After the 14th century, Northeast Asia formed a clan system centered on the Ming Dynasty, with Mongolia and Jurchen on the inside and Korea on the outside. By the beginning of the 17th century, nurhaci, the Jurchen clan of Jianzhou, established the Houjin Dynasty and began to challenge the authority of the Ming Dynasty, posing a threat to the security of the Ming Dynasty and the clan system.
The military strength of the Ming Dynasty was to some extent affected by the Renchen Imperial War, and was somewhat depleted, and in order to break the predicament, the Ming Dynasty took measures to win over Korea and southern Mongolia to resist the threat of Later Jin. The first step in the Ming Dynasty's measures was to unite with the vassal state of Korea and declare war on Houjin, intending to destroy Houjin in one fell swoop with the Ming and Xian alliance forces, which was the first battle related to the rise and fall of the Ming and Qing dynasties- the Battle of Salhu.
The Ming Dynasty demanded that the vassal state of Korea send troops to assist in the war, on the one hand, for military necessity and on the other hand, for political purposes. The Ming Dynasty wanted to form a political isolation and military blow to houjin by uniting with Korea, and to eliminate the houjin forces in one fell swoop.
Military considerations
In February of the forty-seventh year of the Wanli Calendar (1619), King Gwanghae-jun of Joseon received an edict from the Ming Dynasty requesting Korea to send troops to assist in the war:
"The King of Joseon, who scrupulously abides by the title of Emperor and serves only in the office of the clan; Shen strict discipline, listen to the dispatch of the jingluo camera, march on the day, and make sure to form the shape of a horn. ”
In his edict, Emperor Shinjong praised Korea for its dedication to its duties, ordered the DPRK to prepare soldiers and horses, sent spies to houjin, and purchased firearms. He also indicated that he knew the difficulties of the DPRK and would supply the DPRK with military expenses for the purchase of horses and smoke.
He instructed the DPRK to reorganize its army, listen to the dispatch, cooperate with the Ming army, and form a horn against Houjin. After receiving the edict on conscription, the Korean royal court began a fierce debate. The ministers represented by Li Erzhan advocated sending troops to help Ming.
"But remembering that China has difficulties, the princes have come to the aid, this "Spring and Autumn" is righteous, and the clan keeps its duties; the reconstruction of the country has been rebuilt to this day, and it is unknown what to report."
Li Erzhan believed that sending troops to serve the king was a duty of the clan and should repay Emperor Shenzong for his kindness in recreating the clan state. A faction supported by Guang Haijun, represented by Ren Yan and Yin Hui, advocated refusing to send troops.
"The first thought of our country, a country without soldiers, once a dynasty, drove the peasants closer, went far to other countries, although from the command of the Heavenly Dynasty, they advanced and retreated for it, but their dirty and invisible, there is no way to say."
The Ren Yan and Yin Hui factions believed that North Korea had no troops to send, and should refuse to send troops, and Ming Zhe would protect himself to avoid embarrassing himself. In the end, Guang Haijun was forced by the pressure of the Ming court and the "pro-Ming faction" ministers to send troops to cooperate with the Ming army. However, Guang Haijun instructed Jiang Hongli to move with his camera behind his back, and at the same time secretly communicated with Hou Jin, hoping that he would understand that it was a last resort for the DPRK to send troops.
The Ming Dynasty combined 200,000 troops and marched in four directions, intending to directly capture the Later Jin capital Hetuala and destroy the Later Jin in one fell swoop. More than 13,000 North Korean soldiers led by Kang Hong of Korea were incorporated into the Right Wing Southern Route Army led by Liu Ling, totaling more than 50,000 people. Later Jin defeated The Left Wing Middle Road led by Jun Song, the Left Wing North Road led by Ma Lin, and the Right Wing South Road led by Liu Ling.
As for the casualties of the Ming army, the historical records of the Ming and Qing dynasties recorded as follows: "The defeat of our soldiers and the death of half of the dead, half of the dead who escaped by idleness, and 120,000 people were exhausted." ”
According to the historical records of the Ming Dynasty, the total number of soldiers killed and fleeing soldiers of the Ming Army reached more than 120,000. Regarding the casualties of the Ming army, the same record is also recorded in the historical materials of Houjin, and the fiasco of the Ming army can be imagined. The Korean general Kang Hong-ri knew that the defeat of the army was decided, so he fell down the flag and surrendered to the Houjin army.
"(The Korean army) then fell the flag and sent the flag to know... And obey the soldiers, I will give it. ”
Jiang Hongli sent a messenger to the Houjin military camp, indicating that the DPRK's troops were not from the original will of the DPRK, but to repay the kindness of the Ming Dynasty in helping the DPRK to fight against the Wokou in the past, and now the Ming Dynasty did not dare not come to Korea. He then said that if Hou Jin was willing to forgive the Korean army, Kang Hongli was willing to lead the North Korean soldiers to surrender and hand over the Ming soldiers.
The Battle of Salhu was the beginning of Houjin's challenge to the authority of the suzerainty Ming Dynasty, whose defeat accelerated the collapse of the traditional Northeast Asian order. The Ming Dynasty was greatly wounded in the Battle of Salhu, and was no longer able to organize such a huge army to attack the Qing Dynasty (Later Jin), and in the subsequent Ming and Qing Wars, it changed from attack to defense.
The Ming Dynasty realized that Houjin was no longer the weak "Bianyi clan" that it once was, and that eliminating Houjin was not an easy task, so it was eager to get the cooperation of surrounding clans to deal with the threat of Houjin.
