The Battle of Qinghe was a military conflict between the
Jurchen Later Jin and
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
in the summer of 1618. The battle ended with the Jin conquest of
Qinghe despite taking heavy casualties.
Background
The Jin army had conquered the fortress of Fushun and defeated a Ming army 10,000 strong. After resting for a month in
Hetu Ala,
Nurhaci
Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...
set out again to take the fortress of Qinghe.
After the initial Jin attack on Fushun, the Ming court assigned the military commanders Li Rubai and Yanghao to
Liaodong
The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...
. The fortress of Qinghe was reinforced from several hundred men to a garrison force of 6,400. Yang Hao advised the commander of Qinghe, Zou Chuxian, to lay an ambush for the Jin in a nearby mountain pass with cannons. However Zou opted to stay in the fortress.
Course of battle
Nurhaci arrived at Qinghe and besieged it. The defenders fired cannons and hurled logs and boulders at the enemy. Despite sustaining heavy casualties, the Jin army was able to take the northwest corner of the wall before the defenders could reload their cannons. The battle continued within the city from street to street until the entire city was slaughtered. Zou died in combat.
The Jin army fanned out from Qinghe and took an additional 11 nearby towns, reaching as far as
Shenyang. An advance force laid siege to Shenyang but was repulsed by Li Rubai and He Shixian, suffering 230 casualties.
Aftermath
Liu Ting arrived at
Shanhai Pass, which marked the border between
China proper
China proper, Inner China, or the Eighteen Provinces is a term used by some Western writers in reference to the "core" regions of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China. This term is used to express a distinction between the "core" regions pop ...
and Liaodong. He immediately began training recruits from far off
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, but stressed to the Ming court that he needed more time.
Ming's Ministry of Revenue raised taxes three-hundredths of a tael per ''mu'' to help fund training and supply costs for the Liaodong defense. The court also put a bounty of 10,000 taels on Nurhaci's head.
See also
*
Timeline of the Ming dynasty
A timeline of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) from the rise of the Hongwu Emperor to the rise and establishment of the Qing dynasty.
Background
1320s
1330s
1340s
1350s
1360s
14th century 1360s
1370s
1380s
1390s
15th century 1400 ...
*
Timeline of the Qing dynasty
This is a timeline of the Qing dynasty (1636–1912).
Background 16th century 1580s
1590s
17th century 1600s
1610s
1620s
1630s
17th century 1630s
1640s
1650s
1660s
1670s
1680s
1690s
18th century 1720s
1730s
1740s ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{Qing dynasty topics
Qinghe 1618
Qinghe 1618
Qinghe 1618
Military history of Liaoning