Preface
As the founder of the Qing Dynasty, Nurhachi's prestige has long been famous in Chinese history. However, in addition to his brilliant victories, the 13 armor pairs he created attracted even more attention.
Not only did these armors have an extremely high level of protection at the time, but even few of the descendants of the Qing Dynasty were able to achieve such a level. Let's explore the stories behind these armors and witness how an ordinary person wrote his own legend with perseverance.
1. Grandfather's legacy: the origin of the 13 armors
In the Liaodong steppe, there lived the son of a small tribe chieftain named Nurhachi. His sixth ancestor, Timur, once accepted the Ming Dynasty's appeasement, went to Beijing to pay tribute, and became the commander of the Jianzhou Guard. This identity not only brought a certain status and power to the family of Meng's brother Timur, but also allowed them to establish a connection with the Ming Dynasty.
However, the merciless tricks of fate made Nurhachi's maternal grandfather Wang Gao betray the Ming Dynasty. Wang Gao's betrayal was a huge mistake, and he was eventually killed by Li Chengliang, the general soldier of Liaodong. This tragedy not only took Wang Gao's life, but also put Nurhachi's grandfather Jue Chang'an in a desperate situation.
Jue Changan thought that he could save his life by taking refuge in the Ming army, but he never thought that Li Chengliang decided to kill Wang Gao's descendants. In a tragic massacre, Jue Chang'an's son, Nurhachi's father, was mistakenly killed by the Ming army. On his deathbed, he left 13 pairs of armor to the young Nurhachi, a valuable legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation.
These 13 pairs of armor are a great asset. In the grassland society at that time, being able to have so much armor undoubtedly represented the status and strength of a family. Even ordinary cotton armor requires a lot of money and materials. Among these 13 pairs of armor, many of them are refined steel armor, and their value can be imagined.
These armors were not only a piece of military equipment, but also a symbol of status and wealth. Families with a large amount of armor often also have certain political and economic resources in their hands. It can be said that these 13 pairs of armor not only carry the history of the Nurhachi family, but also a kind of "capital" for them in the grassland society.
2. Determination for revenge: Nurhachi raised an army to build a state
The 13 armor pairs became the trigger for the fire of revenge. The young Nurhachi, who witnessed the tragic death of his loved ones, was filled with anger and grief in his heart. He was determined to avenge his father, at all costs.
First of all, he went to scold Nikan Wailan, the lord of Tulun, the left guard of Jianzhou, and asked him to explain the cause of death of his relatives to the Ming Dynasty. Nurhachi accused Nikan Wailan of instigating the Ming army to kill his relatives, and asked him to go to the Ming to get back the remains of his relatives. It was a provocation, but for Nurhachi, who had lost a loved one, it was already his last appeal.
However, the border generals of the Ming Dynasty ignored Nurhachi's appeals, and instead made Nikan Wailan the lord of the state. It is also a humiliation and a blow to Nurhachi. Forced into desperation, Nurhachi and his younger brother Shulhaqi could only "attach" to Nikan Wailan and were placed under house arrest.
Just when they were desperate, Li Chengliang's wife quietly let go of the two brothers. This was undoubtedly a turning point and laid the groundwork for the later Qing Dynasty. Having regained his freedom, Nurhachi can finally begin his path of revenge.
With 13 pairs of ancestral armor, Nurhachi began his expedition. He unified the Jurchen tribes in Jianzhou and once again questioned the Ming Dynasty about the reasons for the death of his relatives. This time, the Ming Dynasty finally returned the bodies of his grandfather and father, and gave him the title of "Thirty Edicts, Thirty Horses, and Dragon and Tiger Generals".
These gifts were a form of appeasement and compensation for Nurhachi. But for a bereaved person, none of this can make up for the trauma in his heart. Although Nurhachi was finally recognized by the Ming Dynasty, the fire of revenge in his heart was still burning.
