Water Margin [Recruitment and Pacification]
Recruitment and pacification, also known as "zhao'an," refers to the act of persuading or enticing armed groups to surrender and submit. It is a method used by legitimate governments to assimilate illegal local or underground organizations.
Table of Contents
Basic Definition
Historical Development
Representative Examples
Recruitment and Pacification in Water Margin
Zheng Zhilong's Recruitment and Pacification by the Ming Dynasty
Boxer Rebellion Recruitment and Pacification
Related Comments
Practical Significance
Basic Definition
Pronunciation: zhāo'ān
Recruitment and Pacification: The ruler persuades armed opponents to surrender.
According to Song Jiang's order, I am holding two letters to recruit Liu Tang and Shi Jin. —— Li Zhiyuan's "Return to Prison"
The most famous recruitment and pacification in history was that of Mount Liang Marsh.
Dictionary Explanation
(1). To pacify. From *Zizhi Tongjian*: "Therefore, when the great army first arrived, the people did not enter the city but fled into the mountains to wait for recruitment and pacification. Now the army has been here for months, and no order for recruitment and pacification has been heard. Soldiers have instead plundered the people, acting no differently than bandits."
(2). To persuade them to submit. Yuan dynasty's Li Zhiyuan in "Return to Prison": "Now there are two people in Dongping Prefecture, namely Liu Tang and Shi Jin. These two both possess excellent skills. They intend to go to Liangshan Marsh, but unfortunately, no one has been sent to recruit them yet." From *Water Margin*, Chapter 64: "Song Jiang was greatly pleased. On that day, he set up a banquet to celebrate, while sending people to recruit the fleeing defeated troops, gaining another five to seven thousand horses and men."
(3). To persuade rebels to surrender and submit. Song anonymous in *Ke Shu*: "Thus the saying goes: If you want to be rich, sell wine and vinegar near the capital. If you want an official position, commit murder and arson and accept recruitment and pacification." Yuan dynasty's Shang Zhongxian in "Single Lance Battle": "General Tang recruited Jingde multiple times, but this person refused to surrender to Tang." From *Nian Army Ballads*: "He was offered high rank but refused to sit, preferring death over accepting recruitment and pacification." Yao Xueyin in *Eternal Night*, Chapter 15: "It is said that Li Shuimo went into rebellion at sixteen and accepted recruitment and pacification at twenty-five, becoming a regiment commander."
(4). Metaphorically, to entice or win over. Yuan dynasty's Wang Shifu in *Romance of the Western Chamber*: "That little girl, it seems she has already accepted recruitment and pacification!"
Historical Development
In a narrow sense, recruitment and pacification refer to the actions taken by a nation's legitimate government to assimilate illegal local or underground civilian organizations. Typically, it involves offering conditions under which these groups can become legal entities again. In modern society, this concept has many extended meanings.
Sometimes recruitment and pacification is merely a strategy to escape destruction, as with Huang Chao who repeatedly requested recruitment and pacification. During the late Ming dynasty, almost all roving bandits had accepted recruitment and pacification. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen (1638), Zhang Xianzhong accepted recruitment and pacification in Gu Cheng (modern-day Gu Cheng County, Hubei Province), being granted the title of deputy general and bowing to Inspector Lin Mingqiu.
Whether or not to accept recruitment and pacification ultimately boils down to whether one becomes king or remains a defeated bandit. The legitimate government and the illegal rebel groups will eventually see who triumphs in the end.
From *Zizhi Tongjian*, Year Jingfu 1 of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang: "Therefore, when the great army first arrived, the people did not enter the city but fled into the mountains to wait for recruitment and pacification. Now the army has been here for months, and no order for recruitment and pacification has been heard. Soldiers have instead plundered the people, acting no differently than bandits."
Examples
Yuan dynasty's Li Zhiyuan in "Return to Prison": "Now there are two people in Dongping Prefecture, namely Liu Tang and Shi Jin. These two both possess excellent skills. They intend to go to Liangshan Marsh, but unfortunately, no one has been sent to recruit them yet." From *Water Margin*, Chapter 64: "Song Jiang was greatly pleased. On that day, he set up a banquet to celebrate, while sending people to recruit the fleeing defeated troops, gaining another five to seven thousand horses and men."
