Generals and Scholars: Military Rule in Medieval Korea

4 Civil Structure and Personnel: Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn and Ch’oe U

70 In the early Koryŏ period, prestige and authority rested with men who held civil positions in the dynastic structure. Even though Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn placed considerable emphasis on constructing a solid military base, he also nurtured and won the support of the civilian elite. In effect, the Ch’oe House ruled the kingdom by drawing upon civilian administrative talent as well as military force. Parallel to its use of existing military institutions, the Ch’oe leadership at first depended on the dynastic bureaucracy but gradually constructed its own private agencies. In the end, the Ch’oe House superimposed its own units, both military and civil, on the formal dynastic structure to act as a brain trust at the nucleus of the entire Ch’oe system. This chapter analyzes the operation of the Ch’oe House’s manipulation of both the civil dynastic structure and its new administrative institutions . We begin by examining the men who assisted the Ch’oe House and enabled it to govern. The composition of the ruling structure reveals new trends distinct from those established during Myŏngjong ’s reign. Although the Ch’oe House recruited men who had bureaucratic ability, it also sought to secure its position in society by employing men with prestigious social backgrounds. The Ch’oe House did not encourage men of humble social origins to participate in this new ruling structure. Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn, as he commenced his consolidation of power, depended heavily on the established dynastic order. Rather than 4 Civil Structure and Personnel Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn and Ch’oe U Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn and Ch’oe U 71 erect a completely new administrative body, he used traditional channels to govern. During the preceding tenth and eleventh centuries the dynastic structure had evolved to meet the challenges of the Koryŏ kingdom. It would have been foolish to eliminate these units, for through them Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn began to inaugurate the changes and reforms that he envisioned. Furthermore, if he had tried to eliminate the established centers of control in the early years of his rule, he would have encountered the united objections of the civilian officials. Dynastic Administration The civilian officials, trained in Confucian ideology, believed that the preservation of the dynastic structure was tied to legitimacy. These men had been instrumental in the establishment of military rule and the administration of the kingdom during Myŏngjong’s reign and thus looked to Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn to remedy the abuses perpetrated under Yi Ŭimin. Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn spent considerable time and effort placating this group and winning it to his cause. Alienating them unnecessarily at this stage would only have hindered his long-range goals. Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn was essentially a conservative man who depended on compromise as a means to co-opt opposition and gain followers. He demonstrated his support for the civilian leadership by using the traditional dynastic structure. Furthermore, he realized that his own position was still insecure. By linking his cause to that of the dynasty, he would be able to use Confucian ideological foundations to bolster Ch’oe authority. The dynastic system of offices and ranks also provided a force of legitimacy, much like the monarch, which the Ch’oe House could use to sustain its policies when handling domestic and international problems. Moreover, it played an integral role in meeting Ch’oe fiscal needs. Ch’unghŏn would pay for his own troops and administrators from dynastic funds simply by assigning dynastic titles to men in his power structure. With a formal office and rank, the Ch’oe official was eligible to receive revenue from a prebendal allotment under the land stipend law (chŏnsikwa). Rather than depleting his own wealth to support his bureaucracy, Ch’oe could simply depend on the present system of allotments and stipends to meet many of his financial obligations. Although it was in Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn’s interest 72 Generals and Scholars to maintain the integrity of traditional land relations and the land stipend law to support his officials, he aggressively pursued strategies to build up his private wealth. Civil Officials Each of the Ch’oe leaders—Ch’unghŏn, U, and Hang—cultivated close ties with civilian elites and the civil structure. (Ch’oe U...