Story. 86 The Eve of the Battle of Sarhu (薩爾滸) in the Ming Conquest

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 powerful influence over eastern Eurasia that they threatened Goryeo(高麗) and overthrew the Khitan(契丹 거란). However, the Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols, and even after the collapse of the Mongol-founded Yuan(元) Dynasty, the Jurchen remained fragmented into various groups. Then, a man named Nurhaci emerged and reunified the Jurchen(女眞) in 1616. The dynasty they founded, which succeeded the Jin Dynasty, is called the Later Jin(後金).

                        Google/ 아틀라스 

 The Later Jin Dynasty(後金) was inevitably drawn into conflict with the Ming Dynasty(明朝). In 1618, Nurhaci declared all-out war, claiming the Ming Dynasty held "seven grudges(七大恨)."

Faced with the powerful Later Jin army, Fushun City(撫順) immediately surrendered. Nurhachi destroyed Fushun and took its inhabitants as prisoners, preparing for future wars. However, Nurhachi's goal at the time was to seize hegemony in Manchuria, not to destroy the Ming Dynasty. The Later Jin sought to expand trade routes and secure prisoners to support its growing population. Captives would provide a sufficient labor force. Therefore, he first attacked Fushun, a key trade hub.

  In the Battle of Sarhu(薩爾滸), the combined forces of 100,000 Joseon(朝鮮) and Ming(明) forces were defeated by 30,000 Later Jin(後金) troops.』

 The above text is quoted from Jeung San-do's(甑山道증산도) Naver blog.

 Gang Jeong-man, author of <Biographies of the Emperors of the Qing Dynasty(淸朝)>, elaborated on this lengthy story as follows:

 While Nurhaci was expanding his power with the momentum of the rising sun, the Ming Dynasty, beginning in the mid-Jiajing (嘉靖1522–1566) era, faced a crisis that fundamentally undermined national discipline and security due to the incompetence and debauchery of its emperors. The Ming Emperor Shizong (世宗) Zhu Hou-chong (朱厚熜, 1507–1567) devoted his life to the Tao(仙道) of the Immortals, yearning for immortality and the long-awaited consumption of elixirs. He was so indifferent to politics that he never once attended court for over two decades after middle age.

Even his successor, Emperor Mujong (穆宗) Zhu Jae-hou (朱載垕, 1537–1572), remained silent to his ministers for nearly three years after ascending the throne.

  His successor, Ju Ik-gyun (朱翊鈞, 1563–1620), also known as Shenzong (神宗), smoked opium in the palace and indulged in a debauched and promiscuous lifestyle, driving the nation to the brink of ruin.

During the reign of Emperor Xizong (熹宗), the eunuch Wei Zhongxian (魏忠賢, 1568–1627) and his associates completely dominated the government, toying with its affairs. Those who sought to advance through flatterybuilt shrines to him throughout the country. A man named Yuk Wan-ryeong (陸萬齡), a supervisor(監生), even submitted a petition calling for him to be elevated to the status of Confucius and his father to the same status as Confucius' father, Gye-seong-gong (啟聖公).

 Whenever Wei Zhongxian(魏忠賢) paraded, the literati would flock to the streets, prostrating themselves and chanting "Nine thousand nine hundred years" (九千九百歲). The Ming Dynasty's loss of national function and the dire straits of its people presented Nurhachi with a golden opportunity to invade the Central Plains(中原).

In the spring of the third year of Tianming (天命1618), Nurhachi gathered his subjects(臣民) and generals and held a ceremony to declare to heaven his "Seven Great Grievances(七大恨)" against the Ming Dynasty, declaring his intention to conquer it.

 These seven grievances (七大恨) were as follows:

 “First grudge (怨恨);

My grandfather and father had not caused any harm to the Ming Dynasty, yet the Ming army provoked and killed them.

Second grudge (怨恨);

The Ming Dynasty caused conflict on the border, but I pledged to expand the border between the two countries and not invade each other in order to strengthen friendly relations. However, the Ming army trampled on this pledge, crossed the border, caused unrest, and supported Nie Hye-bu.

Third grudge (怨恨);

Every year, Ming people invaded our country from south of the Qing River(淸河) and north of the riverbank, committing plunder.

Fourth grudge (怨恨);

Nie Hye-bu's "old woman" had originally promised to marry me. However, Nie Hye-bu, under the protection of the Ming Dynasty, sent her to Mongolia for marriage.

Fifth grudge (怨恨);

The Three Routes—Shiha (柴河), Sancha (三岔), and Mu'an (撫安)—were regions ruled by our tribe for generations. However, the Ming Dynasty prevented the people there from harvesting their crops and dispatched troops to expel them.

