Map Introduction

Historical Evolution of the Huainan and Jiangbiao Commanderies during the Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD)

I. Administrative Division Establishment and Scope Definition

The Huainan and Jiangbiao commanderies were crucial administrative divisions of the Sui Dynasty in the middle and lower Yangtze River region, primarily including:

• Huainan Commandery: Its seat was at Shouchun (modern Shou County, Anhui). Its jurisdiction covered the area between the Huai River and the Yangtze River, serving as a key military stronghold and economic hub for the Sui Dynasty.
• Jiangdu Commandery: Its seat was at Yangzhou (modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). After Emperor Yang constructed the Jiangdu Palace, it became the political center of the south, controlling the critical transportation junction where the Grand Canal met the Yangtze River.
• Other Core Commanderies and Counties: These included Lujiang Commandery (modern Hefei), Zhongli Commandery (modern Fengyang), Yiyang Commandery (modern Huangchuan, Henan), etc., forming a commandery-county network with Shouchun and Yangzhou as its dual cores.

Initially, under Emperor Wen, a system of prefectures (Zhou) and counties was implemented, with Shou Prefecture (the predecessor of Huainan Commandery) serving as the seat of the Huainan Branch Secretariat. In the 3rd year of the Daye era (607 AD), Emperor Yang changed the prefectures to commanderies (Jun), forming a commandery-county system in the Huainan region centered on Shouchun and Yangzhou. The Jiangbiao commanderies continued traditions from the Southern Dynasties, with core areas like Danyang (modern Nanjing) and Kuaiji (modern Shaoxing), serving as the Sui frontier for controlling the Jiangnan region.

II. Political, Economic, and Military Status

• Economic Lifeline:
  • Agriculture: The Huainan commanderies were vital national granaries. The area around Shouchun was described as "a thousand li of fertile fields," where the Sui established large granaries like the Luokou and Liyang Granaries.
  • Canal Economy: In the 1st year of Daye (605 AD), over a hundred thousand laborers from Huainan were mobilized to dredge and straighten the Hangou Canal, connecting the Tongji Canal to the Yangtze River and forming a water transport network centered on Yangzhou.
  • Handicrafts: Yangzhou's bronze mirrors and Shouchun's ceramics were renowned nationwide. Silk products from Jiangdu Commandery were exported overseas via the Maritime Silk Road.
• Strategic Military Locations:
  • Shouchun city in Huainan Commandery, "occupying the strategic points of the Huai and Fei rivers," was a forward base for defending against northern separatist forces.
  • Jiangdu Commandery controlled the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Emperor Yang's three tours to Jiangdu (Yangzhou) served both for pleasure and to intimidate the powerful families of Jiangnan.
• Political Hub:
  • Yangzhou, as the southeastern center of the Sui, housed the Jiangdu Palace Headquarters, governing the commanderies of Huainan and Jiangnan.
  • Shouchun served as the seat of the Huainan Branch Secretariat in the early Sui before being downgraded to a commandery seat, yet it retained its status as a regional administrative center.

III. Major Historical Events

During the late Sui popular uprisings, Huainan became a primary battlefield:

• In 611 AD, Zhang Qixu from Huainan led 30,000 rebels to capture areas around Shouchun.
• The rebel armies of Du Fuwei and Fu Gongshi used Huainan as their base, severing the Sui's north-south grain transport.
• The mutiny of Yuwen Huaji in Jiangdu Commandery (618 AD) directly led to the assassination of Emperor Yang.

IV. Impact of the Administrative System

• Institutional Reforms:
  • Abolished the chaotic prefecture-commandery system of the Southern Dynasties, implementing a streamlined two-tier "Commandery-County" system, with the Huainan commanderies among the first to be standardized.
  • The Jiangbiao commanderies retained some old Southern Dynasties institutions, such as Danyang Commandery remaining a concentration area for relocated populations.
• Long-Term Effects:
  • Laid the foundation for the Tang Dynasty's "Huainan Circuit" administrative division, with Yangzhou becoming the economic center of the southeast.
  • The urban layouts of Shouchun and Yangzhou persisted into the Tang and Song dynasties, with the Huainan section of the Grand Canal remaining a vital north-south artery.
  • The cultural fusion within the Jiangbiao commanderies helped pave the way for the prosperity of Jiangnan in the Tang Dynasty.

The evolution of the Huainan and Jiangbiao commanderies during the Sui Dynasty illustrates the strategic value of the Jiang-Huai region following national unification. From Shouchun's role as a military stronghold to Yangzhou's function as a canal hub, and from the initial stability to the turmoil of its final years, the historical trajectory of this area profoundly reflects the macro-process of the Sui Dynasty's rise and fall. Its innovations in administrative divisions and the construction of its economic network not only supported the Sui's national fortunes but also shaped the later geographical patterns of "transporting southern grain to the north" and the "Jiang-Huai (hub)" in Chinese history.