明代的晉南地區,作為一個透過黃河以及太行山山間孔道與陝西、河南相連接,水陸交通皆方便的三省交界帶,加上該地所蘊含的山林礦藏資源所發展出的經濟活動,使得該地人民若處在無法依靠農耕取得溫飽,或遭受賦役壓迫、或為天災所逼的情形下,便有可能鋌而走險。或闖入山林中,違禁開墾,例如潞安府的青羊山居民、翼城縣的兜垜山居民;或設法透過隱蔽的山間孔道,埋伏商旅、搶劫錢財,例如在澤州高平、沁水縣之交的空倉嶺盜賊;或思考如何利用晉南的鹽鐵之利,從事走私交易,例如河東的私煎鹽徒或私鹽鹽商;又或者是透過黃河航運之利,與他省的外來商販合作,創造經濟收益,例如出沒於平陽府吉州、鄉寧等鄰近黃河之縣境的陝西「回賊」。然而,這些活動本身,卻往往因為嚴厲的法規規範,或官員求功心切,導致那些可能脫離戶籍、違禁開墾、或突破官府的專賣制度私下交易者,因為偶發的人命殺傷事件,遭到政府定義為需要以武力鎮壓清剿的「賊」;就算輕微一點,也是需要盡力查緝防堵的「鹽徒」或「礦徒」。 而當地方官員在對這些他們眼中的秩序失控事件進行回應時,較為顯著的方式有二,防禦性質的,如築城固守,或加強城防,以圖嚇阻盜賊進犯。進攻性質的,則如同萬曆晚期面對陝西回賊的許維新一般,嘗試重新組建出新的武力,用以專門對付未知的治安威脅,更進一步試圖找出其源頭,針對其弱點下手阻絕。例如許維新透過黃河禁航的方式,希望能斷絕回賊對晉南的侵擾,又或至少能防止其在上岸後逃遁回陝。然而一些過於強硬的回應方式,卻有可能會遭到地方上的民意反彈,地方官員此時又必須思考,如何在兼顧民生經濟下,同時達成心中所欲達成的恢復秩序目標。
In Ming Dynasty, due to its mountain path ways in the Taihang Mountains and the wharf along side the Yellow River, the southern Shanxi became some kind of crossover region between Shaanxi and Henan. Plus the timber and mining resources lied in the mountains, made southern Shanxi’s economic prospered. Also, it provided the opportunity for those people suffered from famine, pressure of taxes and labors, or the natural disaster to looking for taking the risk. They would risking for exploiting the lands in the mountains, regardless the restriction of the law. They would risking for ambushing and robbing the merchants alongside the hidden mountain roads. They would risking for smuggling and boiling the salt in secret. Or they would try to use the shipping benefit of the Yellow River, and cooperate with the vendors from other provinces. However, these activities often been seemed as the act of outlaws, or even more seriously, act of bandits by the government. Sometimes it was because of the strict laws, and sometimes it was because the rare-happening murdered cases, but sometimes it was because the local officials were eager to achieve the merit for themselves. Combined with the factors above, southern Shanxi in Ming Dynasty were often reported and noted with bandits and outlaws that needed to be restrained or suppress with armed forces. When the local officials were about to response these disturbances in southern Shanxi, it was likely come up with two options. For the defensive options, it would be constructing the city walls or strengthening the total defense of the city, hoped to deter the attacking bandits. For the offensive options, it would be organizing a special task forces, which its goal is to dealing with some unknown threats to the local public order. And further, found out where the threats came from and blocked it from its source. However, the challenges for the local officials was to balance the economics and public order.