Abstract:

Transport speed serves as a crucial indicator for evaluating transportation efficiency. During the Song Dynasty, which faced frequent external threats, the velocity of military supply transportation held particular significance. The Song government prioritized transport efficiency by comprehensively overhauling official labor teams, optimizing delivery routes, and instituting speed regulations accompanied by corresponding reward-punishment mechanisms. Although the transport speed standards established by the Tang and Song governments were lower than those in the Western Han Dynasty, the actual recorded speeds for cart-transported military supplies not only strongly exceeded minimum requirements but also surpassed the benchmarks set during the Western Han period. During wartime or in border defense areas in peacetime, transporting military supplies remained the most arduous and perilous labor duty for the common people, with the labor and cost involved far exceeding those required for agricultural production. The Song Dynasty failed to establish an efficient military logistics system, rendering transportation a critical bottleneck that constrained military operations. This predicament stemmed not from technological limitations but rather from systemic deficiencies in power mechanisms and management coordination, revealing institutional constraints within traditional Song logistical systems under wartime pressures.

Key words: Song Dynasty, speed, freight transport, military supply