Bureau of Military Affairs

The Shumiyuan (Bureau of Military Affairs) was created by Emperor Daizong of Tang (r. 762-779) for provisional palace secretary work.

Although assignments to the Shumiyuan were not regularized, the secretaries wielded great power and were able to influence accession to the throne as well as the appointment and dismissal of chancellors.

[1] During the Later Liang dynasty (907-923), the Office for the Veneration of Governance (Chongzhengyuan) was founded for the administration of military matters by state officials.

Similarly, the Jurchens of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) founded a Shumiyuan in 1123 to deal with Khitan and Han Chinese military units.

In practice the post was left vacant and the Shumiyuan was guided by a deputy who was in de facto control over the bureau.

[1] The founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu Yuanzhang (r. 1368-1398), abolished the term Shumiyuan in 1361 during his uprising and replaced it with the Chief Military Command (da dudu fu).