yuan forces, the court established multiple guards and battalions along the Datong, Xuanfu, and Liaodong line, running military and civilian colonies in parallel. Military households garrisoned with their families, forming hereditary communities that supplied the manpower base of the Ming northern Great Wall defense line.
3. 1377–1380Fengyang · FengyangAround the tenth year of Hongwu, the court implemented the Yellow Register system, entering military household populations, land, and taxes and corvée into household registers. Military sons had to inherit their fathers' posts, and fugitives were punished along with their kin, stabilizing wei-suo recruitment by the late 1370s and covering the realm's main strategic locations.