每当提及宋朝为何军事疲软，人们往往会想到这四个字“重文轻武”。然而，历史上并非只有宋朝重文轻武，明朝同样也很注重文化发展，但就军事实力而言，明朝比宋朝显著更加强大。实际上，这种差异主要源于两个 朝代在军制上的区别，以及各自面临难题时采取的解决策略。
首先，我们要从两代皇帝给人的印象入手。宋朝的皇帝给人以文弱之感，而明代的皇帝则显得更加强硬。例如，不被人喜欢的明英宗朱祁镇虽然混乱了点，但是他好歹敢带兵亲征，这在宋代中期的皇帝中并不常见。而即使是被后世批评为沉迷妓院、养豹子的正德皇帝，也是个喜欢上战场的人，而且是在群臣坚持不让他去的情况下，他还是坚持去了，并且打了胜仗回来。这两点都说明了 明代皇帝相比于宋代，更倾向于展示其作为君主应有的勇气和决断。
其次，我们需要分析两者的军制结构。宋 dynasty military system overemphasized decentralization. Although the Song army's combat effectiveness cannot be said to be weak, it had won many battles and its weapons and equipment were not inferior. However, the image of the Song dynasty military in history is that of weakness, which can be attributed to the fact that Song dynasty's military system was too focused on decentralization, with authority divided among multiple parties.
This is closely related to the establishment of the Song Dynasty by a group of generals who seized power. To prevent another Zhao Kuangyin from emerging, the Song Dynasty established institutions such as the Censorate and other government agencies to manage military affairs. The top official overseeing these institutions was only the emperor himself; no one else could interfere.
However, this led to a situation where soldiers did not know their commanders or what tactics they should employ; commanders did not know whether their soldiers were brave or cowardly; each side ignored each other without any clear hierarchy or accountability. This made it difficult for them to win battles effectively.
Moreover, due to frequent changes in command personnel during wars, officers often didn't know what tactics worked best for them or their troops. The same went for soldiers - they didn't understand who among them was truly courageous or fearful.
In contrast, Ming Dynasty adopted a more centralized approach with clearer lines of authority within its military structure. This allowed for greater flexibility and efficiency in decision-making during wartime situations.
In conclusion, while both dynasties faced challenges in maintaining strong armies due to various factors including cultural influences and political structures at play during those times., Ming Dynasty managed better through adopting more efficient organizational strategies compared with previous generations' practices under an increasingly decentralized regime like that seen in some aspects of ancient Chinese society along time period since before founding days until fall around 1500 AD..
