Dàtián

Dàtián was a military post in the mountainous Shīzhōu region of western Hubei. In 1371 the Ming established Shīzhōu Guard and placed the Dàtián thousand-household post under its command. The guard also supervised a complex network of hereditary native offices, among them Shīnán and Sànmáo. Dàtián thus formed part of the military framework through which the dynasty sought to govern the river valleys and uplands between Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan.