Conclusion
While this chapter has only focused on three centuries of conflict, much of what has been said could also be applied to other eras in Chinese history. The sheer number of strategic threats and the inventive approaches adopted in confronting them belie the image of a staid Confucian state loath to embrace its martial side.
In fact, it appears that state-sponsored violence was utilised to a far greater extent than mere Confucian proclamations when it came to maintaining authority and establishing legitimacy. Military matters were constantly at the forefront of Ming-Qing policy concerns at both foreign and domestic level. At times, such as during the tumultuous decades of the Ming-Qing transition, violence was endemic across society as a whole, and the final recourse of the state was to use overwhelming force to bring things back into balance. In other words, states used war to bring about peace. It is fascinating to examine Ming-Qing China in the light of its contemporaries with respect to state-sponsored violence and its relationship to military operations. Although it might be difficult to find contemporary states that faced the diversity of threats encountered by the Ming and Qing, an examination of how contemporary states dealt with similar military problems and the ways in which state-sponsored violence was justified or sanctioned could be very instructive for students of Chinese and world history. And it sheds greater light on the role of state-sponsored violence and its many intersections with Chinese society at all levels.
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