Record of the Northern Expedition

金幼孜Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 13K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Beizheng Lu (Record of the Northern Expeditions), in one juan, was written by Jin Youzi of the Ming dynasty. Jin Youzi, a native of Xingan, passed the provincial examination in the first year of the Jianwen era and rose to be Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall. In the eighth year of the Yongle era, when Emperor Chengzu campaigned north against Arughtai, and in the twelfth year, when he campaigned against the Oirats, Jin Youzi accompanied the emperor beyond the frontier on both occasions, and this book was written during those campaigns. It is divided into two records, former and latter, which give detailed accounts of the emperor's words and deeds, the movements and battles of the army, and the routes marched, famous mountains and scenic sites, and interesting sights and incidents encountered, respectively; it may serve as a reference for the study of the wars between the Ming and the remnants of the Mongol Yuan.

Editor's review

The Northward Expedition Record was written by Jin Youzi of the Ming dynasty and consists of one juan. Jin Youzi was a native of Xingan and a provincial graduate of the first year of Jianwen, rising to Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall. In the eighth year of Yongle, when Emperor Chengzu campaigned north against Arughtai, and in the twelfth year, when he campaigned against the Oirats, Jin Youzi accompanied the army beyond the frontier on both occasions; this book was written during the marches. It is divided into two records, before and after, detailing Emperor Chengzu's words and deeds during the two northern expeditions, the marches and fighting, as well as routes, scenic sites, and amusing observations along the way, and can serve as a reference for studying the wars between the Ming and the remnants of the Mongol Yuan.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Historians studying the Yongle Emperor's northern expeditions and Ming-Mongol warfare
Readers who enjoy records of ancient travel and descriptions of mountains, rivers, and scenery
Scholars of literature and history needing first-hand records by Ming civil officials accompanying the army
Readers interested in the march routes beyond the frontier during the Yongle period

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking only light stories and impatient with the style of historical sources
Beginners with no knowledge of Ming history
Readers expecting systematic analysis of military theory

Reading tips

First distinguish which northern expedition each of the two records corresponds to, then read them separately to avoid confusing the itineraries
Mark march routes and place names as you read to form a map of the journey beyond the frontier
Read alongside Yang Rong's Northward Expedition Record to compare the different approaches of civil officials accompanying the emperor
Compare Emperor Chengzu's words and deeds and the accounts of fighting with the relevant sections of the History of Ming for mutual verification

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
北征錄

FAQ

Which two northern expeditions do the two records respectively cover?

According to the materials, the first record covers the eighth year of Yongle, when Emperor Chengzu campaigned north against Arughtai, and the second covers the twelfth year, against the Oirats. Jin Youzi accompanied the army beyond the frontier on both occasions, and the book was written during the marches; readers should first distinguish the years and targets corresponding to the two records.

Does this book contain only military content?

Not entirely. Besides detailing Emperor Chengzu's words and deeds and the marches and fighting, the book also records march routes, scenic sites, and amusing observations, so it has value both as a historical source on war and as a travel notebook beyond the frontier, and reads with more vividness than a purely military record.

Why should this book be used in studying Ming-Mongol warfare?

The author, Jin Youzi, personally experienced the two expeditions beyond the frontier as a civil official in the retinue, and his records of Emperor Chengzu's words and deeds, the marches and fighting, and the routes and observations all come from the scene. They can provide first-hand reference for studying the wars between the Ming and the remnants of the Mongol Yuan and are convenient for mutual verification with official histories and other northern expedition documents.

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About the author

金幼孜 Author

Jin Youzi was a civil official of the early Ming dynasty. Because public information about his life is limited, its details are difficult to set out; his surviving works, however, confirm that he accompanied a northern campaign and left a record of it. Five of his works are held in this collection, including the Beizheng lu, the Beizheng houlu, and different editions of these texts. Based on firsthand experience, they describe the geography, people, and events encountered on the march, and possess both historical and literary value. His style tends toward reportage: the language is concise, with attention to on-site observation and little rhetorical embellishment. Besides the northern campaign records, his works also touch on historical reading, Eastern philosophy, and literary appreciation, suggesting a certain breadth of reading and a grounding in letters and history. Overall, Jin Youzi is known for his travel and campaign records, which offer later readers a detailed reference for the early Ming northern campaigns and preserve a valuable text for the study of literati travel writing of the period.