NURHACI DOCUMENTARY - RISE OF THE JURCHEN

The ambition of a single man has often changed the course of history. In four decades of work, an orphaned tribesman would successfully unify scattered tribes, break free from a whole empire's dominance, and lay the path to conquer all of Eastern Asia. So is the story of Nurhaci. In the 16th century, the great Ming dynasty, that had once shined as one of the world's most powerful empires, started to decline. Eunuchs in the court centralized power in their hands, as Portuguese and Spanish missionaries spread the word of Christ to the Chinese people. The nation's northeast neighbors were several semi-sedentary tribes known as the Jixian Confederation, who in name were vassals of the Ming. There was, however, little unity in the confederation. The three main groups were each divided in many tribes that often battled each other. In this tumultuous society, on the 8th of September 1559, Nurhaci was born. He belonged to the southernmost major Jixian group, the Jianzhou, led by Wang Gao. That chieftain despised his Chinese suzerains and regularly attacked Ming villages. These acts of violence escalated until Wang Gao killed a Ming commander in 1573. In response, the Chinese sent a punitive expedition, led by the veteran Li Changliang, a seasoned general of Korean descent. The Chinese general used his authority to gather other tribes against the chieftain Wang Gao and his Jianzhou Jixian. In two years, with the help of a rival tribe, Wang Gao was captured and executed. His death would however only bring more turmoil within the Jixian, as the Jianzhou Jixian group was now leaderless. Three main contenders tried to take power. Wang Gao's son Ah Tai, Ni Kang Wailan and Nurhaci's grandfather, Jiu Changga. In order to increase their influence within the Jianzhou, Jiu Changga and his son Taxi, who were free from Wang Gao's authority, allied themselves to the Chinese general Li Changliang, as did Ni Kang Wailan. Their service would soon be requested, as Wang Gao's son Ah Tai launched raids against Ming territory in 1582. Consequently, a new Chinese punitive expedition, led by Li Changliang, was dispatched, in which Nurhaci's father and grandfather took part. In 1583, Ah Tai was killed, but Nurhaci's descendants however also died in battle, in unclear circumstances. It was strongly suspected that Ni Kang Wailan had arranged their deaths to secure his influence. The young Nurhaci was now an orphan. It was said that all he inherited from his late family members was a set of thirteen suits of armour. Perhaps feeling responsible for him, or in a strategic move, Li Changliang decided to foster him and gave him permission to succeed as the new Jianzhou chieftain. Under his wing, the new leader would learn Chinese languages. He studied Chinese strategy and read classics, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margins, that allowed him to grasp the essence of political and military tactics. These skills would later prove most useful for the young ambition chieftain, who began unifying small local tribes under his banner. Swearing to avenge his family, Nurhaci, at the age of 25, campaigned against rival neighbouring tribes in 1584, and then again in 1587. Ni Kang Wailan, the man who had supposedly killed his father and grandfather, was captured by Li Changliang, attempting to escape. The Chinese commander delivered him to Nurhaci, who immediately had him executed, fulfilling his revenge. In the following months, using both military strategy and political marriages, his territory and influence grew. In 1589, the young leader captured a bandit lair, rescuing many Chinese captives. He then delivered them to Ming authorities, who thanked him by bestowing a minor rank on him. By now, he had several thousands of retainers loyal to him. The young chieftain could now focus on unifying all of the Jurchen tribes. In 1591, his brother-in-law, who was also a chieftain, demanded lands be ceded to him. Unsurprisingly, Nurhaci refused, but in response his brother-in-law raised a coalition of tribes against him. By October 1593, over 30,000 soldiers from 9 different tribes, led by his brother-in-law, attacked his territory. Rapidly, Nurhaci deployed his Jiandro Jurchen, and using the Chinese strategy he had studied, he was able to defeat the much larger enemy coalition, killing several thousands and capturing over 3,000 war horses. This was a turning point for the Jiandro Jurchen, who had now become the most powerful of all the Jurchen tribes. Meanwhile, great events were taking place on the Beyond the sea to the east, after decades of civil war, the Japanese united and launched an expedition to conquer Korea in 1592. Being a vassal of China, Korea requested help from the Ming dynasty that sent reinforcements. Nurhaci also offered his help to fight in Korea against the Japanese, which strengthened China's good opinion of him. But Korea however refused his assistance. Therefore, while the Japanese were being repelled from Korea, the young Jiandro chieftain