Story 82. The Rise of Nurhaci (努爾哈赤): Born as the Son of a Jianzhou Jurchen Tribal Chief

 Story 82. The Rise of Nurhaci (努爾哈赤):

                                    Born as the Son of a Jianzhou Jurchen Tribal Chief

  In 1559, the 38th year of the Jiajing era(嘉靖) of the Ming Dynasty, a time when Jurchen society was in the throes of great turmoil, a boy with "phoenix eyes, big ears, and a face like a crowned jade" was born in Hetuara (赫圖阿拉, present-day Xinbin County新賓縣, Liaoning Province) as the son of a tribal chief of the Jianzhou Zuowei Tribal Commandery(建州左衛).

                             wikipedia, 2nd Jin Dinasty

He was Aisin Geluo(愛神覺羅) Nurhaci (努爾哈赤, 1559–1626). His grandfather, Ge Chang'an (覺昌案, 1526–1583), and his father, Tap Geukse (塔克世, 1542–1626), maintained close ties with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming court bestowed upon Ge Chang'an the position of Commander of the Left Guards of Jianzhou (建州左衛都指揮使), placing him in charge of border defense and tribute trade. Tap Geukse also assisted his father in governing the Left Guards of Jianzhou. Nurhachi's biological mother, Lady Xi-Ta-La (喜塔喇氏), was the daughter of Wang Gao (王杲, ?–1575), the Commander of the Right Guards of Jianzhou (建州右衛). When other Jurchen chieftains rebelled against the Ming, the Nurhachi family pledged allegiance to the Ming and reaped the benefits. Rather than escaping the oppression of the Ming Dynasty, he sought to maintain his vested interests by obeying and cooperating with the Ming court.

Nurhaci lost his mother at the age of ten. His stepmother abused him, and his father, fooled by her tricks, treated him coldly. Every day, with his stepmother's harsh words piercing his heart like a dagger, he longed to leave home as soon as possible. One day, the thought suddenly occurred to him that his situation might improve slightly if he went to his maternal grandparents' house. At the age of fifteen, he took his younger brother, Shuerhaqi(舒爾哈齊), with him to his maternal grandfather, Wang Gao.

Wang Gao(王杲), took his two grandsons in. However, he was ambitious. Although appointed by the Ming as the commander of the Jianzhou Youwei Guard, he did not hesitate to act in a manner that defied the Ming court. He frequently killed Ming officials and embezzled tribute on the border. The Ming court, unable to tolerate his rebellion any longer, abolished the Ma Shi (馬市) and pressured him.

However, Wang Gao refused to yield and, in the second year of Wanli (萬曆1574), boldly attacked key locations in the Liaodong(遙東) region, including Liaoyang(遼陽) and Shenyang(瀋陽). The Ming court ordered Li Chengyang (李成梁1526–1615), the Generalissimo of Liaodong(遙東總兵), to suppress the rebellion. Having suppressed the ethnic minorities in the Liaodong region for over two decades and defeated the Jurchens more than ten times, he earned the emperor's favor. His ancestors were Joseon people(朝鮮人), and his son was Yi Rusong (李如松, 1549–1598), a general who later came to Joseon's aid during the Imjin War(壬辰倭亂). Yi Seong-ryang was the de facto ruler of the Liaodong region. It is said that he was "extremely wealthy and his arrogance was boundless."

Wang Go(王杲) was no match for Yi Seong-ryang(李成梁), a veteran butcher. In the third year of Wanli (1575), Wang Go's fortress fell, and he was taken to Beijing, where he was tortured to death by having his limbs torn to pieces. When Wang Go's clan was exterminated, his young brothers, Nurhachi and Nurhaci, were also destined to die by the gleaming blades of their swords.

Nurhaci pleaded with Yi Seong-ryang for his life. Yi Seong-ryang felt it was a waste to kill him, given his tall and intelligent appearance. Raising him as a confidant seemed like a useful tool in governing the Jurchen. Having narrowly escaped death, Nurhachi remained steadfastly loyal to Yi Seong-ryang. He was always at the forefront of battle, always winning, and always handing over all his spoils to Yi Seong-ryang. Furthermore, he always penetrated Yi Seong-ryang's heart and demonstrated a mastery of meticulously implementing whatever he desired.

Yi Seong-ryang treated him like his own son. He even took him with him when he went to the Beijing palace to meet the emperor. People mistook the two for father and son. However, Nurhachi was loyal to Yi Seong-ryang only to survive, while inwardly he hated him for killing his maternal grandfather. Outwardly, he treated him like a father, but he vowed to one day exact revenge.

