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This paper explores the re-establishment and development of the Three Capital Guards (san ya ... ) military system: the Palace Command (dian qian si ... ), the Metropolitan Cavalry Command (ma jun si ... ), and the Metropolitan Infantry Command (bu Jun si ... ) during the reign of Emperor Gaozong ... (r. 1127-1162) of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Previous studies all focused on Northern Song's (960-1127) Three Capital Guards and their capabilities, and Southern Song's Three Capital Guards were neglected. The author considers this topic an important issue in Song military history. This paper is divided into four parts. The first part traces the corruption of the Three Capital Guards system during the reign of Emperor Huizong ... (r. 1101-1125) and Qinzong ... (r. 1126-1127). The second part analyses the rising power of General Yang Yizhong ... and his Shenwu Central Army (shenwu zhongjun ... ). Yang rebuilt the Palace Command, and commanded this capital guard for nearly thirty years under Emperor Gaozong. The Shenwu Central Army is regarded as the predecessor of the Palace Command. The third part focuses on the process of rebuilding the Three Capital Guards. The last part evaluates the role played by the Three Capital Guards in important political and military affairs during Gaozong's reign. Finally, the author concludes that the significance of the Three Capital Guards system reconstituted under Gaozong is that it is an "internal-oriented," not an "external-oriented" defense system. This is the main difference of the Three Capital Guards between the Northern Song and the Southern Song dynasties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]