Nine Garrisons of the Ming dynasty

Map of the Ming Great Wall. The gray dots on the map indicate the locations of the military garrisons.

The Nine Garrisons, or Nine Defense Areas (Chinese: 九边; pinyin: Jiǔbiān, also known as Chinese: 九镇; pinyin: Jiǔzhèn), was a system implemented during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to protect the northern border and the Great Wall. Originally consisting of nine garrisons, the system was later expanded to eleven. Each garrison was controlled from a fortified garrison town, strategically located at important passages and reinforced militarily. The leadership of the garrisons was divided among three supreme commanders: Jiliao, Xuanda, and Shaanxi sanbian. Each garrison had a military commander, as well as a civilian administration. In total, approximately 300,000 soldiers and officers were deployed in the garrisons.[1]

  1. ^ Twitchett, Denis C; Mote, Frederick W., eds. (1998). The Cambridge History of China Volume 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 373. ISBN 0521243327.