There's a story about their relationship: One day, Yi Seong-ryang suddenly received a secret message from the emperor. A purple star(紫微星), symbolizing the emperor, fell from the sky to the northeast. The imperial edict stated that signs of a new emperor were visible there, and that anyone with the aptitude for the emperor was to be immediately arrested. Yi Seong-ryang searched everywhere, but could find no trace of the future emperor.

 One day, Yi Seong-ryang, anxious and unable to carry out the emperor's orders, asked young Nurhachi to wash his feet to relieve his fatigue. Seeing Nurhachi kneeling and diligently washing his feet, he smiled and said,

"You rascal! Do you know how I became the Liaodong Generalissimo? It's because of the seven black dots on my feet."

Nurhaci pouted.

"Sir, to be honest, I also have seven red dots on my feet."

Yi Seong-ryang was astonished. The seven red dots symbolized the Big Dipper(北斗七星), and there was a folk legend that said anyone who stepped on them would be born with the auspicious fate of an emperor. He thought to himself,

"Isn't this the man the Emperor is seeking?"

Lee Seong-ryang tried to appear calm and returned to his bedroom that night. He said to his concubine, Yi Hwa(梨花),

"I just now realized that the man the Emperor is so desperately seeking is Nurhachi. If I send him to the Capital City Office tomorrow, the Emperor will reward me handsomely."

It was clear that Nurhachi would be beheaded if he was taken to the Capital City Office. Unable to bear the death of the handsome and loyal Nurhachi, Yi Hwa took advantage of Yi Seong-ryang's sleep to advise Nurhachi to flee quickly. Just before fleeing, Nurhachi knelt before Yi Hwa and said:

 "If I ever achieve my goal, I will first serve my wife and then my parents."

  Nurhaci, immediately after offering his thanks, fled to Mount Baekdu on his blue horse. The next morning, Yi Seong-ryang was furious when he discovered Nurhachi had disappeared. He hurriedly searched for Yi Hwa, but she had already committed suicide by hanging herself from a willow branch. It is said that Nurhachi was saved by Yi Hwa's(梨花) help. Later, each year, when the millet rice began to ripen, the Manchus established a custom of placing a willow branch in front of their gates to commemorate her loyalty.

It is also said that Nurhachi managed to escape Yi Seong-ryang's pursuing soldiers and barely survive because his blue horse, which had raced day and night for its master, escaped encirclement, and died of exhaustion. Nurhachi was deeply saddened by the horse's death. He buried it in a sunny spot and swore this oath:     "When I conquer the world, I will never forget the Blue Horse."

  Huang Taiji(黃太克, 洪大時, 崇德帝), the Qing Emperor, who later succeeded Nurhachi, is said to have honored his father's will and named his country Qing (淸), which sounds like the character "靑" (blue) in "靑馬" (blue horse). Of course, this story was likely fabricated by his descendants to emphasize Nurhachi's innate destiny to unify the world and become emperor.

Successful people, past and present, are inevitably saddled with all sorts of flowery phrases. While it's common sense to conceal flaws, exaggerate strengths, and fabricate nonexistent accomplishments to create a myth of success, there's a problem with obscuring the true character of a successful person.

 In fact, the reason Nurhachi left Yi Seong-ryang's service was marriage. After three years under Yi Seong-ryang, overcoming numerous trials and transforming into a formidable warrior, his father unexpectedly sent a messenger with news.

He was told to return home, now that he was of marriageable age. The Jianzhou Zuowei tribe(建州左衛部族) had sworn loyalty to Yi Seong-ryang for generations and remained his vassals. Therefore, Yi Seong-ryang dispelled his suspicions and allowed Nurhachi to return home. Furthermore, since Nurhachi was practically his own right-hand man, he intended to use him to control the Jianzhou Zuowei. At the age of 19, Nurhachi, in accordance with his father's wishes, married his first wife, Lady Dong Jia (元配 㤏佳氏 1560–1592).

Later, Lady Dong Jia gave birth to Nurhachi's eldest son, Juyeong (褚英1580–1615), and his second son, Daeseon (代善583–1648), and she served her husband well on the battlefield. However, she was an unfortunate woman who could not enjoy wealth and honor because her husband died before the founding of the Later Jin Dynasty. Furthermore, because her biological son failed to succeed to the throne, she was not posthumously awarded the title of empress.

According to Jurchen customs, a man who reached adulthood and established a family was required to leave his own household. Despite being the eldest son, Nurhachi was given a pittance and virtually banished from his family due to his stepmother's treacherous schemes.

Nurhachi had to weather these hardships on his own. He wandered the forests of Mount Baekdu, gathering ginseng, pine nuts, and mushrooms, which he sold to Ming merchants in Fushun(撫順) to make a living. Fushun boasted a horse market, a border trading town where Han Chinese, Jurchen, and Mongols mingled and traded goods. Nurhachi learned Chinese to sell his local products.