>>43310613Actually to think China as ruled by "Le Effeminate Bureaucracy" is also a misconception. Like how "Samurai are just dumb military men." Chinese scholars and bureaucrats cunts can be pretty vicious there were shitloads of times when Generals failed and a Minister gets the job done, while wearing armor and waving a sword about.
Furthermore, the Policing in rural Imperial China was done not by a police force or the army (outside of Garrisons that is), but by a posse of armed civilians.
However, for a posse-action to be legal, a posse is led by bureaucrats called (in english) prefects, who double as lawyers, judges, village mayors, and executioners when an on the spot sentencing is needed. These guys trained in law, governance, basic military tactics, and swordsmanship. Basically Imperial China had Judge Dredds out to simplify the legal process for bandits in vast rural China. And they were scholar-bureaucrats. Some even trained in CSI. Song Ci being the most famous.
Furthermore the prefects are always surrounded by a ragtag bunch of hired swords, soldiers on loan, and even warrior monks, since soldiers can't be assed to enforce law outside their garrisons. These parties serve as the hired muscle to beef up armed peasants against bandit raids.
So yes, a lot of China's pen-pushers weren't pushovers.
