UNIT: Ming Spec Ops in New TV Series "Win or Die" | 明特务《夜不收》

A few days ago the team that brought "The Longest Day in Chang An" series released the trailer for their new action- thriller "Win or Die" or in Chinese as Ye Bu Shou. And the quality looks quite up to par with their incredible reputation. The TV series is set beyond the Ming Great Wall and revolves around the Ming 夜不收 Ye Bu Shou, or Ming Spec Ops. If you are interested in subterfuge, double identities, and 2 civilizations poised at a sword's edge: this piece might be right up your alley. 

Full link to the Trailer on IQiyi:

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE MING NIGHT SCOUTS

The Premise is not hard to describe. If you have seen any of "Game of Thrones" it's similar to Jon Snow's missions going beyond the Walls and mingle among the wildlings and live among them. But will it ends in "Dance with Wolves," or something far more contentious? That's the question. 

THE LAST MING HOLDOUT IN THE NORTH

After the disastrous Tumu Crisis: Ming's grasp of the north shrank dramatically. Mongol armies of the Northern Yuan dynasty were soon able to harass Beijing- the Ming capital (and Yuan's old capital) with seasonal raids and the Ming court feared for another such calamity. As such the crisis spurred on the aggressive building of the Ming Great Walls. Wall building efforts rapidly snaked across the central back of the empire over the northern spine of the empire then expanded into the west and east- until nearly all of the north was obsessively compulsively sealed. 

Soon a vast series of deep entrenchment of forts and stations were added behind key hinges of the Ming Great Wall called the Nine Garrisons. However one area that this ambitious expansion left out was the Liaodong stretch beyond the Great Walls to the east, which did not receive as extensive of a fortification as the rest of the north. Instead, a humbler version of the wall was constructed around the territory. This does not mean that Liaodong was not seen as strategically important~ but rather, in comparison with the rest of the north, Liaodong as a whole became a heavily militarized front. 

A Frontier Entrenched. Liaodong was a site of constant heavy fighting and would see struggles with the Manchus until the collapse of the Ming dynasty. Late Ming saw several innovative commanders who were aggressive adopters of firearms at the Liaodong front including Mao Wenlong (his loyalist generals- turned rebels) and Yuan Chonghuan.

The key city of Shenyang was designated a "guard town" (militarized settlement) named Shenyang Central Guard (沈阳中卫; Shěnyáng Zhōngwèi) and it became one of the most important Chinese military strongholds beyond the Shanhai Pass. Another was Liaoyang, a vital fortress in the area. Many fortresses guarded the forks and tributaries of key rivers in the area. 

Precariously jutting out while surrounded by contending Mongol powers and unpredictable (later revealed to be mutinous) Jurchen (Manchu) vassals. Liaodong was beset on all sides and remained the lone Ming foothold in the north. As such it was a heavily militarized frontier. Against such lopsided odds, Ming was forced to employ both conventional military forces~ and special intelligence to forewarn them of threatening developments.

THE YE BU SHOU 夜不收

They played an important role in monitoring enemy developments, transmitting intelligence, scorched earth, and ensuring border security.

The word Ye Bu Shou was a slang from Sichuan which was literally translated as "Not Return at Night," or less formally translated as "Unaccounted at Night," usually a slang that describes nocturnal men who does not go home in the middle of the night and wanders outside. In the context of the Ming north the word came to describe a well trained deep infiltrator who would infiltrate far beyond the garrison into the hostile lands. The name is apt also because of their activities outside all night. They were stationed in military towns on the western and northern borders, they were also distributed in other areas.

In most cases Ye Bu Shou would be highly trained in martial combat to handle themselves but also fluent in Mongolian or Jurchen languages to seamlessly blend in. Additionally they would be well versed in steppe lifestyle and politics and embed themselves deeply into their attached tribes. They were not distinguished by any special clothing nor armament and externally appear and act as their steppe counterparts. Such an ethos was eloquently summarized in the trailer as "you can only wear the uniform once you die." Context: even before the Mongols conquered much of the known world centuries past they extensively made use of deep networks of spies. It was a daunting task going beyond the walls with such heavy missions. May the best spy wins and may this series be a thing of beauty!

Shanhai Pass, the illustration above corresponds to the end of the 16th century, when the Ming built expensive fortifications in this area. Shanhai Pass (shanhaiguan), also known as the "First Step under Heaven" served as the inner gate of northeastern China. Liaodong Garrison would serve as an outlying military province outside the Great Wall.

FOR MORE ON THE CONVENTIONAL DEFENDERS OF LIAODONG GARRISON

CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE ON MING GARRISON GUNNER HERE.

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