Political considerations
The Ming Dynasty set its sights on Korea and Southern Mongolia, and uniting Korea and Mongolia to balance the Jin Dynasty was the second step taken by the Ming Dynasty, which was the Ming Dynasty's usual strategy of "using Yi to suppress Yi".
The Ming Dynasty needed the cooperation of the vassal states to deal with the threat of houjin, and Korea bordered houjin, and if it cooperated with the Ming dynasty, it could form a pinch attack on houjin, and its strategic position was very important, so the Ming dynasty showed a very tolerant attitude towards the surrender of Korea without a war.
After the Battle of Salhun, the Wanli Emperor, instead of blaming Korea for surrendering without a fight, sent envoys to bring the edict and the reward of silver into the Korean capital.
According to the Records of the Joseon Dynasty:
"There are all nations, and the kingdoms of Sui are dependent on each other... Strive for the aftermath, do not abandon the previous achievements, snow shame to eliminate the murder, and the end of the period. ”
In his edict to Gwanghae-jun, Emperor Shinjong stated that the Ming Dynasty and Korea were at odds with each other, and that when they joined forces to annihilate Houjin. He then praised the Righteous Deeds of king Qin of Korea who was throwing soldiers and horses and sent troops to the Battle of Salhun, and then explained that the defeat in the Battle of Salhu was due to the miscalculation of famous generals.
The relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Houjin has become a tiger-riding trend, and when the DPRK sends troops to form a horn with the Ming army to contain Houjin, select elite troops, distribute along the river, and raise troops at dangerous points, fight or defend according to the specific conditions, one strengthens the Ming Dynasty's momentum, and the other guards the Korean border. The Ming Dynasty encouraged The DPRK not to abandon its previous achievements, hoping that the DPRK would cooperate with the Ming Dynasty in annihilating Jin Yixue before the shame.
After the Battle of Salhun, The Koreans lost more than a thousand gunners and more than a thousand bird guns, and were reluctant to send troops again. Bibiansi suggested that the Ming Dynasty should be rejected for conscription, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Ming Dynasty.
North Korea replied to the Ming Dynasty:
"Our country has been newly defeated, its troops are weak, and in the area around the river, we will be plagued by soldiers day and night... If there is an opportunity to take advantage of it, it dares not to fight each other. ”
North Korea rejected the Ming Dynasty on the grounds that "its own troops were weak and the defense of the river was empty", indicating that The DPRK was willing to defend along the river and support the Ming Dynasty. North Korea's attitude aroused the suspicion and apprehension of some ming ministers. According to the Joseon Dynasty's envoys Li Hongqiu and the Holy Festival envoy Nan Shu Chi Qi, the Ming Dynasty Zuo Chunfang Zuo Zanshan and Hanlin Yuan reviewed Xu Guangqi's Emperor Shu Shenzong, and suggested that "envoys be sent to oversee Korea."
In the Records of the Joseon Dynasty, it is recorded as follows:
"North Korea, on the other hand, was defeated and shook its soul... For example, although the cloth is idle, it is really externally attached, and the art of victory is also. ”
Xu Guangqi believed that after the Korean defeat at the Battle of Salhun, Houjin intimidated and co-opted him, and the North Korean replied to Houjin with humble words, and the two had frequent contacts, lest the DPRK have a tendency to make good friends with Houjin.
He realized early on the important position of Korea in the Ming and Qing (Later Jin) games, pointing out that if the Later Jin Dynasty did not have the concerns of the East (Korea), it could safely attack the westward road, and the united state of Korea was the ming Dynasty's chance of victory.
Therefore, Xu Guangqi suggested sending envoys to guard the DPRK, one can negotiate with the DPRK, and the other can explore whether the DPRK has been coerced and coerced, so that it can be prevented in time.
Worried about the behavior of Korea at both ends, Emperor Shangshu Shenzong suggested that the water army be trained to guard against the sea.
Zhang Zhifa worried that The Koreans were ostensibly working with the Ming Dynasty to balance Houjin, but behind the scenes, they were obedient to Houjin. If North Korea unites with Houjin, Houjin can spy on Shandong through North Korea and even threaten Guannei. Therefore, Zhang Zhifa proposed that the imperial court train boat divisions and do a good job in sea defense.
In order to resist the Later Jin, the Ming Dynasty actively co-opted southern Mongolia while co-opting Korea. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the ming dynasty and the Later Jin Dynasty had frequent exchanges mainly in southern Mongolia, which were divided into three tribes: Chahar, Khalkha and Horqin.
outcome
After the Battle of Salhu, the Ming Dynasty began to co-opt the leaders of Chahar and Khalkha, trying to use the Mongol power to prevent Houjin from continuing to invade the west.
After the Later Jin conquered Shenyang, Liaoyang, and Guangning, the Ming Dynasty set up a new market in Ningyuan to exchange markets with the Chahar and Khalkha ministries and give rewards. According to the Records of Emperor Mingxi, the Ming Dynasty bought the heads of various Mongol tribes with heavy money, and the silver used for the second and third years of the Apocalypse totaled more than 366,000 taels.
The temptation of heavy gold caused the Khalkha tribes, which were originally allied with Later Jin, to abandon their vow to jointly cut down the Ming Dynasty with Later Jin and turn to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty's bribery of the Mongol ministries played a certain role in preventing the Later Jin Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty's plan to contain Houjin by co-opting the Mongols eventually collapsed as the Mongol divisions and weakened.
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