Jinyiwei, a famous secret service agency in the Ming Dynasty, was formerly the "Gongwei Division" established by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and was later renamed the "Qinjun Duwei Mansion". It governed the Yiluan Division and was in charge of the emperor's guard of honor and bodyguards. In the fifteenth year of Hongwu (1382), the pro-military Duweifu and Yiluan Division were abolished and replaced by Jinyiwei. As the military body of the emperor's bodyguard, in order to strengthen the centralized rule, Zhu Yuanzhang specially ordered it to take charge of the criminal prisons, gave it the power of inspection and arrest, and established the Town and Fu Department under it to engage in reconnaissance, arrest, interrogation and other activities.
The Jinyiwei is first of all the emperor's personal bodyguard and honor guard, composed of generals, captains and warriors. The general was originally named "Tianwu", but in Yongle he was renamed "General of the Han Dynasty". Those with majestic appearance and courage were selected to serve as palace guards. The school captain and the strongman select the electorate
The armor of the royal guard
The school captain is in charge of the book and umbrella cover, and the strongman holds the golden drum, banner.
When there are no court activities on weekdays, each guard army is on duty at the four gates of the imperial city. Only General Jinyiwei guards outside the Meridian Gate day and night, with a total of 100 people. The Meridian Gate is the main entrance of the palace city, which shows the high status of Jin Yiwei.
When the emperor was listening to the government at the Royal Gate of Fengtian Gate (today’s Taihe Gate of the Forbidden City), a member of the Jinyi Guards Hall stood on the west side of the throne and was responsible for delivering orders. One hundred and twenty-nine Jin Yiwei generals, two from Qianhu, and four from Baihu, respectively guarded the gates of Danbi, Yudao, Jinshui Bridge, and Fengtianmen Square. In addition, there are 500 guards in brocade robes, arrayed inside and outside the Meridian Gate, responsible for blowing whips and holding guard of honor.
At the three major court gatherings of Zhengdan, Winter Solstice, and Wanshou Festival every year, Jinyiwei and other pro-army soldiers assume the responsibilities of bodyguards and honor guards. There are more than 4,000 people in the honor guard team, including as many as 1,500 Jinyi guards. During the court meeting, the closest thing to the emperor was the royal guards, who were always on hand and ready to be dispatched.
Whenever the emperor leaves the palace for sacrifices or parades, the royal guards must also be in front of him. Some of them
The Jin Yiwei in "The Picture of Outgoing Police and Entering Zhi"
are responsible for patrolling along the way, some are responsible for delivering news between Luangzhi and the capital, and some are waiting beside the driver. Riding, telling the story of the rise and fall of the royal chariot.
The Jin Yiwei in "Out of the Police and Entering the Land" (under the umbrella is the Wanli Emperor, the one in red is the Jin Yiwei Xiaowei, and the one in armor and carrying a sword is the Jin Yiwei Han general)
Because It has the function of a guard of honor, so the costumes of the Jinyiwei are extremely gorgeous. The official uniform worn by the captain followed the style of the Yuan Dynasty dress. "Chang'an Hakka" called it "goose hat brocade clothing", which is a hat decorated with goose feathers and brightly colored clothes. Whenever the emperor performs sacrifices or parades, the imperial guards, who serve as attendants, must wear flying fish uniforms and carry embroidered spring knives on their waists. The flying fish suit is the most ceremonious dress after the python robe, and can only be worn by officials who have reached a certain level. Xiuchun Dao is light and short, and cannot be worn without permission unless given by the emperor. During the Jingtai period, the commanders of the Jinyi Guards and the bodyguards on duty were allowed to wear Qilin uniforms. This was a dress that only dukes, marquises, uncles, and consorts were eligible to wear. When on duty, the Han generals of Jinyiwei must wear a helmet decorated with a small flag and a double-breasted hood. The armor comes in various colors such as gold helmet, gold armor, red helmet and red armor, and red helmet and green armor. There is also a palace-banned gold medal and a sword hung around the waist, and a gold melon or ax is also held in hand. In the "Police Exit and Enter" now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, you can clearly see the imperial guardsmen accompanying them.