continued to strengthen his tribe by war and marriage. As a result for his offer to help in Korea, and for having maintained unity within the Jiandro group, the Chinese authorities bestowed Nurhaci in 1595 with the title of General of the Dragon Tiger, that no Jurchen before him had ever obtained. His power was only growing. As a chieftain, he understood the economy and created a monopole on trade of furs, pearls and ginseng. He also realized that much like the advanced Koreans, the respected Mongols and of course the mighty Chinese, a strong state could not be established without a written script. He ordered in 1599 two of his translators to create a transcription of the Jurchen language adapted from the nearby Mongol script. Now with sufficient authority and wealth, Nurhaci pursued his campaigns to unify the Jurchen tribes. Of the two other major groups, the Haishi Jurchen were the closest to him. Starting in 1599, he began fighting the Hulun alliance of four tribes, essentially composing the Haishi Jurchen. The ever-increasing number of soldiers within his army however led to a new problem. Up to then, the Jurchen would fight in hunting parties of 10 to 12 men each, but with thousands of soldiers, such a force could not be controlled effectively. Between 1600 and 1601, the leader had to reorganize his warriors. Nurhaci split the whole army into four divisions, each following a coloured banner, yellow, blue, red or white. These were further divided into companies of several hundred men. Under this new organization, war on a larger scale could now be conducted. As Nurhaci's power was strengthening, his foreign relations changed. His respect towards his Chinese suzerains diminished. The neighbouring Mongol tribes recognized him as a Khan and the Koreans grew intimidating, ensuring peace on both his eastern and western borders. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Zhengzhou leader began to integrate the two other main Jurchen groups, the Haishi Jurchens and the World Jurchens. The latter was subdued in 1611 and the four main Haishi tribes of the Hulun alliance did not fare any better. The Hada fell in 1601, the Hoifa in 1607 and the Ula around 1613. Only the Yehe tribe now remained to integrate and all of the Jurchen people would be unified under Nurhaci. That tribe however had strong ties with the Ming empire, who grew concerned of Nurhaci's power. When he tried to subdue the Yehe, the Ming sent reinforcements which allowed them to resist the attack. Frustrated, the chieftain had to withdraw. Reforms were needed. To better manage his increasing banner army, Nurhaci split the four divisions into two, creating eight groups, each one under a unique coloured banner. The Zhengzhou Jurchen were no longer hunters and tribal warriors, this was the eight banner army that would exist for centuries. The leader signed a treaty with the Chinese, defining official borders, therefore imposing authority on his domain. He also decreed laws and appointed magistrates, built fortresses and strongholds. The Zhengzhou Jurchen, under his leadership, were flourishing. The time had come to officialise his state. On the 17th of February 1916, Nurhaci declared himself a Khan and founded his own state, the later Jin. This was a turning point for history. As he was now officially a monarch of an independent state, he would no longer send tributes to China as a vassal. To consolidate administration and stabilise his state, he began to develop a bureaucracy. With thousands of soldiers and a solid war-able state, it was time to assemble the eight banners and go to war. After years of careful planning, Nurhaci made his move. The Ming had to be fought. On the 7th of May 1618, he announced a manifesto of seven grievances against the Ming, both justifying war and declaring it on the Chinese empire. War on a scale that Jurchen had never seen before would be fought. The Khan launched his first attack on the Chinese at Foshun, an isolated fortress. From his experience with the Chinese, he knew that only a light garrison was stationed there and soldiers in the region were underpaid and underfed. With 20,000 soldiers, Nurhaci attacked the fortress. After a few days of fighting, the local commander Li Yongfang decided to surrender. He and his men even defected to the Jin Khanate. They would be the first of many. The conquests of the Ming had started. In the following months, several other cities in southern Manchuria were captured, but the Yehe Jurchen tribe was still not under his control. In 1619, Nurhaci launched his forces against the Yehe, knowing this would also provoke their Ming allies. Without fail, the Chinese Ming dispatched troops and also called on their Korean vassals. Consequently, the Jin capital city got besieged from all sides. Against Nurhaci's army counting about 60,000 troops, mainly cavalry, stood Chinese cannons, Korean hand cannons and matchlocks, and rival Jurchen cavalry from the Yehe tribe. The combined enemy army counted well over 100,000 troops. This was the battle of Sargu. Nurhaci knew that standing his ground was not an option, as the cannons would tread his forces. He therefore decided to send his cavalry to charge in every direction. This proved to be a wise move, as the assailants were unable to stand the brute force of thousands of warhorses. Each enemy company fell one by one, either retreating or surrendering. The Khan returned triumphantly into his capital city, celebrating his brilliant victory against the coalition. He wrote a letter to the King of Korea, intimidating him further and asking why he had contributed to the attack. The response was a humble letter congratulating the Khan for his brilliant victory. Nurhaci knew that Korea would no longer dare attack the Jin. With now unbreakable morale, the Jin forces continued their attacks. In late September 1619, at an ultimate battle, the Yehe tribe was finally subdued. The Jurchen were now all united under Nurhaci's Jin Khanate. The leader, ambitious as ever, would now attempt to conquer all of China. In early 1621, he conducted the conquest of all of Liaodong peninsula, capturing Shen Yun and Liaoyang from the Ming. Everywhere the Khan led his forces, Han ethnic Chinese soldiers and commanders died, fled or surrendered and were integrated. The capital city was moved to Shen Yun to centralize power. The city got its Manchu name that is more famous in the west, Mokden. There, the imperial palace was built, known today as the Mokden Palace. All of Manchuria was now firmly in control of the Jin Khanate. At the age of 66, Nurhaci prepared to launch yet another campaign against the Ming at the coastal city of Ningyuan. On the Chinese side, morale was wavering. The local Ming commander ordered all remaining Chinese forces to withdraw behind the Great Wall, consequently abandoning Ningyuan. But Yuan Chonghuan, the local commander at Ningyuan, however opposed this decision. He was consequently left behind with 20,000 soldiers, alone against all of the Jurchen hordes. Upon learning that most of the Chinese forces had retreated, Nurhaci led his men. Over 100,000 Jurchen soldiers and horses trampled the ground south along the Yellow Sea coast. Nurhaci, following his integration tactics, tried to intimidate Yuan Chonghuan into surrendering, claiming to lead twice the amount of men he really had. But Yuan Chonghuan's loyalty and sense of honour were incorruptible. He responded by saying he and his men would fight to death, adding an old saying, Those who seek life will die, but those who welcome death will prevail. The Chinese commander ordered to burn everything outside of Ningyuan in a scorched earth tactic. He deployed Portuguese cannons along the walls of the city and patrolled them, checking for any defect. Finally, the day before the battle, Yuan Chonghuan made a blood pact with his soldiers. If Ningyuan fell, the Jurchen would flood China. The Jin army finally reached the city and the soldiers started to set up camp. They were however too close and the Portuguese cannons started bombarding their position, inflicting many casualties, before the Jin hastily retreated. Later, Nurhaci personally led the attack on Ningyuan. Again, the cannons incessantly detonated on the Jin cavalry. It had to attack from another angle. Suffering huge casualties, the Jin finally arrived at the base of the walls, but the defenders lit trails of saltpeter, creating a barrier of fire around the city. Burning oil and poison bombs were launched from atop the walls. The siege was failing. For the first time in his military career, Nurhaci was losing. On the 10th of February, the unthinkable happened. Amidst yet another attack, the Jin leader was wounded by a cannon shot. Consequently, he called off the campaign and retreated to his capital. Apart from a few minor battles, Nurhaci's conquests were ending. In July, the leader fell ill. As weeks followed, it appeared he was unable to recover from the disease. And finally, while on a journey back to his capital city, at the age of 67, the great Jurchen leader died on the 30th of September, 1626. Although having many children, he did not designate a heir to inherit the leadership of the Jurchen people. Daishan, his second son and a brilliant general, using his influence, assembled all the Jurchen princes. They agreed to designate Abahai, Nurhaci's eighth son, as his successor, better known by his Chinese name, Huangtaiji. In the course of one lifetime, Nurhaci cunningly unified all of the Jurchen tribes, developed a writing system for his language, broke free from Chinese dominance, founded a strong state and lay for his descendants the path to conquer all of China. His son would rename the Jurchen as the Manchus, finally defeat the once great Ming dynasty, claim the mandate of heaven and establish the Qing dynasty, the last dynasty to rule over China. Thank you for watching my video, I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave a like and subscribe to the channel. If you have any questions or requests, don't hesitate to leave them in the comment section below.