Analysis
Recruitment and pacification is an action taken by a nation's legitimate government to assimilate illegal local or underground civilian organizations. Typically, it involves offering conditions under which these groups can become legal entities again. For example, in *Water Margin*, the Song court recruited the heroes of Liangshan. Zheng Zhilong, father of the Ming dynasty general Zheng Chenggong, was originally a pirate in Fujian province, known as the "Sea Devil." Later, he was recruited and appointed as Fujian's vice admiral. During the Qing dynasty, Yu Xian recruited the Boxers, instructing them to attack foreign embassies in Beijing, eventually leading to the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion. On November 9, 1902, Zhang Zuolin and his 200 followers were recruited and reorganized into the Xinmin Prefecture cavalry battalion.
Lu Xun on *Water Margin*: "A single *Water Margin* makes it very clear: because they did not oppose the emperor, once the imperial army arrived, they immediately accepted recruitment and pacification, fighting for the state against other bandits – those who did not follow the righteous path. In the end, they became slaves."
Representative Example: Recruitment and Pacification in *Water Margin*
While *Water Margin* celebrates the spirit of peasant rebellion, it also portrays the tragedy of recruitment and pacification. Many believe it was a wrong decision. Recruitment and pacification led to the deaths, injuries, and departures of the Liangshan heroes, leaving only a few remaining. Without recruitment and pacification, the Liangshan heroes would have undoubtedly spent their lives on Liangshan. Becoming emperors after capturing the capital was unlikely. Had there been no recruitment and pacification, although Song Jiang and others might not have suffered such catastrophic losses, they would have been remembered as bandits rather than heroes.
Drawbacks of Recruitment and Pacification
Betrayal by corrupt officials, fruitless campaigns against the Liao, and heavy losses in the campaign against Fang La – all were consequences of recruitment and pacification. Readers often detest recruitment and pacification, believing that without it, these tragedies could have been avoided. But if Liangshan had refused recruitment and pacification, they would have had to fight the Song dynasty to the bitter end. The Song court could not have ignored their rebellion, and would have sent troops to suppress them. The result of refusing recruitment and pacification would either be Liangshan overthrowing the Song or the Song destroying Liangshan.
Tragic Outcome
The recruitment and pacification of *Water Margin* resulted in a tragic ending, giving this brilliant work of realism a touch of romanticism. This outcome was determined by various factors: Confucian ethics, Song Jiang's personal characteristics, the author's consciousness, and historical limitations. All these reasons intertwined, resulting in the recruitment and pacification and the tragic ending of *Water Margin*.
Zheng Zhilong's Recruitment and Pacification by the Ming Dynasty
Zheng Zhilong, father of the Ming dynasty general Zheng Chenggong, was originally a pirate in Fujian province, known as the "Sea Devil." He was later recruited and appointed as Fujian's vice admiral.
Boxer Rebellion Recruitment and Pacification
During the Qing dynasty, Yu Xian recruited the Boxers, inciting them to attack foreign embassies in Beijing, eventually leading to the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion. On November 9, 1902, Zhang Zuolin and his 200 followers were recruited and reorganized into the Xinmin Prefecture cavalry battalion.
Relevant Comment
Lu Xun on *Water Margin*: "A single *Water Margin* makes it very clear: because they did not oppose the emperor, once the imperial army arrived, they immediately accepted recruitment and pacification, fighting for the state against other bandits – those who did not follow the righteous path. In the end, they became slaves."
Practical Implications
The objectives of recruitment and pacification vary. For instance, Mount Liang Marsh was an effective way to quickly eliminate competitors within a short period. Although this cannot be entirely emulated by modern corporate managers, it represents the most basic level of recruitment and pacification. Some companies aim for good stock market performance, so the motivation for recruitment and pacification largely determines the outcome. Many enterprises prefer to strengthen their competitiveness through recruitment and pacification, similar to HP acquiring Compaq.
Extended Reading:
1. http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/2511561.html
Open Classification: Politics, Water Margin, Vocabulary
Explanation of "Recruitment and Pacification" in Chinese-English Dictionaries (Source: Baidu Dictionary):
1. to offer amnesty and enlistment to rebels