Historyteller Jang

Story. 86 The Eve of the Battle of Sarhu ( 薩爾滸 ) in the Ming Conquest   『 The Battle of Sarhu ( 薩爾滸 ) was fought in 1619 in the Fushun ( 撫順 , present-day Fushun, Liaoning Province, China) area between the allied forces of Joseon( 朝鮮 ) and Ming, and the Later Jin( 後金 ) army. "Sarhu" refers to a place near Fushun. This battle is known as an example of King Gwanghaegun's( 光海君 ) neutral diplomacy. Joseon( 朝鮮 ), obliged to pay tribute to the Ming, sent reinforcements, but could not ignore the rising power of the Later Jin and ultimately surrendered to them. This battle was a pivotal event that changed not only Korean history but also the landscape of East Asia at the time. It marked the starting point for the Later Jin's great victory and its conquest of Manchuria. Tracing back to the roots of the Manchus who founded the Later Jin, we encounter the Jurchen people( 女眞族 ), who established the Jin Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Jin( 金 ) Dynasty exerted such a...

  Story 85. Nurhachi Khan's Eight Banners System( 八旗制度 ) and Industrial Revival    On the first day of the first month of the year (1616) of the Mandate of Heaven ( 天命 ) of Nurhachi ( 努爾哈赤 , 1559–1626), the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty( 後金 ), even the biting north winds could not cool the fervor of the grand coronation ceremony held at Hektu Arab Castle( 赫圖阿拉城 ).   『 Hetu Ala Castle ( 赫圖阿拉城 ) is where Nurhaci, founder of the Qing Dynasty( 淸朝 ), founded and ruled the Later Jin Dynasty( 後金 ). Located in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, it is also known as Xingjing ( 興京 ). The name "Ala Castle" ( 阿拉城 ) derives from the Manchu word for "low hill." It was Nurhaci's hometown and political and military center, and is now an important historical site and tourist attraction. 』    While all his ministers, who had lived and died with him, were drunk on wine, celebrating the birth of the great khan( 大汗 ) and the new dynasty, only Nurhaci managed to suppress hi...