Detective Imperial Staff
"Inspection and arrest" is what distinguishes the Jinyi Guards from other imperial guards of other dynasties. The Jinyi Guards are responsible for investigating crimes
The Jinyi Guards Crown Fu Zhi Yuan Ling Jia
The security agencies are the South and North Town Fusi. Among them, the North Town Fusi was added in the fifteenth year of Hongwu to handle cases designated by the emperor. In the first year of Chenghua, the seal of Fusi in Beizhen was cast, and Bai Benwei was not required to be imprisoned in all prisons. Beizhen Fusi has its own imperial prison, and can arrest, torture, and execute on its own without going through the general judicial institutions. There are five guard posts under the Fusi of South and North Towns. Their commanders are called Qianhu, Baihu, Zongqi, Xiaoqi, and ordinary sergeants are called Xiaowei and Lishi.
The imperial staff was used to drag ministers who offended the emperor out of the Meridian Gate and beat them with a staff. The person responsible for the execution was the Jinyi Wei Xiaowei, and the person overseeing the execution was the eunuch Si Li. The official who received the stick was stripped of his official uniform, tied with a straw rope, lying on the ground, and received 80 sticks. The execution school captain changed every 5 sticks, and 16 people were used for the execution. The execution officer used the facial expressions and movements of the eunuch as the basis for the severity of the stick: if the eunuch's legs were spread out, the person who was being tortured could still survive; if the eunuch's toes were close together, the person who was being tortured would die. Under the staff. In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor used the imperial staff more than 500 times, and more than 50 ministers were killed with the staff.
As the emperor's personal bodyguards, in order to ensure the emperor's safety, the Imperial Guards must take precautions before they occur. They were therefore dispatched from time to time to spy on behaviors and remarks that might threaten the imperial power and endanger the court, and to arrest and interrogate suspects. Their mission was chartered by the emperor and gradually evolved into the function of military agents.
During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict because Jinyiwei illegally insulted and abused prisoners
Left Jinyiwei’s school captain’s gold medal; right. Jinyiwei’s commander’s waistband
Burning the Jinyiwei torture instruments abolished this function of theirs. After Zhu Di, the founder of Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne, all the powers of Jinyiwei were restored and strengthened. He established the Beizhen Fusi, which was responsible for "prisons" and could directly arrest and torture prisoners. Judicial organs such as the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate had no right to intervene.
During the Chenghua period of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, the seal of Beizhen Fusi was cast. All prisons and prisons were presented exclusively to the emperor and did not need to be conveyed through command envoys. This made Jinyiwei Beizhen Fusi a judicial institution directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor, with its power reaching its extreme. The Jinyiwei officer school responsible for reconnaissance and arrests is called "Tiqi". Due to the lack of restrictions on their power, they fabricated accusations in order to seek credit and reward, and used all means to expand the scope of their involvement, creating countless unjust, false and wrong cases.
The commander is one person, the third grade;
The actual picture of the Jinyiwei Feiyu suit
The commander is two people, the third grade;
The commander There are two ministers, the fourth rank;
Two governors and envoys, the fourth rank;
Fourteen people from one thousand households in the fourteen houses, the fifth rank;
< p>If you are a deputy to a thousand households, start from the fifth rank;If you are a hundred households, start from the sixth rank;
If you try a hundred households, start from the sixth rank;
Brilliant clothes, embroidered spring knives< /p>
The main flag is the seventh rank;
The small flag is the seventh rank.
The subordinates include generals, lieutenants, and powerful men. They also have foreign ministers, school orders, and translators who are proficient in many languages ????(such as Zhang Miaozheng of Xianzong Dynasty).