WEI-SO

Pinyin Weisuo (Chinese: "guard post"), any of the military garrison units utilized by China's Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to maintain peace throughout its empire. Originally developed by the preceding Yan, or Mongol, dynasty (1206-1368), the system consisted of a guard unit of 5,600 men known as a wei. Each wei was divided into five so of 1,120 men each. The head of each wei reported directly to the Ministry of War rather than to the local civil administration. Altogether there were almost 500 such units, and they were scattered along the frontiers and at strategic spots throughout the country. In Inner Asia an unsuccessful attempt was made to divide the Mongol tribes into wei-so units that would be loyal to the Ming rather than to their tribal confederation. Even in China itself, the system fell into disarray by the mid-16th century. The soldiers' positions were hereditary, and many were given land so as to make the army self-supporting. The troops became uninterested in warfare, and the army disintegrated.