If Nurhachi meets the Yongle Emperor, what kind of sparks will the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens have?
Having said that, if Nurhachi met Zhu Di, the Emperor of Yongle, not during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, but during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, then how would this period of history be rewritten?
First of all, we have to understand that during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, it was a strong era, and the Ming Empire was in full swing. At that time, the army of the Ming Dynasty was not a soft persimmon that could be pinched casually like it was later, but a well-equipped, well-trained, and experienced iron-blooded army. Under the leadership of Emperor Yongle, they fought in the south and the north, and fought in the west against Dongping, and fought the surrounding small countries into obedience.
As for Nurhachi, he was only a small leader of the Jurchen tribe in Jianzhou at that time. Although his tribe also has some combat effectiveness, in the eyes of the Ming army, it is simply a child. The reason why Nurhachi was able to rise later was largely due to the internal problems of the Ming Dynasty itself, which led to the weakness of the border air defense and allowed him to pick up a leak.
So, what would have been the outcome if Nurhachi had attacked during the Yongle Emperor's reign? I think there are probably a few possibilities.
First of all, if Nurhachi was just making a small fuss and engaging in some border harassment or something, then the Yongle Emperor would definitely not take it seriously. The frontier of the Ming Empire is vast, and the soldiers are strong, so it is not too easy to deal with this kind of petty fight. If Nurhachi dared to play big, such as directly attacking Liaodong or Guannei, the result would be even worse. Emperor Yongle was not a vegetarian, and he would definitely send a large army to press Nurhachi to the ground and rub it all the way.
Second, if Nurhachi wanted to form an alliance with the Ming or surrender, the outcome could have been a bit dramatic. After all, in that era, the king still valued the leaders of the frontier peoples. If Nurhachi behaved deferentially and loyal enough, maybe the Yongle Emperor would give him an official to do, and it was not impossible to even give him the title of King of Jianzhou. In this way, Nurhachi has changed from a small leader of the Jurchen tribe to a prince of the Ming Empire, and he can be regarded as flying on the branches and becoming a phoenix.
Of course, these are speculations based on history and reality. What the real history is, no one knows. But then again, this kind of hypothetical question of "what ifs" is sometimes interesting to think about. Not only does it give us a better understanding of history, but it also allows us to use our imagination and imagine what was possible in those history.
In general, if Nurhachi invaded the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle Emperor period, the result would probably be to be pressed to the ground by the Ming army. Of course, history is always full of possibilities, and if the situation had really changed, maybe the outcome would have been different. But in any case, one thing is certain: in that era, both the Ming and Jurchens were part of the Chinese nation, and their destinies were closely linked. The evolution and inheritance of history is a complex and magical process, and each piece of history has its own unique charm and value. And as ordinary people, we can better know and understand our country and nation by understanding and thinking about these historical events.