Song Yingchang

Song Yingchang (traditional Chinese: 宋そう應おう昌あきら; simplified Chinese: 宋そう应昌; pinyin: Sòng Yìngchāng; 1536－1606) was an administrative official during the Ming dynasty, most famously known for managing the first Ming campaign of the Imjin war during 1592-1593 .

Career

Song entered public service in 1565,^[1] during his career he held posts such as the governor of Jiangzhou (絳州知ち府ふ), vice chief inspector (副ふく都と御ご史し), Overseer of Shandong province (巡じゅん撫なで山東さんとう) and the Overseer of the imperial guards (籌建營衛巡じゅん司し) .^[2]

In late August 1592, he was appointed Vice Minister of Defense, when the decision was made for the Ming forces to fully commit into Korea, he also took the position as the chief manager for this task, so his full title was "Vice premier of the department of military and chief administrator of military affairs against Japanese force" (兵部ひょうぶ右みぎ侍さむらい郎ろう經略けいりゃく備倭軍務ぐんむ)^[3]

Song made extensive preparation from September to December 1592, gathering military forces from across China and securing supplies and equipment. The expedition would eventually be led by general Li Rusong and would set out on 12/25 (lunar calendar) 1592 from Liaodong province with an army of 36,000, Song would stay behind as the Ming forces managed to retake Pyongyang in the siege of Pyongyang within 2 weeks of setting out, Kaesong a couple weeks later, and Seoul by March 1593, it was a staggering success as the Ming forces managed to retake the 3 largest cities in Korea in short periods with a much smaller army than the Japanese forces.^[4]

After retaking Seoul, the Japanese forces began to enter into negotiation with the Ming dynasty in earnest, the negotiation was headed by Konishi Yukinaga on the Japanese side and Shen Weijing (沈惟敬けい) on the Ming side. Song was ambiguous towards the negotiation though generally landed on the opposing side more often than not, this along with the various disputes he got into with his boss, the Minister of Defense (兵部ひょうぶ尚書しょうしょ) Shi Xing (石いし星ぼし) who was the chief proponent of the peace talks, and some of the controversies of the Ming military during the war (most notably some of the faction dispute of the Ming generals from different garrisons and backgrounds),^[5] made Song resign from his post and retire from public service, he spent the remainder of his life back in his home province of Hangzhou (modern day Zhejiang province, by the West Lake ( Xi Hu ).

Song compiled a good number of his letters wrote during the 1592-1593 span, into the work "The collection of the management of the restoration" (經略けいりゃく復ふく國こく要よう編へん). which is one of the best first hand source on the Imjin war from the Ming perspective. the letters involve the various logistic works, and some of the battle plans and letters to both Korean and Japanese leaders of the time. Song Yingchang was described as an imposing looking man with square face and dark-bluish beard.

References

^ 宋そう应昌，字じ桐きり冈，明あきら绍兴山やま阴人。嘉よしみ靖やすし四よん十じゅう四よん年ねん(1565)进士
^ 除じょ山西さんせい绛州知ち州しゅう，有ゆう惠めぐみ政せい，擢刑部ぶ员外郎ういろう，改あらため户科给事中ちゅう。因よし奏そう事触ことぶれ怒いか权宰张居正ただし，出で为山东济南みなみ知ち府ふ。任にん上じょう厘りん奸剔蠹，问民疾やまし苦にが，升ます按察副使ふくし兵へい备河东，因よし修おさむ筑蒲州しゅう河かわ堤つつみ见成，再さい升ます河南かなん左ひだり参政さんせい兼けん督とく漕こげ粮，条じょう陈九议，禁きん革かわ奸弊，军民称しょう便びん。擢山东巡抚
^ 万まん历十じゅう九きゅう年ねん(1591)朝ちょう鲜告急きゅう，以兵部ぶ右みぎ侍さむらい郎ろう经略备倭军务。二に十年正月与都督李如松出兵平壤
^ History of the Ming chapter 238
^ History of the Ming chaptor 320

Sources

History of Ming (明あかり史し)
The History of the county of XiaoXing, biographies . (紹興しょうこう縣けん誌し人物じんぶつ列傳れつでん)
經略けいりゃく復ふく國こく要よう編へん宋そう應おう昌あきら著ちょ

[1] 宋そう应昌，字じ桐きり冈，明あきら绍兴山やま阴人。嘉よしみ靖やすし四よん十じゅう四よん年ねん(1565)进士

[2] 除じょ山西さんせい绛州知ち州しゅう，有ゆう惠めぐみ政せい，擢刑部ぶ员外郎ういろう，改あらため户科给事中ちゅう。因よし奏そう事触ことぶれ怒いか权宰张居正ただし，出で为山东济南みなみ知ち府ふ。任にん上じょう厘りん奸剔蠹，问民疾やまし苦にが，升ます按察副使ふくし兵へい备河东，因よし修おさむ筑蒲州しゅう河かわ堤つつみ见成，再さい升ます河南かなん左ひだり参政さんせい兼けん督とく漕こげ粮，条じょう陈九议，禁きん革かわ奸弊，军民称しょう便びん。擢山东巡抚

[3] 万まん历十じゅう九きゅう年ねん(1591)朝ちょう鲜告急きゅう，以兵部ぶ右みぎ侍さむらい郎ろう经略备倭军务。二に十年正月与都督李如松出兵平壤

[4] History of the Ming chapter 238

[5] History of the Ming chaptor 320

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