3. The Rise of the Later Jin Dynasty: Nurhachi's Road to Nationhood
With the edict given by the Ming Dynasty, Nurhachi was able to exchange markets with the Han people in the border areas, and could take ginseng, deer antler velvet and other things to pay tribute in exchange for more valuable rewards. It can be said that these edicts became the key to his accumulation of the first pot of gold.
In the steppe society of the time, the edict represented a symbol of power and wealth. With the edict, Nurhachi could not only move freely in the frontier areas, but also receive handsome rewards through tribute. All these laid a solid economic foundation for his future statehood.
At the same time, Nurhachi's love for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" also gave him the idea of founding a country. The heroic heroes described in this novel inspired Nurhachi's inner ambition. He aspires to be like the characters in it, to become a hegemon and create his own legend.
Driven by both economic power and spiritual power, Nurhachi began his path of conquest. He first conquered Jianzhou, unified the Jurchen tribes, and finally established the Later Jin Dynasty in Shenyang. In this way, the son of a small tribe chief on the grassland, with his ancestral 13 pairs of armor and his own wisdom and bravery, opened the national glory of the Qing Dynasty for more than 300 years.
From the son of an ordinary small tribal chieftain to eventually becoming the founding father of the Qing Dynasty, Nurhachi's life experience is undoubtedly magnificent. Not only did he rely on his courage and wisdom, but he also skillfully used the gifts of the Ming Dynasty to finally realize his dream of founding a nation.
4. Armor status in the Eight Banners system: The unique influence of the Nurhachi family
After the establishment of the Later Jin, the story of the 13 pairs of armor was widely circulated, and the armor represented a significant role in the Qing Dynasty. In the Eight Banners system, armor was divided into three classes: red armor for expeditions, white armor for guarding city gates, and blue armor for receiving subsidies.
This grading system reflects the importance that the Qing Dynasty attached to armor. The Red Armor was the elite of the expedition, the White Armor was responsible for defending the city, and the Blue Armor became the main source of income for the clansmen. It can be said that the status of armor in the Qing Dynasty is comparable to the money of modern society.
The more blue armor the clan has in their hands, the more money and food they receive every month, which becomes their main source of income. It was only during the Qianlong period that the blue armor system was really determined, and even the prince could only get 60 pairs of blue armor. And if an ordinary clan member commits a crime, Lan Jia will not be recovered, and he can still receive money and food every month.
It can be seen that the blue armor was simply a hard currency at that time. It is conceivable how much the clan members attach importance to the blue armor, and some people even give most of the blue armor to the eldest son to ensure the inheritance of the family's interests. This reflects the Qing Dynasty's ruling class's persistent pursuit of armor.
However, throughout the Qing Dynasty, even the prince's descendants, the blue armor in their hands was far from the level of Nurhachi's 13 pairs of armor. This reflects the unique position and influence of the Nurhachi family in the early days of the Qing Dynasty.
The 13 pairs of armor are not only the precious heritage of the Nurhachi family, but also a kind of "capital" for them in the steppe society. These armors not only represented status and wealth, but also became a symbol of the later Qing ruling class. It can be said that the influence of the Nurhachi family continued until the heyday of the Qing Dynasty.
epilogue
Nurhachi's story is a testament to how an ordinary person writes his own legend with his indomitable will. From the grief of losing a loved one, to the determination to avenge his father, to the eventual establishment of the Later Jin Dynasty, Nurhachi's life experience is magnificent.
He not only relied on his own wisdom and bravery, but also skillfully used the gifts of the Ming Dynasty, and finally realized his dream of founding a country. This persistent pursuit of freedom and dignity also became a value of the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty. Even at the height of the Qing Dynasty, the influence of the Nurhachi family remained.
The 13 armor pairs became a symbol, representing status and wealth. This undoubtedly reflects the unique position of the Nurhachi family in the early days of the Qing Dynasty. Nurhachi's story is not only a legend, but also an eternal quest for freedom and dignity.