Sixth Gried (怨恨);

The Nie Hye-bu outside the border had sinned against Heaven, so I subdued them. However, the Ming Dynasty believed their words and sent envoys to rebuke and humiliate me.

Seventh Gried (怨恨);

In the past, the Hapdabu(哈達部) invaded our country twice under the pretense of supporting the Nie Hye-bu(葉赫部). This was the will of Heaven. However, the Ming Dynasty also supported the Hapdabu and threatened me into returning the captured Hapdabu people. Because of this, we were repeatedly plundered by the Nie Hye-bu(葉赫部)."

  In the 11th year of the Wanli era (萬曆1583), when Li Seong-ryang, the Liaodong General, used the Nigam Waeran(尼堪外蘭) as a pretext to attack the Goreuksae in the Aipai region, the Ming army killed Nurhachi's grandfather, Gao Changan, and his father, Tapgeukse(塔克世). This was Nurhachi's greatest grudge.

The fourth grudge, however, reflects the complex political situation surrounding a woman. In the 10th year of the Wanli era (1582), a baby girl was born into the family of the chieftain of the Shehyeokbu tribe(葉赫部族) of the Haese Jurchen(海西女眞). An old shaman, observing the newborn, prophesied:

"This child will one day bring about the uprising of the world, or the downfall of it!"

  Her name was Dong-ge (東哥, 1582–1616). From a young age, she was a peerless beauty, worthy of being called a "beautiful beauty." Rumors about her spread widely among the Jurchen people. Long lines formed in front of Dong-ge's house, drawn by her beauty. Even today, some argue that a woman's beauty is a symbol of power. Dongga's father, Pojae (布齋), and her older brother, Poyanggo (布揚古), were such figures. They attempted to use Dongga for political gain.

When Dongga was ten, Pojae(布齋) told Alsang (歹商), the chieftain of Hapdalbu, that he would marry his daughter and ask him to come and fetch her. Alsang believed him completely and was ambushed and killed by soldiers from the Shehyebu on his way to fetch his bride. Dongga's father used the charm of a beautiful woman to eliminate his political opponents.

When Dongga was twelve, he promised Pojae a marriage to Pojeomtae (布占泰), the younger brother of the Orabbu chieftain, in an attempt to draw the Orabbu into his camp against Nurhachi of the Jianzhou Jurchen. However, before Pojeomtae could receive her, he was defeated by Nurhachi at the Battle of Mount Gule and taken prisoner. Nie Hefu was also defeated and killed, leaving only Poyang Gao barely alive.

Poyang Gao wanted to marry his younger sister Dongge to Nurhachi, forming a marriage alliance. At the time, Dongge was fifteen and had a crush on Po Jeomtae, whom she had once met. She said to her brother,

 "Nurhaci is my mortal enemy who killed my father. How could I marry him? I would rather marry the man who killed him."

  Seeing his sister's determined and dignified demeanor, Poyang Gao felt ashamed. He immediately broke his arranged marriage with Nurhachi and declared that he would give his sister to whoever killed Nurhachi. The leader of the Hada clan, Meng Ge Bulu, broke his alliance with Nurhachi and attacked Jianzhou clan, seeking a beautiful woman.

Nurhaci accused him of treason and attacked him, ultimately destroying the Hada clan. Bae Yin Da Li, the chieftain of the Hwabal clan, and Po Jeom Tae, who had been held captive in Jianzhou for three years and then released, challenged Nurhachi to seize Dongge, but were ultimately defeated.

In the 43rd year of Wanli's reign (1615), at the age of 33, Dongge married Manggoyedai, the eldest son of Dalihan, the chieftain of the Khalkha clan. At the time, 33 was considered an age for a woman to become a grandmother. Therefore, historical records refer to her as "Ye He Old Lady." In the 4th year of Tianming's reign (1619), Nurhachi destroyed his archrival, Ye He, and declared: "Dong Ge has successively destroyed the Hapdal, Hwibal, and Orap tribes, and today, she has also destroyed the Shehyeok tribe. This is because Heaven sent Dong Ge to me to unify the Jurchen tribe. I have already accomplished the great task of unification, and no matter who she marries, her life will not be long. The mission Heaven has entrusted to her will be fulfilled."

  If Dong Ge had become Nurhachi's wife as initially promised, she would have become the first empress of the Qing Dynasty and enjoyed wealth and honor. However, as the saying goes, beauty is fleeting. Because she was so beautiful, she was exploited for political gain, and she died a year after her marriage, harboring resentment. Dong Ge's beauty led to the downfall of several tribes of the Haixi Jurchen tribe, but against her will, she helped lay the foundation for Nurhachi's unification.